The article features a comprehensive study of the Malinovka 1 and Malinovka 2 settlements in Primorsky Territory, which date back to the Ming Dynasty (mid-16th century) - a period that is actually a «blank spot» in the archaeology of the region. A complex study of the materials from the sites including application of natural science methods made it possible to characterize the subsistence pattern of the population in the Bolshaya Ussurka River basin during the Late Middle Ages. This study is the first to apply spore-pollen analysis for that historical period in the region to obtain information on the climatic conditions and surrounding vegetation during the functioning of the settlements, as well as on economic activity and possible anthropogenic impact on the landscape. Based on the analysis of the planigraphy, stratigraphy of the sites, a complex of artifacts and ecofacts, it was established that the settlements functioned as seasonal camps associated with fishing and related activities. An assumption was made about the existence of developed polycultural agriculture in the subsistence system of the population determining the way of life and suggesting the presence of settlements with corresponding agricultural plots in their settlement pattern.
Anzulis et al. (Wed,) studied this question.