Statistical entropy of near-extremal and fundamental black p-branes

The problem of asymptotic density of quantum states of fundamental extended objects is revised in detail. We argue that in the near-extremal regime the fundamental $p$-brane approach can yield a microscopic interpretation of the black hole entropy. The asymptotic behavior of partition functions, associated with the $p$-branes, and the near-extremal entropy of five-dimensional black holes are explicitly calculated.