Across the sweep of tundra and sea-ice, communities labeled here as Arctic_Cultures emerge from long-standing maritime adaptations around the Bering Strait. Archaeological horizons included in this dataset span the Old Bering Sea/Ekven traditions of Chukotka (Ekven, Uelen), Neolithic and later cemeteries such as Bolshoy Oleniy Ostrov (Kola Peninsula), and Aleut and Paleo-/Neo-Aleut settlements on Umnak, Kagamil and Ship Rock islands. Radiocarbon-calibrated dates in the collection range from roughly 2050 BCE through historical times (up to 1960 CE), documenting persistent occupation, seasonal mobility, and periodic cultural change.
Material culture — toggling harpoons, carved ivory and bone, winter house remains, and rich burial assemblages — attest to specialized marine mammal hunting and long-range exchange. Archaeological stratigraphy and artifact styles indicate links between Siberian and North American coastal groups; for example, Ekven-style art and Old Bering Sea metalworking diffuse across Chukotka and into adjacent island archipelagos. Limited evidence suggests episodic demographic shifts, likely driven by climatic fluctuations and intensified contact across the Bering Strait. While material parallels are clear, the genetic evidence (below) helps test questions of population continuity versus replacement over millennia.
