Russian Sites Research Articles

Climate Degradation and Extreme Icing Events Constrain Life in Cold-Adapted Mammals

Despite the growth in knowledge about the effects of a warming Arctic on its cold-adapted species, the mechanisms by which these changes affect animal populations remain poorly understood. Increasing temperatures, declining sea ice and altered wind and precipitation patterns all may affect the fitness and abundance of species through multiple direct and indirect pathways. Here we demonstrate previously unknown effects of rain-on-snow (ROS) events, winter precipitation, and ice tidal surges on the Arctic’s largest land mammal. Using novel field data across seven years and three Alaskan and Russian sites, we show arrested skeletal growth in juvenile muskoxen resulting from unusually dry winter conditions and gestational ROS events, with the inhibitory effects on growth from ROS events lasting up to three years post-partum. Further, we describe the simultaneous entombment of 52 muskoxen in ice during a Chukchi Sea winter tsunami (ivuniq in Iñupiat), and link rapid freezing to entrapment of Arctic whales and otters. Our results illustrate how once unusual, but increasingly frequent Arctic weather events affect some cold-adapted mammals, and suggest that an understanding of species responses to a changing Arctic can be enhanced by coalescing groundwork, rare events, and insights from local people.

The role of climate change in regulating Arctic permafrost peatland hydrological and vegetation change over the last millennium

Climate warming has inevitable impacts on the vegetation and hydrological dynamics of high-latitude permafrost peatlands. These impacts in turn determine the role of these peatlands in the global biogeochemical cycle. Here, we used six active layer peat cores from four permafrost peatlands in Northeast European Russia and Finnish Lapland to investigate permafrost peatland dynamics over the last millennium. Testate amoeba and plant macrofossils were used as proxies for hydrological and vegetation changes. Our results show that during the Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA), Russian sites experienced short-term permafrost thawing and this induced alternating dry-wet habitat changes eventually followed by desiccation. During the Little Ice Age (LIA) both sites generally supported dry-hummock habitats, at least partly driven by permafrost aggradation. However, proxy data suggest that occasionally, MCA habitat conditions were drier than during the LIA, implying that evapotranspiration may create important additional eco-hydrological feedback mechanisms under warm conditions. All sites showed a tendency towards dry conditions as inferred from both proxies starting either from ca. 100 years ago or in the past few decades after slight permafrost thawing, suggesting that recent warming has stimulated surface desiccation rather than deeper permafrost thawing. This study shows links between two important controls over hydrology and vegetation changes in high-latitude peatlands: direct temperature-induced surface layer response and deeper permafrost layer-related dynamics. These data provide important backgrounds for predictions of Arctic permafrost peatlands and related feedback mechanisms. Our results highlight the importance of increased evapotranspiration and thus provide an additional perspective to understanding of peatland-climate feedback mechanisms.

RUSSIAN ARCHEOLOGY OF THE KUZNETSK TOM’ RIVER VALLEY: HISTORY OF RESEARCH, CURRENT CONDITION AND PROSPECTS

The current paper features the research history of the Russian period archeological sites (fortified and unfortified settlements, cemeteries) on the territory of the Kuznetsk Tom’ River valley from the second quarter of XX century to the present day. Three stages of this process, which demonstrate the trend of increasing scale of Russian archeology in Western Siberia, were distinguished. The article analyzes the qualitative aspect of the research on the Russian period archeological sites. The analysis was performed on the basis of object dependency, studied by split-level methods of field archeology (reconnaissance and excavation) and type of publication (descriptive and analytical). A mapping of the Russian time archeological sites was conducted. It highlights some irregularities in their studies in the Kuznetsk Tom’ River Valley. The article points out some directions for further field research, among which: a search for new Russian settlements of XVII–XIX centuries at the estuaries of the tributaries of the Tom’ river near old stockade towns; excavation work at previously discovered old Russian villages and cemeteries and the assessment of their current state.

Crowdfunding phenomenon: investigation of features

Key points are considered: the world experience in the formation and functioning of crowdfunding, the activity of the platforms of crowdfunding in Russia, the possible risks to startups for the implementation of their projects through crowdfunding. Crowdfunding is defined as a way to raise funds for the financing of projects of individuals and organizations on a non-repayable, debt or shareholder basis within an investment or non-investment model from an unlimited range of individuals and organizations through special Internet sites. It is noted that at the initial stage people of artistic professions prevailed among users of crowdfunding. But gradually its benefits began to attract of innovative entrepreneurs. For start-ups, such support becomes an alternative to grants of special funds, as well as to venture financing. The types of crowdfunding are analyzed. It is noted that the development of the equity crowdfunding required preliminary revision of the legislation that was implemented in a number of countries, while the rules of regulation in them have their own peculiarities. The activity of special platforms of crowdfunding, including the largest Russian sites, is considered (from the standpoint of fundraising principles, commission fees, maximum collection time of money for the project, special requirements). Attention is drawn to the problems encountered by all participants in the process. The draft law on crowdfunding is analyzed; attention is drawn to the controversy of the objects of its regulation

Snowmobile impact on diurnal behaviour in the Arctic fox

ABSTRACTAs tourism increases globally, studies have documented impacts on wildlife from anthropogenic disturbances. In this observational experiment we aimed to investigate if snowmobile traffic affected the diurnal activity of Arctic fox in High Arctic Svalbard. We conducted the study in two areas in Svalbard, one control area with low snowmobile traffic and one experimental area with high snowmobile traffic. In each area 10 camera-traps, baited with reindeer carcasses, were positioned and programmed to take photographs every five minutes. The proportion of photographs with foxes was higher during the night than during the day, and the difference between night and day was larger in the area with more snowmobile traffic. By using data obtained according to a similar study design in two Arctic Russian sites, Yamal and Nenetsky, with little human activity and low snowmobile traffic, we were able to compare Arctic fox activity patterns in Svalbard on a larger scale. Our results indicate that snowmobile traff...

Glyptopomus bystrowi (Gross, 1941), an “osteolepidid” tetrapodomorph from the Upper Famennian (Upper Devonian) of Latvia and Central Russia

The recent find of an ethmosphenoid of Glyptopomus bystrowi (Gross 1941), a “glyptopomid” tetrapodomorph, in the Ketleri Formation (Upper Famennian, Upper Devonian) in western Latvia induced the description of historical material from this site and almost coeval localities in Central Russia (Orel-Saburovo Beds, Plavskian Regional Stage). Detailed morphological studies allowed recognition of new characters which support the taxonomic position of this species. Three-dimensional preservation of isolated elements enable the description of internal cranial structures, like the posterodorsolateral expansion of prenasal pits, the passage of some nerves and blood vessels, unknown in the previously described species of this genus. Despite minor differences, the vertebrate assemblages from these areas fit within the placoderm B. ciecere Zone (VII), which corresponds to the ?Upper postera–Lower expansa conodont Zone interval. These assemblages are virtually the same in their composition, except that durophagous placoderms and dipnoans are present in the Central Russian sites, in contrast to the Latvian ones. This could be explained by more significant marine influences.

WHAT HISTORY SAYS VERSUS WHAT ARCHAEOLOGY SHOWS: SOURCES AND METHODS IN THE STUDY OF RUSSIAN CULTURE IN SIBERIA

Over the last two decades, the archaeological study of the Russian sites in Siberia has expanded not only in scale and geography, but also in the scope of research issues. As a result, the archaeology of Siberian Russian cities has turned into a separate subdiscipline within Siberian studies. Excavations of late 16th to 19th century forts, towns, and cities has had a positive impact on public attitudes. These sites are now viewed as an integral part of the nation’s cultural heritage and an invaluable source of historical knowledge. The importance of historical archaeology is gradually being acknowledged by historians, who, until recently, tended to monopolize historical reconstructions of Muscovy and the Russian Empire. Historical archaeology sets up a broader format of research focused on this pivotal period. The article outlines the fi ndings of archaeological excavations at old Russian sites in Siberia, juxtaposing them with written evidence. The following tasks are addressed: (1) localizing historical sites and attributing excavated ones; (2) modeling wooden architecture; (3) reconstructing the composition of herds through faunal remains.

Global dimming and urbanization: did stronger negative SSR trends collocate with regions of population growth?

Abstract. Global dimming refers to the decrease in surface solar radiation (SSR) observed from the 1960s to the 1980s at different measurement sites all around the world. It is under debate whether anthropogenic aerosols emitted from urban areas close to the measurement sites are mainly responsible for the dimming. In order to assess this urbanization impact on SSR, we use spatially explicit population density data of 0.08° resolution to construct population indices (PI) at 157 high data quality sites. Our study extends previous population-based studies by incorporating distance-weighting as a simple aerosol diffusion model. We measured urbanization in the surrounding of a site as the PI change from 1960 to 1990 and found no negative correlation with the corresponding SSR trends from 1964 to 1989 for the 92 sites in Europe and Japan. For the 39 sites in China the correlation coefficients are significant at the 5 % level and reach around −0.35, while for the 26 remaining Asian, mostly Russian sites the correlation coefficients reach around −0.55 at the 1 % significance level. Results are similar, when the absolute levels of PIs are taken as an indicator for urbanization. Our findings call into question the existence of an urbanization effect for the sites in Europe and Japan, while such an effect cannot be ruled out for the sites in Asia, especially in Russia.

О ЧЕМ «РАССКАЗЫВАЕТ» ИСТОРИЯ И ЧТО «ПОКАЗЫВАЕТ» АРХЕОЛОГИЯ: ИСТОЧНИКИ И МЕТОДЫ ИЗУЧЕНИЯ РУССКОЙ КУЛЬТУРЫ СИБИРИ

Over the last two decades, the archaeological study of the Russian sites in Siberia has expanded not only in scale and geography, but also in the scope of research issues. As a result, the archaeology of Siberian Russian cities has turned into a separate subdiscipline within Siberian studies. Excavations of late 16th to 19th century forts, towns, and cities has had a positive impact on public attitudes. These sites are now viewed as an integral part of the nation’s cultural heritage and an invaluable source of historical knowledge. The importance of historical archaeology is gradually being acknowledged by historians, who, until recently, tended to monopolize historical reconstructions of Muscovy and the Russian Empire. Historical archaeology sets up a broader format of research focused on this pivotal period. The article outlines the fi ndings of archaeological excavations at old Russian sites in Siberia, juxtaposing them with written evidence. The following tasks are addressed: (1) localizing historical sites and attributing excavated ones; (2) modeling wooden architecture; (3) reconstructing the composition of herds through faunal remains.

Evaluation of two chemical weed control systems in sugar beet in Germany and the Russian Federation

Roundup Ready® sugar beets are widely grown in the USA since their market introduction in 2005. The system has proven to be cost-efficient and reliable. However, the negative social image among consumers and politicians has prohibited the adoption of this technology in Europe. Seven field experiments were conducted over three years in Germany and the Russian Federation to compare weed control efficacy and sugar beet yields of post-emergent glyphosate applications with conventional selective herbicides. Although weed infestations at the Russian sites were higher than in Germany, weed control efficacies were similar at both locations ranging between 78% and 100%. Glyphosate applications resulted in significantly higher weed control efficacies than the conventional herbicides in four out of 7 experiments. In five experiments, a single glyphosate application gave equal weed control efficacy as two and three glyphosate applications. White sugar yield was always higher in the weed control treatments than in the untreated plots. There was no yield difference between treatments based on glyphosate and conventional herbicide applications in 6 out of 7 experiments. The results demonstrate a slight benefit of the glyphosate-based weed control program compared to the conventional herbicide system in terms of weed control efficacy.

Nuclear security culture enhancement: the role of culture coordinators at Russian nuclear sites

In 2002, a Nuclear Security Culture (NSC) Enhancement Program with the mission to raise the level of the NSC at sites and facilities in Russia's nuclear complex was launched under the guidance of the Russian State Corporation “ROSATOM” and with support from the US Department of Energy. A Joint Working Group for NSC with both Russian Federation and US members was formed and charged with the design and implementation of the program. The program was implemented at sites and facilities on a pilot basis. Nine sites participated in the Pilot Project. The key program component was an establishment of Culture Coordinators (CCs) with the authority to coordinate and implement NSC enhancement activities at sites and facilities. The CCs have served as the force that has maintained the momentum of the Pilot Project and continuously steered the site NSC enhancement efforts. The contribution of the CCs in achieving the positive outcomes of the program cannot be overstated.

Von den operativen und erinnerungsgeschichtlichen Dimensionen eines Raumes. Die Schlacht von Tannenberg 1914 als Paradebeispiel räumlicher Inszenierung

Abstract Tannenberg is still the cipher for a mythical memory space that interweaves German, Polish, Lithuanian and Russian sites of memory to each other, their temporal and political contexts, however, goes beyond. For the battle of 1914, the master narrative still follows the detailed descriptions of the Kriegsarchiv from the interwar period. These want to have found the key to success in the exemplary use of the geographic area by German generalship. Nevertheless, this battle has multidimensional perceptions, of the factual meaning of the space up to the imaginary. It is also an example of how clearly the topography of an area can determine the military capabilities, such as the importance of personal and mental connections to the competitive space. After the military occupation of East Prussia terrain the victorious commander Hindenburg conquered even the site of memory - with the Reichsehrenmal quite vividly. In the overall analysis of the Battle of Tannenberg therefore the access of the different concepts and dimensions of the room proves as purposeful and productive.

A comparison of three Eurasian chironomid–climate calibration datasets on a W–E continentality gradient and the implications for quantitative temperature reconstructions

Multiple regional chironomid–climate calibration datasets are available to reconstruct quantitatively July air temperatures from fossil chironomid assemblages. We examined the relationship between July air temperature and the 40 most common chironomid taxa in three independent Eurasian calibration (training) sets. The estimated temperature optimum of each chironomid taxon is systematically lower (by ~1–2 °C) in a Norwegian calibration set compared to Finnish and Russian calibration sets. This result might partly be explained by the fact that the Norwegian calibration set extends further at the cold end of the temperature gradient. A difference in continentality between the Russian sites and the European sites might also contribute to this pattern. The number of taxa that show a statistically significant unimodal response to temperature is higher in the Norwegian calibration set (34 out of 40 taxa) compared to the modern Finnish (11 of 37 taxa; 3 common taxa absent) and the Russian calibration set (20 of 40 taxa), probably due to the longer temperature gradient incorporated in the Norwegian calibration set. We applied all three calibration sets to fossil chironomid assemblages from the high-latitude study site of Sokli (northeast Finland), a site with a unique series of lacustrine deposits covering (amongst others) the Holocene, part of early MIS 3 (at ~53 ka) and MIS 5d–c (at ~110–95 ka) and with independent proxy-records for comparison. In the early Holocene and during MIS 5c, the chironomid-based temperature inferences from all three inference models had similar values. Temperature reconstructions based on the Norwegian calibration set are 2–4 °C lower for the late Holocene, early MIS 3 and MIS 5d than the inferred temperatures based on the other calibration sets. Although the lakes included in the Finnish calibration set are located closest to the site of Sokli, evaluation tests and a comparison with independent proxy data suggests that the Norwegian calibration set provides the most suitable analogues for reconstruction purposes for most of the fossil assemblages. Our results imply that when choosing a calibration set for quantitative climate reconstructions on glacial timescales, regional proximity of the fossil site may not be a sufficient basis, and the length of the temperature gradient of the calibration dataset and factors such as the continentality gradient covered by the calibration set must also be considered.

Epigraphic Literacy and Christian Identity: Modes of Written Discourse in the Newly Christian European North by Kristel Zilmer and Judith Jesch, eds (review)

Reviewed by: Epigraphic Literacy and Christian Identity: Modes of Written Discourse in the Newly Christian European North by Kristel Zilmer and Judith Jesch, eds Roderick McDonald Zilmer, Kristel and Judith Jesch, eds, Epigraphic Literacy and Christian Identity: Modes of Written Discourse in the Newly Christian European North (Utrecht Studies in Medieval Literacy, 4), Turnhout, Brepols, 2012; hardback; pp. 279; 39 b/w illustrations, 15 b/w line art; R.R.P. €80.00; ISBN 9782503542942. Epigraphy, in the context of the Viking Age, offers interesting challenges to theories of literacy and its relationship with the spread of Christianity and associated modes of religious practice. This particular collection of essays is divided into two parts, bringing together two significantly divergent bodies of runic epigraphic writing – runic text inscribed in Scandinavian rune stones chiefly found in Sweden, with some Danish and Norwegian parallels, and that inscribed in rune staves (Old Norse rúnakefli) from Bryggen, in Bergen, Norway, and north-western Russian birchbark pieces – from the late tenth through to the first half of the thirteenth centuries. Part I brings together essays that broadly consider the role of epigraphic writing on Scandinavian rune stones – the marking of short statements that serve ostensibly to commemorate – as indicators of social, cultural, and religious values and practices during the early centuries of Christianization. The contexts which the various authors bring to this study include consideration of who carved these various stones, how to understand the meaning of ‘authorship’ in the case of known carvers, how the different content on stones (format/layout, text, decoration) can be interpreted, and the part that these stones might play in both the earthly and the spiritual economies. The first two essays deal with issues around the roles and identities of the commissioners and carvers of runestones. Magnus Kållström’s contribution considers what can be learnt from the evidence regarding the expansion of runic carvings, the relationship between runic and Latin literacy, the spread of literacy, and the extent to which it is possible to analyse the role of the carvers in terms of lay literacy, as compared with clerical or Christian book culture. Laila Kitzler Åhfeldt’s essay is the second that deals with carving technique and the implications for the spread of literacy and Christianity. Her analysis is based on high resolution scans used to differentiate the carvers engaged in the work, and she draws conclusions about certain named carvers, their social status, the processes by which stones were carved, and the possible connection of these runic expressions of Christianity with transitions from a pre-Christian to a Christian milieu. The remaining two papers in Part I both deliver textual analyses of runic material. Kristel Zilmer presents a structural analysis of the formulaic make [End Page 300] up of runic prayers, and concludes that rather than being at best a symbolic expression of an uncertain degree of Christian faith, the textuality of the prayers points to regional characteristics of different types of Christianity in place, such as the Kristr-prayers from Södermanland and Uppland indicating a likely early cult of Christ. Henrik Williams makes a sound case for the Old Norse expression ‘dauðr i hvitavaðum’, found more broadly in literary as well as runic sources, as an epigraphic indicator not necessarily of being baptized when dying, but marking a death that has occurred while the person is in the state of grace conferred by confirmation. Part II then considers a more diverse set of texts. Largely set in the frame of the pragmatics of instrumentalist communication, this part of the book moves on to discuss rune staves from Bryggen in Norway, birchbark pieces excavated in Western Russian sites such as Novgorod, and finishes with a consideration of graffiti in Novgorod churches. The textual material analysed in Part II is comprised largely of short, often pragmatic notes relating to commercial correspondence, used as writing practice, for charms, carrying simple practical directions, some containing intimate messages and even obscenities. Michael Schulte presents a linguistic analysis which reveals usage that is not formalized by adherence to literary standards, while Terje Spurkland looks at runic writing of Latin and Greek material derived from the Litany, and yet...

The Intellectual and Political Exchange Among Jihadists: The Case of Mustafa Setmarian Nasar (Abu Musab al-Suri)

The Internet provides the opportunity for jihadists to interact with each other. The purpose of the interactions is many fold. First, it provides jihadists with the emotional support and increases their resolve. Secondly it provides the justification for engaging in indiscriminate terror. Third, it makes it possible for them to share their experiences. One could see these active interactions among jihadists in publication of Russian jihadists sites. One of them translated or actually created a compendium of the works of Abu Musab al-Suri, one of the most well known jihadists theorist of jihad and who was recently released from a Syrian jail. In the Russian work, the major aspect of the struggle elaborates the importance of small isolated groups of terrorists. At the same time considerable attention is paid to justify the indiscriminate nature of the terror. It shall strike not just infidels but also the majority of those who call themselves Muslims, plainly because most of them are degenerated and became as bad or even worse than kafirs. The universal jihad and final victory depends here not much on the passive and often corrupt Muslim majority but on the skills and resolve of a few revolutionaries. Here al-Suri follows the model of many other revolutionaries of the past such as Lenin.

An improved simple snow-atmosphere-soil transfer model

On the basis of a simple snow-atmosphere-soil transfer (SAST) model previously developed, this paper presents an improved snow-atmosphere-soil transfer (ISAST) model that has a new numerical scheme and an improved method of layering the snowpack. The new model takes the snow cover temperature and ice content in the snow cover as prognostic variables. This approach, which effectively solves the snow cover temperature distribution when the snow cover is melting or freezing, lessens the iteration time and computation time, which is important for GCM simulation. In this model, the snow cover is divided into three layers (ISAST3) or seven layers (ISAST7). The simulation results obtained using the ISAST7 model agree well with observations in terms of snow depth, snow equivalent water and snow cover lifetime at five Russian sites. The new ISAST model has better simulation capacity for snow cover than the previous SAST model. When the snow cover is deep, the simulation of the ISAST7 model is better than that of the ISAST3 model. Testing shows that our ISAST model is approximately 20% faster than the SAST model.

Paricalcitol versus cinacalcet plus low-dose vitamin D for the treatment of secondary hyperparathyroidism in patients receiving haemodialysis: study design and baseline characteristics of the IMPACT SHPT study

Background. Paricalcitol and cinacalcet are common therapies for patients on haemodialysis with secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT). We conducted a multi-centre study in 12 countries to compare the safety and efficacy of paricalcitol and cinacalcet for the treatment of SHPT. Methods. Patients aged ≥18 years with Stage 5 chronic kidney disease receiving maintenance haemodialysis and with intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) 300–800 pg/mL, calcium 8.4–10.0 mg/dL (2.09–2.49 mmol/L) and phosphorus ≤6.5 mg/dL (2.09 mmol/L) were randomized within two strata defined by the mode of paricalcitol administration to treatment with paricalcitol- (intra-venous, US and Russian sites, IV stratum; oral, non-US and non-Russian sites, oral stratum) or cinacalcet-centred therapy. The primary endpoint is the proportion of patients in each treatment group who achieve a mean iPTH value of 150–300 pg/mL during Weeks 21–28 of treatment. Assuming efficacy response rates of 36 and 66% for cinacalcet and paricalcitol, respectively, and a 20% discontinuation rate, 124 subjects in each stratum were estimated to provide 81% power to detect a 30% absolute difference in the primary endpoint. Results. Of 746 patients screened, 272 (mean age, 63 years; mean iPTH, 509 pg/mL) were randomized. Mean duration of haemodialysis at baseline was 3.7 years. Comorbidities included hypertension (90.4%), Type 2 diabetes (40.4%), congestive heart failure (17.3%), coronary artery disease (34.6%) and gastrointestinal disorders (75%). Conclusions. The study participants are representative of a multinational cohort of patients on haemodialysis with elevated iPTH. The study results will provide valuable information on the best available treatment of SHPT in patients on haemodialysis.

Finds of structural details of composite bows from Ancient Rus

This paper is concerned with the problem of the appearance and distribution of the traditional nomadic weapon — the composite bow — in Ancient Rus. The authors have summarised evidence on fifteen complexes with new finds of composite bows at the most ancient Russian sites. The preserved overlays of the bows enable us to reconstruct the technology of assembling bows of various types. The article also summarises evidence on the characteristic items of the equipment of eastern archers, which together with a composite bow constituted a single set: bowcases for keeping the bows and quivers. The results of the present studies have drawn the authors to the conclusion about the wide distribution of complex nomadic bows throughout Ancient Rus in the 10th century. The outmost concentrations of the finds have proved to be related with early towns and the culture of the rising Ancient-Russian elite — “druzhinas”. In the present study, the use of two types of bows in Rus — the “Hungarian” and the “Pechenegian” (“Turki...

First results of a site-testing programme at Mount Shatdzhatmaz during 2007-2009

We present the first results of site testing performed at Mt Shatdzhatmaz in the Northern Caucasus, where the new Sternberg Astronomical Institute 2.5-m telescope will be installed. An automatic site-monitor instrumentation and functionality are described, together with the methods of measurement of the basic astroclimate and weather parameters. The clear night-sky time derived on the basis of 2006–2009 data amounts to 1340 h per year. Principal attention is given to measurement of the optical-turbulence altitude distribution, which is the most important characteristic affecting the performance of optical telescopes. For the period from 2007 November–2009 October, more than 85 000 turbulence profiles were collected using the combined Multi Aperture Scintillation Sensor and Differential Image Motion Monitor (MASS/DIMM) instrument. The statistical properties of the turbulent atmosphere above the summit are derived and the median values for seeing β0= 0.93 arcsec and free-atmosphere seeing βfree= 0.51 arcsec are determined. Together with the estimations of isoplanatic angle θ0= 2.07 arcsec and time constant τ0= 2.58 ms, these are the first representative results obtained for Russian sites, and are necessary for the development of modern astronomical observation techniques like adaptive optics.

GLASS BEADS FROM RUSSIAN VILLAGES IN THE MIDDLE IRTYSH AREA WITH REFERENCE TO THE TRADE LINKS OF RUSSIAN SETTLERS IN 17TH–18TH CENTURY SIBERIA

The present article sets forth the results of morphological, technological, and chemical analyses of glass beads from 17th–18th century Russian sites in the Middle Irtysh region. Based on the results presented the origin of the beads is assessed and trade links are tentatively reconstructed.