| Comb Ceramic Culture |
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Information AboutComb Ceramic Culture |
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DISTRIBUTION The distribution of the found artifacts is approximately as follows: Finnmark ( Norway ) in the north, river Kalix ( Sweden ) and the Gulf of Bothnia ( Finland ) in the west and the river Wisla ( Poland ) in the south. In the east the Comb Ceramic pottery of North-Western Russia merges with a continuum of resembling ceramic styles ranging towards the Ural Mountains . It would include the Narva Culture of Lithuania and the Sperrings Culture in Finland, among others. They are thought to have been essentially hunter-gatherers, though e.g. the Narva culture in Lithuania shows some evidence of agriculture. Some of this region was absorbed by the later Corded Ware Horizon . CERAMICS The ceramics consist of large pots that are rounded or pointed below, and which could contain 40-60 litres. The forms of the vessels remained unchanged but the decoration changed during the centuries. By dating according to the elevation of land, the ceramics have traditionally (Äyräpää 1930) been divided into the following periods: ''early'' (Ka I, ca . Other styles are e.g. Pyheensilta, Jäkärlä, Kierikki and Säräisniemi pottery with their respective subdivisions. Sperrings ceramics is the original name given for the ''younger early Comb ware'' (Ka I:2) found in Finland. HABITATIONS The settlements were located at sea shores or banks of lakes and the economy was based on hunting, fishing and the gathering of plants. In Finland , it was a maritime culture which became more and more specialised in hunting seals. The dominant dwelling was probably a Teepee of about 30 square meters where 15 people could live. Graves were dug at the settlements and the dead were covered with Red Ochre . The typical Comb Ceramic age shows an extensive use of objects made of Flintstone and Amber as grave offerings. Within the ''Jäkärlä'' group there are empty Dolmen s made of Sandstone . TOOLS The stone tools changed very little. They were made of local materials, such as area in north-western Russia. ART The culture was characterised by small figurines of burnt clay and of animal heads made of stone. The animal heads usually depict moose and bears and were derived from the art of the Mesolithic . There were also many Rock Painting s. LANGUAGE It is sometimes hypothesized that the Comb Ware people spoke a Uralic language and were possibly at least partially predecessors of Finno-Ugric speaking tribes. They are not believed to have spoken an Indo-European language. On the other hand, some Toponyms and Hydronym s may indicate also a non-Uralic, non-Indo-European language at work in some areas. However, no linguistic monuments are known from this era so all references to language in this context remain speculative. SOURCES
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