Rakushechny Yar site: lacustrine and fluvial deposits, buried soils and shell platforms from 6th mill. BC

The Rakushechny Yar site is a floodplain multi-layer archaeological site encompassing strata dated from the Early Neolithic to the Bronze Age. It is characterised by a complex stratigraphy, with the presence of different deposits, buried soils and archaeological layers. Fluvial deposits interlay different settlement strata, which provides an opportunity to elaborate a precise chronological scheme and to study the successive changes in hydrological regime, climate and vegetation, along with the phases of human occupation. A study of the pastes used in ceramic manufacture was conducted to investigate changes in the procuring of raw materials, whose procurement would have depended heavily on their availability and sedimentation process. The fluvial deposits, which have safely preserved the Neolithic–Bronze Age archaeological layers, reach thicknesses of more than 6 m, which makes this site interesting both for the reconstruction of the human–environmental interaction and for the palaeoenvironmental history of the region.