A Complex Historical and Archaeological Study of the Rural Settlements of the XVII – Early XX Century in the Middle Tom' Region Basin

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The present article introduces a new complex approach to the Russian rural settlements of the XVII – early XX centuries in the Middle Tom' Region basin. The approach unites historical, archaeological, and ethnographic researches for a detailed reconstruction of the process of Russian colonization in the region and its reflection in the local material culture. A thorough analysis of historical documentation made it possible to describe the development of the peasant population in the Middle Tom' Region valley. The four stages of this process are different in growth rates, as well as in the priority role of the southern and northern zones of the region. The XVII century saw the most active process of rural development in Sosnovsk area, while the settlements of Kuznetsk area appeared mostly in the first half of the XVIII century. The growth rate in the north and south areas began to level in the second half of the XVIII century – early XIX century. There were no changes in the total number of settlements registered after the middle of the XIX century. The paper also features a brief analysis of archaeological studies of the rural settlements in Western Siberia. The authors believe that the Middle Tom' Region basin still remain largely understudied. The paper contains a catalog of the local archaeological monuments of the Early Modern Period. The catalog is based on the coverage degree, historical identification, and their protection status. The research revealed a certain territorial disproportion in the number of registered archeological monuments. The authors propose some new directions for further studies of the history and culture of the Russian population in the Middle Tom' Region basin.