Chronology of prehistoric cultural complexes of Sakhalin Island (Russian Far East)

A chronological framework for the prehistoric cultural complexes of Sakhalin Island is presented based on 160 radiocarbon dates from 74 sites. The earliest ¹⁴C-dated site, Ogonki 5, corresponds to the Upper Paleolithic, about 19,500-17,800 BP. According to the ¹⁴C data, since about 8800 BP, there is a continuous sequence of Neolithic, Early Iron Age, and Medieval complexes. The Neolithic existed during approximately 8800-2800 BP. Transitional Neolithic-Early Iron Age complexes are dated to about 2800-2300 BP. The Early Iron Age may be dated to about 2500-1300 BP. The Middle Ages period is dated to approximately 1300-300 BP (VII-XVII centuries AD).