Journal of A rchaeological S cience (1998) 25, 215–227 Patterns of Prehistoric Procurement of Seal at Lake Baikal: A Zooarchaeological Contribution to the Study of Past Foraging Economies in Siberia Andrzej Witold Weber and David W. Link Department of Anthropology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H4, Canada Olga I. Goriunova Laboratory of Archaeology, Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Irkutsk State University, Karl Marx Street 1, 664003 Irkutsk, Russia Aleksandr K. Konopatskii Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, Russian Academy of Sciences, pr. Lavrent’eva 17, 630090 Novosibirsk, R ussia (R eceived 31 M ay 1996, revised manuscript accepted 18 M arch 1997) Seal canines from several Neolithic and Early Bronze Age archaeological sites on Lake Baikal are analysed in the context of a modern reference collection and comprehensive information about modern Baikal seal ecology and behaviour. Our analysis, which includes determination of seasonality and age at death, reveals temporal and spatial patterns of procurement. While it probably played a secondary role in the livelihood of the three foraging cultures in the area, the Baikal seal was apparently an important part of one community’s mortuary programme. We also found that observed changes in the use of seal across the Neolithic corroborate well with the discontinuity in human occupation that has been hypothesized on the basis of radiocarbon, artefactual and osteological evidence.  1998 Academic Press Limited Keywords: LAKE BAIKAL, NEOLITHIC, HUNTER–GATHERERS, SEAL, ZOOARCHAEOLOGY, DENTAL ANNULI, MORTUARY PROGRAMME. Introduction I n a previous, preliminary report on prehistoric seal procurement at Lake Baikal, Siberia (Weber, Konopatskii & Goriunova, 1993), the main focus was to adopt a method of examination and interpret- ation of dental annuli in prehistoric seal canines. The approach was tested using a series of 35 teeth from three archaeological sites on Lake Baikal. Today a total of 102 teeth have become available after searching existing archaeological collections in the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, Russian Academy of Sciences in Novosibirsk, and the Department of Archaeology and Ethnography, Irkutsk State Univer- sity in Irkutsk. This new larger tooth sample can now be interpreted in the context of rich, recently published evidence on the ecology and behaviour of the Lake Baikal seal (Pastukhov, 1993). Previously, this infor- mation was dispersed over a large number of small reports often difficult to access. Such a context allows us to reveal some new interesting patterns and adds significance to our findings. In short, the objective of the report presented here is to discuss some qualitative aspects of Neolithic pro- curement of seal at Lake Baikal from the perspective of a new database resulting from examination of this larger tooth sample. In particular we focus on seasonality and procurement techniques. Lake Baikal could have played a two-fold role in subsistence activities of prehistoric groups: (1) it could have provided freshwater resources such as seal (Phoca sibirica Gmelin) and various fishes; and (2) it also could have attracted game (red deer, moose, roe deer, reindeer and musk deer) during the seasons of the year when most other waters are frozen, thus creating improved hunting grounds for humans. The issue of the role of seal in the subsistence of Lake Baikal Neolithic foragers, relative to other food sources, is 215 0305–4403/98/030215+ 13 $25.00/0/as970235  1998 Academic Press Limited