Vostretsov Yu.E., Gelman E.I.

Key words: Eastern Asia, Sea of Japan, human ecology, cultural adaptation in Primorye, Neolithic – Early Iron Age
The article presents the results of our study of the cultural adaptation of the population of Primorye in the Middle Holocene (Early Neolithic – Early Iron Age). The data comes from a comprehensive study of such unique archaeological objects as shelly deposits at sites. The article reconstructs the life sustenance systems of different cultural groups in Primorye in the context of environmental changes in the maritime and continental zones, using a wide range of humanitarian and natural science methods. It traces the connections between the state of the environment and the specific cultural adaptation of settlements and the cultural area in general. The article reveals the environmental factors, such as climate warming or cooling, and transgression or regression of the sea level, which influence to this or that extent the emergence or disappearance of cultural adaptations in continental regions and on the coast. An important indicator of the state of cultural adaptations on the coasts of the Sea of Japan is the emergence and disappearance of sites with shelly deposits. In the context of continuity of the cultural evolution of the Primorye population, the article reconstructs the tendencies towards changes in the types of economic activity in connection with changes in the environment as the resource base for communities.