Ceramic Complex Research Articles

Лепная посуда могильника Алмалык-Дере

The article describes the molded dishes of the burial ground of the 4th-7th centuries. AD Almalyk-dere, located in the South-Western Crimea. A comparative typological analysis of this group of archaeological finds, in general, demonstrates its general cultural unity with molded dishes from other Crimean burial grounds of the late Roman and early medieval times, with the presence of certain differences. Common features are manifested in the technique and technology of production of stucco products, as well as in the composition and structure of the ceramic complex, and differences are in the morphology and ornamentation of vessels. The study of Almalyk molded dishes allows us to say that the emergence of the burial ground is associated with the arrival of a group of new population in southwestern Taurica, consisting of the numerically predominant Alans, as well as Germans and, obviously, some part of the Bosporans and late Scythians.

SALTOV POTTERY IN MOKHNACH P SETTLEMENT

The pottery of the Saltiv cultural-historical community period (8th — mid-10th centuries) found in Mokhnach-P settlement is analyzed in the paper. This settlement is the best researched one in the microregion of the hillfort Mokhnach, Chuhuiv district in Kharkiv region. The settlement was a part of the Khazar Khaganate forest-steppe territory at the late 1st millennium AD. All pottery found in the settlement was wheel-made. The traces of local ceramic manufacture, such as two pits for clay homogenization, pointed to this fact. However, it related to the production of the most popular ceramic categories (cooking pots) and was at the level of homemade manufacturing. High-quality imported pottery occupied a dominant position. It was supplied from the Northern Pontic region and neighboring pottery centers of the Khaganate’s forest-steppe. The tableware set was of high quality and diversity. Almost all of its groups and categories are mentioned here. Tare pottery are presented by amphorae, big tare pithoi, hydria, flasks and big ceremonial pithoi. Pots and jugs can be found among cooking ceramics. Tableware includes jars, mugs, kubyshkas, table pithoi, pots, and also a ceremonial vessel with two containers. Form and ornamentation of these vessels are traditional and have a lot of analogies to all territories of the Saltiv cultural-historical community. The peculiarity of the local ceramic complex is in the extremely small amount of remains of thick-walled tare pithoi made of chamotte clay for grain storage. Other features include a lot of high-quality ceremonial pithoi and separate rare ornaments on cooking pots. The volume of pots indicates the domination of a small couple family; it completely correlates with a tiny useful amount of the researched dwellings here. The only vessel with two containers belongs to an extremely limited category of ceremonial and cult ceramics, and has a very restricted range of analogies, mostly on Saltiv sites of the Siverskyi Donets. It reflects the traditions and culture of Iranian-speaking, Turkic and also Caucasian nations, beginning, at least, from the early Iron Age. These vessels could be used in a ritual of fraternity, inter-family reconciliation, and also could serve as an honorable drinking bowl for the most respected guest during a feast.

3D imaging application to the study of the early Neolithic ceramic complex: the decorated pottery of Rio Tana (Abruzzi, Italy)

This study aims to demonstrate the potential of 3D analysis in the study of prehistoric ceramic complexes. Due to the production systems used, prehistoric pottery decorations can vary significantly. Examining the frequency of various decorative methods used at different sites may help identify areas potentially connected to specific traditional elements. However, this is usually a cumbersome and time-consuming task. 3D digital methodologies can bring several advantages in the interpretation of ceramic decoration, providing new tools that can improve analytical skills, speed up the decision process, and support the researcher’s conclusions. This work focuses on the application of these methodologies to the study of decorated ceramics from the Neolithic site of Rio Tana (Abruzzo, central Italy): firstly, a pottery complex from this site has been 3D digitised; then, an interactive and web-based 3D visualisation system has been developed to enable access and study of these digital data. By comparing archaeological data with experimental data, in parallel with the analysis of 3D models’ surfaces, it has been possible to better define the technique employed and quickly identify the type of tool used to create the ceramic decorations. Furthermore, the web-based system made it possible to share and disseminate the digital dataset with the community, creating the conditions to make it easier to compare the frequency of different decoration methods and tools used at Rio Tana with other sites.

Ceramic Dishes Were from the Don Settlements of Gorodets Culture

The author characterizes the ceramic complex of the Gorodets culture settlements, widespread in the second half of the 1st millennium BC in the forest-steppe part of the Don basin. It consists of molded earthenware for kitchen purposes; there are practically no tableware. The pottery had both a smoothed and relief-shaped outer surface (“matting”, “mesh”, “grooved”). The main mineral impurity added to the molding mass during their manufacture was grus (crushed mineral rocks). Sand and chamotte (crushed ceramics) were often used. The dominant type of dishes were pots, the appearance of which is given by 24 reconstructed specimens. Three main and several single varieties of shape of these vessels have been identified. Less numerous are jars and cups, of which three were found in their “whole” form. A significant part of the vessels were undecorated, but most ones were decorated with finger tucks, notches, punctures. The spread of well-profiled pots in the Gorodets environment, which replaced jar forms, is explained by economic interaction with the Scythian culture, whose area covered the southern part of the region.

Sokolny VII – a New Site of the Early Neolite of the Republic of Mari El

The article presents the results of a study of the Sokolny XVII camp-site (Republic of Mari El). The physical and geographical characteristics of the location of the site are given and a brief history of the study is given. Information about the stratigraphy and planographic distribution of finds is presented. The authors publish data on palynological analysis. A ceramic complex consisting of 52 vessels is characterized. A study of ceramics manufacturing technology was carried out based on a historical and cultural approach. An analysis of the elements and motifs of the ornament is carried out. The ceramic and flint complex of the Sokolny XVII site typologically and technologically finds the closest analogies in the materials of the Early Neolithic of the Mari Volga region. At the same time, the collection contains some local features. In ancient times, at the site of the site there were mixed broadleaved and coniferous forests with a predominance of pine; linden and oak also played an important role in the composition of the forests. Data on the technical and technological analysis of ceramics indicate the existence of several types of initial plastic raw materials with uniformity in the formulation of the molding mass. The obtained radiocarbon dates, as well as existing analogies, help determine the time of existence of the monument in the second half of the 6th millennium BC.

НОВЫЙ НЕОЛИТИЧЕСКИЙ ПАМЯТНИК В СРЕДНЕМ ЗАУРАЛЬЕ

The authors of the article present materials from a newly discovered site on the shore of Verkhnesaldinsky Pond (Sverdlovsk oblast). The dating of the site varies, but 97% of the finds date back to the Neolithic era. The ceramic complex contains five types of Neolithic ceramics, among which the Koksharovo-Yuryinsky type of ceramics predominates (64,6%). A rare find is the corolla of a vessel with a relief zoomorphic image. Similar relief images were found at the settlements of Yuryinskoye, Poludenka I, Chashiha, as well as at the sanctuaries of the Koksharovsky, Ust-Vagilsky and Makhtylsky hills. The total number of fragments with relief images does not exceed 120 specimens, of which 107 specimens originate from the site complex of the Yuryinskoye settlement – Koksharovsky hill. The stone inventory fully corresponds to the Neolithic materialsof the Middle Trans-Urals. Its features include a small number of plates and products made from them, the absolute predominance of scrapers on flakes and the complete absence of grinding plates. The presence of primary crust on half of the stone products indicates the use of local raw material base.

The ceramic complex of the Transitional Period from the Bronze to the Iron Age of the settle-ment of Mergen 6 in the Lower Ishim River basin (Western Siberia)

The settlement of Mergen 6 is located in the Ishim District of the Tyumen Oblast on the northeastern shore of Lake Mergen by the head of the river Mergenka. It was studied in 1990 and 2002–2011 under the direction of V.A. Zakh and S.N. Skochina. On the site, 1494 m2 were examined. The settlement is multi-layered and contains the materials from the Neolithic Period through to the Middle Ages. The research is aimed at the detailed characterisation of the ceramic complex of the Transitional Period from the Bronze to the Early Iron Age (TPBIA), dated to the 8th–7th cc. BC. The TPBIA ceramic complex is a large one (approximately 7.5 thousand items identified), deposited at a depth predominantly no more than 60 cm from the surface in the layers disturbed by ploughing. It is highly fragmented; whole forms are lacking; in some cases, ceramics was deposited in clusters. Therefore, the object of the research was a subset from the TPBIA ceramic complex of the settlement of Mergen 6 which was analysed on the basis of the formal-classificatory and cultural-historical approaches. With the aid of the methods of mathematical statistics, possible interrelations between the morphological and ornamental traits of the object of the research were established. In the TPBIA ceramic subset, the fragments of the pottery vessels which can be correlated with the ceramics of the archaeological cultures of Krasnoozerka (335 vessels identified by the necks), Gama-yun (no more than 8 items), and Itkul (37 items), and a ceramic group designated as ‘synchretic’ (102 items) were identified. The analy-sis of the morphological and decorative features of the TPBIA ceramics showed quite a close interaction of the diverse population dur-ing the considered period. Elements of the ornament and morphological features of the pottery vessels, constituting the specifics of both the syncretic group of the ceramics, characterised by mixed Krasnoozerka-Gamayun-Itkul traits, as well as by the individual traits of the main cultural groups of the site — on the pottery vessels of the Krasnoozerka group, some elements characteristic of the Gamayun-Itkul decorative patterns; the vessels of the Gamayun-Itkul group have been produced with a deviation from the typical canons — served as markers of the mutual influence.

Византийские амфоры в Золотой Орде

The authors study the typology of amphorae produced in the Byzantine Empire and on the territories that preserved Byzantine traditions, as well as the chronology of their arrival on the territory of the Golden Horde State. Five production centers are identified, the production of each one constituting a separate group. These five groups of amphorae constitute more than 99% of all finds of trade containers on the territory of the Golden Horde. Each group is provided with a brief characterization of technology and visually identifiable features, and information is offered about the specific number of finds and changes in the quantities of delivered vessels at different chronological stages. A brief review of opinions about the place of production of these groups of amphorae is collected. The vessels from the first group (“Trebizond” ware), taking into account the written accounts and indirect evidence, should be attributed to the production centers on the territory of the Trebizond Empire. They constitute the absolute majority of all finds. Their share in the ceramic complex gradually decreases until the middle of the 14 th century. In the 1350 s, there was a sharp decline in the number of finds, but in the next decade, their level of supply was restored. The second group of amphorae (“Trillia” ware) exported through the port of Trillia were the products of the production centers from the region of Nicaea. This group was imported in small quantities in the 1260—1320 s. The third group of amphorae is known in the scientific literature as the “SSS stamp ware” amphorae. Within a short period of time (1240—1260 s) of their supply on the territory of Ulus Dzhochi, their quantity is numerically comparable with the amphorae of the Trebizond group. The fourth group of amphorae in the Golden Horde time has a characteristic feature — a concave bottom. The place of their production is not established. These amphorae were supplied until 1330. The last group is represented by large light clay vessels with loop-shaped handles on the shoulders, their characteristic feature being rope imprints on the body in the place of its maximum diameter. This type of amphorae was supplied to the territory of the Golden Horde in the first third of the 14th century.

Potchevashsky ceramic complex from the Dolgovskoye 1 settlement (based on the materials of the 1997 excavations)

The object of the study was a representative collection of ceramic vessels (324 specimens) of the Potchevash culture of the VI–IX centuries, obtained during archaeological research in 1997 at the Dolgovskoye 1 settlement in the Tobolsk Irtysh region. The purpose of the study: to determine the main morphological and decorative features of the ceramic complex of the Potchevash culture based on the materials of the collection of the Dolgovskoye 1 settlement, to determine the place of the ceramic complex of the settlement in the system of archaeological cultures of Western Siberia. Based on the purpose of the study, the following tasks were put forward: characterization of the main morphological, decorative and stylistic characteristics of the ceramic collection; comparison with the materials of synchronous monuments of adjacent territories, determination of the degree of their similarities and differences. The relevance of the work is determined by the small number of publications in which statistical calculations on Potchevash ceramics are given. To solve the tasks set in the work, traditional research methods are used for historical science: comparative-historical, typological, comparative-typological, formal-stylistic, descriptive method of analyzing material sources, the method of analogies. As a result of the study, it was found that the dominant features of the studied complex include the numerical predominance of pot-shaped vessels with a high neck and a sharp transition to a slightly expanded body; the ornamentation is characterized by a combination of dimpled pearl decor, combed stamp and horizontal drawn grooves, as well as a small proportion of curly stamps. A comparative analysis showed the proximity of the ceramics of the Dolgovskoye 1 settlement with the collections of a number of Potchevash monuments of the South Taiga Irtysh region and the Barabinsk forest-steppe, as well as its significant difference from both the Potchevash ceramic complexes from the Priishimye region and ceramics from the monuments of the Zelenogorsky stage from the Surgut Ob region. A certain similarity with the ceramics of the Kuchiminsky stage, which is expressed in the rare use of figured stamps, a large proportion of grooves, fixed on ceramics from the 1997 excavation from the Dolgovskoye 1 settlement, allows us to suggest its synchronicity with the Kuchiminskaya and date it within the VIII–IX centuries AD.

К изучению сельской округи золотоордынского города Укек: результаты археологического и археозоологического исследований на поселении Широкий Буерак в 2021 году

The paper presents the results of archaeological and archaeozoological study of the 2021excavation material from the Shiroky Buerak settlement which is a part of the Golden Horde city of Ukek. The purpose of the study is to reconstruct a part of the economic functions of this settlement in the life support system of a larger town. The excavations revealed three stratigraphic horizons, remains of several service amenities outbuildings and pits. The ceramic complex is mainly represented by fragments of local production vessels: unglazed red-clay, red-brown, and ancient Russian gray-clay. Fragments of tandoors, coatings, as well as the production of unglazed red clay ceramics were found. However, no special buildings were identified. Other finds include iron, bronze, bone items typical material culture of an “ordinary” rural settlement remains. The coins allow dating the monument to the early 14th century. The archaeozoological collection included 444 fragments of bone remains of mammals, birds, fish, and reptiles which is typical for the rural settlements of this area according to the taxonomic set. The remains of sturgeons found in the cultural layers testify to the specialized fishing industry of the Volga region. The collection is dominated by domestic ungulates bones, among which the remains of cattle are of the highest proportion up to 70%. The proportions of the remains of small ruminants and horses are close to each other 15%and 13% respectively, while about 1% is presented by pig bones. Beef decisively dominates in the meat consumption of the settlement making up to 81%, which suggests that specialized breeding of cattle was one of the important aspects of economic activity to the detriment of other types of domestic ungulates breeding. A comprehensive archaeological and archaeozoological study revealed that the studied monument – Shiroky Buerak is a rural-type settlement with finds typical of the Ukek district, according to its industries, ceramic complex, and the residents` economic activities. The hypothesis about the important role of such settlements in supplying cities with meat products and provision of animal skins for processing by urban artisans has been confirmed, since such industries were found previously in the Ukek excavations.

Multidisciplinary approach to the study of Neolithic pottery technology (based on the materials of the Luzhki II site)

The excavations of a new Neolithic site in the Samara Volga region, conducted by archaeologists of Samara State University of Social Sciences and Education in 2020–2023, yielded numerous ceramic materials, a comprehensive analysis of which is currently being conducted. The results of the technical and technological analysis of ceramics according to the method of A.A. Bobrinsky and the specifics of the geographical location of the Luzhki II site led to the appeal to more detailed methods of study. In addition to archaeological (morphological grouping of vessels, typology, technical and technological analysis of ceramics based on binocular microscopy, tracology and physical modeling), the methods of geology (petrography, X-ray phase analysis) and paleosolvology were used in the study. The results of the multidisciplinary approach to the study of Neolithic pottery technology are presented in this article. They suggested that a small site without stationary dwellings could be used as a seasonal place for making household utensils (in addition to the usual hunting and fishing activities). As a result of the technical and technological analysis of pottery ceramics of the Luzhki II site, a significant proximity of the pottery traditions of the population groups who left different ceramic complexes was revealed, which indicates the simultaneity of their existence in this area and active mixing processes. The archaization of the potters' ideas about plastic raw materials is noted – a return to more archaic methods: the share of the use of silt in the production of post-Yelshan ceramic complex lot is 82%; pricked – 75%; combed – 89%; «mixed» group – 83%. From the point of view of the historical and cultural approach, such a result could arise only because of the appearance in the southern Middle Volga of new groups of Neolithic population with archaic ideas about raw materials.

Establishing the Terminal Classic Ik'hubil Ceramic Sphere in the Eastern Maya Lowlands of Belize

Abstract In this study, I use the type-variety-mode analysis to define the diagnostic ceramic material for the Ik'hubil Ceramic Complex dating to the Terminal Classic (ca. a.d. 780–930/1000). The percentages of shared ceramic content indicate that multiple sites in the mid-to-lower Sibun Valley are members of an Ik'hubil Ceramic Sphere. My preliminary analyses of sites in the lower Belize River valley suggest that the Ik'hubil Sphere may extend across a broader area of north-central Belize during the Terminal Classic, discrete from the Spanish Lookout Sphere in the upper Belize Valley. Northern Yucatec traits are identified in ceramics and architecture in the eastern Sibun and Belize Valleys, along with marked changes in foodways. The presence of trading diasporas and more intimate social relationships, such as intermarriage, may explain this mix of local and hybrid forms of material culture introduced by the ninth century in this part of the eastern Maya Lowlands.

The Sokolniy VIII Settlement – the New Site of the Late Neolithic in the Mari Volga Basin

In the article the results of investigations of the Sokolniy VIII settlement located in the Zvenigovskiy district, Mari El Republic are presented. The topography of site, the history of its study, information about stratigraphy and spatial structure of archaeological material are considered. The characteristics of ceramic complex of site and technology of pottery making are discussed. The detail description of the stone inventory and the main types of tools are presented. At the Sokolniy VIII settlement any constructive components of the cultural layer except for one fireplace were not determined. This fact allows the authors to interpret the settlement as short time site. The most of the pottery shards belong to the Krasny Most ceramic type of the Late Neolithic in the forest Middle Volga basin and have the direct analogy in the materials of the reference site such as Krasniy Most II-III, Sosnovaya Gora III, Dubovskoe VIII. The technology of ceramics is characterized by the stablility of the main components. The silt organic clay was used as main raw source. As a temper grog and organic solution were added. The stone tool collection is impressive. The nuclei and morphological tools total consist of 45 items. The most of typological types of inventory have analogies to the artifacts from earlier studied assemblages. On the base of radiocarbon dating the period of the settlement exiting can be concerned to the last quarter of 5th millennium BC.

ТЕХНИКО-ТЕХНОЛОГИЧЕСКИЙ АНАЛИЗ КЕРАМИКИ АНДРОНОВСКОЙ КУЛЬТУРЫ С ПОСЕЛЕНИЯ ФИРСОВО-15 (ПО МАТЕРИАЛАМ РАСКОПОК 2020 Г.)

The paper presents the results of the technical and technological analysis of Andronovo ceramics obtained during the rescue excavations in 2020 at the multi-time settlement of Firsovo-15. The composition of the raw materials and molding masses of 18 samples was studied. It was found that most of the vessels were made of medium-hard plastic clays. In total, two recipes for composing molding masses have been identifi ed: clay + chamotte + organic solution, clay + chamotte + organics. Comparison of the data obtained with the result of earlier studies of the materials of the monument allows us to speak of a high degree of uniformity of the Andronovo ceramic complex of the Firsovo-15 settlement. A comparative analysis of the results with the available information on the technology of making ceramics of other Andronovo settlements of Altai demonstrates some originality of the studied complex. It consists in a small variety of recorded recipes, as well as in the presence of the only one type of mineral impurity in the studied sample. The results obtained indicate that the population who left this site had stable traditions in the selection of raw materials and the composition of molding masses, as well as its cultural unity.

RED SLIP WARE FROM THE LATE SCYTHIAN NECROPOLISES OF THE LOWER DNIPRO BASIN

Red slip ware from the Late Scythian burial grounds of the Lower Dnipro (Mykolaivka, Zolota Balka, Chervony Mayak) has been analyzed in the paper. Its purpose is a primary generalization of the material: summarizing all finds of this category, typological distribution according to accepted typological schemes, statistical processing and dating according to the assemblages and analogues. The vessels of the Late Hellenistic and Roman Ages covered with any lacquer coating: red, brown or black (sometimes these colors exist together on the same vessel) were enrolled in the analysis. It has been ascertained that the difference in color is caused by the thickness and quality of the lacquer layer and oxidation or reduction processes during firing.
 The material is organized by the form (purpose) into departments in which for typological division the classification schemes by J. Hayes, D. V. Zhuravlyov and O. A. Trufanov was used. There are eight of these departments: plates (1), bowls (2), cups (3), dishes (4), kantharoi (5), mugs (6), jars (7), and other types (8). In total, in three burial grounds 109 whole and fragmented red slip vessels were found.
 The preliminary analysis demonstrates, first of all, the significant difference in the assortment of red slip ware of the Lower Dnipro and Crimean Late Scythian burial grounds. In the former there are almost no plates, jugs and mugs, which are so numerous in the latter. On the other hand, in Crimea there are no rare forms (modiolus, pottery with applied decoration) similar to those found on the Lower Dnipro. The qualitative difference is also noticeable: in the Crimean graves there are a lot of new vessels without noticeable traces of use; on the contrary, the pottery from the burials of Lower Dnipro basin is mostly used, with worn lacquer and traces of repair. The certain «tardiness» of several early vessels emphasizes the fact that the inhabitants of the Lower Dnipro hill-forts valued the imported vessels and kept them. It is interesting that sometimes red slip wine vessels were used as a container for sacrificial meat with a knife, completely without regard to their original purpose.
 The large difference in the range and quantity of red slip ware between the Crimean and Lower Dnipro sites is easily explained by the neighborhood of the Scythians and Greek cities of the Crimea — primarily Chersonesos and Pantikapaion. It seems that Olbio, which was probably the main counterparty of the settlements of the Lower Dnipro, could not provide the neighboring barbarians with such a variety of goods as the Crimean polis. On the other hand, the relatively small number of imported vessels of the Oriental Sigillata group and the rarity of Western (Italian and Spanish) vessels makes the red slip ceramic complex of both Late Scythian enclaves similar. The significant prevalence of the Pontic Sigillata points to the main direction of trade relations of the Greek centers of the Northern Pontic region, which supplied the red slip ware to the neighboring barbarians.

PAINTED POTTERY FROM OZHEVE-OSTRIV SETTLEMENT AND ITS FACTOR IN THE UNDERSTANDING OF CULTURAL CHANGES IN THE POPULATION OF CUCUTENI-TRYPILLIA CULTURAL COMPLEX OF BI STAGE

The characteristics of the painted pottery of the Ozheve-ostriv settlement is considered in the paper. Despite the small percentage of painted pottery among the ceramic complex of the Ozheve-ostriv this category is extremely important for determining the place of the settlement in the cultural-chronological structure of the Cucuteni-Trypillia cultural complex. By techniques all the painted vessels of the settlement have common features with the exception of the system of styles — the sequence of applying paint to the surface of the vessel. The styles identified at the settlement are characterized as synchronous, taking into account that features characteristic of the previous phase of the period (Cucuteni A3) and the synchronous phase (Cucuteni A4) have survived. Some of the forms presented at the settlement are also characterized by the forms of the previous phase, although new ones also appear (pear-shaped vessels with vertical crowns, helmet-shaped tires). With minor exceptions, the main stylistic features of the vessels in the form of ornamental schemes have also survived.
 Due to the comparison of this pottery with the sites of the stage BI, it is possible to attribute this settlement to the Northern Moldovan local variant of the late phase of the stage BI (Cucuteni A4). Local variants of this phase are also synchronous with the settlement of Ozheve-ostriv. The issue of the synchronicity of the settlement with other ones such as Corlăteni and Vorniceni, characteristic of Cucuteni AB1 settlements, is considered separately.
 It is proposed to assume a gradual resettlement of the population of the Cucuteni-Trypillia cultural complex to the territory of Middle Dniester region, in contrast to those processes of migratory «burst» that took place in the previous phase of the BI stage. In addition, attention is drawn to a certain «dependence» of cultural traditions on the region of the «core» of culture — Romanian Carpathian Region. The reasons for such dependence could be the general economic situation among the populations of the stage BI, when the population of the «core» of the culture could supply «prestige» objects made of copper in exchange for products of the raw material direction.

Dnieper-Dvina basin at the end of 6th millennium BC and early ceramic traditions of the Circum-Baltic region

The most ancient pottery in the Eastern Europe appeared at the end of the 7th – first half of the 6th millennium BC and spread across a greater part of the Eastern Europe, including the Dnieper-Dvina basin by the middle of the 6th millennium BC. At the end of the 6th millennium BC new ceramic traditions appeared here, attributed to the Rudnya archaeological culture. The authors present an overview of the ceramic complex, bone industry, constructions, and chronology of the Rudnya culture. Similarities with ceramic complex of the Rudnya culture were found within various groups of the Narva culture. It could testify the change of vectors of cultural contacts at the end of 6th millennium BC manifesting destruction of the established network of cultural contacts that existed before in the 6th millennium BC. The Narva culture traditions probably spread eastwards from Eastern Baltic at the end of 6th millennium BC. Such a radical change of material culture might be regarded as a result not only of the cultural impulse, but probably arrival of new population from the western territories to the Upper Western Dvina area.

Хронология памятников X в. на территории Окско-Донского водораздела

The article deals with the problems of chronology of the 10th century sites, located between the Oka and Don rivers. Analysis of the topography of the settlements and the range of finds from them allows them to be divided into three periods — early, middle and late. In the first half of the 10th century there are still sites from the early period that appeared in the 9th century. They are associated with the Upper Oka section of the Don trade route. These sites are located on the banks of its main thoroughfares. Their ceramic complex consists of ceramics of the Romensky type, and a small percentage of circular pottery of the Saltovsky and Volintsev types. The early settlements cease to exist as a result of military invasion. This event is archaeologically documented at the Suprut hill fort. After that, the settlements of the middle period appear. This process is linked to the termination of the Upper Oka section of the Don trade route. The sites of the middle period are situated at a distance from the major waterways of the region. Their complexes contain items of Northern European and Old Russian origin. The ceramic complex consists of stucco ceramics of the Romensky type and a small percentage of wheel-thrown pottery vessels. The sites of the middle period exist throughout the second half of the 10th century. The late stage settlements appear at the end of the 10th century. They retain a topography similar to that of the middle period settlements. Their ceramic complex contains a large percentage of Old Russian pottery. Life at the late stage settlements continues into the 11th century.

КЕРАМИЧЕСКИЕ КОМПЛЕКСЫ НЕОЛИТИЧЕСКОЙ СТОЯНКИ ЛУЖКИ II: МОРФОЛОГИЯ И ТЕХНОЛОГИЯ (ПРЕДВАРИТЕЛЬНЫЕ ИТОГИ ИЗУЧЕНИЯ)

The article presents preliminary results of a study of ceramics from the recently discovered and studied Neolithic site of Luzhki II, which is located in the Sok river basin in the Krasnoyarsk district of the Samara Oblast. This site can be positioned as a relatively “homogeneous” archaeological object of the Middle and Late Neolithic era of the forest-steppe Volga region (Srednevolzhskaya culture). The analysis is based on materials from excavations of 2020-2022 years, which include 2,769 fragments of Neolithic ceramics. The study was carried out using an integrated approach, including morphological grouping of vessels; technical and technological analysis of pottery according to the methods by A.A. Bobrinsky (binocular microscopy, traceology and experiment in the form of physical modeling); methods of soil science and geology. Neolithic vessels were divided into main typological groups: post-Yelshan ceramic complex; pricked (with receding and sparse pricking); comb (with smooth and comb stamp); a “mixed” group of ceramics decorated with different ornamentation techniques was identified; one vessel with frame ornament was discovered. The article presents the characteristics of pottery technology within the identified ceramic complexes, the results of their comparative analysis, and conclusions of a historical and cultural nature.

Объем как критерий функционального назначения сосудов бронзового века (по материалам могильника Троицк-7)

The article analyzes the ceramic complex of the Troitsk-7 burial ground to identify groups of vessels with different functional purposes. Their volume is taken as the main criterion for dividing vessels into groups. To calculate the volume, the vessel was divided into a number of simpler geometric shapes – truncated cones. For them, the volume was determined. When analyzing the volume, it becomes apparent that there is no clear standardization in size. The consequence is the fuzziness of the groups. A visual analysis of the surfaces was carried out using a binocular microscope to identify traces of use on the vessels. As a result, three groups of vessels were distinguished, different in volume and character of traces. It can be said about the lack of connection between the form and function of vessels in the Petrovka and Alakul cultures. The main criterion for identifying groups with different functionality in the Bronze Age will be their volume. Vessels of Troitsk-7 were used in everyday life, and then were placed in burials. In addition to Fedorovka culture vessels, which were ritual. The possibilities of the method were tested, which allows calculating the volume for fragmented vessels, which allows analyzing vessels from settlements.