Andrey Epimakhov
Ural Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, South-Ural Department, Department Member
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Funerary Archaeology, Social Archaeology, Bronze Age (Archaeology), Bronze Age warfare, Archaeology, Radiocarbon Dating (Archaeology), and 17 moreMilitary Prehistory (Archaeology), Fortified Settlements (Archaeology), Prehistoric Fortification (Archaeology), Archaeological Method & Theory, Late Bronze Age archaeology, Bronze Age, Bronze Age Europe (Archaeology), Bronze Age Archaeology, Late Bronze Age, Prehistoric Archaeology, Archaeological Theory, Archaeometallurgy, European Prehistory (Archaeology), Archaeology of the Eurasian steppe belt, Ancient Warefare, Chariots, and Sintashta edit
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The Proceedings comprise the papers presented at the “IX Geoarchaeology and Archaeological Mineralogy-2022” Conference. This event took place at the South Ural Federal Research Center of Mineralogy and Geoecology, Urals Branch of the... more
The Proceedings comprise the papers presented at the “IX Geoarchaeology and Archaeological Mineralogy-2022” Conference. This event took place at the South Ural Federal Research Center of Mineralogy and Geoecology, Urals Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Miass, Russia, from September 19th to 22nd, 2022.
Part General Issues of Geoarchaeology and Archaeometry is devoted to the general problems of paleogeography and survey of the Bronze and Early Iron Ages, affecting wide regions from the Northern Black Sea coast to the Urals. Here are the authors’ concepts on the development of ancient production, as well as a series of the latest isotopic-geochemical studies of artefacts.
Part Bioarchaeology and Cultural Layer Research, modern possibilities of studying the cultural layer are presented, related to the issues of diet, migration, and individual mobility of people and technologies in antiquity.
Part The Use of Rocks and Minerals by Ancient Societies combines the results of field and analytical studies of the ancient mines. The materials in this chapter are devoted from Caucasus to Western Siberia, from Stone to Bronze Age and Antiquity.
Part Mineralogical and Geochemical Methods in the Study of Ancient Ceramics is devoted to the features of the chemical and mineral composition of ancient ceramic artefacts originating from archaeological sites of Urals and the European part of Russia.
Part Archaeometallurgy and Metalworking presents the mineralogical and geochemical characteristics ofmetal artefacts, ancient ores, and metallurgical processing products discovered during archaeological excavations. The results of this part are devoted to the period from the Bronze Age to the Middle Ages.
Multidisciplinary archaeometry research is an important aspect of archaeological surveys. Various mineralogical, chemical, and isotopic research methods that are currently used in geological study are only just beginning to be introduced into widespread archaeological practice in Russia. The “Geoarchaeology and Archaeological Mineralogy” is one of the first conferences that provide a successful collaboration of various researchers from both geological and archaeological areas.
The Geoarchaeological Conference is aimed to coordinate and effectively improve the multilevel training of scientists and make linkages between young scientists and scientific geological and archaeological institutions. The conference aims to accumulate knowledge on new modern geological, geophysical, mineralogical, petrographic, and geochemical methods for searching and studying archaeological sites and ancient mines.
The conference promotes the application of natural scientific methods in archaeology and contributes to the knowledge of the mineral resource base of ancient societies, the analysis of economic relations in antiquity, and a combination of traditions and innovations from a historical perspective. The main social task of the conference is to form scientific linkages between the young scientists from various geological and archaeological scientific institutions of Russia and the international community, and to introduce the new generation of students into the field of science.
You can find the link to the previous volumes of Proceedings https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-48864-2, https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007%2F978-3-030-86040-0, https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-16544-3.
The Proceedings are intended for archaeologists, historians, museum staff, and geologists and also would benefit students, graduate students, and specialists—who are interested in the application of minerals at different stages of human development.
Part General Issues of Geoarchaeology and Archaeometry is devoted to the general problems of paleogeography and survey of the Bronze and Early Iron Ages, affecting wide regions from the Northern Black Sea coast to the Urals. Here are the authors’ concepts on the development of ancient production, as well as a series of the latest isotopic-geochemical studies of artefacts.
Part Bioarchaeology and Cultural Layer Research, modern possibilities of studying the cultural layer are presented, related to the issues of diet, migration, and individual mobility of people and technologies in antiquity.
Part The Use of Rocks and Minerals by Ancient Societies combines the results of field and analytical studies of the ancient mines. The materials in this chapter are devoted from Caucasus to Western Siberia, from Stone to Bronze Age and Antiquity.
Part Mineralogical and Geochemical Methods in the Study of Ancient Ceramics is devoted to the features of the chemical and mineral composition of ancient ceramic artefacts originating from archaeological sites of Urals and the European part of Russia.
Part Archaeometallurgy and Metalworking presents the mineralogical and geochemical characteristics ofmetal artefacts, ancient ores, and metallurgical processing products discovered during archaeological excavations. The results of this part are devoted to the period from the Bronze Age to the Middle Ages.
Multidisciplinary archaeometry research is an important aspect of archaeological surveys. Various mineralogical, chemical, and isotopic research methods that are currently used in geological study are only just beginning to be introduced into widespread archaeological practice in Russia. The “Geoarchaeology and Archaeological Mineralogy” is one of the first conferences that provide a successful collaboration of various researchers from both geological and archaeological areas.
The Geoarchaeological Conference is aimed to coordinate and effectively improve the multilevel training of scientists and make linkages between young scientists and scientific geological and archaeological institutions. The conference aims to accumulate knowledge on new modern geological, geophysical, mineralogical, petrographic, and geochemical methods for searching and studying archaeological sites and ancient mines.
The conference promotes the application of natural scientific methods in archaeology and contributes to the knowledge of the mineral resource base of ancient societies, the analysis of economic relations in antiquity, and a combination of traditions and innovations from a historical perspective. The main social task of the conference is to form scientific linkages between the young scientists from various geological and archaeological scientific institutions of Russia and the international community, and to introduce the new generation of students into the field of science.
You can find the link to the previous volumes of Proceedings https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-48864-2, https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007%2F978-3-030-86040-0, https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-16544-3.
The Proceedings are intended for archaeologists, historians, museum staff, and geologists and also would benefit students, graduate students, and specialists—who are interested in the application of minerals at different stages of human development.
Research Interests:
The new monograph, which continues a series of publications on the study of archaeological sites near Stepnoye village (Plast district of Chelyabinsk region, Russia), introduces materials from both old excavations and the results of... more
The new monograph, which continues a series of publications on the study of archaeological sites near Stepnoye village (Plast district of Chelyabinsk region, Russia), introduces materials from both old excavations and the results of recent field seasons into scientifi c circulation. The second chapter presents the results of scientifi c
analyses of settlement materials, which signifi cantly complement the picture of the economy and life of the Sintashta population.
analyses of settlement materials, which signifi cantly complement the picture of the economy and life of the Sintashta population.
Research Interests:
Proceedings of 8th Geoarchaeological Conference, Miass, Russia, 20–23 September 2021
https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-16544-3
https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-16544-3
Research Interests:
The procedure for analyzing collective burials is illustrated by two case studies of the Sintashta and Abashevo cultures of the Bronze Age. The interpretation of such complexes has been based on the most complete and detailed analysis of... more
The procedure for analyzing collective burials is illustrated by two case studies of the Sintashta and Abashevo cultures of the Bronze Age. The interpretation of such complexes has been based on the most complete and detailed analysis of the burials themselves, their anthropological composition, the presence of trauma traces, as well as on a wide cultural background. The following should be considered as equal scenarios for the formation of the complex: a one-time death of individuals and a single funeral; non-one-time deaths of individuals and single funeral; non-one-time deaths of individuals and repeated actions (multi-act burial ritual). The analyzed materials illustrate the high probability of the fact that similar complexes may formally have fundamentally different ideas underlying the objectified behavioral acts.
Research Interests:
В сборнике представлены материалы VIII Всероссийской научной конференции с международным участием им. проф. В.В. Зайкова «Геоархеология и археологическая минералогия-2021». Издание включает расширенные тезисы, посвященные анализу... more
В сборнике представлены материалы VIII Всероссийской научной конференции с международным участием им. проф. В.В. Зайкова «Геоархеология и археологическая минералогия-2021». Издание включает расширенные тезисы, посвященные анализу
технологических традиций доисторического прошлого, выявленных с помощью естественно-научных методов исследований. В первой части сборника рассматриваются
актуальные вопросы геоархеологии (археометрии). Вторая часть посвящена изучению минерально-сырьевой базы древних обществ и технике обработки каменного материала. В третьей части охарактеризованы методики изучения палеокерамического производства. Четвертая часть содержит сведения о составе и технологических особенностях добычи медных руд в древности. В пятой части собраны материалы по археометаллургии и металлопроизводству.
Издание рассчитано на геологов, археологов, историков и музейных работников. Все выпуски сборника находятся в открытом доступе.
The Proceedings include the contributions of the VIIIth All-Russian Conference with international participation named after Prof. V.V. Zaykov «Geoarchaeology and Archaeological Mineralogy-2021». The Proceedings includes extended abstracts devoted to the analysis of
technological traditions of the prehistoric past revealed by means of natural-scientific research methods. The first chapter deals with the topical issues of geoarchaeology (archaeometry). The second chapter is devoted to the study of mineral and raw material base of ancient societies and the technique of processing of stone material. The third chapter describes the methods of studying paleoceramic production. The fourth chapter contains information about the composition and
technological features of copper ore mining in antiquity. The fifth chapter contains materials on archaeometallurgy and metal production.
The Proceedings is intended for geologists, archaeologists, historians, and museum workers. All issues are in the open access
технологических традиций доисторического прошлого, выявленных с помощью естественно-научных методов исследований. В первой части сборника рассматриваются
актуальные вопросы геоархеологии (археометрии). Вторая часть посвящена изучению минерально-сырьевой базы древних обществ и технике обработки каменного материала. В третьей части охарактеризованы методики изучения палеокерамического производства. Четвертая часть содержит сведения о составе и технологических особенностях добычи медных руд в древности. В пятой части собраны материалы по археометаллургии и металлопроизводству.
Издание рассчитано на геологов, археологов, историков и музейных работников. Все выпуски сборника находятся в открытом доступе.
The Proceedings include the contributions of the VIIIth All-Russian Conference with international participation named after Prof. V.V. Zaykov «Geoarchaeology and Archaeological Mineralogy-2021». The Proceedings includes extended abstracts devoted to the analysis of
technological traditions of the prehistoric past revealed by means of natural-scientific research methods. The first chapter deals with the topical issues of geoarchaeology (archaeometry). The second chapter is devoted to the study of mineral and raw material base of ancient societies and the technique of processing of stone material. The third chapter describes the methods of studying paleoceramic production. The fourth chapter contains information about the composition and
technological features of copper ore mining in antiquity. The fifth chapter contains materials on archaeometallurgy and metal production.
The Proceedings is intended for geologists, archaeologists, historians, and museum workers. All issues are in the open access
Research Interests:
Based on a synthesis of the accumulated materials on the archaeology of the South Urals and adjacent territories, the publication presents the history of the social, cultural and economic development of the region’s population in the... more
Based on a synthesis of the accumulated materials on the archaeology of the South Urals and adjacent territories, the publication presents the history of the social, cultural and economic development of the region’s population in the Stone, Bronze and Early Iron Ages. A comprehensive analysis of archaeological and written sources reveals the historical processes that took place in the South Ural steppes in the period from the Great Migration of Peoples to the collapse of the Golden Horde. New data obtained in the course of the archival research and detailed analysis of the pre-revolutionary Russia mining legislation present the South Urals of the XVI–XIX centuries. Modern research reveals key events in the history of the South Urals in the XX century.
The book is aimed at graduate and postgraduate students, professional historians, and a wide range of readers interested in the history of Russia.
The book is aimed at graduate and postgraduate students, professional historians, and a wide range of readers interested in the history of Russia.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
В данной монографии впервые сведены воедино материалы могильника позднего бронзового века Кулевчи VI в Южном Зауралье. В книге читатель может найти как исчерпывающее описание исследованных экспедицией ЧГПИ в 1979–1983 гг. объектов, так и... more
В данной монографии впервые сведены воедино материалы могильника позднего бронзового века Кулевчи VI в Южном Зауралье. В книге читатель может найти как исчерпывающее описание исследованных экспедицией ЧГПИ в 1979–1983 гг. объектов, так и результаты обработки материалов этого замечательного во многих аспектах памятника разнообразными профильными специалистами. Безусловным достоинством монографии является ее обширный иллюстративный ряд.
Монография предназначена, прежде всего, для археологов. Но может быть полезна для всех интересующихся проблемами древней истории Южного Зауралья. Пространное англоязычное резюме, как надеются авторы, многократно увеличит читательскую аудиторию книги.
Монография предназначена, прежде всего, для археологов. Но может быть полезна для всех интересующихся проблемами древней истории Южного Зауралья. Пространное англоязычное резюме, как надеются авторы, многократно увеличит читательскую аудиторию книги.
Research Interests:
The cemetery of Kamenny Ambar-5 (Southern Trans-Urals) of the Bronze Age includes kurgans of the Sintashta and Srubnaya cultures. Despite the radical differences in the funeral rites and material culture, these objects have a number of... more
The cemetery of Kamenny Ambar-5 (Southern Trans-Urals) of the Bronze Age includes kurgans of the Sintashta and Srubnaya cultures. Despite the radical differences in the funeral rites and material culture, these objects have a number of similar features. Firstly, the stratigraphically late burials of the Sintashta kurgans contain ceramic vessels with Srubnaya features. Secondly, calibrated radiocarbon dates indicate a single time interval (first quarter of the 2nd millennium cal BC). Finally, paleogenetic analysis has revealed the internal heterogeneity for the Sintashta and Srubnaya series. At the same time, groups of outliers find correspondences in series of different cultures: some of the Sintashta individuals resemble Srubnaya individuals and vice versa. Thus, the results of multidisciplinary research show a picture of a complex interaction of different cultural traditions, at least partially synchronous during the beginning of the late Bronze Age.
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Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Koryakova L., Krause R., Fornasier J., Epimakhov A., Sharapova S., Berseneva N., Panteleeva S. Chapter 5. Archaeological structures of the Kamennyi Ambar settlement // R. Krause, L. Koryakova (eds.) Multidisciplinary investigations of the... more
Koryakova L., Krause R., Fornasier J., Epimakhov A., Sharapova S., Berseneva N., Panteleeva S. Chapter 5. Archaeological structures of the Kamennyi Ambar settlement // R. Krause, L. Koryakova (eds.) Multidisciplinary investigations of the Bronze Age settle-ments in the Southern Trans-Urals (Russia). Bonn: Verlag Dr. Rudolf Habelt GmbH, 2013. Pp. 85–128.
Research Interests:
Книга является первым монографическим исследование, посвященным комплексному анализу погребальных памятников второй фазы эпохи средней бронзы – начала поздней бронзы. Синташтинские древности, получившие широкую известность в связи с... more
Книга является первым монографическим исследование, посвященным комплексному анализу погребальных памятников второй фазы эпохи средней бронзы – начала поздней бронзы. Синташтинские древности, получившие широкую известность в связи с открытием эпонимного комплекса и городища Аркаим, проанализированы с применением статистических процедур. Реконструированная социально-погребальная структура сопоставлена с результатми исследования укрепленных поселений. Рассмотрены варианты социологической интерпретации, семантические аспекты погребальной обрядности, предложена модель синташтинского культурогенеза.
Research Interests:
The collection of papers is commemorating Dr. Elena E. Kuzmina, an outstanding Russian scholar. She focused her research on analyses of ethnic-cultural phenomena of the Bronze and Early Iron Ages. Сборник посвящен памяти Елены Ефимовны... more
The collection of papers is commemorating Dr. Elena E. Kuzmina, an outstanding Russian scholar. She focused her
research on analyses of ethnic-cultural phenomena of the Bronze and Early Iron Ages.
Сборник посвящен памяти Елены Ефимовны Кузьминой – видного российского ученого, доктора исторических
наук, научное творчество которой связано с анализом этнокультурных явлений в эпоху бронзы и раннего железного века.
Авторы статей:
Diakonoff I.M., Francfort H.-P., Jones-Bley K., Linduff K.M., Olivieri L.M., Rubinson K.S., Vidale M., Антонова Е.В., Арутюнов С.А., Байпаков К.М., Белова О.В., Березанская С.С., Бисембаев А.А., Бобров В.В., Боковенко Н.А.,
Бондарев А.В., Бородовский А.П., Васильев В.Н., Виноградов Н.Б., Виноградова Н.М., Гутков А.И., Дашковский П.К., Дубова Н.А., Дуйсенгали М.Н., Епимахов А.В., Ермолаева М.С., Зубова А.В., Зубова А.В., Иванова Д.П., Исмагил Р., Кайзер Э., Кирчо Л.Б., Клейн Л.С., Ковалев А.А., Ковалевская В.Б., Ковтун И.В., Козенкова В.И., Косинцев П.А., Котов В.Г., Кузнецов П.Ф., Куликов Л.И., Кутимов Ю.Г., Лившиц В.А., Литвинский Б.А., Лопатин В.А., Малов Н.М., Мамедов А.М., Матвеева Н.П., Молодин В.И., Морозов Ю.А., Мочалов О.Д., Мыльников В.П., Мыльникова Л.Н., Ненахов Д.А., Новоженов В.А., Ожередов Ю.И., Отрощенко В.В., Папин В.В., Парпола А., Перепелкин Л.С., Петрухин В.Я., Погребова М.Н., Поздняков Д.В., Поздняков Д.В., Поляков Т.П., Пьянков И.В., Разлогов К.Э., Рафикова Я.В., Савинов Д.Г., Сарианиди В.И., Смирнов Ю.А., Ткачев А.А., Ткачев В.В., Усачук А.Н., Федоров В.К., Федорова Т.С., Федорук О.А., Ходжайов Т.К., Ходжайова Г.К., Хохлов А.А., Чаплыгин М.С., Чикишева Т.А., Чикишева Т.А., Шнирельман В.А.
research on analyses of ethnic-cultural phenomena of the Bronze and Early Iron Ages.
Сборник посвящен памяти Елены Ефимовны Кузьминой – видного российского ученого, доктора исторических
наук, научное творчество которой связано с анализом этнокультурных явлений в эпоху бронзы и раннего железного века.
Авторы статей:
Diakonoff I.M., Francfort H.-P., Jones-Bley K., Linduff K.M., Olivieri L.M., Rubinson K.S., Vidale M., Антонова Е.В., Арутюнов С.А., Байпаков К.М., Белова О.В., Березанская С.С., Бисембаев А.А., Бобров В.В., Боковенко Н.А.,
Бондарев А.В., Бородовский А.П., Васильев В.Н., Виноградов Н.Б., Виноградова Н.М., Гутков А.И., Дашковский П.К., Дубова Н.А., Дуйсенгали М.Н., Епимахов А.В., Ермолаева М.С., Зубова А.В., Зубова А.В., Иванова Д.П., Исмагил Р., Кайзер Э., Кирчо Л.Б., Клейн Л.С., Ковалев А.А., Ковалевская В.Б., Ковтун И.В., Козенкова В.И., Косинцев П.А., Котов В.Г., Кузнецов П.Ф., Куликов Л.И., Кутимов Ю.Г., Лившиц В.А., Литвинский Б.А., Лопатин В.А., Малов Н.М., Мамедов А.М., Матвеева Н.П., Молодин В.И., Морозов Ю.А., Мочалов О.Д., Мыльников В.П., Мыльникова Л.Н., Ненахов Д.А., Новоженов В.А., Ожередов Ю.И., Отрощенко В.В., Папин В.В., Парпола А., Перепелкин Л.С., Петрухин В.Я., Погребова М.Н., Поздняков Д.В., Поздняков Д.В., Поляков Т.П., Пьянков И.В., Разлогов К.Э., Рафикова Я.В., Савинов Д.Г., Сарианиди В.И., Смирнов Ю.А., Ткачев А.А., Ткачев В.В., Усачук А.Н., Федоров В.К., Федорова Т.С., Федорук О.А., Ходжайов Т.К., Ходжайова Г.К., Хохлов А.А., Чаплыгин М.С., Чикишева Т.А., Чикишева Т.А., Шнирельман В.А.
Research Interests:
Коллективная монография памяти Елены Ефимовны Кузьминой, выдающегося русского и советского археолога
Research Interests:
Коллективная монография памяти Елены Ефимовны Кузьминой. Международный коллектив авторов из Казахстана, России, США, ФРГ. Под редакцией проф. А.В.Епимахова. Ограниченный тираж. Для специалистов.
Research Interests:
Несмотря на положительные тенденции в развитии тематики радиоуглеродного датирования археологических памятников, в среде российских специалистов сохраняется неопределенность по вопросу о необходимости многократного датирования одного... more
Несмотря на положительные тенденции в развитии тематики радиоуглеродного датирования археологических памятников, в среде российских специалистов сохраняется неопределенность по вопросу о необходимости многократного датирования одного памятника. Цель данной работы – представить на реальных примерах дополнительные возможности содержательной интерпретации материалов, располагающих большими сериями дат. В статье представлены итоги байесовского моделирования двух стратифицированных объектов (могильник Каменный Амбар-5 и поселение Горный-1), позволившие уточнить хронологические рубежи и длительность функционирования каждого из них, а также диагностировать статистические выбросы и протестировать наличие/отсутствие резервуарного эффекта при датировании костей человека. Часть датировок и данных о составе стабильных изотопов азота и углерода публикуется впервые (таблицы 1 и 2). Статистический анализ серий позволил успешно решить поставленные задачи и создал предпосылки для решения проблем реконструкции основных сфер функционирования древних коллективов.
Research Interests:
This research aims to contribute to our knowledge of the chronology of the main cultural entities of the Bronze Age in the Southern Urals. The objectives of this work include the verification of earlier conclusions regarding individual... more
This research aims to contribute to our knowledge of the chronology of the main cultural entities of the Bronze Age in the Southern Urals. The objectives of this work include the verification of earlier conclusions regarding individual sites, expanding the date series for the key cultures with reliable dates, and creating reference series for the Bayesian modeling of key archaeological sites. Thirty-two samples were selected from reliable contexts. They reflect seven different cultural traditions of the 2nd millennium calBC (Sintashta, Srubnaya, Alakul, Fedorovka, Cherkaskul, Final Bronze Age 1 , Transition to Early Iron Age 2). Collagen (human and domestic animal bones), charcoal, and wood samples were used for radiocarbon dating. Pairs of different-type samples (human boneanimal bone, animal bonecharcoal) were obtained for the same undisturbed burial and the building floor at the time of its abandonment. The data and the composition of δ 15 N and δ 13 C isotopes allow the new dates to be considered reliable. Furthermore, the new results do not conflict with the previously obtained accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) dates. Determining boundary intervals for the main cultures of the Andronovo cultural community (Alakul and Fedorovka) resulted in statistically reliable conclusions on their relationship. The Alakul culture appeared earlier than the Fedorovka culture. The latter has a migratory origin in the Southern Urals. The two traditions have a long history of interaction, but the Alakul culture ending earlier. The series of dates for the Final Bronze Age, divided into two sub-periods, has been significantly expanded. Bayesian modeling of the chronology of the stratified settlement Sintashta II (Levoberezhnoe) made it possible to determine the intervals of the main phases of its history: 2004-1852 calBC (Sintashta culture) and 1410-1170 calBC (Final Bronze Age). Intermediate Cherkaskul phase is represented by a single date (1731-1541 cal BC).
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Chronology of the Final Bronze Age in the Southern Trans-Urals has been established using radiocarbon dating. This article presents new results of dating two burial complexes from the steppe zone – single burial mound of Sokolok and... more
Chronology of the Final Bronze Age in the Southern Trans-Urals has been established using radiocarbon dating. This article presents new results of dating two burial complexes from the steppe zone – single burial mound of Sokolok and secondary burial in burial mound 4 at the Solntse II burial ground. These complexes are similar in many features of funeral rite (inhumation in the crouched position on the right side, southern orientation of the deceased) as well as small size of burial structure and scarce inventory. The AMS dates turned out to be very close despite some difference in details (lack of pottery in the secondary burial). The calibrated dates show late 15th–13th century cal BC (95.4% of probability). The isotope values did not indicate the reservoir effect. New results match exactly the earlier AMS dates. The summation of the probabilities of twenty AMS-dates illustrates the presence of two peaks. One of them refers to the period of transition to the Early Iron Age (10th–8th centuries BC). The question on cultural attribution of these complexes remains open, since that area was a zone of interaction between the steppe Sargary-Alekseevka and forest-steppe Mezhovka groups of population. New evidence does not confi rm the previous assumption about the evolution of pottery tradition towards reduced ornamentation and disappearance of bands on dishware. The evidence from the Sokolok burial mound was dated to the beginning of the Final Bronze Age but contained undecorated pottery. Burial pottery might have signifi cantly differed from pottery of the settlements for which the assumption on pottery evolution was made.
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The Bronze Age of the Urals is one of the key points in the ancient history in Northern Eurasia due to the number of natural and cultural factors. The reconstruction of the cultural situation here is based mainly on archaeological... more
The Bronze Age of the Urals is one of the key points in the ancient history in Northern Eurasia due to the number of natural and cultural factors. The reconstruction of the cultural situation here is based mainly on archaeological materials. The significant progress also has been achieved in recent years thanks to 14C-dating use. The paper presents an example of the analysis of the interaction of different groups of the population who left sites of different cultures, concentrated in a small microdistrict (modern Stepnoye village in Plast district of the Chelyabinsk region), using a large volume of AMS dates and the maximum information capabilities of archaeological data.
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The article studies all series of radiocarbon dates of one of the most debatable sites of the Bronze Age in Southern Ural – Big Sintashta kurgan. A study of the historiography shows serious contradictions in interpretation of the site... more
The article studies all series of radiocarbon dates of one of the most debatable sites of the Bronze Age in Southern Ural – Big Sintashta kurgan. A study of the historiography shows serious contradictions in interpretation of the site including its cultural and chronological attribution, function, etc. Finding its chronological position would facilitate progress in interpretation; however, six dates (wood-based) are divided into three groups and overtake almost all II millinery BC. The reasons for the heterogeneity of the series can be found in the origins of the assemblage which partly is proved by soil scientists' conclusions. Besides, one of the chronological groups (14-13 centuries BC) has no archaeological concentration in the excavated part of the kurgan but is well presented in the settlement with the same name. At the present time, we can carefully take note that at least a part of wooden constructions refers to different periods of the Bronze Age. Further progress depends on the widening of the series of quality dates for the site obtained from well studied and recorded context. The second task of verification is the precision of Cherkaskul culture chronology in the steppe Trans-Urals, based on its excavated material. Modern ideas of its chronology are based on a very small series of dates obtained using the scintillation method without the second dating checking.
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By means of the Bayesian analysis of radiocarbon dates, a comparison of chronologies of the Kamennyi Ambar settlement and the cemetery of Kamennyi Ambar-5 of the Late Bronze Age Syntashta-Petrovka period has been carried out. Both sites... more
By means of the Bayesian analysis of radiocarbon dates, a comparison of chronologies of the Kamennyi Ambar settlement and the cemetery of Kamennyi Ambar-5 of the Late Bronze Age Syntashta-Petrovka period has been carried out. Both sites are situated in the valley of the Karagaily-Ayat River in Kartalinsky district of Chelyabinsk Region (Russia). Comparison of the pottery assemblages of the settlement and the cemetery demonstrates their similarity, which suggests existence of a genetic link between the sites. The purpose of this work is development of a generalized chronological model of the two monuments. This is achieved by comparison of uncalibrated intervals of radiocarbon dates and calculation of chronological boundaries of the existence of the settlement and cemetery by means of Bayesian modeling of the calibrated dates. The method consists in that, in the beginning, the stratigraphic position of each date is determined, and then the dates suitable for the analysis are arranged in the chronological order and calibrated, while the algorithm of the OxCal 4.4 calibration program is queried for calculation of the boundaries of the given periods and their duration. Also, the paper reports complete sets of the radiocarbon dates: 61 dates have been obtained from the materials of the settlement of Kamennyi Ambar, while 19 measurements originate from the Kamennyi Ambar-5 cemetery. Correlation of the radiocarbon dates and development of the Bayesian chronological models have demonstrated contemporaneousness of the settlement and the cemetery with slightly later beginning of the activity at the latter. This observation is in agreement with the concept of the genetic link between the sites and, arguably, can be extended onto other pairs of fortified settlement — kurgan cemetery attributed to the Sintashta-Petrovka period. Our conclusion is also consistent with the concept of building the complex of monuments by a newly-arrived population, who founded a settlement, occupied the new territory for some time, while the first deaths occurred some time afterwards. That said, the settlement of Kamennyi Ambar existed for no longer than a century in the 1950s — 1860s BC, while the cemetery of Kamennyi Ambar-5 was used for 70–80 years within the same chronological interval.
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The chronology of the Neolithic in the Transural is at the center of a debate in which radiocarbon dating has lead to new perspectives. They show the origin of the ceramic traditions and their connection with the Neolithic process in a... more
The chronology of the Neolithic in the Transural is at the center of a debate in which radiocarbon dating has lead to new perspectives. They show the origin of the ceramic traditions and their connection with the Neolithic process in a wide geographical range. Based on 75 radiocarbon dates, which stay in a reliable archaeological context, methodological problems are investigated and a new sequence from Mesolithic to Neolithic is proposed.
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The work presents the preliminary results of serial radiocarbon dating of the Bronze Age settlement Levoberezhnoe (Sintashta II) in the Southern Trans-Urals. 12 radiocarbon dates were obtained using AMS-technology. Their values are... more
The work presents the preliminary results of serial radiocarbon dating of the Bronze Age settlement Levoberezhnoe (Sintashta II) in the Southern Trans-Urals. 12 radiocarbon dates were obtained using AMS-technology. Their values are clearly divided into two groups: Sintashta and Petrovka (20–18 centuries cal BC) and the final part of the Bronze Age (14–11 centuries cal BC). In addition, a single date for the Cherkaskul cultural layer was obtained. The area of the settlement was exploited (apparently, with interruptions) by bearers of different archaeological traditions throughout the entire 2nd millennium cal BC.
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The article compares the chronology of some Bronze Age cultural traditions in the Volga river region and Southern Urals. The aim of the work is to test the hypothesis of oncoming migration flows of carriers of the Abashevo and... more
The article compares the chronology of some Bronze Age cultural traditions in the Volga river region and Southern Urals. The aim of the work is to test the hypothesis of oncoming migration flows of carriers of the Abashevo and Seima-Turbino traditions by determination of chronological positions for territorial groups based on the analysis of radiocarbon dates series. The groups were formed according to the cultural and territorial principle (Abashevo sites in the Volga and Ural regions, Sintashta sites in the Pre-Urals and Trans-Urals, Seima-Turbino sites in the Pre-Urals and Trans-Urals). A critical analysis and statistical verification of the reliability for the series were carried out. It made possible to abandon the use of some dates (outliers) and form intervals for all possible cases. As a result, an acute shortage of quality dating for the Pre-Urals Abashevo, Sintashta and Seima-Turbino traditions, as well as the need to check the available results for the distortion of the reservoir effect was noted. The latter was reliably diagnosed in a number of cases when the full study procedure was carried out. The earliest were the Abashevo materials of the Middle Volga and, apparently, the Seima-Turbino of Western Siberia (the last third of the 3rd millennium cal BC). Other groups form similar intervals (end of the 21st–18th centuries cal BC). This indirectly confirms the version of two oncoming migration flows, the Urals became the zone of contact and interaction of them. The first flow is the Abashevo movement from west to east and further to south and southeast, the second one is Seima-Turbino — from east to west. Archaeological traces of the interaction are well captured, but the chronological determination of the contacts and their duration requires an increase in all series sufficient for applying statistical procedures (with the exception of the Trans-Ural Sintashta series).
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This study concerns the problem of diagnosing the materials of transitional period from the Bronze Age to the Early Iron Age on the territory of the Urals and Kazakhstan steppes. The purpose of the work is the presentation and analysis of... more
This study concerns the problem of diagnosing the materials of transitional period from the Bronze Age to the Early Iron Age on the territory of the Urals and Kazakhstan steppes. The purpose of the work is the presentation and analysis of new materials (the Shatmantamak I burial ground) using radiocarbon dating methods. On the basis of comprehensive analysis and comparison with synchronous and asynchronous materials, the authors concluded that the burial represents a rare example of a site marking the transition period from Final Bronze Age to the Early Iron Age. The results of dating for these periods were summarized for the territory from the Volga-Ural to East Kazakhstan to determine the position of new materials in the periodization system. Some of the results are published for the first time. Generalization of synchronous materials of the 9th – 8th centuries cal BC demonstrated a mosaic pattern of cultural traditions, as well as the asynchronous transition to the Early nomads Epoch in the territories west and east of the Ural Mountains. Unfortunately, the author’s conclusions rely on a relatively small series of dating results, which require significant expansion due to new analyses.
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In this paper, we examine the series of AMS radiocarbon measurements (N = 52) obtained from the Late Bronze Age settlements of Kamennyi Ambar and Usty’e I in the Southern Trans-Urals, Russia. The exploratory data analysis applied to... more
In this paper, we examine the series of AMS radiocarbon measurements (N = 52) obtained from the Late Bronze Age settlements of Kamennyi Ambar and Usty’e I in the Southern Trans-Urals, Russia. The exploratory data analysis applied to uncalibrated dates allows for the batches and outliers isolation. Furthermore, based on the facts of stratigraphy and application of the Bayesian statistics, we reconstruct the chronology, estimate spans of habitation, and discuss issues of the existing samples. As the first step of the analysis, we consider archaeological contexts of the measurements and statistically identify apparent outliers. Despite the small sample size, the dataset from Ust’ye I obtained in the way that allows to date stratigraphically isolated construction/utilization episodes and thus are highly reliable. At least five measurements from Kamennyi Ambar date the natural events before the settlement construction and serve as upper limits in models. On the second stage of the analysis, the Bayesian models of the sites’ chronology constructed with OxCal 4.3. For Ust’ye I, we designed a three-phase model that allows to date two early habitational phases during which the walls and ditches were built around the settlement. The third phase defines the lower limit of the previous period, as this phase consists of with a single radiocarbon measurement. The model suggests the existence of the gap between the two earliest stages, associated with the Sintashta and Petrovka ceramic types. While the sample size is small, this hypothesis agrees well with the site’s stratigraphy, as the settlement was re-modeled entirely at least once. We designed two models for Kamennyi Ambar. The first model includes all available data and consists of three phases: 1) natural events before the settlement construction; 2) the early «walled» phase; 3) the late «unwalled» phase. The second model incorporates data on the wells’ stratigraphy and uses only measurements from the wells. The models almost the same for the early habitational phase, but the modeled chronology of the late phase differs drastically, as the wells-based model condenses the phase and pushes it earlier. Further, the models suggest that Kamennyi Ambar existed only for about 50 years, and Usty’e I for nearly 100 years. The habitational phases within the same periods are partially desynchronized, and possible gaps in the habitation suggested by the models. One possible explanation of the short-term habitation spans and differences is that people needed to resettle regularly as resource depletion made the areas inhospitable for the communities of the livestock breeders.
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This article introduces a series of AMS radiocarbon dates for the Bronze Age Petrovka cemeteries in the Trans-Urals. The results of the AMS 14C-dating of animal and human bones indicate a very high degree of concordance in the 19th and... more
This article introduces a series of AMS radiocarbon dates for the Bronze Age Petrovka cemeteries in the Trans-Urals. The results of the AMS 14C-dating of animal and human bones indicate a very high degree of concordance in the 19th and 18th centuries cal BC time range. The previously obtained AMS datings clearly fit into the same chronological interval. Specifically, 17 of 36 analyses of the Petrovka series yielded very similar results. In other cases, where dating was based on wood and charcoal, the results are highly inconsistent, even within the same burial. Before the verification of these results, the short interval based on AMS dates should be preferred. Its comparison with intervals for other cultures of the Trans-Urals demonstrates marked similarity: in fact, complete coincidence of some of them. At the same time, stratigraphic and typological evidence suggests that the Sintashta, Petrovka, and Alakul traditions are stages of a sequence. Additional arguments are features of continuity in the material culture and the practice of using the burial mounds of a previous culture for new graves, without destroying the older ones. In our view, the only explanation is provided by a dynamic scenario of cultural change spanning two centuries, from the migration of the Sintashta people to Southern Urals until the formation of the Alakul culture. The resolution of the radiocarbon method does not suffice to detect such rapid changes. If this explanation is correct, the Petrovka sites should be considered an early stage of the Alakul culture, rather than a separate culture.
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About 130 radiocarbon dates were obtained for the Neolithic Trans-Urals for the last decade. Particular attention is paid to the dating of the early Neolithic sites, which is connected to the general interest in the problem of... more
About 130 radiocarbon dates were obtained for the Neolithic Trans-Urals for the last decade. Particular attention is paid to the dating of the early Neolithic sites, which is connected to the general interest in the problem of neolithization in Eurasia. The Trans-Uralian Early Neolithic sites were excavated in the forest and forest-steppe zones; they are represented by the complexes of two main cultural traditions: Kozlov Mys and Koshkino. However, the chronological priority one of them has not been determined until now; the question of the identity or difference of forest, forest-steppe and steppe complexes has not been developed too. The aim of this article is consideration of the problem of the spatial distribution of chronologically determined Early Neolithic materials in Trans-Urals. Now 77 dates of 17 sites have been published; they represent Koshkino (forest zone — 30 dates, forest-steppe zone — 6 dates) and Kozlov Mys (forest zone — 22 dates, forest-step zone — 19 dates) traditions. It should be noted that the complexes of both zones have a very wide range of values. Nevertheless, according to available data the Koshkino complexes seem older than the Kozlov Mys complexes in both zones. However, the Koshkino traditions in the forest part of the region have a wider range, especially in terms of aging, almost exclusively due to the dates of the Koksharovsky Hill made on coal analysis. The significant overlap of the chronological intervals of both traditions shows their long-term coexistence.
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About 130 radiocarbon dates were obtained for the Neolithic Trans-Urals for the last decade. Particular attention is paid to the dating of the early Neolithic sites, which is connected to the general interest in the problem of... more
About 130 radiocarbon dates were obtained for the Neolithic Trans-Urals for the last decade. Particular attention is paid to the dating of the early Neolithic sites, which is connected to the general interest in the problem of neolithization in Eurasia. The Trans-Uralian Early Neolithic sites were excavated in the forest and forest-steppe zones; they are represented by the complexes of two main cultural traditions: Kozlov Mys and Koshkino. However, the chronological priority one of them has not been determined until now; the question of the identity or difference of forest, forest-steppe and steppe complexes has not been developed too. The aim of this article is consideration of the problem of the spatial distribution of chronologically determined Early Neolithic materials in Trans-Urals. Now 77 dates of 17 sites have been published; they represent Koshkino (forest zone — 30 dates, forest-steppe zone — 6 dates) and Kozlov Mys (forest zone — 22 dates, forest-step zone — 19 dates) traditions. It should be noted that the complexes of both zones have a very wide range of values. Nevertheless, according to available data the Koshkino complexes seem older than the Kozlov Mys complexes in both zones. However, the Koshkino traditions in the forest part of the region have a wider range, especially in terms of aging, almost exclusively due to the dates of the Koksharovsky Hill made on coal analysis. The significant overlap of the chronological intervals of both traditions shows their long-term coexistence.
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Radiocarbon dating has become the basis for the creation of both chronological and cultural-historical schemes for the last two decades. This is especially true for the Stone and Bronze Ages of the Ural region, where there is defi cit of... more
Radiocarbon dating has become the basis for the creation of both chronological and cultural-historical schemes for the last two decades. This is especially true for the Stone and Bronze Ages of the Ural region, where there is defi cit of quality dating material as the result of both natural and archaeological factors. The authors attempted to identify several key problems that require a modern solution. A common problem for different epochs and territories is the reservoir effect, but this is the problem of radiocarbon dating and is beyond the capabilities of
archaeologists. Modern radiocarbon studies inevitably involve checking the coincidence of the carbon source with the event being studied also. One of the main problems for the Stone Age of the Ural region is the beginning of the Neolithic and the distribution of ceramic production. Today, some facts denote that process can be dated by earlier period - the middle of the 7th millennium BC. A number of chronological problems for the Bronze Age have been resolved, but the accumulation of series remains urgent. The sharpest defi cit can be detected when
trying to build the system of chronology of the Pit-Grave culture and its relationship with the cultures of the local Chalcolithic, the chronology of the Abashevo culture, the Final Bronze Age etc. We can state that the problems of the region chronology for the Stone and Bronze Ages are acute, and their solution requires both organizational efforts and signifi cant fi nancial investments.
archaeologists. Modern radiocarbon studies inevitably involve checking the coincidence of the carbon source with the event being studied also. One of the main problems for the Stone Age of the Ural region is the beginning of the Neolithic and the distribution of ceramic production. Today, some facts denote that process can be dated by earlier period - the middle of the 7th millennium BC. A number of chronological problems for the Bronze Age have been resolved, but the accumulation of series remains urgent. The sharpest defi cit can be detected when
trying to build the system of chronology of the Pit-Grave culture and its relationship with the cultures of the local Chalcolithic, the chronology of the Abashevo culture, the Final Bronze Age etc. We can state that the problems of the region chronology for the Stone and Bronze Ages are acute, and their solution requires both organizational efforts and signifi cant fi nancial investments.
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The main aim of the article is the publication of the full catalog of Alakul’ radiocarbon dates. Analysis of the sequences has shown a very contradictory picture. On the one hand, the statistical tests for the same complexes (combine... more
The main aim of the article is the publication of the full catalog of Alakul’ radiocarbon dates. Analysis of the sequences has shown a very contradictory picture. On the one hand, the statistical tests for the same complexes (combine radiocarbon dates) indicated that more than half of them should not be used. The sum of the probabilities did not show a normal distribution. On the other hand, the reference series of Lisakovsky cemeteries (and other AMS dates) clearly corresponded to the scheme of periodization of the Late Bronze Age in Eastern Europe
and Western Siberia. In this regard, the Alakul’ culture is to be attributed to the first half of the II millennium BC cal. with a probable reduction of this interval in future.
and Western Siberia. In this regard, the Alakul’ culture is to be attributed to the first half of the II millennium BC cal. with a probable reduction of this interval in future.
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The article generalizes investigation results regarding Eneolithic sites from Trans-Urals. Summarizing of calibrated radiocarbon dates made it possible to establish chronological frames of 4300–3000 (4500–2200) B.C. period, stating total... more
The article generalizes investigation results regarding Eneolithic sites from Trans-Urals. Summarizing of calibrated radiocarbon dates made it possible to establish chronological frames of 4300–3000 (4500–2200) B.C. period, stating total or partial synchronism in the majority of the pottery types. Their combination within one and the same sites assumes that the territory was functioning as cultural continuum. Lliving space of Trans-Urals Eneolithic population covered several natural zones: forest-steppe, piedmont and forest ones. A system of relations
was supported by means of annual household cycle, marital and other forms of relations.
was supported by means of annual household cycle, marital and other forms of relations.
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The Sintashta sites are one of the major keys in the chronological system of the Bronze Age of a steppe and forest-steppe zone of Northern Eurasia. Accumulation of radiocarbon dates allows to define the chronological frameworks of this... more
The Sintashta sites are one of the major keys in the chronological system of the Bronze Age of a steppe and forest-steppe zone of Northern Eurasia. Accumulation of radiocarbon dates allows to define the chronological frameworks of this phenomenon - the 1st quarter of II millennium BC. Synchronous and diachronic analyses confirm this conclusion and let to distinguish stages of the Bronze age of the Urals. Aeneolithic sites and the Yamnaya (Pit-grave) culture must be excluded from among direct predecessors of Sintashta. The Potapovo type-sites (Volga region) and, probably, Abashevo cultures (Pre-Urals) are close chronologically and culturally for the Sintashta. Petrovka, early Srubnaya (Timber-grave) cultures are dated a little later time though there is a big site of imposing of intervals. The following stage is submitted by sites of Srubnaya, Alakul’, Fyodorovka cultures. Similar stages are marked out for Siberian region – the Minusinsk depression, where the program of creation of a scale for all Bronze and the beginnings Early Iron Ages is realized.
Purpose: The study focuses on reviewing the present state of development in radiocarbon dating as well as concepts concerning the chronological sequences of sites and cultures identified in the Urals and in the southern regions of... more
Purpose: The study focuses on reviewing the present state of development in radiocarbon dating as well as concepts concerning the chronological sequences of sites and cultures identified in the Urals and in the southern regions of Siberia, dating as far back as the Bronze Age. Over the last two decades, both quantitative and qualitative changes had occurred in archaeology with regards to establishing an absolute chronology for the Bronze Age sites and cultures. However, in spite of this fact, there are major differences which still remain as to a level of study. In some cases, an age determination is confined with dating a site; otherwise it is suggested to use the variants of radiocarbon cultural-chronological scales. The main focus of this study is on elucidating the dating results obtained for areas where the development of 14C scales has been carried out systematically based on a series of radiocarbon measurements and there are series of dates for reference sites and cultures as well.
Results: The study discusses radiocarbon cultural-chronological sequences for the steppe, forest and forest-steppe areas in the Urals, the Baraba forest-steppe zone, the Minousinsk basin, the Upper Ob River basin, and the Russian Altai. Data on the Mongolian Altai and Northern Kazakhstan has been used for a comparative analysis. Due account of material used for the dating in addition to its taphonomy at site has been taken when analyzing radiocarbon sequences, as well as the dating approach (14C accelerator facility (AMS) or Conventional 14C counting facility). «Reservoir» and «old wood» effects have been taken care of when appropriate. The authors have registered a quantitative irregularity in accumulation of 14C dates with reference to different cultures. In a number of cases, the authors show that the use of «the old» isolated and serial 14C dates can be complicated for some of them appeared to be younger or older than those of the present-day dates. In addition, there has been distinguished a number of sites and cultures associated with the Seima-Turbino phenomenon.
Data resulted from an age determination of these sites has confirmed their contemporaneity within a time span ranging from c 2300 to 1900 cal BC. Conclusion: Results obtained from the dating of sites identified in the various regions confirm the all-Eurasian tendency to consider the Bronze Age complexes to be older. The study involves a comparative analysis of data derived from the different areas in the Urals and in the south of Siberia. As a result, the new chronological boundaries for some of cultures have been established. The analysis showed the contemporaneity of the Pit-Grave and Afanas’evo cultures, archaeological
complexes with Seima-Turbino bronze artifacts, as well as the Andronovo cultural-historical community throughout the whole area of its occupation from the Minousinsk basin to the Urals. General synchronicities also demonstrate sites of the post-Andronovo period (Beloklyuchevka complexes, Barkhatovo, Irmen’ and Karasuk cultures).
Keywords: Ural, Western Siberia, Bronze Age, radiocarbon dating, regional radiocarbon cultural-chronological sequences.
Results: The study discusses radiocarbon cultural-chronological sequences for the steppe, forest and forest-steppe areas in the Urals, the Baraba forest-steppe zone, the Minousinsk basin, the Upper Ob River basin, and the Russian Altai. Data on the Mongolian Altai and Northern Kazakhstan has been used for a comparative analysis. Due account of material used for the dating in addition to its taphonomy at site has been taken when analyzing radiocarbon sequences, as well as the dating approach (14C accelerator facility (AMS) or Conventional 14C counting facility). «Reservoir» and «old wood» effects have been taken care of when appropriate. The authors have registered a quantitative irregularity in accumulation of 14C dates with reference to different cultures. In a number of cases, the authors show that the use of «the old» isolated and serial 14C dates can be complicated for some of them appeared to be younger or older than those of the present-day dates. In addition, there has been distinguished a number of sites and cultures associated with the Seima-Turbino phenomenon.
Data resulted from an age determination of these sites has confirmed their contemporaneity within a time span ranging from c 2300 to 1900 cal BC. Conclusion: Results obtained from the dating of sites identified in the various regions confirm the all-Eurasian tendency to consider the Bronze Age complexes to be older. The study involves a comparative analysis of data derived from the different areas in the Urals and in the south of Siberia. As a result, the new chronological boundaries for some of cultures have been established. The analysis showed the contemporaneity of the Pit-Grave and Afanas’evo cultures, archaeological
complexes with Seima-Turbino bronze artifacts, as well as the Andronovo cultural-historical community throughout the whole area of its occupation from the Minousinsk basin to the Urals. General synchronicities also demonstrate sites of the post-Andronovo period (Beloklyuchevka complexes, Barkhatovo, Irmen’ and Karasuk cultures).
Keywords: Ural, Western Siberia, Bronze Age, radiocarbon dating, regional radiocarbon cultural-chronological sequences.
До начала 2000-х гг. хронология неолита Урала опиралась на немногочисленные радиоуглеродные даты, а также на хронологические схемы В.Н. Чернецова и О.Н. Бадера, построенные на основании типологии. Применение с 2007 г. метода датирования... more
До начала 2000-х гг. хронология неолита Урала опиралась на немногочисленные радиоуглеродные даты, а также на хронологические схемы В.Н. Чернецова и О.Н. Бадера, построенные на основании типологии. Применение с 2007 г. метода датирования по органическим включениям в конкретных фрагментах керамики позволило получить значительные серии, достоверно отражающие хронологическую шкалу уральского неолита. В статье проанализировано 212 дат, относящихся к различным культурным традициям Урала. Неолитический период в регионе в целом укладывается в рамки VI-V тыс. до н.э. и условно может быть разделен на два этапа с характерными культурно-хронологическими особенностями, присущими отдельным территориям: ранний - конец VII-VI тыс. до н.э. и поздний - V тыс. до н.э.
Until the early 2000s, the chronology of the Uralian Neolithic was based on isolated radiocarbon dates and on V.N. Chernetsov s and O.N. Bader’s typological schemes. In 2007 we began directly dating ceramics tempered with organic substances. As a result, a long series of reliable dates was generated. A total of 212 estimates is analyzed, spanning various Neolithic cultures of the Urals. The entire period lasted from the late 7th to the late 5th millennia BC and can be tentatively subdivided into two stages, early (late 7th -late 6th millennia BC) and late (5th millennium BC). Cultural and territorial differences within these two stages are described.
Until the early 2000s, the chronology of the Uralian Neolithic was based on isolated radiocarbon dates and on V.N. Chernetsov s and O.N. Bader’s typological schemes. In 2007 we began directly dating ceramics tempered with organic substances. As a result, a long series of reliable dates was generated. A total of 212 estimates is analyzed, spanning various Neolithic cultures of the Urals. The entire period lasted from the late 7th to the late 5th millennia BC and can be tentatively subdivided into two stages, early (late 7th -late 6th millennia BC) and late (5th millennium BC). Cultural and territorial differences within these two stages are described.
Until the early 2000s, the chronology of the Uralian Neolithic was based on isolated radiocarbon dates and on V.N. Chernetsov’s and O.N. Bahder’s typological schemes. In 2007 we began directly dating ceramics tempered with organic... more
Until the early 2000s, the chronology of the Uralian Neolithic was based on isolated radiocarbon dates and on
V.N. Chernetsov’s and O.N. Bahder’s typological schemes. In 2007 we began directly dating ceramics tempered with
organic substances. As a result, a long series of reliable dates was generated. A total of 212 estimates has been analyzed,
spanning various Neolithic cultures of the Urals. The entire period lasted from the late 7th to the late 5th millennia BC
and can be tentatively subdivided into two stages: early (late 7th – late 6th millennia BC) and late (5th millennium BC).
Cultural and territorial differences within those two stages are described.
V.N. Chernetsov’s and O.N. Bahder’s typological schemes. In 2007 we began directly dating ceramics tempered with
organic substances. As a result, a long series of reliable dates was generated. A total of 212 estimates has been analyzed,
spanning various Neolithic cultures of the Urals. The entire period lasted from the late 7th to the late 5th millennia BC
and can be tentatively subdivided into two stages: early (late 7th – late 6th millennia BC) and late (5th millennium BC).
Cultural and territorial differences within those two stages are described.
Социокультурные процессы в энеолите Уральского региона были связаны как с эволюционными изменениями в местных постнеолитических социумах, так и с миграционной активностью населения более южных территорий, что значительно затрудняет... more
Социокультурные процессы в энеолите Уральского региона были связаны как с эволюционными изменениями в местных постнеолитических социумах, так и с миграционной активностью населения более южных территорий, что значительно затрудняет культурно-исторический анализ археологических материалов. До недавнего времени хронология и периодизация
уральского энеолита строилась преимущественно на основе стратиграфии, типологии артефактов и интуиции исследователей. В статье анализируются более 150 радиоуглеродных дат, полученных для разных регионов Урала и сопредельных территорий. Начало энеолита в Волго-Уралье на рубеже VI и V тыс. до н.э. связано с миграциями носителей керамических традиций съезженского и хвалынского типов. Во второй половине V тыс. до н.э. сформировались местные энеолитические
традиции: токская и турганикская Волго-Уралья, гребенчатая и ложношнуровая Зауралья, новоильинская и гаринско-борская Прикамья. Наиболее поздним представляется начало энеолита на территории Северного Казахстана.
уральского энеолита строилась преимущественно на основе стратиграфии, типологии артефактов и интуиции исследователей. В статье анализируются более 150 радиоуглеродных дат, полученных для разных регионов Урала и сопредельных территорий. Начало энеолита в Волго-Уралье на рубеже VI и V тыс. до н.э. связано с миграциями носителей керамических традиций съезженского и хвалынского типов. Во второй половине V тыс. до н.э. сформировались местные энеолитические
традиции: токская и турганикская Волго-Уралья, гребенчатая и ложношнуровая Зауралья, новоильинская и гаринско-борская Прикамья. Наиболее поздним представляется начало энеолита на территории Северного Казахстана.
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The work presents the results of radiocarbon dating of kurgans with “moustache” in the Southern Ural region. Seven dates from six sites have been used. The analysis of these dates allow us to conclude that the excavated kurgans with... more
The work presents the results of radiocarbon dating of kurgans with “moustache” in the Southern Ural region. Seven dates from six sites have been used. The analysis of these dates allow us to conclude that the excavated kurgans with “moustache” were built in the period from the last decades of 4th
to the end of 7th centuries calAD. Archaeological contest not only doesn’t contradict to this deduction but also define more exactly the natural-scientific results. The Kushnarenkovo ceramics, discovered in Selentash and Kainsai sites,
are typologically dated not earlier 6-7th centuries AD. The Iron arrowhead found in Gorodishchenskoye IX kurgan is dated not earlier 5th AD. Specified dates are not contrary to the date of the well-known South Ural kurgan with “mustache” Solonchanka I, contained bright complex inventory of 5th - the
beginning of 6th centuries AD. All this confirms the earlier findings made by Chelyabinsk researchers about the time creation of kurgans with “mustache” – the Late Antiquity - the Early Middle Ages.
to the end of 7th centuries calAD. Archaeological contest not only doesn’t contradict to this deduction but also define more exactly the natural-scientific results. The Kushnarenkovo ceramics, discovered in Selentash and Kainsai sites,
are typologically dated not earlier 6-7th centuries AD. The Iron arrowhead found in Gorodishchenskoye IX kurgan is dated not earlier 5th AD. Specified dates are not contrary to the date of the well-known South Ural kurgan with “mustache” Solonchanka I, contained bright complex inventory of 5th - the
beginning of 6th centuries AD. All this confirms the earlier findings made by Chelyabinsk researchers about the time creation of kurgans with “mustache” – the Late Antiquity - the Early Middle Ages.
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In recent years studies of prehistoric society mobility has been relying, mostly, on multi-disciplinary research. The paper demonstrates the capabilities of archaeological sources in the study of mobility using the example of one... more
In recent years studies of prehistoric society mobility has been relying,
mostly, on multi-disciplinary research. The paper demonstrates the capabilities of archaeological sources in the study of mobility using the example of one archaeological site that contained the attributes of a chariot complex (cheek-pieces and a cross-straps distributer of a horse’s headband). Typology of the discovered cheek-pieces suggests that they can be attributed to the Petrovka tradition with some Sintashta traits, while the ceramic assemblage is ascribed entirely to the Petrovka and Alakul cultures. There are no items that would be completely analogous to the strap distributor; however, the decoration tradition is very common for chariot sets found in the Don-Volga region. The finds from the Vladimirovka burial ground is not only a good illustration of people’s mobility but also help advance a hypothesis about individual mobility or mobility of small groups directly linked to production and use of the chariot set.
mostly, on multi-disciplinary research. The paper demonstrates the capabilities of archaeological sources in the study of mobility using the example of one archaeological site that contained the attributes of a chariot complex (cheek-pieces and a cross-straps distributer of a horse’s headband). Typology of the discovered cheek-pieces suggests that they can be attributed to the Petrovka tradition with some Sintashta traits, while the ceramic assemblage is ascribed entirely to the Petrovka and Alakul cultures. There are no items that would be completely analogous to the strap distributor; however, the decoration tradition is very common for chariot sets found in the Don-Volga region. The finds from the Vladimirovka burial ground is not only a good illustration of people’s mobility but also help advance a hypothesis about individual mobility or mobility of small groups directly linked to production and use of the chariot set.
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Публикация вводит в научный оборот редкий артефакт конца II тыс. до н. э., случайно обнаруженный в районе п.Верхнекизильский Челябинской области. Проведена типологическая и хронологическая атрибуция наконечника копья. Находка косвенно... more
Публикация вводит в научный оборот редкий артефакт конца II тыс. до н. э., случайно обнаруженный в районе п.Верхнекизильский Челябинской области. Проведена типологическая и хронологическая атрибуция наконечника копья. Находка косвенно подтверждает гипотезу о наличии самостоятельного локального очага металлопроизводства в лесостепной зоне Южного Урала.
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This study concerns the function and role of Bronze Age chariots and charioteers as reflected in funerary contexts in the southern Urals. This work focuses on: 1) the presentation of archaeological data recently obtained from the... more
This study concerns the function and role of Bronze Age chariots and charioteers as reflected in funerary contexts in the southern Urals. This work focuses on: 1) the presentation of archaeological data recently obtained from the excavation of a burial ground near the village of Stepnoye (southern Trans-Urals, Sintashta, Petrovka and Alakul’ cultures); 2) the reconstruction of the social identity of individuals (their gender, age, professional affiliation) buried with the attributes of chariotry.
Previous research had largely ignored aspects of gender and age identity and other social aspects of individuals linked with chariotry. Our analysis clearly demonstrates the diversity of ‘chariot’ burials and the absence of firm rules governing their construction. The grave goods discovered contain attributes of chariot complexes that are quite diverse, including the following elements: weaponry, tools, ornaments, and items and artefacts linked to the production of metal objects. Departing from what has previously been proposed and stereotyped, we suggest that chariotry is likely to have been a part-time activity for some males (although some cheek-pieces were found in children’s and women’s burials), but most probably not for all men in a community. Archaeologically, we do not see a social group of so-called ‘warrior-charioteers’ who were exclusively occupied in war or training for it. By comparison, conflict, and the need for defensive structures during the Bronze Age in Europe and the Ural steppe differed dramatically, depending on fundamental environmental, economic, and social differences.
Previous research had largely ignored aspects of gender and age identity and other social aspects of individuals linked with chariotry. Our analysis clearly demonstrates the diversity of ‘chariot’ burials and the absence of firm rules governing their construction. The grave goods discovered contain attributes of chariot complexes that are quite diverse, including the following elements: weaponry, tools, ornaments, and items and artefacts linked to the production of metal objects. Departing from what has previously been proposed and stereotyped, we suggest that chariotry is likely to have been a part-time activity for some males (although some cheek-pieces were found in children’s and women’s burials), but most probably not for all men in a community. Archaeologically, we do not see a social group of so-called ‘warrior-charioteers’ who were exclusively occupied in war or training for it. By comparison, conflict, and the need for defensive structures during the Bronze Age in Europe and the Ural steppe differed dramatically, depending on fundamental environmental, economic, and social differences.
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The morphological similarities/dissimilarities between antler and bone-made cheekpieces have been employed in several studies to construct a relative chronology for Bronze Age Eurasia. Believed to constitute a part of the horse bit, the... more
The morphological similarities/dissimilarities between antler and bone-made cheekpieces have been employed in several studies to construct a relative chronology for Bronze Age Eurasia. Believed to constitute a part of the horse bit, the cheekpieces appear in ritual contexts everywhere from the Mycenaean Shaft Graves to the Bronze Age kurgan cemeteries in Siberia. However, these general understandings of the function and morphological changes of cheekpieces have never been rigorously tested. This paper presents statistical analyses (e.g., similarities, multidimensional scaling, and cluster analysis) that document differences in cheekpiece morphology, comparing shield-like, plate-formed, and rod-shaped types in the context of temporal change and spatial variation. We investigated changes in function over time through the use of experimental replicas used in bridling horses. This experimental work supports the hypothesis that these objects served to bridle harnessed (shield-like) or ridden (plate-formed and rod-shaped) horses. Moreover, comparison of use wear on the ancient artifacts with the replicas provides insight into how long the artifacts were used before they were deposited in the funeral contexts or discarded. These observations support that the Sintashta chariots dating back to ca. 2100 BC were ridden and suggest the end of the Late Bronze Age (ca. 1500–1200 BC) as the earliest possible date for horseback riding in warfare. This study highlights changes in horse exploitation and simultaneous shifts in human societies.
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This paper explores the problem of origin of chariot complex in Eurasia versus the Near East. After careful examination of the results of radiocarbon dating in both regions, we came to the idea that there are no facts that would challenge... more
This paper explores the problem of origin of chariot complex in Eurasia versus the Near East. After careful examination of the results of radiocarbon dating in both regions, we came to the idea that there are no facts that would challenge the possibility of the northern origin. From our point of view, the discussion of this problem has its roots in the psychology of the western scholars, including the Russian ones, who used to believe that only civilized communities of Mesopotamia were able to create and maintain chariots. This paper aims to review two main hypotheses on the origin of the chariot complex of the Bronze Age. The alternatives are either area within the Fertile Crescent or the steppes of Inner Eurasia. The southern version originates from the Gordon V. Childe’s “Ex Oriente Lux” concept, who believed that in the antiquity this region was a source of social, economic and technological innovations. It is easy to believe because a rich and diverse list of sources is available. It includes depictions of actual vehicles, textual data, and artifacts themselves. In the steppes, evidences are different, and include a larger number of vehicles, parts of the bridle, sacrificed horses, and petroglyphs with chariots depicted. The argument for the Middle East version boils down to a thesis about the high technological level of innovation and, consequently, the necessity of organization of production. A long history pf evolution of wheeled vehicles in this zone have also been mentioned. Objections to the steppe origin of chariots include difficulties in their practical use in the steppe and foreststeppe, redundancy as a means of warfare and differences in the parameters of the steppe and Middle Eastern specimens. However, none of these points can be taken as absolute, especially, if considered in the details. In this regard, the detailed chronology plays a crucial role. A correct comparison can be carried out only for the systems of radiocarbon chronology. Importantly, for Mesopotamia and Egypt, they are also linked to the traditional historical chronologies. Recent studies suggest that the “long” chronological system is the most statistically significant. The chronology indicates a lack of reliable data in favor of the priority of the Middle East in the invention of chariots. The most famous examples of texts, artifacts and images refer to much later periods than the III-II millennium BC. This, along with a long independent history of the development of wheeled vehicles in the steppe and with the argument for domestication of a horse in the same zone, makes the possibility of the appearance of a chariot complex in the steppes more than plausible. The chariot complex can serve as a vivid example of the creation of outstanding technological innovations among an early complex society without full development of a state.
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In the present paper, new materials representing the chariot complex in the burial rite of the population of the Bronze Age (first half of the 2nd millennium BC) are published. The cemetery of Ozernoye-1 contained a sacrifice of horses in... more
In the present paper, new materials representing the chariot complex in the burial rite of the population of the Bronze Age (first half of the 2nd millennium BC) are published. The cemetery of Ozernoye-1 contained a sacrifice of horses in a pair, parts of horse harness (cheek-pieces) and traces of wheels on the bottom of the grave pit. In all cases we are dealing with a symbolical expression of the chariot conception. The site under study demonstrates one of the numerous versions of the representation of chariot symbolism in the burial rituals.
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The objective of this paper is the analysis of evidences of military activity in the Sintashta culture of the Bronze Age. The conclusions are based on a large collection of stone, bone and metal arrowheads from Kamenny Ambar settlement... more
The objective of this paper is the analysis of evidences of military activity in the Sintashta culture of the Bronze Age. The conclusions are based on a large collection of stone, bone and metal arrowheads from Kamenny Ambar settlement (more than 20 finds). The analysis of morphology and detailed elaboration of the finds’ context made possible the chronological and cultural affiliation of the items. It was established that most of the finds belonged to the early (Sintashta) period of the settlement’s existence. Comparison of the composition and morphology of the settlement’s artifacts with a synchronous necropolis (Kamenny Ambar-5) revealed some significant differences. The collection was studied within the general context of the Sintashta antiquities and other Bronze Age sites. The Kamenny Ambar settlement collection differed in terms of the number of finds, but it had no traces of violence or a military catastrophe. Nor were there any traces of war injuries in the anthropological materials. Comparison with the sites, which definitely experienced a military attack, demonstrated significantly lower density of finds in Kamenny Ambar settlement. As a result we came to a conclusion that the settlement and, in fact, the culture in general, did not contain any signs of actual military conflicts. This conclusion was in contrast with the presence of fortification systems at the Sintashta settlements and a considerable number of weapons in interments. It could be that the fortification systems served as a preventive measure against possible attacks from the outside. Indirectly this thesis was confirmed by the fact that all sites with the evidences of military assaults had no defensive systems.
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Archaeological evidences of chariot complex include finds of real chariots its images, details of harness and paired sacrifices of horses. It is one of the most significant events in the history of the Bronze Age. It has united huge... more
Archaeological evidences of chariot complex include finds of real chariots its images, details of harness and paired sacrifices of horses. It is one of the most significant events in the history of the Bronze Age. It has united huge territories of Eurasia from Mycenaean Greece up to China, it is one of the first manifestation of globalization process. The author considers
questions of chronology of archeological cultures showing acquaintance with a chariot complex. As a result he has drawn a conclusion on the origin of tradition at the turn of the 3rd —
2nd millennium BC and its long existence during the Bronze Epoch and the Early Iron Age. Dynamics of distribution of the chariot idea from the West on the East is revealed. These conclusions do not allow using the examined complex as means of a narrow synchronization. Thus the word-combination «horizon of chariot cultures» is a poetic metaphor and should not be applied as a scientific term.
questions of chronology of archeological cultures showing acquaintance with a chariot complex. As a result he has drawn a conclusion on the origin of tradition at the turn of the 3rd —
2nd millennium BC and its long existence during the Bronze Epoch and the Early Iron Age. Dynamics of distribution of the chariot idea from the West on the East is revealed. These conclusions do not allow using the examined complex as means of a narrow synchronization. Thus the word-combination «horizon of chariot cultures» is a poetic metaphor and should not be applied as a scientific term.
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The paper presents a study of preconditions (substitutable economic model, demography, technology, etc.) as well as stimuluses for the rise of fortification traditions construction in arid zone of Eurasia. The key factor was a new... more
The paper presents a study of preconditions (substitutable economic model, demography, technology, etc.) as well as stimuluses for the rise of fortification traditions construction in arid zone of Eurasia. The key factor was a new territory development by groups of migrants and their existence under the frontier conditions.
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Статья посвящена оценке возможностей реконструкции параметров стрелы по наконечнику. Для проверки результативности предложенной методики использованы синташтинские памятники бронзового века Южного Урала. Ключевые слова: лук и стрелы,... more
Статья посвящена оценке возможностей реконструкции параметров стрелы по наконечнику. Для проверки результативности предложенной методики использованы синташтинские памятники бронзового века Южного Урала.
Ключевые слова: лук и стрелы, бронзовый век, Южный Урал, методика реконструкции.
Ключевые слова: лук и стрелы, бронзовый век, Южный Урал, методика реконструкции.
"This investigation is devoted to the study of the degree of militarization inherent in the Sintashta culture (Bronze Age in the southern part of the Southern Trans-Urals). The number of weapons found in burials and the correlation... more
"This investigation is devoted to the study of the degree of militarization inherent in the Sintashta culture (Bronze Age in the southern part of the Southern Trans-Urals). The number of weapons found in burials and the correlation between them and the sex/age of the deceased make it possible to conclude that the Sintashta population was involved in military conflicts to a very limited extent. Nevertheless, the methods employed for the production and use of these objects from a military range and the technology associated with the manufacture of chariots went on being repeated and handed down from one generation
to the next."
to the next."
The article analyzes the bronze spear-head with a cast bottom bushing. Its morphology and the place of finding (forest-steppe zone of the Trans-Urals) allow us to date it by the Late Bronze Age (17–15 cc. cal BC) and include it into the... more
The article analyzes the bronze spear-head with a cast bottom bushing. Its morphology and the place of finding (forest-steppe zone of the Trans-Urals) allow us to date it by the Late Bronze Age (17–15 cc. cal BC) and include it into the Andronovo circle of cultures.
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The work summarizes 117 radiocarbon dates for the Final Bronze Age including previously unpublished ones. They cover the territory of the steppe and forest-steppe zones from the Volga region to the Eastern Kazakhstan. The statistical... more
The work summarizes 117 radiocarbon dates for the Final Bronze Age including previously unpublished ones. They cover the territory of the steppe and forest-steppe zones from the Volga region to the Eastern Kazakhstan. The statistical kernels of the series are highlighted using the range diagrams of the medians for the calibrated dates. Problems of reliability for some series are revealed. The duration of the period implies the possibility of its division into sub-periods, which so far has mainly archaeological arguments and single reliable dates.
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The authors theorize that the transition to nomadism was caused by a number of factors, the main one being the change in economic organization due to climatic aridization. The change followed different scenarios depending on various... more
The authors theorize that the transition to nomadism was caused by a number of factors, the main one being the change in economic organization due to climatic aridization. The change followed different scenarios depending on various conditions, i.e., the degree of forestation of the territory, the availability of water resources, the cultural environment, or the location with reference to metal production centers. The population of the Sargary Culture, for instance, is an example where some features of a settled way of life were retained to the beginning of the Early Iron Age, although this was coupled with a diminishing population. Intermediate stages could have comprised regrouping of the population within the territory, and the transition to no-madism by part of the population, while the remaining population stayed in settlements and adhered to the old traditions. The process of changing societal mobility was not linear and homogeneous. With the influx of the bearers of nomadic traditions from central Kazakhstan at the intersection of the Bronze Age and Early Iron Age, the turning point was achieved.
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"The paper is devoted to the identification of materials marking the Bronze to Iron Age transition in the Ural-Irtysh inter-river region. The analysis of the available evidence is done against the background of the climatic situation of... more
"The paper is devoted to the identification of materials marking the Bronze to Iron Age transition in the Ural-Irtysh inter-river region. The analysis of the available evidence is done against the background of the climatic situation of the late II — early I millennium BC. The authors come to a conclusion that the formation of new cultural stereotypes was stimulated by a
population inflow from the east. This process was facilitated by the existence of a developed communication network, that had formed during the previous Late Bronze period.
Key words: Bronze Age, Early Iron Age, transition, funerary sites, absolute chronology."
population inflow from the east. This process was facilitated by the existence of a developed communication network, that had formed during the previous Late Bronze period.
Key words: Bronze Age, Early Iron Age, transition, funerary sites, absolute chronology."
The practice of archaeological research often illustrates situations where the sum of facts does not correspond to the cultural-historical approach; it is impossible to squeeze this sum into the framework of the term “archaeological... more
The practice of archaeological research often illustrates situations where the sum of facts does not correspond to the cultural-historical approach; it is impossible to squeeze this sum into the framework of the term “archaeological culture”. Deviations from his canonical understanding of the term may relate to the duration of the phenomenon, its spatial distribution or the degree of stereotyping of material culture and rituals. The frontier can be one of the options for interpreting such non-standard groups of archaeological objects. The purpose of the study is to test the possibilities of using the concept for the interpretation of the Sintashta sites of the Bronze Age of the Southern Urals (the turn of 3rd — 2nd millennium cal BC) in the light of new data from a comprehensive study (paleogenetics, chronology, etc.). Sintashta settlements and cemeteries are located on the compact territory of the northern steppe: settlements in the Trans-Urals, the burial ground — on both sides of the Ural Mountains. Previous studies have accumulated a huge amount of data on all major aspects, but the general concept remains debatable. The new data comes from mass radiocarbon dating, which allowed to use Bayesian modeling. New data of mass radiocarbon dating confirm the brevity of the functioning of the Sintashta settlements and burial grounds, as well as the possibility of partial synchronization of this tradition with others. Paleogenetic analyzes (more than 50 samples) have shown the heterogeneity of the Sintashta population. Peleogenetic data made it possible to diagnose traces of a subtratian population absorbed by the main migratory group. In material culture, The evidences in material culture are not traced. The same data confirmed a special scenario for the formation of necropolises, weakly associated with the consanguinity of the buried individuals. Only 1/5 of the deceased turned out to be relatives of the first and second degree. The new data significantly complement the previously formulated criteria, which allow us to consider the group of Sintashta sites as a reflection of the situation of the frontier. The Sintashta society in the frontier was formed as complex society. But it did not have the prospect of forming statehood.
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The article presents the results of excavations at the Shatmantamak I burial ground located in steppe zone of the Southern Urals (south-west of the Republic of Bashkortostan, Russia). The materials of the site combine the features of the... more
The article presents the results of excavations at the Shatmantamak I burial ground located in steppe zone of the Southern Urals (south-west of the Republic of Bashkortostan, Russia). The materials of the site combine the features of the Late Bronze Age Srubnaya and Alakul archaeological cultures dated to the first half of the 2nd mil. cal BC. With this work, we aimed to test the interpretation possibilities for the obtained materials, proceeding from their chronological sequence, rather than cultural attribution. Three mounds comprising seven burial structures of the Bronze Age (three above ground and four burial pits) have been excavated. The main procedure of treating the dead was inhumation on the left side (with the single exception on the right side) with their heads orientated towards the northern sector with deviations to the east. All graves contained single adult individuals, except one with the skeletons of two children. One of the burials is clearly distinctive, with the deceased set in sitting position. The grave goods included ceramic vessels and a single bone pommel. A series of radiocarbon dates (n = 4), stable nitrogen and carbon isotope analysis, along with the analysis of the context, allowed us to propose the scenario of utilisation of the site in the Bronze Age. The sequence of building of kurgans and individual burials has been determined. For a long period (20th–17th c. cal BC), they combined features of the Alakul and Srubnaya cultural traditions within the same cemetery, or even mound. Syncretic sites represent a typical phenomenon for the Late Bronze Age of the Southern Urals and adjacent territories. Despite the differences in the chronology and cultural features (pottery and funeral rite) of the Shatmantamak I burial ground, a high stability of the nutrition system has been revealed, which was based on the products of complex husbandry. This brings us to the assumption that the identified cultural mosaicism was determined not by the mobility and interaction of groups with different traditions, but by their joint or parallel habitation in a specific area.
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This article is devoted to the interpretation of the Sintashta and Petrovka sites of the Bronze Age. The purpose of the study is to test a hypothesis regarding the appearance and functioning of a frontier in the Southern Urals between the... more
This article is devoted to the interpretation of the Sintashta and Petrovka sites of the Bronze Age. The purpose of the study is to test a hypothesis regarding the appearance and functioning of a frontier in the Southern Urals between the 3 rd and 2 nd millennia BC. This concept has undergone significant changes and is used for the analysis of not only states but also pre-state societies. A frontier should be considered as a multicultural territory, a zone of stereotypes differing from those of neighbouring groups and original traditions. The presence of conflicts is one of the most characteristic features of the phenomenon. In historical perspective, the system of cultural stereotypes can be reproduced long after the frontier itself ceases to function. The facts accumulated so far can help us reach a new level of understanding. Archaeological sources are represented by fortified settlements and burial grounds; their distribution is very compact. Various types of monuments illustrate very well the high degree of population concentration, the variability of cultural stereotypes, social heterogeneity, the development of the military sphere (including its manifestations in the ideological sphere), etc. Thus, the Sintashta sites can be viewed as a result of the functioning of a specific type of frontier, which determined the influence of traditions and their long-term reproduction. Their evolution was due to the peculiarities of adaptation; as a result, highly concentrated populations were rejected and the forms of social complexity changed.
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This study aims at a social interpretation of the Sintashta burials, Southern Urals (21st–18th century cal BC), where artifacts related to bronze metallurgy (molds, ceramic nozzles, ore and slag remains, metal bars and drops) had been... more
This study aims at a social interpretation of the Sintashta burials, Southern Urals (21st–18th century cal BC), where artifacts related to bronze metallurgy (molds, ceramic nozzles, ore and slag remains, metal bars and drops) had been placed. These were found in at least 10 % of graves. If stone hammers and abrasive tools are included, the share increases to one-sixth. The fi ndings apparently indicate the social identity of those buried, and point to the general characteristics of the group. People engaged in metal-production were mostly adult males, and were relatively few. Women, too, may have participated, at least at the preparatory stages. Markers of engagement in metal-production very rarely co-occur with attributes of high status such as mace-heads, spearheads, axes, chariots, and cheek-pieces. This agrees with the conclusions of cross-cultural studies suggesting that " metallurgists " were not top-ranking members of the social hierarchy. Nor were they subject to discrimination in the Sintashta society, because being buried at a cemetery evidences high status. Professional membership was an important—but not the main—criterion of personal identity. Despite being few, burials of metal-workers distinguish Sintashta from most other Bronze Age steppe societies of Eurasia.
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The study aims at a social interpretation of the Sintashta burials, southern Ural (21st–18th century BC cal.), where artifacts related to bronze metallurgy (molds, ceramic nozzles, ore and slag remains, metal bars and drops) had been... more
The study aims at a social interpretation of the Sintashta burials, southern Ural (21st–18th century BC cal.), where artifacts
related to bronze metallurgy (molds, ceramic nozzles, ore and slag remains, metal bars and drops) had been placed. These were found in at least 10 % of graves. If stone hammers and abrasive tools are included, the share increases to one-sixth. The findings apparently indicate the social identity of those buried and point to a general characteristics of the group. People engaged in metal production were mostly adult males, and were relatively few. Women, too, may have participated, at least at the preparatory stages. Markers of engagement in metal production very rarely co-occur with attributes of high status such as mace-heads, spearheads, axes, chariots, and cheek-pieces. This agrees with conclusions of cross-cultural studies suggesting that “metallurgists” were not topranking
members of the social hierarchy. Nor were they subject to discrimination in the Sintashta society, because being buried at a cemetery evidenced high status. Professional membership was an important but not the main criterion of personal identity. Despite being few, burials of smiths distinguish Sintashta from most other Bronze Age steppe societies of Eurasia.
Keywords: Bronze Age, Southern Urals, Sintashta culture, metal production, mortuary rituals, social identity.
related to bronze metallurgy (molds, ceramic nozzles, ore and slag remains, metal bars and drops) had been placed. These were found in at least 10 % of graves. If stone hammers and abrasive tools are included, the share increases to one-sixth. The findings apparently indicate the social identity of those buried and point to a general characteristics of the group. People engaged in metal production were mostly adult males, and were relatively few. Women, too, may have participated, at least at the preparatory stages. Markers of engagement in metal production very rarely co-occur with attributes of high status such as mace-heads, spearheads, axes, chariots, and cheek-pieces. This agrees with conclusions of cross-cultural studies suggesting that “metallurgists” were not topranking
members of the social hierarchy. Nor were they subject to discrimination in the Sintashta society, because being buried at a cemetery evidenced high status. Professional membership was an important but not the main criterion of personal identity. Despite being few, burials of smiths distinguish Sintashta from most other Bronze Age steppe societies of Eurasia.
Keywords: Bronze Age, Southern Urals, Sintashta culture, metal production, mortuary rituals, social identity.
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Работа посвящена обзору современного состояния концепции фронтира в теоретическом плане, а также вариантам ее применения к анализу конкретных материалов. Сделан вывод о необходимости корректировки ряда положений концепции в свете ново-го... more
Работа посвящена обзору современного состояния концепции фронтира в теоретическом плане, а также вариантам ее применения к анализу конкретных материалов. Сделан вывод о необходимости корректировки ряда положений концепции в свете ново-го понимания масштабов этого явления. Предлагается использо-вать концепцию фронтира при изучении долгосрочных процессов древней истории Зауралья
The game is a universality of the human culture. Nevertheless, it is difficult to identify its traces through the archaeological record so it is impossible to reconstruct the rules, teams of participants and space of activity. The main... more
The game is a universality of the human culture. Nevertheless, it is difficult to identify its traces through the archaeological record so it is impossible to reconstruct the rules, teams of participants and space of activity. The main
available source for the Ural Bronze Age can be the material attributes of the games (astragals, miniature ceramic items
etc.). A part of them has the direct evidence of children’s participation in their making. Judging by the substituted data, the game element was also included in the hunting activity, training of charioteers and fisticuffs because the game was a vital part of life not only for the children but also for the adults. The main body of evidence was discovered during the excavation of the settlements but the archaeologists did not consider these artefacts as a special category of items or did not interpret them as game attributes. Our work starts filling this gap.
available source for the Ural Bronze Age can be the material attributes of the games (astragals, miniature ceramic items
etc.). A part of them has the direct evidence of children’s participation in their making. Judging by the substituted data, the game element was also included in the hunting activity, training of charioteers and fisticuffs because the game was a vital part of life not only for the children but also for the adults. The main body of evidence was discovered during the excavation of the settlements but the archaeologists did not consider these artefacts as a special category of items or did not interpret them as game attributes. Our work starts filling this gap.
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The article is devoted to a problem of paleodemographic reconstruction according to archaeology. The author offers a model of development of territory by the population of a Bronze Age by the example of the steppe Zauralie (Kizilski... more
The article is devoted to a problem of paleodemographic reconstruction according to archaeology. The author offers a model of development of territory by the population of a
Bronze Age by the example of the steppe Zauralie (Kizilski District of the Chelyabinsk Region). Quite thorough research and a reliable culturalchronological diagnostics of monuments have allowed to compare the conclusions made by results of the analysis of settlements and necropolises. There has been established a number of people living simultaneously in the same territory, the population density, quantity of coexisted settlements and made a conclusion about changes of principles of development of the territory during the bronze epoch. Thus, the author creates a model zone for a more profound reconstruction on a wide spectrum
of economic and social questions.
Bronze Age by the example of the steppe Zauralie (Kizilski District of the Chelyabinsk Region). Quite thorough research and a reliable culturalchronological diagnostics of monuments have allowed to compare the conclusions made by results of the analysis of settlements and necropolises. There has been established a number of people living simultaneously in the same territory, the population density, quantity of coexisted settlements and made a conclusion about changes of principles of development of the territory during the bronze epoch. Thus, the author creates a model zone for a more profound reconstruction on a wide spectrum
of economic and social questions.
The article is devoted to a comparison made on economic and social trends of the South ern Urals Bronze Age. The lifesupport economy had not undergone radical changes. The system of the social relations looks quite contradictory due to... more
The article is devoted to a comparison made on economic and social trends of the South ern Urals Bronze Age. The lifesupport economy had not undergone radical changes. The system of the social relations looks quite contradictory due to distinctions in the models of burial rites. There are two groups of explanations to this contradiction. According to the first there were real changes of social structure. According to the second one the key ideas determined the shape of a burial site and demonstration of the social status had varied during the period.
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The article examines a possibility of using the world-system analysis in the study of the Bronze Age archaeological sites. The Urals region is used as the base territory for the testing. The author suggests a new modification of the... more
The article examines a possibility of using the world-system analysis in the study of the Bronze Age archaeological sites. The Urals region is used as the base territory for the testing. The author suggests a new modification of the world-system concept for the complex societies of the Eurasian arid part which did not form state political institutions.
We present the results of analyzing the ratio of stable isotopes of nitrogen and carbon in the collagen of human bones (n = 16) and the bones of domestic herbivores (n = 17), obtained during excavations of burial grounds in the Stepnoe... more
We present the results of analyzing the ratio of stable isotopes of nitrogen and carbon in the collagen of human bones (n = 16) and the bones of domestic herbivores (n = 17), obtained during excavations of burial grounds in the Stepnoe microdistrict (Southern Trans-Urals). The sample includes three cultural traditions of the Bronze Age (Sintashta, Petrovka and Alakul), dating back to the beginning of the 2nd millennium BC. The basis of human nutrition was animal products, which is confirmed by data from paleozoology, palynology, and other disciplines. Descriptive statistics illustrate the reliable separation of human and animal indicators, as well as differences in the isotopic composition when grouped by archaeological culture. Based on the hypothesis about the synchronicity of the Sintashta and Petrovka cultures in this microdistrict, it can be assumed that the members of these traditions conducted separate economic activities. Comparison with series from other Bronze Age sites in the region shows a fundamental similarity of conclusions regarding reconstruction of the main diet in the presence of local specifics of different ecological niches.
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The Andronovo family of archaeological cultures is one of the largest phenomena of the Late Bronze Age (second millennium cal BC) in Northern Eurasia. Identifi cation of local variants and cultural traditions within this family of... more
The Andronovo family of archaeological cultures is one of the largest phenomena of the Late Bronze Age (second millennium cal BC) in Northern Eurasia. Identifi cation of local variants and cultural traditions within this family of cultures remains a problem which makes it diffi cult to understand the mechanism behind the emergence and functioning of the entire Andronovo family. The main obstacle is interpreting syncretic sites which combine features of different cultural traditions. This article presents the results of excavations at the Komsomolsky II burial ground (Southern Trans-Urals). It is a part of the complex with the Levoberezhnoe settlement and can be synchronized with one of its stages. Kurgan 5 well illustrates specifi c features of funeral rituals and pottery complex which combines the features of the Alakul and Srubnaya cultures. Inhumation of the deceased in the crouched position on the left side combined with orientation of the head to the north can be interpreted as a feature of the Srubnaya culture. A signifi cant part of the pottery complex also shows signs of that tradition. Along with this, the collection manifests some typical features of the Alakul dishware, some Alakul vessels, faience beads, and astragali which are almost never found in the Srubnaya graves. The Srubnaya burial mounds have been discovered in the Trans-Urals along with syncretic burial mounds. First results of dating indicate a long-term coexistence of both traditions in the same territory. Marked progress in understanding the processes requires signifi cant expansion of sources and spatial analysis of the entire set of data. The lack of information is especially noticeable for the sites to the east and southeast of the Komsomolsky II burial ground.
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Работа обобщает имеющиеся данные по стабильным изотопам азота и углерода для территории Предуралья. Выборка составила 30 образцов, полученных по коллагену костей и зубов человека для четырех памятников бронзового века разных периодов (от... more
Работа обобщает имеющиеся данные по стабильным изотопам азота и углерода для территории Предуралья. Выборка составила 30 образцов, полученных по коллагену костей и зубов человека для четырех памятников бронзового века разных периодов (от ранней бронзы до перехода к раннему железному веку). Подтверждена мясомолочная основа диеты населения бронзового века, существенное влияние потребления продуктов водного происхождения выявлено только для одного памятника синташтинской культуры. Разброс значений для ямной культуры может быть результатом различий диеты, обусловленными местом обитания индивидов, которые похоронены в одном могильнике. Это коррелирует с мобильным характером образа жизни носителей культуры. Для памятников срубно-алакульского периода, напротив, установлена высокая степень стабильности в системе питания членов одного коллектива, хозяйственная деятельность которого, вероятно, проходила в пределах одной экологической ниши.
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The Bronze Age of Eurasia (c. 3,000-1,000 years BC) was a period of major cultural changes accompanying the transition from hunting-gathering and farming into early urban civilization. It remains debated how these... more
The Bronze Age of Eurasia (c. 3,000-1,000 years BC) was a period of major cultural changes accompanying the transition from hunting-gathering and farming into early urban civilization. It remains debated how these transitions shaped the distribution of the human populations. To investigate this we used new methodological improvements to sequence low coverage genomes from 101 ancient humans from across Eurasia, covering the entire Bronze Age including the late Neolithic and the Iron Age. We show that around 3,000 BC, Europe and Central Asia receive a major genetic input from the Pontic-Caspian Steppe through people related to the Yamnaya culture, resulting in the formation of the Corded Ware Culture in Europe and the Afanasievo Culture in Central Asia. A thousand years later, migrations from Europe into Central Asia, gives rise to the Sintashta and Andronovo Cultures. During later Bronze Age, the European-derived populations in Asia are gradually replaced by multi-ethnic cultures.
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The bacteria Yersinia pestis is the etiological agent of plague and has caused human pandemics with millions of deaths in historic times. How and when it originated remains contentious. Here, we report the oldest direct evidence of... more
The bacteria Yersinia pestis is the etiological agent of plague and has caused human pandemics with millions of deaths in historic times. How and when it originated remains contentious. Here, we report the oldest direct evidence of Yersinia pestis identified by ancient DNA in human teeth from Asia and Europe dating from 2,800 to 5,000 years ago. By sequencing the genomes, we find that these ancient plague strains are basal to all known Yersinia pestis. We find the origins of the Yersinia pestis lineage to be at least two times older than previous estimates. We also identify a temporal sequence of genetic changes that lead to increased virulence and the emergence of the bubonic plague. Our results show that plague infection was endemic in the human populations of Eurasia at least 3,000 years before any historical recordings of pandemics.
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Objectives This paper investigates infant feeding practices through stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotopic analyses of human bone collagen from Kamennyi Ambar 5, a Middle Bronze Age cemetery located in central Eurasia. The... more
Objectives
This paper investigates infant feeding practices through stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotopic analyses of human bone collagen from Kamennyi Ambar 5, a Middle Bronze Age cemetery located in central Eurasia. The results presented are unique for the time period and region, as few cemeteries have been excavated to reveal a demographic cross-section of the population. Studies of weaning among pastoral societies are infrequent and this research adds to our knowledge of the timing, potential supplementary foods, and cessation of breastfeeding practices.
Materials and Methods
Samples were collected from 41 subadults (<15 yrs.) and 27 adults (15+ yrs.). Isotopic reference sets from adult humans as well as faunal remains were utilized, as these form the primary and complementary foods fed to infants.
Results
Slight shifts in δ13C and δ15N values revealed that weaning was a multi-stage process (breastfeeding, weaning, and complete cessation of nursing) that began at six months of age, occurred over several years of early childhood, and was completed by four years of age.
Discussion
Our results indicate that weaning was a multi-stage process that was unique among late prehistoric pastoralist groups in Eurasia that were dependent on milk products as a supplementary food. Our discussion centers on supporting this hypothesis with modern information on central and east Eurasian herding societies including the age at which complementary foods are introduced, the types of complementary foods, and the timing of the cessation of breastfeeding. Integral to this work is the nature of pastoral economies and their dependence on animal products, the impact of complementary foods on nutrition and health, and how milk processing may have affected nutrition content and digestibility of foods. This research on Eurasian pastoralists provides insights into the complexities of weaning among prehistoric pastoral societies as well as the potential for different complementary foods to be incorporated into infant diets in the past.
This paper investigates infant feeding practices through stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotopic analyses of human bone collagen from Kamennyi Ambar 5, a Middle Bronze Age cemetery located in central Eurasia. The results presented are unique for the time period and region, as few cemeteries have been excavated to reveal a demographic cross-section of the population. Studies of weaning among pastoral societies are infrequent and this research adds to our knowledge of the timing, potential supplementary foods, and cessation of breastfeeding practices.
Materials and Methods
Samples were collected from 41 subadults (<15 yrs.) and 27 adults (15+ yrs.). Isotopic reference sets from adult humans as well as faunal remains were utilized, as these form the primary and complementary foods fed to infants.
Results
Slight shifts in δ13C and δ15N values revealed that weaning was a multi-stage process (breastfeeding, weaning, and complete cessation of nursing) that began at six months of age, occurred over several years of early childhood, and was completed by four years of age.
Discussion
Our results indicate that weaning was a multi-stage process that was unique among late prehistoric pastoralist groups in Eurasia that were dependent on milk products as a supplementary food. Our discussion centers on supporting this hypothesis with modern information on central and east Eurasian herding societies including the age at which complementary foods are introduced, the types of complementary foods, and the timing of the cessation of breastfeeding. Integral to this work is the nature of pastoral economies and their dependence on animal products, the impact of complementary foods on nutrition and health, and how milk processing may have affected nutrition content and digestibility of foods. This research on Eurasian pastoralists provides insights into the complexities of weaning among prehistoric pastoral societies as well as the potential for different complementary foods to be incorporated into infant diets in the past.
Research Interests:
Stable Isotope Analysis, Pastoralism (Social Anthropology), Eurasian Nomads, Stable Isotopes, Late Bronze Age archaeology, and 11 moreBronze Age (Archaeology), History of Kazakhstan, Eurasian Prehistory, Pastoralism (Archaeology), Stable Isotopes and Palaeodiet, Infant weaning, Archaeology of the Eurasian steppe belt, Weaning Foods, Dietary Reconstruction, Weaning Behaviour, and Bronze Age Ural-Kazakhstan Steppes
Recent ancient DNA (aDNA) studies of human pathogens have provided invaluable insights into their evolutionary history and prevalence in space and time. Most of these studies were based on DNA extracted from teeth or postcranial bones. In... more
Recent ancient DNA (aDNA) studies of human pathogens have provided invaluable insights into their evolutionary history and prevalence in space and time. Most of these studies were based on DNA extracted from teeth or postcranial bones. In contrast , no pathogen DNA has been reported from the petrous bone which has become the most desired skeletal element in ancient DNA research due to its high endoge-nous DNA content. To compare the potential for pathogenic aDNA retrieval from teeth and petrous bones, we sampled these elements from five ancient skeletons, previously shown to be carrying Yersinia pestis. Based on shotgun sequencing data, four of these five plague victims showed clearly detectable levels of Y. pestis DNA in the teeth, whereas all the petrous bones failed to produce Y. pestis DNA above base-line levels. A broader comparative metagenomic analysis of teeth and petrous bones from 10 historical skeletons corroborated these results, showing a much higher microbial diversity in teeth than petrous bones, including pathogenic and oral microbial taxa. Our results imply that although petrous bones are highly valuable for ancient genomic analyses as an excellent source of endogenous DNA, the metagenomic potential of these dense skeletal elements is highly limited. This trade-off must be considered when designing the sampling strategy for an aDNA project.
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Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a major cause of human hepatitis. There is considerable uncertainty about the timescale of its evolution and its association with humans. Here we present 12 full or partial ancient HBV genomes that are between... more
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a major cause of human hepatitis. There is considerable uncertainty about the timescale of its evolution and its association with humans. Here we present 12 full or partial ancient HBV genomes that are between approximately 0.8 and 4.5 thousand years old. The ancient sequences group either within or in a sister relationship with extant human or other ape HBV clades. Generally, the genome properties follow those of modern HBV. The root of the HBV tree is projected to between 8.6 and 20.9 thousand years ago, and we estimate a substitution rate of 8.04 × 10 −6 – 1.51 × 10 −5 nucleotide substitutions per site per year. In several cases, the geographical locations of the ancient genotypes do not match present-day distributions. Genotypes that today are typical of Africa and Asia, and a subgenotype from India, are shown to have an early Eurasian presence. The geographical and temporal patterns that we observe in ancient and modern HBV genotypes are compatible with well-documented human migrations during the Bronze and Iron Ages 1,2. We provide evidence for the creation of HBV genotype A via recombination, and for a long-term association of modern HBV genotypes with humans, including the discovery of a human genotype that is now extinct. These data expose a complexity of HBV evolution that is not evident when considering modern sequences alone. HBV is transmitted perinatally or horizontally via blood or genital fluids 3. The estimated global prevalence is 3.6%, ranging from 0.01% (UK) to 22.38% (South Sudan) 4. In high endemicity areas, in which prevalence is over 8%, 70–90% of the adult population show evidence of past or present infection 5 (http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/ fs204/en/). The young and the immunocompromised are most likely to develop chronic HBV infection, which can result in high viraemia over years to decades 3. Approximately 257 million people are chronically infected and around 887,000 people died in 2015 owing to associated complications (http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs204/en/). Despite the prevalence and public health impact of HBV, its origin and evolution remain unclear 6,7. Inference of HBV nucleotide substitution rates is complicated by the fact that the virus genome consists of four overlapping open reading frames 8 , and that mutation rates differ between phases of chronic infection 9. Studies based on heterochronous sequences, sampled over a relatively short time period, find higher substitution rates, whereas rates estimated using external calibrations tend to be lower, leading to a wide range of estimated HBV substitution rates (7.72 × 10 −4 –3.7 × 10 −6 substitutions per site per year) 10–12. Human HBV is classified into at least nine genotypes (A–I) based on sequence similarity of at least 92.5% within genotypes 13 , with a heterogeneous global distribution 7,8 (Fig. 1a). Attempts to explain the origin of genotypes using human migrations have been inconclusive. The hypothesis that HBV co-evolved with modern humans as they left Africa 60–100 thousand years ago (ka) has been contested owing to the basal phyloge-netic position of genotypes F and H, which are found exclusively in the Americas 6. HBV also infects non-human primates, and the human and other great ape HBVs are interspersed in the phylogenetic tree, possibly owing to cross-species transmission 14. Given the variability of estimated substitution rates, the incongruence of the tree topology with some human migrations and the mixed topology of the non-human primate and human HBV sequences in the phylogenetic tree, there remains considerable uncertainty about the evolutionary history of HBV. Recent advances in the sequencing of ancient DNA (aDNA) have yielded important insights into human evolution, past population dynamics 15 and diseases 16,17. However, ancient sequences have been recovered for only a handful of exogenous human viruses, including influenza virus (sample approximately 100 years old) 18 , variola virus (sample approximately 350 years old) 19 and HBV (samples approximately 340 and 450 years old) 20,21. The knowledge gained from these cases emphasizes the general importance of ancient sequences for the direct study of long-term viral evolution. HBV has several characteristics that make it a good candidate for detection in an aDNA virus study: its extended high viraemia during chronicity 3 , the relative stability of its virion 22 , and its small, circular and partially double-stranded DNA genome 8. Shotgun sequence data were previously generated from 167 Bronze Age 1 and 137 predominantly Iron Age 2 individuals from central to western Eurasia with a sample age range of approximately 7.1–0.2 thousand years (kyr) old. We identified reads that matched the HBV genome in
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The work conceders the problems of the interpretation procedure of the disturbed burials study on the example of the Bronze Age sites of the Southern Urals. The main emphasis is on the practice of documenting the archaeological evidence... more
The work conceders the problems of the interpretation procedure of the disturbed burials study on the example of the Bronze Age sites of the Southern Urals. The main emphasis is on the practice of documenting the archaeological evidence and the need for the entire of the sequence of interpretation stages. Case studies suggest that the interval between the end of the funeral ceremony and the invasion was quite brief, and participants of the “robbery” were well aware of the grave construction.
Consequently, the “robbery” in some cases could be a part of ritual practice. Judging from the ethnographical data, the relation to the dead could vary widely - the worship, fear, lack of respect. Perhaps each of these options actualized at different stages of the funeral ceremony. Further studies will clarify the dynamics of “robbery” motives. Maximum attention to the ancestors was paid in the early chronological period, in the period of development of new territory and the formation of new cultural traditions. Afterward there was a gradual decline in the number of these traces, and the custom of penetration into the graves became more utilitarian.
Consequently, the “robbery” in some cases could be a part of ritual practice. Judging from the ethnographical data, the relation to the dead could vary widely - the worship, fear, lack of respect. Perhaps each of these options actualized at different stages of the funeral ceremony. Further studies will clarify the dynamics of “robbery” motives. Maximum attention to the ancestors was paid in the early chronological period, in the period of development of new territory and the formation of new cultural traditions. Afterward there was a gradual decline in the number of these traces, and the custom of penetration into the graves became more utilitarian.
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Статья посвящена проблемам социальных реконструкций по археологическим источникам. Автор считает, что погребальные памятники отражают представления носителей традиции об идеале системы социальных отношений. Эта картина может существенно... more
Статья посвящена проблемам социальных реконструкций по археологическим источникам. Автор считает, что погребальные памятники отражают представления носителей традиции об идеале системы социальных отношений. Эта картина может существенно отличаться от реальной жизни.
Ключевые слова: эпоха бронзы, Южный Урал, погребальная обрядность, идеология, социальные реконструкции.
The article considers the problems of social reconstruction by archeological sources. The author believes that burial monuments reflect the ideas of bearers of traditions about the perfect system of social relations. These ideas considerably differ from the reality.
Keywords: the Bronze Age, South Ural, funeral ceremony, ideology, social reconstruction.
Ключевые слова: эпоха бронзы, Южный Урал, погребальная обрядность, идеология, социальные реконструкции.
The article considers the problems of social reconstruction by archeological sources. The author believes that burial monuments reflect the ideas of bearers of traditions about the perfect system of social relations. These ideas considerably differ from the reality.
Keywords: the Bronze Age, South Ural, funeral ceremony, ideology, social reconstruction.
Bronze Age burial sites of the South Urals and Arthur Saxe’s hypothesis 8 Abstract. The article tests the possibility of application of Arthur Saxe’s hypothesis 8 to the archaeological materials of the Bronze Age. The diachronous... more
Bronze Age burial sites of the South Urals and Arthur Saxe’s hypothesis 8
Abstract. The article tests the possibility of application of Arthur Saxe’s hypothesis 8 to the archaeological materials of the Bronze Age. The diachronous analysis of the burial traditions practiced by the South Uralian population brings the author to the conclusion
that the necessity of substantiation of entitlement for vitally important resources, such as pastures, water sources, mineral deposits arose mostly in periods of crisis and social transformations. Yet it could have survived for a long period after the above mentioned stimuli disappeared.
Abstract. The article tests the possibility of application of Arthur Saxe’s hypothesis 8 to the archaeological materials of the Bronze Age. The diachronous analysis of the burial traditions practiced by the South Uralian population brings the author to the conclusion
that the necessity of substantiation of entitlement for vitally important resources, such as pastures, water sources, mineral deposits arose mostly in periods of crisis and social transformations. Yet it could have survived for a long period after the above mentioned stimuli disappeared.
Among the Sintashta and Andronovo sites (in a broad sense), there is a big number of burial grounds characterized by quantitative prevalence of children’s burials, as well as presence of collective isochronal burials. This makes them... more
Among the Sintashta and Andronovo sites (in a broad sense), there is a big number of burial grounds characterized by quantitative prevalence of children’s burials, as well as presence of collective isochronal burials. This makes them distinct from the necropolises of the previous and subsequent periods, in terms of demographic and ritual characteristics. The fact regarding a very big portion of the deceased before 14 years of age fails to be clearly explained within paleodemographic concepts. As the authors believe, one hypothesis covering the facts of multiplicity of children’s burials, collective burials, as well as social selectivity, could be the so called «sacral» epidemics. In accordance to this concept, death of majority of the children buried in the mounds could result from epidemics of some catching disease created by a respected animal, namely, a cow. A sacral object and/or nature of epizooty might give significant grounds for respecting the deceased children. A role of appropriate anthropozoonosis might be played by foot-and-mouth, or similar disease.
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Article highlights little-studied aspects of the production activity of the population of Zauralye of the Late Bronze Age. New findings can identify distant connection with the territories of Eastern Europe and Western Siberia.... more
Article highlights little-studied aspects of the production activity of the population of Zauralye of the Late Bronze Age. New findings can identify distant connection with the territories of Eastern Europe and Western Siberia.
Keywords: Bronze Age, metal, southern Urals
Keywords: Bronze Age, metal, southern Urals
In this chapter, we develop a method employing combined SEM-EDS and LA-ICP-MS analysis of mineralized tissue (bone apatite) to quantify trace element concentrations. We apply this method to bone and tooth samples from the Kammenyi Ambar 5... more
In this chapter, we develop a method employing combined SEM-EDS and LA-ICP-MS analysis of mineralized tissue (bone apatite) to quantify trace element concentrations. We apply this method to bone and tooth samples from the Kammenyi Ambar 5 cemetery (Russia) to determine whether a trace element signal resulting from working of Arsenical Bronze can be distinguished from post-burial uptake of trace elements. Using raster mapping of bone and tooth cross-sections, we demonstrate that while some elements show a pattern consistent with post-burial uptake, other elements including arsenic appear to reflect uptake related to life activities including Bronze working. We review mechanisms by which trace elements may find their way into bone and tooth structure to explain these differences in incorporation pathway.
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Работа посвящена введению в научный оборот ряда находок, иллюстрирующих производство металлических изделий на территории Южного Урала (Миякинский район Республики Башкортостан). Все артефакты относятся к периоду поздней бронзы и связан с... more
Работа посвящена введению в научный оборот ряда находок, иллюстрирующих производство металлических изделий на территории Южного Урала (Миякинский район Республики Башкортостан). Все артефакты относятся к периоду поздней бронзы и связан с историей существования срубной культурно-исторической общности. С большой долей вероятности можно предпола-гать, что металлургия базировалась на местных ресурсах. Изде-лия датируются в рамках XVII–XV вв. до н.э. (в системе калиброванных дат).
Ключевые слова: археология, эпоха бронзы, металлопроизводство.
Ключевые слова: археология, эпоха бронзы, металлопроизводство.
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The characteristic of the gold wares’ composition found in archaeological memorials of Bashkortostan is presented. By composition items with the gold content of 82-87 per cent prevail, the content of 61-67 per cent is rarer. In a... more
The characteristic of the gold wares’ composition found in archaeological memorials of Bashkortostan is presented. By composition items with the gold content of 82-87 per cent prevail, the content of 61-67 per cent is rarer. In a jeweler’s workshop from the site of the ancient settlement Ufa-II a wire with the Au content of 97 per cent has been discovered. In the gold ware from the Perevolochan-I burial ground, Yakovlevka-II burial mound and at the site of the Ufa-II ancient settlement inclusions of osmium minerals are established. Judging from them it is determined that as the source of gold were places that were restricted to the Main Urals deflection zone.
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The work considers the metal production process in terms of the operating chain concept with the determination of the following stages: preparation of the charge stock materials, production technology, use and disposal. Each stage is... more
The work considers the metal production process in terms of the operating chain concept with the determination of the following stages: preparation of the charge stock materials, production technology, use and disposal. Each stage is consideredfrom the point of view ofarchaeological manifestations, probable variants of the organization of activities and the possibility of reconstruction. The analysis shows that the сhamne operatoire concept can be useful not only as the way of ordering the materials, but also as themeans of “translation” of the ancient evidence into the language of sociological and historical conclusions.
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The article presents the data of the Transurals and Mugodzhar mining and metallurgical centers, which territories were used as deposits in ultrabasic, basalt and rhyolitebasalt volcanic rocks. The main method of extraction was mining,... more
The article presents the data of the Transurals and Mugodzhar mining and metallurgical centers, which territories were used as deposits in ultrabasic, basalt and rhyolitebasalt volcanic rocks. The main method of extraction was mining, determined by the veindisseminated nature of primary ore. The most abundant mines of the Transurals and Mugodzhar area estimated approx. 50 000 MT of copper ore, corresponding to 1500 MT of possibly extracted copper. For the Ishkininskiy mine the existing knoweledge tells that the extractions were held in 2400–1500 BC, besides, the miners returned to their work for three times. Using the radiocarbon method the settlement is dated 2150–1500 BC but the main
mound burial places are dated XVII–XIV BC. A special analysis of mineral and microinclusions in the melt slags was held to determine types of bronze and investigate the ore source. Studies were made using the equipment of the Mineralogy Institute of UB RAS: Xray fluorescence INNOV, microprobe JEOL-733 and raster РЭММА 202М. The preliminary type of micro-inclusions is a chromite – FeCr2O4 – mineral of chromospinelide group that has Mg, Al, Ti, Mn, Zn, V as impurities in different proportions. The chromite slag presence indicates the use of ores associated with ultrabasic rocks. Due to the minimal impact of the molten slag on the chromite, the study of this mineral permits to evaluate the possible ore sources used by paleometallurgists. A rare event is an inclusion of sulphide chalcocite Cu2S, traced in the slags of settlements Arkaim and Kamenniy Ambar (Stone Barn).
The results of the study of metal inclusions from ancient slags in the Southern Urals show that the raw materials of arsenic and nickel-containing objects was often used. This fact is supported
by associating arsenic and nickel metals with the inclusions of chromospinelides from the ore-bearing ultrabasic rocks. In addition, there were found the slags with the tinny microinclusions, indicating the existence of tin bronze production in the Urals.
mound burial places are dated XVII–XIV BC. A special analysis of mineral and microinclusions in the melt slags was held to determine types of bronze and investigate the ore source. Studies were made using the equipment of the Mineralogy Institute of UB RAS: Xray fluorescence INNOV, microprobe JEOL-733 and raster РЭММА 202М. The preliminary type of micro-inclusions is a chromite – FeCr2O4 – mineral of chromospinelide group that has Mg, Al, Ti, Mn, Zn, V as impurities in different proportions. The chromite slag presence indicates the use of ores associated with ultrabasic rocks. Due to the minimal impact of the molten slag on the chromite, the study of this mineral permits to evaluate the possible ore sources used by paleometallurgists. A rare event is an inclusion of sulphide chalcocite Cu2S, traced in the slags of settlements Arkaim and Kamenniy Ambar (Stone Barn).
The results of the study of metal inclusions from ancient slags in the Southern Urals show that the raw materials of arsenic and nickel-containing objects was often used. This fact is supported
by associating arsenic and nickel metals with the inclusions of chromospinelides from the ore-bearing ultrabasic rocks. In addition, there were found the slags with the tinny microinclusions, indicating the existence of tin bronze production in the Urals.
Статья вводит в научный оборот новые материалы по истории ювелирного производства носителей алакульской культуры. Анализ литейных форм позволяет предполагать гораздо большее разнообразие украшений, чем это представляется по находкам в... more
Статья вводит в научный оборот новые материалы по истории ювелирного производства носителей алакульской культуры. Анализ литейных форм позволяет предполагать гораздо большее разнообразие украшений, чем это представляется
по находкам в захоронениях. Предложен вариант технологической схемы изготовления ювелирных изделий, материалом для которых могли служить не только бронза, но и драгоценные металлы.
Ключевые слова: бронзовый век, алакульская культура, украшения, технология ювелирного производства.
по находкам в захоронениях. Предложен вариант технологической схемы изготовления ювелирных изделий, материалом для которых могли служить не только бронза, но и драгоценные металлы.
Ключевые слова: бронзовый век, алакульская культура, украшения, технология ювелирного производства.
The article considers the Bronze Age artifacts made in precious metals. As result some conclusions can be done. The origin of the tradition for the South Urals is dated by the last centuries of the III millennium cal BC and is connected... more
The article considers the Bronze Age artifacts made in precious metals. As result
some conclusions can be done. The origin of the tradition for the South Urals is
dated by the last centuries of the III millennium cal BC and is connected with the
Abashevo-Sintashta cultural circle. The ornaments manufacture evidently was
highly tailored and based on local mineral resources. The mixture of gold and
osmium inclusions confirm this deduction.
some conclusions can be done. The origin of the tradition for the South Urals is
dated by the last centuries of the III millennium cal BC and is connected with the
Abashevo-Sintashta cultural circle. The ornaments manufacture evidently was
highly tailored and based on local mineral resources. The mixture of gold and
osmium inclusions confirm this deduction.
The paper reviews issues related to radiocarbon chronology of one of the key archaeological cultures ascribed to the Andronovo entity of the Late Bronze Age. This study is intended to create reliable grounds for the Alakul chronology in a... more
The paper reviews issues related to radiocarbon chronology of one of the key archaeological cultures ascribed to the Andronovo entity of the Late Bronze Age. This study is intended to create reliable grounds for the Alakul chronology in a specific context of the southern Trans-Urals as a key region where traditions emerged and contacts with other cultures were maintained. It introduces new dating results (Aleksandro-Nevsky-1 cemetery) in scientific discourse, provides statistical generalization of recent dates, and compares chronology of the forest-steppe and the steppe Alakul sites. The paper uses only AMS-dates (34) obtained from reliable contexts. The analyzed materials included human bones (18), animal bones (11) and wood (5). The generalization of the series put the interval within the range of 1900–1600 BC. The comparison of the local variants of the culture points to a chronological priority of the steppe sites. The earliest Alakul dates are close to the Petrovka culture dates whereas the Fedorovka interval is younger than the Alakul interval, though these cultures did coexist for a long time.
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Seasonality of Sintashta Funerary Rites (Based on the Kamennyi Ambar-5 Bronze Age Cemetery) Based on archaeological fi nds from the Kamennyi Ambar-5 cemetery, we test the hypothesis about the connection between the seasonality of... more
Seasonality of Sintashta Funerary Rites (Based on the Kamennyi Ambar-5 Bronze Age Cemetery)
Based on archaeological fi nds from the Kamennyi Ambar-5 cemetery, we test the hypothesis about the connection between the seasonality of pastoral practices and funerary rites in the Bronze Age (early 2nd millennium BC). We studied growth layers in teeth of 19 cows, 24 sheep/goats, 14 horses, a dog, and ten humans from 17 graves. We combined samples from various species from the same contexts in eight assemblages. Differences in seasons of death were revealed in one case with regard to animals. In spring, 70 % of graves were arranged, and in autumn, 30 %. Therefore, the hypothesis about the seasonal use of the cemetery was partly supported. The contemporaneous dwelling site Kamennyi Ambar demonstrates a similar tendency in the seasonality of animal slaughtering. However, the reasons underlying slaughtering differed from those in the cemetery. In the former case, it was motivated by practical needs, and in the latter case, only by the seasonality of human deaths, specifi cally by a higher frequency of deaths in late winter and spring. Also, postmortem selection is possible, whereby kurgan burials were arranged only for some individuals. In practice, apparently, several of the above factors overlapped, resulting in an anomalous composition of the buried cohort (disproportion of sexes and a higher proportion of individuals who died at the peak of vital activity).
Based on archaeological fi nds from the Kamennyi Ambar-5 cemetery, we test the hypothesis about the connection between the seasonality of pastoral practices and funerary rites in the Bronze Age (early 2nd millennium BC). We studied growth layers in teeth of 19 cows, 24 sheep/goats, 14 horses, a dog, and ten humans from 17 graves. We combined samples from various species from the same contexts in eight assemblages. Differences in seasons of death were revealed in one case with regard to animals. In spring, 70 % of graves were arranged, and in autumn, 30 %. Therefore, the hypothesis about the seasonal use of the cemetery was partly supported. The contemporaneous dwelling site Kamennyi Ambar demonstrates a similar tendency in the seasonality of animal slaughtering. However, the reasons underlying slaughtering differed from those in the cemetery. In the former case, it was motivated by practical needs, and in the latter case, only by the seasonality of human deaths, specifi cally by a higher frequency of deaths in late winter and spring. Also, postmortem selection is possible, whereby kurgan burials were arranged only for some individuals. In practice, apparently, several of the above factors overlapped, resulting in an anomalous composition of the buried cohort (disproportion of sexes and a higher proportion of individuals who died at the peak of vital activity).
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Research Interests:
Данная работа посвящена анализу и сопоставлению серии радиоуглеродных дат, полученных на материалах поселений позднего бронзового века Каменный Амбар и Устье I, расположенных в пределах степной зоны Зауральского пенеплена. Хорошая... more
Данная работа посвящена анализу и сопоставлению серии радиоуглеродных дат, полученных на материалах поселений позднего бронзового века Каменный Амбар и Устье I, расположенных в пределах степной зоны Зауральского пенеплена. Хорошая археологическая изученность памятников неразрушающими методами и раскопками значительных площадей позволили установить основные факты их стратиграфии и истории функционирования. Учет же фактов стратиграфии при анализе радиоуглеродных дат, позволяет применить байесовскую статистику для установления внутренней хронологии каждого поселения, вычисления длительности эпизодов существования и сравнения памятников друг с другом. Так, модели позволили оценить длительность существования городищ позднего бронзового века Каменный Амбар и Устье I, которая не превосходила 50 лет для первого из них, и 100 – для второго. Кроме того, существует вероятность того, что Каменный Амбар начал функционировать позже Устье I, которое на этот момент было оставлено обитателями. Это заключение позволяет совершенно по-новому взглянуть на социальную историю позднего бронзового века и перейти к формулировке хорошо обоснованных антропологических моделей.
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The analysis supports the previous notion of the steppe chariots as earliest known in the World. The chariot concept originated in Eastern European steppes and then spread eastward. In the southern Urals, the idea reached its apex ca.... more
The analysis supports the previous notion of the steppe chariots as earliest known in the World. The chariot concept originated in Eastern European steppes and then spread eastward. In the southern Urals, the idea reached its apex ca. 3950 BP. The Sintashta society became the primary center of chariot development from where the complex propagated in all directions. It seems logical to assume that the long-distance migration caused the original invention but the further spread could be due to networking and inter-group and inter-cultural connections. The analysis also highlights the existing difficulties and unsolved issues. We conclude that the exclusive focus on assessing the chronology of archaeological cultures, rather than dating of individual assemblages for comparative purposes, as well as the lack of radiocarbon dating of the Middle Bronze Age complexes from the Don-Volga interfluve, limit our understanding of the early IE migrations. The data collection is crucial for further analysis.
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This article introduces a series of AMS radiocarbon dates for the Bronze Age Petrovka cemeteries in the Trans-Urals. Results of the AMS 14C-datings of animal and human bones indicate a very high degree of concordance in the 19th and 18th... more
This article introduces a series of AMS radiocarbon dates for the Bronze Age Petrovka cemeteries in the Trans-Urals. Results of the AMS 14C-datings of animal and human bones indicate a very high degree of concordance in the 19th and 18th centuries cal BC time range. The previously obtained AMS datings clearly fi t in the same chronological interval. Specifi cally, 17 of 36 analyses of the Petrovka series yielded very similar results. In other cases, where dating was based on wood and charcoal, results are highly inconsistent even within the same burial. Before the verifi cation of these results, the short interval based on AMS dates should be preferred. Its comparison with intervals for other cultures of the Trans-Urals demonstrates marked similarity, in fact, complete coincidence of some of them. At the same time, stratigraphic and typological evidence suggests that Sintashta, Petrovka, and Alakul traditions are stages of a sequence. Additional arguments are features of continuity in the material culture and the practice of using burial mounds of a previous culture for new graves without destroying the older ones. In our view, the only explanation is provided by a dynamic scenario of cultural change spanning two centuries, from the migration of the Sintashta people to Southern Urals until the formation of the Alakul culture. The resolution of the radiocarbon method does not suffice to detect such rapid changes. If this explanation is correct, the Petrovka sites should be considered an early stage of the Alakul culture rather than a separate culture.
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In this paper, we analyze what can be learned about the meat supply of the Alakul miners of the Late Bronze Age using archaeozoology, Sr-isotope analysis, and radiocarbon dating techniques. The study is based on a sample of domestic... more
In this paper, we analyze what can be learned about the meat supply of the Alakul miners of the Late Bronze Age using archaeozoology, Sr-isotope analysis, and radiocarbon dating techniques. The study is based on a sample of domestic animal bone originating from the Vorovskaya Yama copper mine site in the southern Trans-Urals. The site functioned over a period of about two centuries starting around 1600 BCE. Cattle, caprines, and horses constituted the herd; the bones of young-adult cattle and caprine individuals predominating in the sample were mainly between 2-2.5 years of age. While the obtained species composition proportions are concomitant with those from ordinary Alakul settlement sites, due to the absence of embryos and newborns, we hypothesise that adult animals were deliberately supplied to the mine site for the purposes of slaughter and consumption. The Sr-isotope compositions in the enamel of the fourteen individuals may reflect the grazing regions within the southern Trans-Urals from which the animals may have been sourced (both near the site and up to 20-100 km eastwards of this location). Mine operation seasonality is indirectly indicated following cementum increment analysis showing that five out of seven studied animals were slaughtered during the warm season.
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Research subject. Spatial distribution of bioavailable strontium in the South Trans-Urals. Aim. Development and test of a methodology for obtaining a bioavailable strontium map suitable for studying migrations and mobility in the Bronze... more
Research subject. Spatial distribution of bioavailable strontium in the South Trans-Urals. Aim. Development and test of a methodology for obtaining a bioavailable strontium map suitable for studying migrations and mobility in the Bronze Age in the Southern Trans-Urals. Methods. Sampling was conducted in 73 loci located in a uniform network in a 25 ± 5 km grid and in 22 additional loci (transects along the intermediate lines in places of complex geological structure). The determination of strontium content was carried out by the ICP-MS method. The strontium isotope composition was measured using an inductively coupled plasma magneto-sector multi-collector mass spectrometer (MC-ICP-MS). Statistical methods included analysis with stem-and-leaf plots; Student’s t-test; ordinary kriging (the mean is unknown) with linear semivariogram; analysis of correlation according to Pearson’s test. Results. The surveyed area is 36 sq. km2 . The sample size is 357. Samples for different types have similar mean and median values; the differences occur in the fourth fractional digit. Criterion 1 (n ≥ 0.001) can be used to determine local variability, and Criterion 2 (0.706 < n < 0.716) can be used to assess the origin of ancient individuals, animals, and archaeological objects. The interpolated maps for each sample type were created. All bioavailable strontium maps show similar spatial patterns. Cross-validation revealed areas of the lowest accuracy.
Conclusions. The similarity of the distribution of anomalies on the maps of different types suggests the feasibility of the sampling technique. There is a clear tendency for the zones of elevated 87Sr/86Sr values to be associated with the older lithology (0.7106, mean). The lower values (0.7091 ± 0.002) are associated with the younger lithology. Given the complex geological structure and a wide range of rocks in the study area, a positive result is the low differentiation of the zoning of the identified anomalies, which correspond to large structural-formation zones of the Urals. The presented method demonstrates its suitability for studying sublatitudinal migrations of the ancient population of the Southern Trans-Urals.
Conclusions. The similarity of the distribution of anomalies on the maps of different types suggests the feasibility of the sampling technique. There is a clear tendency for the zones of elevated 87Sr/86Sr values to be associated with the older lithology (0.7106, mean). The lower values (0.7091 ± 0.002) are associated with the younger lithology. Given the complex geological structure and a wide range of rocks in the study area, a positive result is the low differentiation of the zoning of the identified anomalies, which correspond to large structural-formation zones of the Urals. The presented method demonstrates its suitability for studying sublatitudinal migrations of the ancient population of the Southern Trans-Urals.
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This article describes isotope analysis of bone remains from a unique burial of a Bronze Age metallurgist of the Sintashta culture (late third – early second millennium BC). An individual burial of a male 50–55 years of age was discovered... more
This article describes isotope analysis of bone remains from a unique burial of a Bronze Age metallurgist of the Sintashta culture (late third – early second millennium BC). An individual burial of a male 50–55 years of age was discovered at the Krivoe Ozero burial ground in the Southern Transurals. It contained not only animal sacri¿ ces and funerary artifacts, but also attributes of metallurgical specialization. The 87Sr/86Sr analysis of tooth enamel (n = 9) and bone (n = 3) involved nine buried persons. This series was reliably divided into two groups, one of which (six individuals) was related by origin to the area of the burial site. The impact of diagenetic processes on the composition of bones was not detected. The second group (three individuals including the “metallurgist”) had an 87Sr/86Sr signal which did not coincide with the local signal. The signal of bone (rib) markedly differed from the enamel of this individual’s second molar. Therefore, this male spent his childhood (2–7 years of age) in a region with different geological structure. A previously created map of interpolated values of bioavailable strontium in the Southern Transurals was used to determine the zone of his origin. Comparison with the map of the background 87Sr/86Sr values indicated the direction for searching for the zone of origin of the individual. The closest average values were associated with the Tagil-Magnitogorsk megazone 100–120 km southwest of the burial ground. Despite the small sample size, it can be assumed that up to a third of individuals were not related by origin to the territory where the burial ground was located. Thus, it can be stated that local mobility practices had a great inÀ uence on the composition of local societies.
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The article examines the practice of interaction between archaeology and natural sciences. The aim of the study is to determine the part and place of new methods in the practice of archaeological research, their influence on the scale,... more
The article examines the practice of interaction between archaeology and natural sciences. The aim of the study is to determine the part and place of new methods in the practice of archaeological research, their influence on the scale, topic, and nature of the procedure in the process of studying mobility and migration. To assess the dynamics of new methods introduction Gartner’s “hype curve” was used. The Southern Urals region in the Bronze Age period was chosen as the base territory, because it became the testing ground for the widespread use of various methods, starting in the 1960s. The history of the application of methods in the study of paleometallurgy, radiocarbon chronology, paleo-DNA, and strontium isotopes analysis are analyzed as cases. For all these cases, the dynamics fit into the logic described by the curve - from a technological trigger to the peak of inflated expectations through the stage of
disappointment and gradual enlightenment to the “productivity plateau”. The tendency to the accelerated passage of these stages and the emergence of sustainable use is traced. The last presupposes a clear understanding of the boundaries of the cognitive capabilities for the method.
Regional studies confirm the thesis about the inevitability of using natural scientific methods in the study of a number of topics (migration, mobility, long-distance communications, etc.) The expansion of new methods influenced the topic and territorial coverage of archaeological works: it became possible to bring forth and solve previously inaccessible problems; the scale of most research decreased (up to a single monument or category of artifacts). The emergence of new methods modifies the procedure for part of archaeological research, bringing it closer in some aspects to natural science. Nevertheless, the complete replacement of the humanitarian
component of archaeology is hardly realistic, since human activity is not rigidly determined, and the revealed correlations and patterns are inevitably statistical in nature.
disappointment and gradual enlightenment to the “productivity plateau”. The tendency to the accelerated passage of these stages and the emergence of sustainable use is traced. The last presupposes a clear understanding of the boundaries of the cognitive capabilities for the method.
Regional studies confirm the thesis about the inevitability of using natural scientific methods in the study of a number of topics (migration, mobility, long-distance communications, etc.) The expansion of new methods influenced the topic and territorial coverage of archaeological works: it became possible to bring forth and solve previously inaccessible problems; the scale of most research decreased (up to a single monument or category of artifacts). The emergence of new methods modifies the procedure for part of archaeological research, bringing it closer in some aspects to natural science. Nevertheless, the complete replacement of the humanitarian
component of archaeology is hardly realistic, since human activity is not rigidly determined, and the revealed correlations and patterns are inevitably statistical in nature.
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During the Early Bronze Age, populations of the western Eurasian steppe expanded across an immense area of northern Eurasia. Combined archaeological and genetic evidence supports widespread Early Bronze Age population movements out of the... more
During the Early Bronze Age, populations of the western Eurasian steppe expanded across an immense area of northern Eurasia. Combined archaeological and genetic evidence supports widespread Early Bronze Age population movements out of the Pontic–Caspian steppe that resulted in gene flow across vast distances, linking populations of Yamnaya pastoralists in Scandinavia with pastoral populations (known as the Afanasievo) far to the east in the Altai Mountains1,2 and Mongolia3. Although some models hold that this expansion was the outcome of a newly mobile pastoral economy characterized by horse traction, bulk wagon transport4,5,6 and regular dietary dependence on meat and milk5, hard evidence for these economic features has not been found. Here we draw on proteomic analysis of dental calculus from individuals from the western Eurasian steppe to demonstrate a major transition in dairying at the start of the Bronze Age. The rapid onset of ubiquitous dairying at a point in time when steppe populations are known to have begun dispersing offers critical insight into a key catalyst of steppe mobility. The identification of horse milk proteins also indicates horse domestication by the Early Bronze Age, which provides support for its role in steppe dispersals. Our results point to a potential epicentre for horse domestication in the Pontic–Caspian steppe by the third millennium BC, and offer strong support for the notion that the novel exploitation of secondary animal products was a key driver of the expansions of Eurasian steppe pastoralists by the Early Bronze Age.
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The paper presents preliminary results of studying ancient mobility in the southern Urals by applying the strontium analysis. 70 points were sampled covering the total area of 33.000 sq. km. We measured the 87Sr/86Sr ratio in 67 samples... more
The paper presents preliminary results of studying ancient mobility in the southern Urals by applying the strontium analysis. 70 points were sampled covering the total area of 33.000 sq. km. We measured
the 87Sr/86Sr ratio in 67 samples of water and 57 samples of grass from the same locations. The statistical analysis of the two batches demonstrates their close similarity. The map of values was interpolated with simple krigging based on the 67 samples of water. The map demonstrated the variability in values depending on the geological structure of the region.
the 87Sr/86Sr ratio in 67 samples of water and 57 samples of grass from the same locations. The statistical analysis of the two batches demonstrates their close similarity. The map of values was interpolated with simple krigging based on the 67 samples of water. The map demonstrated the variability in values depending on the geological structure of the region.
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Wells, Bronze Age
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SUMMARY The paper presents the preliminary results of the geomagnetic investigation at the Kamennyi Ambar settlement (Chelyabinsk region, Russia). The survey covered 400 m2 and produced a detailed magnetic map. Then, following the... more
SUMMARY The paper presents the preliminary results of the geomagnetic investigation at the Kamennyi Ambar settlement (Chelyabinsk region, Russia). The survey covered 400 m2 and produced a detailed magnetic map. Then, following the excavation process of the Southern fortification line, the gradient magnetic survey (area 8 x 8 m) was conducted gradually in 20 cm up 0 to-120 cm levels to determine a source of anomalies that were clearly visible on the geomagnetic card. Joined geomagnetic and archaeological methods allowed to establish the source of anomalies and to relate them to definite archaeological structures.
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Работа рассматривает проблемы современного этапа развития археологической теории и место российской археологии в этом процессе. Проведено сопоставление показателей публикационной активности ведущих отечественных журналов в части масштаба... more
Работа рассматривает проблемы современного этапа развития археологической теории и место российской археологии в этом процессе. Проведено сопоставление показателей публикационной активности ведущих отечественных журналов в части масштаба и характера статей. Расширение практики мультидисциплинарных исследований должно дать толчок к изменению парадигмы российской археологии, которая в значительной степени интегрирована в международное сообщество.
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Статья посвящена проблеме идентификации андроновских поселений бронзового века в бассейне реки Миасс близ Челябинска. Представлены материалы поселения Трубный, открытого в 2013 г. В керамическом комплексе памятника преобладают черты... more
Статья посвящена проблеме идентификации андроновских поселений бронзового века в бассейне реки Миасс близ Челябинска. Представлены материалы поселения Трубный, открытого в 2013 г. В керамическом комплексе памятника преобладают черты алакульской культуры, наряду с этим есть федоровские и черкаскульские фрагменты сосудов. Данная ситуация типична для большинства поселений региона, что ставит под вопрос саму возможность обнаружения в дальнейшем монокультурных федоровских поселений. Новый памятник располагается менее чем в пяти километрах от хорошо известного специалистам федоровско-черкаскульского
могильника Туктубаево. Особую значимость поселению Трубный придает наличие металлических изделий, среди которых наиболее редким является втульчатый наконечник стрелы. Аналогии ему обнаружены в памятниках разных культур, большинство которых датируется XVII—XIV вв. до н. э.
могильника Туктубаево. Особую значимость поселению Трубный придает наличие металлических изделий, среди которых наиболее редким является втульчатый наконечник стрелы. Аналогии ему обнаружены в памятниках разных культур, большинство которых датируется XVII—XIV вв. до н. э.
The article is devoted to a question of correlating the Abashevo and Sintashta antiquities of Bronze Age. Resulting from using geoinformation technologies, subject to determination being distribution areas, generally confined to different... more
The article is devoted to a question of correlating the Abashevo and Sintashta antiquities of Bronze Age. Resulting from using geoinformation technologies, subject to determination being distribution areas, generally confined to different ecological niches (forest-steppe and steppe ones), specifying contacting zones, marked by sites of a syncretic type. The work made it possible to draw arguments in favour of possible synchronization of these
cultural types, outlying the most perspective directions of investigation.
cultural types, outlying the most perspective directions of investigation.
Статья на основе новых материалов рассматривает историческую ситуацию, сложившуюся в Волго-Уральском регионе на рубеже среднего и позднего бронзового века.
The article represents results of excavations and geophysical investigations at the Bronze Age settlement of Kamenny Ambar. They undertook correlation of the magnetic and GPR data with the excavation results. Using geophysical methods... more
The article represents results of excavations and geophysical investigations at the Bronze Age settlement of Kamenny Ambar. They undertook correlation of the magnetic and GPR data with the excavation results. Using geophysical methods during excavations allows to increase the interpretation reliability of anomalies, connecting those with specific structures of archaeological sites. Subject to presentation being a reconstruction version of the settlement’s life history.
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Purpose: The article describes the main results obtained by a team of two Institutes: Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography (Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences), Institute of History and Archaeology (Urals Branch of the... more
Purpose: The article describes the main results obtained by a team of two Institutes: Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography (Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences), Institute of History and Archaeology (Urals Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences), to implement the project within the framework of fundamental research carried out in collaboration with organizations of the SB, Far East Branch (Russian Academy of Sciences), State Academies of Russia, National Academy of Sciences of the Commonwealth of Independent States and funded from the SB and UB in 2012–2013. The prime objective of the research was reconstruction cultural dynamics, genetic and social processes in the Urals and Western Siberia, to study directions and forms of migration, interactions within the cultural and historical communities in the Paleometal era. The work is based on the results of a multidisciplinary approach to the study of archaeological sources at all levels of his research. Field work was based on a comprehensive archaeological and geophysical program, which was successfully tested for a number of years of settlement and funerary significant site of Western Siberia, the Urals, the Russian and Mongolian Altai, as well as the study of significant site solid surface with the removal of the soil beyond the excavation site. Work on the project was organized in blocks corresponding chronological periods, and local areas of the Ural-Siberian region: Culture and Society-ratio and reflected in the archaeological source, аactors of cultural variability; Cultural-Genetic processes in the Urals and Western Siberia in the Paleometal era; Society of Bronze and Early Iron Ages in the Urals and Western Siberia; Personal and group identity in societies in the Paleometal era. During the project, the partners are in constant communication that allowed us to obtain specific scientific results.
Results: Theoretical and historiographical study concerned the current state of historical and cultural approach to the archaeological research in Russia and abroad. Contextual and statistical analysis was performed on specific materials the Bronze and the Early Iron Ages. The problem of the origin and prolonged existence of long-distance relationships is solved on the basis of analysis of Bronze Age sites and learning resource base functioning societies. The findings are reflected in the various publications and are presented as conference papers. Conclusion: As part of the project was organized and conducted by the All-Russian research and practice seminar «Culture, society and the people in the Paleometal era (Ural and Western Siberia), 11–14 November 2013 in Chelyabinsk». It was attended by 25 scientists from different cities of Russia. The seminar and discussion that took place on it demonstrated the relevance of this problem and received during her research results. Some of the reports have been prepared for publication in this issue.
Results: Theoretical and historiographical study concerned the current state of historical and cultural approach to the archaeological research in Russia and abroad. Contextual and statistical analysis was performed on specific materials the Bronze and the Early Iron Ages. The problem of the origin and prolonged existence of long-distance relationships is solved on the basis of analysis of Bronze Age sites and learning resource base functioning societies. The findings are reflected in the various publications and are presented as conference papers. Conclusion: As part of the project was organized and conducted by the All-Russian research and practice seminar «Culture, society and the people in the Paleometal era (Ural and Western Siberia), 11–14 November 2013 in Chelyabinsk». It was attended by 25 scientists from different cities of Russia. The seminar and discussion that took place on it demonstrated the relevance of this problem and received during her research results. Some of the reports have been prepared for publication in this issue.
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В работе представлен обзор современного состояния работ по изучению бронзового века в рамках методов анализа стабильных изотопов. Установлено, что наиболее полно изучены особенности диеты (стабильные изотопы углерода и азота)... more
В работе представлен обзор современного состояния работ по изучению бронзового века в рамках методов анализа стабильных изотопов. Установлено, что наиболее полно изучены особенности диеты (стабильные изотопы углерода и азота) синташтинского, петровского и алакульского населения Зауралья и Верхнего Притоболья. Имеющиеся данные позволили исключить влияние резервуарного эффекта на результаты радиоуглеродного датирования, т.е. подтвердили адекватность ранее сделанных заключений о границах хронологических интервалов культур. В исследовании изотопов стронция для реконструкции мобильности сделаны только первые шаги. Перспективы методов заключаются в максимальном пополнении источниковой базы и расширении спектра аналитических методов за счет анализа изотопов серы, кислорода и свинца.
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Based on archaeological materials from the Kamennyi Ambar-5 cemetery, we test the hypothesis about the connection between the seasonality of pastoral practices and funerary rites during the Late Bronze Age (early 2nd millennium BC). We... more
Based on archaeological materials from the Kamennyi Ambar-5 cemetery, we test the hypothesis about the connection between the seasonality of pastoral practices and funerary rites during the Late Bronze Age (early 2nd millennium BC). We studied growth layers in the teeth of 24 cows, 19 sheep/goats, 14 horses, a dog, and ten humans from 17 graves. We combined samples from various species from the same contexts into eight assemblages. With regard to animals, differences in seasons of death were revealed only once. 70 % of graves were arranged in spring and 30 % in autumn. Therefore, the hypothesis about the seasonal use of the cemetery can be supported at least partially. The contemporaneous settlement of Kamennyi Ambar demonstrates a similar tendency in the seasonality of animal slaughtering. However, the reasons for slaughtering at the settlement differed from those in the cemetery. At the settlement site, it was motivated by practical needs, and in themortuary site, only by the seasonality of human deaths, kurgan burials were arranged only for some individuals. In practice, several of the above factors overlapped, resulting in an anomalous composition of the buried cohort (disproportion of sexes and a higher proportion of individuals who died at the peak of vital activity).
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Full-text is available: https://rdcu.be/cYVOW An analysis of the first detailed radiocarbon data connected with the beginning of copper mining in the Southern Trans-Urals, as well as the periods of developing Southern Trans-Uralian... more
Full-text is available: https://rdcu.be/cYVOW An analysis of the first detailed radiocarbon data connected with the beginning of copper mining in the Southern Trans-Urals, as well as the periods of developing Southern Trans-Uralian deposits in the Bronze Age, is presented. A series of 14 accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon datings are conducted on the basis of materials obtained from the cultural layers of four ancient mines. The datings cover the period from the end of the 3rd to the beginning of the 1st millennium cal BC. Median values narrow this interval to the 20th-11th centuries cal BC. This prolonged period of mine development included various stages coinciding with the existing archaeological periodization applied in the region: Sintashta-Abashevo, Srubnaya-Alakul and Final Bronze Age. The evidence obtained suggest the existence of a complete metal-production cycle in the Southern Trans-Urals during the entire Late Bronze Age and the sequential use of a local ore base by the various populations inhabiting this region.
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В статье проанализированы 44 радиоуглеродные даты, полученные при изучении 18 колодцев разных периодов бронзового века на поселении Каменный Амбар в Южном Зауралье. На предварительном этапе работы были определены статистические выбросы,... more
В статье проанализированы 44 радиоуглеродные даты, полученные при изучении 18 колодцев разных периодов бронзового века на поселении Каменный Амбар в Южном Зауралье. На предварительном этапе работы были определены статистические выбросы, что повысило достоверность выводов. Фрагменты керамики из заполнения колодцев, контекстуальный анализ и результаты датирования позволили провести культурную атрибуцию почти всех объектов (31 из 34). Проанализированные структуры были разделены на четыре хроностратиграфические группы, соответствующие разным фазам застройки поселения. Статистически оценены их продолжительность и хронологические границы. Установлено, что большинство колодцев было сооружено в синташтинско-петровский период (плотная регулярная застройка в границах укреплений). Он включал три строительные фазы, наиболее поздняя из которых соотносится с петровской керамикой. Второй период (хаотичное расположение отдельных сооружений) связан со срубно-алакульскими древностями и представлен вс...
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Cultural interactions in central Russia are famously complex, but of very wide significance. Within the social changes they imply are contained key matters for Europe and Asia: the introduction of Indo-Europeans and other languages, the... more
Cultural interactions in central Russia are famously complex, but of very wide significance. Within the social changes they imply are contained key matters for Europe and Asia: the introduction of Indo-Europeans and other languages, the horse and the chariot, and the transition towards nomadism. Of crucial importance to future research is a sturdy chronological framework and in this contribution the authors offer 40 new radiocarbon dates spanning the conventional Bronze Age in the southern Urals.
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History, Geography, Archaeology, Antiquity, Bronze Age, and 4 moreChronology, Bronze, Radiocarbon Dating, and Chariot
Currently, 87Sr/86Sr analysis is the basic method to research migrations and mobility. Solving the main problems is impossible without creating basemaps of background values. Despite the differences in approaches, this work necessarily... more
Currently, 87Sr/86Sr analysis is the basic method to research migrations and mobility. Solving the main problems is impossible without creating basemaps of background values. Despite the differences in approaches, this work necessarily includes determination of strontium isotopic values in samples; statistical analysis; map interpolation, and analysis of the strontium spatial distribution. The study of archaeobiological materials should be focused on the creation of samples that include different types of materials and species of organisms. This provides an opportunity to check the internal consistency of the series and allows us to evaluate the influence of diagenetic processes. The resulting interpretation is probabilistic, so different explanatory hypotheses should be tested.
Современный этап исследования миграций и мобильности опирается на анализ изотопов стронция. Перспектива решения крупных проблем связана с созданием карт фоновых значений. Несмотря на различия в подходах, эта работа обязательно предполагает определение изотопных значений образцов, статистический анализ и интерполяцию карты, а также анализ пространственного распределения. Изучение археобиологических материалов должно быть сфокусировано на создании выборок, включающих разные типы материалов и виды организмов. Это обеспечивает возможность проверки внутренней согласованности серий и позволяет оценить влияние диагенетических процессов. Итоговая интерпретация имеет вероятностный характер, поэтому должны тестироваться разные объяснительные гипотезы.
Современный этап исследования миграций и мобильности опирается на анализ изотопов стронция. Перспектива решения крупных проблем связана с созданием карт фоновых значений. Несмотря на различия в подходах, эта работа обязательно предполагает определение изотопных значений образцов, статистический анализ и интерполяцию карты, а также анализ пространственного распределения. Изучение археобиологических материалов должно быть сфокусировано на создании выборок, включающих разные типы материалов и виды организмов. Это обеспечивает возможность проверки внутренней согласованности серий и позволяет оценить влияние диагенетических процессов. Итоговая интерпретация имеет вероятностный характер, поэтому должны тестироваться разные объяснительные гипотезы.
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This paper discusses some methods for analyzing laboratory data on the ratio of 87Sr/86Sr, including the baseline method, the primary variability mapping methods, and their limitations. The baseline is the mean and two-sigma interval... more
This paper discusses some methods for analyzing laboratory data on the ratio of 87Sr/86Sr, including the baseline method, the primary variability mapping methods, and their limitations. The baseline is the mean and two-sigma interval based on samples from the geological zone. The disadvantage of the method is the need to obtain a large sample and reject the variability study. The method of domain mapping is to plot the mean values for a zone on a color-coded map. The Voronoi map allows to limit the zones of different values and demonstrate the sample heterogeneity. Geostatistical interpolation methods calculate unknown values from known data due to spatial autocorrelation. Interpolated models tend to smooth out the data, masking inhomogeneity. Finally, machine learning is built on a random forest regression algorithm. The input is passed through each decision tree, and the output of all the trees is averaged.
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The proceedings includes the extended abstracts presented at the “Geoarchaeology and Archaeological Mineralogy-2019” 6th Geoarchaeological Conference held at the South Ural Federal Scientific Center for Mineralogy and Geoecology UB RAS,... more
The proceedings includes the extended abstracts presented at the “Geoarchaeology and Archaeological Mineralogy-2019” 6th Geoarchaeological Conference held at the South Ural Federal Scientific Center for Mineralogy and Geoecology UB RAS, Miass, Russia, at September 16–19, 2019. In the first part of the edition, the extended abstracts devoted to the general issues of geoarchaeology and advantages of various geological and mineralogical methods used to solve archaeological problems (microprobe studies of artifacts, X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, X-ray diffraction, isotope analyses, geological and geophysical studies of ancient ore objects, etc.) are examined. The second part highlights the application of mineral raw materials and rocks by ancient societies at archaeological sites located in the territory of modern Russia and Central Asia, as well as methods of reconstructions for processing stone products. In the third part, the mineralogical and geochemical characteristics of ancien...
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Изучение мобильности древних обществ в последние годы опирается в основном на мультидисциплинарные исследования. Статья демонстрирует возможности археологических источников в изучении мобильности на примере одного археологического... more
Изучение мобильности древних обществ в последние годы опирается в основном на мультидисциплинарные исследования. Статья демонстрирует возможности археологических источников в изучении мобильности на примере одного археологического памятника, содержавшего атрибуты колесничного комплекса (псалии и распределитель перекрестных ремней оголовья). Типология псалиев указывает на их петровскую с синташтинскими чертами культурную атрибуцию, а керамический комплекс практически целиком относится к петровской и алакульской культурам. Полные аналоги распределителю ремней отсутствуют, но традиция орнаментации широко представлена в колесничных комплексах Доно-Волжского региона. Находки из могильника Владимировка не только хорошо иллюстрируют инструментарий мобильности, но также позволяют выдвинуть гипотезу о мобильности индивидов или небольших групп, непосредственно связанных с производством и эксплуатацией колесничного комплекса. In recent years studies of prehistoric society mobility has been rel...
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The paper presents the results of the analysis of 87Sr/86Sr isotope ratios for 21 individuals and 15 animals. All materials belong to the Bronze Age of the Southern Trans-Urals (5 archaeological sites). Three types of specimens were used... more
The paper presents the results of the analysis of 87Sr/86Sr isotope ratios for 21 individuals and 15 animals. All materials belong to the Bronze Age of the Southern Trans-Urals (5 archaeological sites). Three types of specimens were used (bone, dentin and tooth enamel). A total of 62 measurements were taken. Paired or triple analyzes of samples are available for 12 people and 6 animals. Statistically significant differences were found in the values for different types of samples originating from the same organism for human remains. This may reflect lifetime changes in habitat. Differences in the results of the analysis of the human tooth enamel indicate a difference in the origin of individuals within the collective.
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The game is a universality of the human culture. Nevertheless, it is difficult to identify its traces through the archaeological record so it is impossible to reconstruct the rules, teams of participants and space of activity. The main... more
The game is a universality of the human culture. Nevertheless, it is difficult to identify its traces through the archaeological record so it is impossible to reconstruct the rules, teams of participants and space of activity. The main available source for the Ural Bronze Age can be the material attributes of the games (astragals, miniature ceramic item setc.). A part of them has the direct evidence of children's participation in their making. Judging by the substituted data, the game element was also included in the hunting activity, training of charioteers and fisticuffs because the game was a vital part of life not only for the children but also for the adults. The main body of evidence was discovered during the excavation of the settlements but the archaeologists did not consider these artefacts as a special category of items or did not interpret them as game attributes. Our work starts filling this gap.
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The article presents the results of excavations at the Shatmantamak I burial ground located in steppe zone of the Southern Urals (south-west of the Republic of Bashkortostan, Russia). The materials of the site combine the features of the... more
The article presents the results of excavations at the Shatmantamak I burial ground located in steppe zone of the Southern Urals (south-west of the Republic of Bashkortostan, Russia). The materials of the site combine the features of the Late Bronze Age Srubnaya and Alakul archaeological cultures dated to the first half of the 2nd mil. cal BC. With this work, we aimed to test the interpretation possibilities for the obtained materials, proceed-ing from their chronological sequence, rather than cultural attribution. Three mounds comprising seven burial structures of the Bronze Age (three above ground and four burial pits) have been excavated. The main procedure of treating the dead was inhumation on the left side (with the single exception on the right side) with their heads orientated towards the northern sector with deviations to the east. All graves contained single adult individuals, except one with the skeletons of two children. One of the burials is clearly distinctive, with th...
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The authors theorize that the transition to nomadism was caused by a number of factors, the main one being the change in economic organization due to climatic aridization. The change followed different scenarios depending on various... more
The authors theorize that the transition to nomadism was caused by a number of factors, the main one being the change in economic organization due to climatic aridization. The change followed different scenarios depending on various conditions, i.e., the degree of forestation of the territory, the availability of water resources, the cultural environment, or the location with reference to metal production centers. The population of the Sargary Culture, for instance, is an example where some features of a settled way of life were retained to the beginning of the Early Iron Age, although this was coupled with a diminishing population. Intermediate stages could have comprised regrouping of the population within the territory, and the transition to no-madism by part of the population, while the remaining population stayed in settlements and adhered to the old traditions. The process of changing societal mobility was not linear and homogeneous. With the influx of the bearers of nomadic traditions from central Kazakhstan at the intersection of the Bronze Age and Early Iron Age, the turning point was achieved.
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EnglishSince 2008the micro-region of the Karagajly-Ajat valley inthe Celjabinsk region has been investigated by an inter-disciplinary German-Russian cooperation project in thesouthern Trans-Ural region, the focus of which has beenon... more
EnglishSince 2008the micro-region of the Karagajly-Ajat valley inthe Celjabinsk region has been investigated by an inter-disciplinary German-Russian cooperation project in thesouthern Trans-Ural region, the focus of which has beenon questions about the genesis of this cultural land-scape, and here especially on determining the specificextent of influence by humans and their cattle ever sincethe Middle Bronze Age. In several fortified settlements of the so-called Arkaim-Sintas˘ta type the methods of topo-graphic mapping and geophysical prospecting were ap-plied for providing insight into the structure and size of settlements that are hardly visible on the surface. On thebasis of the obtained data archaeological excavations inKamennyj Ambar and Konopljanka served to verify or va-lidate these structures, and also for the attempt of gath-ering detailed information on the material culture of their former inhabitants. Archaeo-botanical and pedologicalinvestigations were implemented with the ...
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By means of the Bayesian analysis of radiocarbon dates, a comparison of chronologies of the Kamennyi Ambar settlement and the cemetery of Kamennyi Ambar-5 of the Late Bronze Age Syntashta-Petrovka period has been carried out. Both sites... more
By means of the Bayesian analysis of radiocarbon dates, a comparison of chronologies of the Kamennyi Ambar settlement and the cemetery of Kamennyi Ambar-5 of the Late Bronze Age Syntashta-Petrovka period has been carried out. Both sites are situated in the valley of the Karagaily-Ayat River in Kartalinsky district of Chelyab-insk Region (Russia). Comparison of the pottery assemblages of the settlement and the cemetery demonstrates their similarity, which suggests existence of a genetic link between the sites. The purpose of this work is devel-opment of a generalized chronological model of the two monuments. This is achieved by comparison of uncali-brated intervals of radiocarbon dates and calculation of chronological boundaries of the existence of the settle-ment and cemetery by means of Bayesian modeling of the calibrated dates. The method consists in that, in the beginning, the stratigraphic position of each date is determined, and then the dates suitable for the analysis are arra...
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The article compares the chronology of some Bronze Age cultural traditions in the Volga river region and Southern Urals. The aim of the work is to test the hypothesis of oncoming migration flows of carriers of the Abashevo and... more
The article compares the chronology of some Bronze Age cultural traditions in the Volga river region and Southern Urals. The aim of the work is to test the hypothesis of oncoming migration flows of carriers of the Abashevo and Seima-Turbino traditions by determination of chronological positions for territorial groups based on the analysis of radiocarbon dates series. The groups were formed according to the cultural and territorial principle (Abashevo sites in the Volga and Ural regions, Sintashta sites in the Pre-Urals and Trans-Urals, Seima-Turbino sites in the Pre-Urals and Trans-Urals). A critical analysis and statistical verification of the reliability for the series were carried out. It made possible to abandon the use of some dates (outliers) and form intervals for all possible cases. As a result, an acute shortage of quality dating for the Pre-Urals Abashevo, Sintashta and Seima-Turbino traditions, as well as the need to check the available results for the distortion of the r...
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In this paper, we examine the series of AMS radiocarbon measurements (N = 52) obtained from the Late Bronze Age settlements of Kamennyi Ambar and Usty’e I in the Southern Trans-Urals, Russia. The exploratory data analysis applied to... more
In this paper, we examine the series of AMS radiocarbon measurements (N = 52) obtained from the Late Bronze Age settlements of Kamennyi Ambar and Usty’e I in the Southern Trans-Urals, Russia. The exploratory data analysis applied to uncalibrated dates allows for the batches and outliers isolation. Furthermore, based on the facts of stratigraphy and application of the Bayesian statistics, we reconstruct the chronology, estimate spans of habitation, and discuss issues of the existing samples. As the first step of the analysis, we consider archaeo-logical contexts of the measurements and statistically identify apparent outliers. Despite the small sample size, the dataset from Ust’ye I obtained in the way that allows to date stratigraphically isolated construction/utilization episodes and thus are highly reliable. At least five measurements from Kamennyi Ambar date the natural events before the settlement construction and serve as upper limits in models. On the second stage of the analy...
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Ancient human movements through Asia Ancient DNA has allowed us to begin tracing the history of human movements across the globe. Narasimhan et al. identify a complex pattern of human migrations and admixture events in South and Central... more
Ancient human movements through Asia Ancient DNA has allowed us to begin tracing the history of human movements across the globe. Narasimhan et al. identify a complex pattern of human migrations and admixture events in South and Central Asia by performing genetic analysis of more than 500 people who lived over the past 8000 years (see the Perspective by Schaefer and Shapiro). They establish key phases in the population prehistory of Eurasia, including the spread of farming peoples from the Near East, with movements both westward and eastward. The people known as the Yamnaya in the Bronze Age also moved both westward and eastward from a focal area located north of the Black Sea. The overall patterns of genetic clines reflect similar and parallel patterns in South Asia and Europe. Science , this issue p. eaat7487 ; see also p. 981
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Genetics, Geography, Archaeology, Human Evolution, Iranian Archaeology, and 15 moreCentral Asian Studies, Eurasian Nomads, Archaeogenetics, Bronze Age Archaeology, Central Asia, Ancient DNA Research, Medicine, Multidisciplinary, BMAC Archaeology, Indus Valley Civilization, Central Asian Archaeology, aDNA Analysis, Early Neolithic, Archaeology of the Eurasian steppe belt, and Andronovo
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History, Archaeology, Experimental Archaeology, Geochemistry, Archaeological Science, and 6 moreBronze Age Archaeology, Chariots, Scythian and other Eurasian Nomadic Horse Warrior Cultures, Antler Cheek-Pieces, Scythian and Other Eurasian Nomadic Horse Warrior Cultures, and Archaeology of Horse and Riders
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Recent ancient DNA (aDNA) studies of human pathogens have provided invaluable insights into their evolutionary history and prevalence in space and time. Most of these studies were based on DNA extracted from teeth or postcranial bones. In... more
Recent ancient DNA (aDNA) studies of human pathogens have provided invaluable insights into their evolutionary history and prevalence in space and time. Most of these studies were based on DNA extracted from teeth or postcranial bones. In contrast, no pathogen DNA has been reported from the petrous bone which has become the most desired skeletal element in ancient DNA research due to its high endogenous DNA content. To compare the potential for pathogenic aDNA retrieval from teeth and petrous bones, we sampled these elements from five ancient skeletons, previously shown to be carrying . Based on shotgun sequencing data, four of these five plague victims showed clearly detectable levels of DNA in the teeth, whereas all the petrous bones failed to produce DNA above baseline levels. A broader comparative metagenomic analysis of teeth and petrous bones from 10 historical skeletons corroborated these results, showing a much higher microbial diversity in teeth than petrous bones, includin...
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The paper presents the preliminary results of the geomagnetic investigation at the Kamennyi Ambar settlement (Chelyabinsk region, Russia). The survey covered 400 m2 and produced a detailed magnetic map. Then, following the excavation... more
The paper presents the preliminary results of the geomagnetic investigation at the Kamennyi Ambar settlement (Chelyabinsk region, Russia). The survey covered 400 m2 and produced a detailed magnetic map. Then, following the excavation process of the Southern fortification line, the gradient magnetic survey (area 8 x 8 m) was conducted gradually in 20 cm up 0 to -120 cm levels to determine a source of anomalies that were clearly visible on the geomagnetic card. Joined geomagnetic and archaeological methods allowed to establish the source of anomalies and to relate them to definite archaeological structures.
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Ancient History, Genetics, Archaeology, Genomics, Cultural Evolution, and 15 moreLanguage, Multidisciplinary, Nature, DNA, Humans, Human Migration, Europe, Lactose intolerance, Early Bronze Age Archaeology, Fossils, Asia, Human Genome, European Continental Ancestry Group, Asian Continental Ancestry Group, and Gene frequency
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Geography and Prehistory
... Краткий обзор наглядно демонстрирует значительные различия не только в материале и конструкции, но и в массе наконечников ... колесницы: конструктивные особенности и возмож- ности функционирования [Текст]/АВ Епимахов,, ИВ... more
... Краткий обзор наглядно демонстрирует значительные различия не только в материале и конструкции, но и в массе наконечников ... колесницы: конструктивные особенности и возмож- ности функционирования [Текст]/АВ Епимахов,, ИВ Чечушков//Археология Юж ...
... 2. Кишинев: Высшая антропологическая школа, 2000. – С.322-345. 3. Епимахов А.В.,Чечушков И.В. ... Харьков: «Эспада», 2001. – С.26. 12. Епимахов А.В., Чечушков И.В., Экспериментальные работы… 13. Генинг В.Ф., Зданович Г.Б., Генинг В.В.... more
... 2. Кишинев: Высшая антропологическая школа, 2000. – С.322-345. 3. Епимахов А.В.,Чечушков И.В. ... Харьков: «Эспада», 2001. – С.26. 12. Епимахов А.В., Чечушков И.В., Экспериментальные работы… 13. Генинг В.Ф., Зданович Г.Б., Генинг В.В. ...
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Ancient History, Genetics, Archaeology, Anthropology, Human Evolution, and 15 moreEpidemiology, Bioarchaeology, History of Plague, Bronze Age Archaeology, Ancient DNA Research, Evolutionary Genomics, Black Death, Biological Sciences, Europe, Early Bronze Age Archaeology, Animals, Ancient DNA, Cell, Asia, and Bubonic Plague
Рец. на кн.: Бородинский клад Героической эпохи бронзового века. Естественно-научный и исторический контекст / Отв. ред. Н.И. Шишлина. Коллективная моно-графия. М.: Ист. музей, 2019. 160 с., ил. (Тр. ГИМ. Вып. 211)