Modern situation in radiocarbon dating of the Afanasyevo and Okunev cultures
This paper presents the analysis of new radiocarbon dates for the sites of the Afanasyevo and Okunev Cultures of the Sayano-Altai Region. A large series of 17 AMS 14C dates for the Afanasyevo Culture of Altai appears considerably younger than almost all LSC dates obtained previously from wood samples, which makes the chronology of the Afanasyevo Culture too extended, drawing criticism from archaeologists. The exact nature of this effect has not been established yet. For the Afanasyevo sites of the Minusinsk basins, the effect has only been traced sporadically, in particular for materials from the Malinoviy Log cemetery. New data allow considerable narrowing of the proposed period of existence of the Afanasyevo Culture. In addition, the comparison of exclusively AMS dates from Altai with those from the Minusinsk basins reveals that Afanasyevo sites of Altai appear older than those from the Minusinsk basin. Comparison of radiocarbon dates of the Afanasyevo and Okunev sites in the Minusinsk basin shows that their coexistence lasted for no more than 100 years (26th- 25th c. BC). The period of development of the Okunev Culture could be estimated to have lasted for at least 800 years. The dating of the final stage of this culture still presents the major problem. Some data allows attributing this process to the 17th-15th c. BC, raising a topical issue of possible coexistence of the Okunev and Andronovo (Fedorovo) Cultures. The individual stages of the Okunev Culture has also been 14C dated: Ujbat stage was attributed to the 26th-23rd c. BC, Chernovaya - to 22nd-20th c. BC and the beginning of the Razliv period is dated from the 18th-19th c. BC.