ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the earliest ceramics of the prehistoric hunter-gatherer communities in Karelia, and follows studies presented by the author in recent publications. On the basis of radiocarbon dating and the location of archaeological sites, and in relation to known shoreline displacements, it can be concluded that Sperrings ceramics were first produced along the northern and northwestern shores of Lake Onega. Settlements with ceramic assemblages during an early stage of Sperrings ceramics culture occupy the top terraces of the former lake shoreline. Many radiocarbon dates have been obtained. Early pottery production, along with the skilled use of fish bones for decoration of the vessels, started here and was quickly diffused among hunter-fisher-gatherer communities inhabiting the lake shores. The chapter discusses the origins, characteristics, ornamentation and potential uses of the early hunter-gatherer pottery in Karelia, and explores the wider ecological, social and economic contexts in which the first ceramics appear.
