The Palaeolithic of Northeast Asia

The History and Results of Research in 1940–1980

By (author) Vitaly A. Kashin Translated by Richard L. Bland Translated by Yaroslav V. Kuzmin

Book cover: The Palaeolithic of Northeast Asia

Extent: 138 pages

Publisher: Archaeopress Publishing

Subjects: Asian/Pacific Studies & Religions, European Prehistory

Language: English

Paperback (Published)

(January 2023)

ISBN: 9781803273907

8.07 x 11.42 inches

Price: $45.00

Out of stock

This volume combines details of discoveries of Palaeolithic sites in a vast region of Northeast Asia (covering mostly the northeastern part of modern Russia), and meticulous analysis of hypotheses, ideas, and concepts related to the Northeast Asian Palaeolithic.


The Palaeolithic of Northeast Asia: The History and Results of Research in 1940-1980 combines details of discoveries of Palaeolithic sites in a vast region of Northeast Asia (covering mostly the northeastern part of modern Russia), and meticulous analysis of hypotheses, ideas, and concepts related to the Northeast Asian Palaeolithic. Written in the 1980s – 1990s, it is based on the author’s own experience and analysis of published and archival sources. The volume is especially important for better understanding the development of knowledge on this subject, closely related to the issue of the peopling of the New World. The author presents details on the conceptual issues developed by Soviet archaeologists, not previously available to the international scholarly community. This book is for archaeologists, ethnographers, and historians of science in the USSR and worldwide. It has a special interest for students of the peopling of the Americas.

Translators' introduction Introduction Chapter I: Beginning of Palaeolithic Studies in Northeast Asia.Activities of the Lena Historical-Archaeological Expedition.The Period of Initial Accumulation of Data (1948-1959) Chapter II: Investigations of the Palaeolithic of Aldan River and Kamchatka Peninsula.The Determination of Local Cultures and Creation of Regional Cultural-Chronological Schemes in the Evolution of the Palaeolithic of Northeast Asia (1960-1969) Sites of the Aldan River The Ushki Palaeolithic Complex Chapter III: Investigations of the Palaeolithic in Yakutia, Western Coastal Region of the Okhotsk Sea, Chukotka, and Kamchatka.Further Development of Concepts about the Palaeolithic of Northeast Asia (1970-1980) Yakutsk Research Programme Magadan Research Programme Chapter IV: Some Research Problems of the Northeast Asian Palaeolithic Conclusion References Published Sources Archival Materials Index, Translators’ introduction ;

Introduction ;

Chapter I: Beginning of Palaeolithic Studies in Northeast Asia.Activities of the Lena Historical–Archaeological Expedition.The Period of Initial Accumulation of Data (1948–1959) ;

Chapter II: Investigations of the Palaeolithic of Aldan River and Kamchatka Peninsula.The Determination of Local Cultures and Creation of Regional Cultural-Chronological Schemes in the Evolution of the Palaeolithic of Northeast Asia (1960–1969) ;

Sites of the Aldan RiverThe Ushki Palaeolithic Complex Chapter III: Investigations of the Palaeolithic in Yakutia, Western Coastal Region of the Okhotsk Sea, Chukotka, and Kamchatka.Further Development of Concepts about the Palaeolithic of Northeast Asia (1970–1980) ;

Yakutsk Research ProgrammeMagadan Research Programme Chapter IV: Some Research Problems of the Northeast Asian Palaeolithic ;

Conclusion ;

References ;

Published SourcesArchival Materials Index

  • By (author) Vitaly A. Kashin
  • Translated by Richard L. Bland
  • Translated by Yaroslav V. Kuzmin

The book The Palaeolithic of Northeast Asia is awelcome diffusion of knowledge; in part a very useful survey of the Upper Palaeolithic of the northeastern vastness of Eurasia, as well as a detailed survey of its regional Palaeolithic cultural record. Its focus on lithics is a product of its time, but amidst the line drawings of lithics lies much weighty, useful and still current information vital to the understanding of human dispersals across—and beyond—the entire continent. Drawing from Kashin’s meticulous research, Bland and Kuzmin have done us a great service.’ – Paul Pettitt (2023): Antiquity Vol. 97 (395)

A few words should be said about the technical merits of the book. The binding is sturdy, and the pages are printed on high-quality glossy paper, resulting in a good value for its price of £30.00. The text is also nearly free of mechanical errors, which greatly improves readability. Richard L. Bland and Yaroslav V. Kuzmin did a remarkable job with the translation, considering challenges created by irregularities between the Russian and English languages, especially in a text devoted to Paleolithic archaeology. The translation was no simple task.

Overall, Kashin’s book makes a valuable contribution to the archaeology of Siberia, Beringia, and the Americas, and it is worth reading.’ – Ian Buvit (2024): American Antiquity