| Summary: | One of the arguments proposed for interpreting the Neolithic site of Okhta as a settlement is the fact that potsherds found upon the site show no signs of rounding. Interpretation of the site as a settlement correlates poorly with the geological data, which suggests that, in the Neolithic period, the site was the bottom of a shallow bay of the Littorina Sea into which Paleo-Okhta and Paleo-Tosna flowed. The territory of the site was used as a fishing place by the Neolithic people. To test whether potsherds are rounded by water movement in the estuary zone, a potsherd was placed in the bottom of the estuary of the Morye river – that can be considered as an analog to the of Paleo-Okhta river. After seven days, the potsherd demonstrated no signs of rounding, while a potsherd placed in a rocky bottom exposed to breaking waves demonstrated noticeable signs of rounding after only four days. Thus, the absence of signs of rounding cannot be used as an argument that unrounded potsherds from the Neolithic site of Okhta originate from a settlement but not from an ancient fishing place.
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