The Use and Processing of Walrus Tusk at the Neolithic – Bronze Age Site of Mayak 2 (Murmansk Region)

This paper deals with the results of a comprehensive analysis of artifacts made of the Atlantic walrus (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus) tusk found during the excavations of the Neolithic – Bronze Age site of Mayak 2 in the Murmansk region. Upon reviewing the collection of items made of hard organic materials, we identified and described 20 implements, the raw materials for which were the teeth and bones of this animal. A traceological analysis was conducted for all artifacts. The analyzed sample was divided into categories: blade inserts of axes/ adzes, dagger-shaped product, pendants and ornamented plates, fragments of items. In addition, blanks and production waste were identified. All the finds are correlated with the structural elements of the walrus tusk, and, if possible, the sex and age identification of the animals whose tusks were used is given. Based on the results of the analysis, the operational sequence involved in obtaining and processing the tusk was reconstructed. It was found that metal tools were used to process most of the objects. These data, combined with the results of faunal analysis and the stratigraphic position of the artifacts, led to the conclusion that walrus hunting and subsequent tusk processing developed no earlier than the mid-2nd millennium BC (Bronze Age). Currently, we can say that the finds from the ancient settlement of Mayak 2 are the earliest evidence of this production in the European Arctic.