Ancient Artifacts of Mariinsk Forest-Steppe: First Evidence and Early Studies

Abstract

Mariinsk forest-steppe boasts the biggest concentration of archaeological artifacts in Kuzbass. It is in this region that the first systematic field works were organized by Kemerovo archaeologists in 1950s. Previously, the ancient past of Mariinsk forest-steppe had remained a total mystery, unlike the well-explored border territories of High Ob area and Minusinsk hollow. The present article sums up all official and unpublished data on the archaeological artifacts found in North-Eastern Kuzbass in XIX century. The author links the works by I. P. Aspelin, D. A. Klements, I. P. Kuznetsov (Krasnoyarskiy), and F. R. Martin to the history of archaeological research of Mariinsk forest-steppe. The paper introduces some previously unknown archive materials that prove the interest of the local population to the ancient sites. It also describes the first ideas about the local archeology that shaped in the late XIX century. The study focuses on G. O. Ossovski who was the first to conduct an archaeological exploration and excavation in Mariinsk forest-steppe in 1895–1896, while the mining engineer P. K. Yavorovsky was the first to put value on the historical and geographical role that the region had in ancient times.