The pottery of the final phase of sperrings culture

The paper is devoted to the poorly studied final period of the existence of Early Neolithic Sperrings culture. There are few settlements of this period - Voynavolok XX, Sandermoha II, Pindushi and Sulgu Va, they are presented in mixed complexes with proscenium stone tools and the absence of radiocarbon dates. No transitional complexes between the developed and final stages of the sperrings culture have been identified. The ceramics of the final stage has a number of differences from the «classic» sperrings. This lack of ornamentation imprints fish vertebra and the retreating lines. At the same time there are imprints of the corded stamps and oval (rhomboid) pits, round-conical pits marked on the main pattern - characteristic features of the advanced stage of the sperrings culture. The main ornament is horizontal zones inclined right and left with a short-cut or corded stamps, comb stamp or oval (rhomboid) pits that form a vertical zigzag lines coated on top of horizontal belts of round-conical pits, sometimes arranged in a staggered manner. Such a change of pottery decoration hasn’t been noted by experts studying early Neolithic ceramics of Karelia due to a small number of vessels and their presence in mixed complexes. Therefore, the development of the sperrings culture is likely to have been continued in some areas of South Karelia, but it is poorly recorded due to the refusal of the ancient population to use a fish vertebra as ornamentation as well as the transition to comb stamps.