A STONE ABRASIVE TILE FROM CHEREMKHOVA, WESTERN AMUR REGION☆

A stone abrasive tile excavated by A.V. Machinsky in 1940 at an Early Medieval site at Cheremkhovo, Amur Region, is described. Judging by the results of the experimental use-wear and technological analyses, the tile was used to polish round stone beads. In East Asia, such specialized tools first appeared in the early Neolithic (Novopetrovka culture) and were still employed in the Early Iron Age and during the Middle Ages.