When the ice retreated and forests and rivers reclaimed the plain, small bands of hunter‑gatherers pushed back into the East European landscape. Archaeological data from sites such as Dereivka I, Vasil'evka, Vasylivka-1 and -3, Karavaikha 1, and Berendeyevo (Yaroslavl) document repeated occupation from the early Holocene through the late Mesolithic (ca. 10,509–4,251 BCE). Material assemblages preserved in these riverine and floodplain contexts point to a long-standing adaptation to steppe‑forest margins: microlithic toolkits, bone implements, and locality‑specific raw material use.
Genetic sampling of 28 individuals spanning this interval suggests a population that fits broadly within the Eastern European Hunter‑Gatherer (EHG) genetic horizon. This genomic signal implies deep continuity on the East European Plain while also leaving room for contacts with neighboring groups to the north and east. Archaeological affinities with the Mesolithic Veretye traditions in parts of the Vologda region and later overlaps with Neolithic Volosovo‑Lyalovo material hint at cultural continuities and gradual local change rather than abrupt replacement.
Limited evidence constrains fine‑scale models: localized site sequences and sparse preservation mean that regional patterns are still being refined, and interpretations should be seen as provisional pending further excavation and genomic sampling.
