Археологические памятники у пос. Ергенинский

Abstract

Introduction. Due to the nomadic lifestyle of the indigenous population which they practiced up to 1930s and the absence of any noticeable anthropogenic impact on the local environment, most of the archaeological sites located on the territory of the Republic of Kalmykia are characterized by their very well preserved state. However, the area around the village Ergeninskiy (Ketchenerovskiy region, Republic of Kalmykia) is probably one of the few with such a number and variety of archaeological sites. The goal of this article is to introduce the results of the initial recording of the archaeological sites located in the valleys of the rivers Shar Elsin and Kek Buluk around the village Ergeninskiy. Materials and Methods. The mound group of the Catacomb culture to the eastern edge of the village was examined during the excavation works led by V. P. Shilov in 1981–1986 and M. A. Ochir-Goryaeva in 2006–2008. The Bronze Age settlement situated to the west of the village on the bank of the river Shar Elsin was examined in 2010–2012. The nodules of cretaceous flint were found by our archaeological team in the large Kyur Sala ravine to the north of the village Ergeninskiy. It should be noted that such nodules often indicate the probability of nearby existence of the Stone Age and Copper-Stone Age settlements. The exploration works undertaken in the area 15–18 km in length have revealed the six mound groups including 259 mounds. This article also gives the initial information about the previously unknown flat mounds discovered in the steppes. These mounds are similar to the sites of Maikop culture that date back to the Bronze Age era and are widespread in the North Caucasus region. Results. The area around the village Ergeninskiy is characterized by the density and variety of archaeological sites. Thus, the further archaeological research of this microregion has a lot of prospects.