Role of fishing in the final stone age of the Lower Ob region (on the materials of the settlement Gorny Somatnel - I)

The role of fishing in the human history is very high. Though meat is considered to be an important product of hunting, fish has been a basic component of the food system of human groups in different climatic and geographical conditions. This is explained by the fact that groups lived next to water resources (lakes, rivers, seas, oceans) that had a high nutritional value. The first evidence of fishing existence as an independent economic sector belongs to the Paleolithic time, and its further development goes throughout human history, having developed from the simplest forms of fishing using primitive harpoons to modern forms of industrial fishing using a specialized fleet. The period under review, final Stone Age, is characterized by massive use of fishing nets. We assume that this method became a base of effective adaptation strategy, making it possible to develop the Lower Ob area with its difficult climate. The issues raised in this paper involve the role and importance of fishing economy for West Siberian North as well as for ancient economies of the North and Arctic regions.