Ceramic Complexes Research Articles

On the Structure of Early Neolithic Societies of the Forest Tobol-Ishim Area: morphology and ornamentation of the pottery

The Early Neolithic complexes located in Western Siberia are characterized by the following common determinant features: chronological position within the end of 7,000 – turn of 6,000 cal BC, flat-bottomed vessels, design layouts of vessel necks (lips, rims, collars), and geometric and tree-like ornamental elements. The ceramic complexes are distinguished by different qualitative and quantitative ratios of the types of pottery (Boborykino, Koshkino, Satyga (with rims), comb ceramics, etc.) identified by researchers. When found in the same occupation layer, such a variety of ceramics might be evidence of an unequal sociocultural structure of the Neolithic population groups. The author stand for the concept that ceramic production and new stone processing skills and technologies were introduced (Zach, 2018, 2020) to the indigenous groups with Mesolithic traditions. It resulted in the interaction of autochthonous groups and newcomers and the subsequent merging of their structures, which ran differently in different territories. The author tend to consider the development of “syncretistic” societies in the first stages of such interaction in the Tobol-Ishim Rivers area as a process of transition from the Mesolithic to the Neolithic. Various types of pottery have been recorded at Boborykino complexes. The variety increases at Koshkino complexes, in different settlements and different proportions, which apparently reflects the formation of a new stable cultural tradition. The Kozlovo ceramics became such a tradition, being characterized by round-bottomed vessels with sags in the interior of the rim and a combination of ornaments in mainly incised-receding and comb techniques.

SITES OF THE GAMAYUN CULTURE OF THE MOUNTAIN STEPPES OF THE SOUTHERN TRANS-URALS (SITES TELYASHEVO-4 AND ELIMBETOVO-7)

The regional peculiarities of archaeological research in the second half of the 20th century led to the fact that the boundaries of the Gamayun culture of the forest and mountain-forest Trans-Urals (X-IV centuries BC) allocated at that time did not extend to the territory of the Southern Urals within modern Bashkortostan. New studies in the mountain-forest (upper course of the Belaya River) and mountain-steppe (eastern foothills of the Irendyk-Krykty mountain range) zones show that both sites of the Gamayun and related Iset cultures of the Early Iron Age are present in these territories. The materials of the Telyashevo-4 and Elimbetovo-7 sites, identified and studied in 2020-2022 in the Bashkir Trans-Urals (modern Abzelilovsky district of the Republic Bashkortostan) show the presence in the mountain-steppe zone not only heterogeneous Isetian, but also pure Gamayun ceramic complexes with traditional cross-stamped ornamentation. According to available data, the time of penetration from the north into the mountainous steppes of the Trans-Urals and the existence of the Gamayun population in this territory may be limited to the end of the first half - the middle of the I millennium BC. The published materials also make it possible to draw the southern border of the Gamayun area in the Trans-Urals at the latitude of Magnitogorsk, i.e. 200 km south of the previously established border.

Revisiting the Correlation Between the Valdivia and San Pedro Ceramic Complexes (Based on Technological Characteristics)

This article presents the results of a study of ceramics associated with the Valdivia and San Pedro complexes at the Real Alto site, southwestern Ecuador. The test sample, studied in 2022, includes fragments of vessels from two morphological and functional groups, relating to the first two phases of the Valdivia culture (bowls and pots) and those representing the San Pedro complex (vessels with necks and a bowl). A comparative analysis was based on identified technological indicators marking various stages of pottery manufacture. Certain differences are seen in the composition of paste and in the hand-shaping of the vessels. Significant differences were revealed in surface treatment and decoration. This is evidenced by the use of colored and plain coating, high-quality solid or matte striped polishing, and complexity of decoration. Distinctive features of firing include the use of different kilns and various atmospheric modes. Parallels include broadly similar firing temperatures. The technological difference between the two morphological and functional groups of the Valdivia complex is that bowls were manufactured with more complex and labor-consuming techniques, whereas pots are technologically somewhat similar to those from San Pedro. Radiocarbon dates (4640–4450 BP) suggest that the two traditions coexisted. Differences may reflect their cultural distinctness.

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 Complexes of the Don Settlements of Gorodets and Scythoid Cultures: Experience of Comparative Analysis

The article is devoted to one of the aspects of interaction between two population groups in the forest-steppe Don region. These interactions are related to settlements of the Gorodets and Scythoid cultures of 5th – 3d century BC. In particular, such interactions manifest as transformations of the Gorodets ceramics that gained more dominating Scythoid shapes. The article offers a formalized assessment of common features in the crockery. Previously such assessment was visual. Comparison is imposed on 25 Gorodets and 107 Scythoid modelled kitchen pots. The research compares scaling and the reference profile height and defines the shape similarity index . 22 Gorodets vessels (88%) turn out similar to 69 Scythoid samples (64%). Their similarity indices are 95 to 98%. It is the result of Gorodets potters borrowing crockery shapes from their local neighbours. This should be the consequence of their mutual business. Poorly progressed ethnic mixing is proven by a limited range of Gorodets cookware missing crockery. It is assumed that five Gorodets pots with not really Scythoid profiles and proportions reflect how potters were adapting to acquire new shapes. Scythoid traditions influence is also noticeable in the ceramics production technology. The research compares artificial admixtures detected in the moulding compositions with petrographic analysis imposed on fragments of 80 Gorodets and 108 Scythoid vessels. Both ceramic groups have similar ingredients of the moulding compositions. Among them complex compositions prevail. The study finds eight matching ratios of artificial admixtures with two minor deviations. It proves that different processes mix most probably due to kinship ties of their bearers. Two groups of settled people from the Don forest-steppe interact and make their ceramic materials illustrate dominations of the more socially and economically developed group. However, they do not allow doubts in the ethnocultural authenticity of the Gorodets dwellers.

К вопросу о соотношении керамики культуры вальдивия и комплекса Сан-Педро, Эквадор (по результатам исследования технико-технологических характеристик)

В статье представлены результаты изучения керамики культуры вальдивия и комплекса Сан-Педро с археологического памятника Реаль-Альто (Юго-Западный Эквадор). Исследованная в 2022 г. тестовая коллекция включает фрагменты сосудов двух морфолого-функциональных групп, относящихся к первым двум фазам культуры вальдивия (чаши и горшковидные сосуды), и керамики Сан-Педро (сосуды с горловиной и чаша). Сравнительный анализ проводился на основе выявленных технико-технологических признаков, соответствующих определенным стадиям производства посуды. Некоторые различия прослежены в составе пластичного сырья для формовочных масс и в технологии формовки изделий. Существенная разница выявлена в технологии обработки поверхности и орнаментации керамических сосудов. Это проявляется в использовании окрашенных или неокрашенных покрытий, применении качественного сплошного либо матового полосчатого лощения, нанесении разного по уровню сложности орнамента. Определены как отличительные особенности обжига посуды (вероятное применение разных теплотехнических устройств, различия в атмосферных режимах), так и черты сходства (приблизительно одинаковые температурные режимы). Выявлены различия технологического характера между двумя морфолого-функциональными группами керамики вальдивии: представленная чашами демонстрирует признаки использования более сложных и трудоемких приемов; группа горшковидных сосудов по технологическому уровню имеет определенное сходство с керамикой Сан-Педро. Полученные радиоуглеродные даты (4 640-4 450 л.н.) позволяют говорить об одновременности существования двух гончарных традиций. Различия технико-технологических характеристик керамики, вероятно, отражают культурную специфику носителей этих традиций.

Ceramic “Imports” and Imitation of the Culture of Tiszapolgár and Bodrogkeresztúr at the Sites of Trypillia–Cucuteni Culture

The article examines the influence of the Tiszapolgár and Bodrogkeresztúr ceramic traditions on the ceramics of the Trypillia–Cucuteni culture. The dynamics of these influences are monitored in the paper, where it was found that there were not many “imports” from the Tiszapolgár culture and their influence on the formation of ceramic complexes of the Trypillia–Cucuteni culture was not significant. The impact of the Bodrogkeresztúr culture on the ceramic complexes of the Šipincì local group of the Trypillia culture was somewhat greater.

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.

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.

The Lower Ishim Basin in the Sociocultural Space of the Trans-Ural Neolithic (based on data from the Mergen archaeological microregion)

The Neolithic period in the Lower Ishim Basin (Western Siberia) is represented by several cultures and pottery groups (Boborykino, Koshkino, the group of the cordoned ware, Kozlovo, Mahanjar, comb ceramics with the features of the Sosnovoostrovskaya Culture, Kokuy, and Ekaterininsk). The reference territory for the study of the period comprises the north-eastern shore of Lake Mergen. Basen on the study of the settlements of Mergen 3, 5, 6, 7, and 8 the vectors and nature of the relations between the Lower Ishim Basin population and that of the adjoining territories have been identified. The aim was set by the need for tracking their dynamics in retrospective — from Neolithisation of the region to the final stage of the period, and in the context of the extant V.S. Mosin’s hypothesis of the sociocultural space of the Trans-Urals. As the basic markers of these processes, the following have been considered: raw material preferences within the lithic industries; morphological, ornamental, and technological specifics of the featured ceramic complexes; and specifics of economic adaptation. The data analysis has revealed that in the early and middle Neolithic (7th — mid to the third quarter of the 5th mil. BC) the dominant direction of contacts was south-south-western, western, and, proba-bly, north-western (the Upper Ishim River and the Turgay Depression, the Tobol-Iset and Upper Miass River regions, the Lower Tobol River Basin, left bank of the Irtysh River, and, probably, the Konda lowland). The population of the Ishim River valley during this period constituted an integral part of the sociocultural space of the Trans-Urals. At the end of the Neolithic (the third quarter of the 5th — first quarter of the 4th mil. BC), the principal vector of the relations of the population of the Lower Ishim Basin shifts to the east, which resulted in the formation of the syncretic Kokuy complexes (on the basis of the Artyn Culture of the right-bank Irtysh Basin and Baraba and in the penetration into the river valley of the bearers of the comb-pit (Ekaterininsk) tradition of the Middle Irtysh River Basin.

ПРЕДВАРИТЕЛЬНЫЕ РЕЗУЛЬТАТЫ ТЕХНИКО-ТЕХНОЛОГИЧЕСКОГО АНАЛИЗА КЕРАМИКИ ЭПОХИНЕОЛИТА И БРОНЗЫ С ПАМЯТНИКОВ КРОХАЛЁВКА-5, 11 (СЕВЕР ВЕРХНЕГО ПРИОБЬЯ)

The article presents the first results of a study of a sample of ceramics from the burial ground and the settlement of Krokhalevka-5, 11 (north of the Upper Ob region). The studies were carried out within the framework of the historical and cultural approach according to the method of A.A. Bobrinsky. The main task was to determine the specifics of cultural traditions in the selection of raw materials, the preparation of molding masses, the features of the working edge of ornaments by their imprints and a comparative analysis of the data obtained. The study was conducted of 22 specimens, belonging to five cultural and chronological groups of the Neolithic — Bronze Age: Kiprinskaya, Krokhalevskaya, Odinovskaya and Krotovskaya, the fifth group combines ceramics with an unclear cultural attribution of the early — developed Bronze Age. Most of the fragments come from open or conditionally closed (pits, ditch) archaeological contexts, and most oft en from the soil layer. It has been established that for the manufacture of ceramics, ferruginous clays with different amounts of natural sand impurities were used. 8 recipes for the composition of molding masses have been recorded. Clay + grus + organic solution prevails. The local traditions include the addition of crushed stone, and the brought ones — fireclay. In the earliest ceramic groups of the site, an unusual tradition of adding animal hair was revealed, which has analogies on the sites of the northern foothills of the Altai and other territories in the Neolithic and Early Bronze Ages. The highest degree of similarity was noted for the Kiprinskaya and Krokhalevskaya vessels with ceramic complexes of the northern foothills of the Altai, the Upper Ob region and the north of the Kulunda steppe, both in terms of the composition of the molding masses and the tools for applying the ornament. The data obtained are of great importance for the characterization of the ceramic complexes of the Neolithic — Early Bronze Age in Siberia.

ПОСУД З ЛІТЕРНИМИ ГРАФІТІ XVII–XVIII СТОЛІТТЯ З ВОЗНЕСЕНСЬКОГО ЖІНОЧОГО МОНАСТИРЯ ПОБЛИЗУ ДУБНА

Archaeological excavation of ancient Dubno monasteries, founded by dukes Ostrozki, much disclose the history of these places. In their time, they defined original culture-religion character of the town. Investigation on the territory of Voznesenskyi monastery with large square in 2018–2022 gave possibilities to analyze large items from end of XVI – first third of XIX cc. There were the original fragments of pottery found among ceramic complexes. They have scratched letters in graffiti technique. Total found six specimens of pottery with such kinds of marks. The territorial and chronological frameworks of everyday using of such wares are considered. The review of European monastery complexes with similar founds witnesses about wide culture context of this phenomena. After the discovery these finds, dated of XIII c., in Cistercian monastery in Herkenrode monastery (Belgium), the interest for its study had significantly grown. Subsequent investigation allowed to find many potteries scratched with letters marks in women monasteries in Belgium, Netherlands, France and Lithuania. As far as we know, the fragments identified on the excavation near Dubno are the first facts of such finds in Ukraine. The possibilities of use the pottery with scratched letters are under consider in the article. They are associated with the social structure inside the monasteries. Written sources show that some part of nuns stood out in the economic status and ate better dishes. In addition, this could do novitiates. These pottery might use also in the medical purposes.

Chronology of the Eneolithic Sites of the Forest Trans-Urals

Purpose. At the end of the 20th – beginning of the 21st century, a generalization of all radiocarbon dates available at that time for the Eneolithic of the Trans-Urals forest and forest-steppe zone was carried out. Two stages were allocated – early and late, within the second half of the 5th – 4th millennium BC. However, an analysis of the differences be-tween the chronology of sites in the forest and forest-steppe zones was not carried out. The aim of this article is to analyze the presence of radiocarbon dates and chronological positions of Eneolithic sites in the forest zone of the Trans-Urals. Results. In the forest part of the Trans-Urals, more than 50 Eneolithic sites were studied and 55 radiocarbon dates were obtained for 26 of them. Dating of various types of archaeological sites has been carried out: sites and settlements, including peat bogs; the burial-cult site Skvortsovskaya Gora V and the cult object Koksharovsky Hill; burials; animal bones and wood tools; human bones and skulls. The results were obtained both by the traditional method (43 dates), and AMS (12 dates). Conventionally, all sites can be divided into two categories – with several dates and with single dates. Coverage categories: belonging to the early group; objects of late groups and objects that have dates of both early and late groups.Conclusion. Analysis of the presented materials showed the presence of early complexes – the second half of the 5th – the first quarter of the 4th millennium BC (12 objects), and the late ones – the second half of the 4th – the beginning of the 3rd millennium BC (8 objects). It is also necessary to note a number of sites that have both early and late dates (7 objects). Another attempt to establish the Eneolithic sites periodization according to cultural traditions (e.g. ceramic complexes differences) was not successful. Traditional for the Trans-Urals ceramic complexes: with comb simple (linear) and geometric ornamentation, false cord (Lipchinskaya), Sosnovoostrovskaya, Shuvakishskaya and Shapkulskaya, present as in the early and in late complexes.

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.

НОВЫЕ ДАННЫЕ О НЕОЛИТИЧЕСКОМ ГОНЧАРСТВЕ НИЖНЕГО ПОВОЛЖЬЯ

The article presents data on newly discovered ceramic complexes obtained during archaeological research of the Neolithic sites of the Lower Volga region (Taskuduk, Priozernaya, Algay) in 2021-2022. The results of statistical, morphological and technical-technological analysis of ceramics made it possible to compare the ancient pottery production in different landscape zones of the Lower Volga region: the semi-desert Northern Caspian region and the steppe Lower Volga region. New radiocarbon data obtained at the Isotope Research Laboratoryof the Russian State Pedagogical University in the name of A.I. Herzen (St. Petersburg), and drawing analogies with other well-known sites in the region (Tenteksor, Zhe-Kalgan I, Varfolomeevskaya site) allow us to consider the newly discovered complexes as simultaneous and attribute them to the Late Neolithic.Morphological analysis of pottery complexes belonging to different cultures made it possible to reveal both common features (shape of vessels, flatness, decoration of vessels with pricking and indentation, presence of thickening on the inside of the rims) and differences (shape of pricks, ornamental compositions and motifs). The Neolithic materials of the Lower Volga region can be united within the framework of the Lower Volga cultural-historical community (LVCC) with division into regional cultures: Orlovskaya, Dzhangar, Kairshak-Tenteksor (Seroglazovskaya), which have signs of a common origin, common patterns of development and cultural interaction during all the Neolithic. The researchers revealed the existence of an early Neolithic center of the origin of pottery in the Lower Volga region, traced its evolutionary development and regional characteristics, reconstruct the archaic (pre-pottery) ideas of the ancient population about silts as a raw material for the production of dishes. In contrast to the Northern Caspian, where archaic traditions of silt selection were preserved even at the late stage of the Neolithic, in the steppe Volga region the new types of raw materials, such as silty clays and clays, appeared simultaneously with the traditional types and then became widespread. Identification of the causes of this phenomenon (climate changes or the emergence of new groups of the Neolithic population) requires further research.

The End of the Earliest Ceramic Traditions

The Dnieper-Dvina area is one of the regions in Eastern Europe which was part of a wider network of the earliest ceramic traditions, spread in the first half to the middle of the 6th millennium BC. After the collapse of this network new ceramic complexes appeared here, called the Rudnya culture, and at the end of the 6th millennium BC this manifested in changes in the directions of cultural connections. This region became part of the cultural space of the Circum-Baltic area. Several complexes within the Rudnya culture originated in different groups of Narva pottery, and are dated to c. 5400–4400 cal BC.

«Sacrificial» cups in burials of Bronze Age and Early Iron Age

It was established that in exploring the spiritual culture of ancient societies, an important place is occupied by the study of funeral rites, in particular special funeral ceramics, its functions in funeral rituals, and its symbolic meaning. It was found that in the ceramic complexes of several cultures of the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age in Europe (Urnfield culture of the North Alpine and Middle Danube regions, Lusatian culture, culture of the Hallstatt period of the Northeast Alpine and Middle Danube regions, Villanova, Golasecca and Este in the Central and North Apennines, Bilozerska culture of the North-Western Black Sea region, Ulvivok-Rovantsi group) there was such a form of tableware as a cup (bowl, vase) on a leg. Cups on legs were discovered mainly in cemeteries, inhumation, and cremation burials. Taking into account the context in the burial objects and their unusual shape, they are interpreted as a special kind of funerary ceramics. It was observed that in many cases the bowls were placed in the burials of little girls or young women, less often – in the pair burials of an adult person and a child or a man and a woman. This feature was found in almost all the cultures mentioned in this work, which existed from the XII century BC till VII century BC, and therefore we can talk about stable religious traditions and social rules common to these cultures, which existed in a large area of Europe for about six centuries. It was established that the bowls in burials served as symbolic sacrificial gifts, connected possibly with the cult of «sacred fire». The sacral meaning of such a shape of a vessel as a cup on a leg is also traced in later times, for example, a chalice, which is the main attribute of the Eucharistic liturgical Christian service and a symbol of the Eucharist – an acceptance of the divine sacrifice. It is noted that protrusions on the rims of cups, which occur most often in the burials of women, may be related to astronomy. It is assumed that the cup from the Rovantsi cemetery, where the protrusions on the rims schematically, but quite accurately reflect the directions of the sunrise and sunset during the summer and winter solstices and the autumn equinox and the north-south direction, could serve as a primitive miniature observatory and be the subject of the paraphernalia of the solar cult. Key words: Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age, funeral vessels, cup on the leg, sacrificial gift, Rovantsi cemetery.

The comb tradition of ceramics ornamentation of the Srednevolzhskaya Neolithic culture in the forest-steppe Volga region (general characteristics)

The paper presents the result of the analysis of tableware, decorated with a comb stamp, of the Srednevolzhskaya Neolithic culture in the forest-steppe Volga region. To determine the characteristic features of the considered ceramic complexes, their statistical processing was carried out in order to systematize information on most of the Late Neolithic sites in the region. The source base of the study includes 836 conventionally identified vessels of the Srednevolzhskaya culture, which were directly analyzed by the authors. It should be noted that due to objective reasons the given quantitative indicators may slightly differ from those in the corresponding publications. In order to identify the local features of the ceramic complexes, the monuments considered in the work can be geographically divided into two microregions - the basins of the Samara and Sok rivers. The analyzed materials were also graded according to the representativeness of the collections. To determine any significant patterns of development, the leading role is played by highly and fairly representative complexes of the sites Lebyazhinka IV, Vilovatoe, Lebyazhinka I, Ivanovka, Luzhki II, the rest is of secondary importance. Due to the high fragmentation of the material, the authors do not insist on the absoluteness of the data presented, the quantitative and percentage indicators may change slightly, however, as for the complexes of the representative sites noted above, the adjustments will not be significant.

Комплекси глиняних виробів ХVІІІ століття з Черкас (за матеріалами розкопок 2020 року)

Опубліковано матеріали гончарних комплексів ранньомодерного часу (XVIII століття),виявлені в середмісті Черкас 2020 року, що походять з двох археологічних об’єктів: гончарногогорна (вул. Остафія Дашковича, 7) та сміттєвої ями (узв. Старособорний, 32/1). Під час їхдослідження виявлено значну колекцію глиняного посуду та кахель.
 In Early Modern time Cherkasy was a small town. It was a center of Cherkasy starostvo of Kyivvoivodeship of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (Rzeczpospolita) by 1793. Finds dated to the 18thcentury are often found at the excavations here along with the materials belonging to the other periods.Such finds are mainly concentrated in the center of Cherkasy, at the territory of the Upper and Lower townaround the “Polish” castle (the modern Hill of Glory).This paper presents the ceramic complexes of Early Modern time (18th century), which wereinvestigated in Cherkasy in 2020. Materials are coming from the excavations in the city, which wereconducted by Cherkasy Archaeological Expedition of the Institute of Archaeology of the NAS of Ukraineheaded by Dmytro Kushtan. The large collections of materials are associated with pottery kiln, excavatedat Ostafyi Dashkovych street 7 and garbage pit from Starosoborny Descent 32/1.Ceramics is represented by wheel-made pottery and oven tiles. Kitchen pots, often decorated withpainted and incised ornamentations, dominate among pottery. The collection also includes lids, semi-bowlsand bowls. The other category of finds is represented by oven tiles. They are referred to the “box type”,having flat rectangular external surface and walls on the other side of it. The external surface is decoratedwith stamp ornamentation represented by geometric and plant compositions in Baroque style.Collections of ceramic finds from the 2020 excavations in Cherkasy are typical for pottery centersin the Middle Dnieper region of the Early Modern time. According to numerous analogies, they are datedby the early 18th century.

Archaeological research on the settlement of Bol’shoy K’irk-K’iz in the Right-Bank Chorasmia in 2021

The article summarizes the preliminary results of the research conducted at the settlement of Bolshoy Kyrk-Kyz in 2021. The stratigraphic excavation within the citadel of the settlement revealed three construction horizons corresponding to the most intense period of the monument's life - the first half of the I millennium AD. This date is determined by a very characteristic ceramic complex obtained during excavations. There is a group of ceramics made by hand from clay with admixtures of chamotte and crystalline gypsum. This ware has numerous analogies in the ceramic complexes of Khorezm dated to the II–IV centuries AD. In the northern part of the fortress, where the contours of a large building were traced, a new excavation was laid. After the sweeps, this assumption was confirmed. A part of a large building was discovered during the excavation, in the center of which was a vast courtyard paved with mud bricks. Perhaps it was a large city estate built at the final stage of the monument's life. According to the accompanying material, the building dates from the VII – first half of the VIII centuries AD. As a result of these works, a preliminary periodization of the life of the monument is proposed, which was founded as the center of a small agricultural oasis no later than the IV–III centuries BC. The final stage of the existence of the fortress dates back to the VII–VIII centuries AD. At this time, an extensive suburb with developed handicraft production was formed to the east of the fortress.