Single Burials Research Articles

A life course study of the Beixin culture residents from the Neolithic site of Xiaheqiadong, Shandong Province, China

AbstractThe Xiaheqiadong site located in Zhangqiu district, Jinan city, Shandong province, China, was excavated in 2016 by the Jinan Institute of Archaeology, which revealed six single burials dating to the Beixin culture period (ca. 5,300–4,500 BC to ca. 4,100–3,600 BC). This paper used bioarchaeological methods to study the human skeletal remains to reconstruct the life course of the residents of the Beixin culture at the Xiaheqiadong site, focusing on stable isotope analysis, evaluation of stress, tooth ablation, and intentional skull modification. Based on stable isotope analysis of carbon, it is evident that the dietary structure of the ancient residents of Xiaheqiadong was mainly dependent on C4 plants or animals that ate mainly C4 plants. The stable isotope analysis of nitrogen indicated that the ancient residents of the Xiaheqiadong site exhibited a relatively sufficient consumption of animal protein. Furthermore, this result also reveals that a subsistence economic model was established consisting of farming, gathering, and hunting. Observations of the stress indicators (including cribra orbitalia, porotic hyperostosis, and linear enamel hypoplasia) revealed that they experienced poor health conditions and were under high levels of stress during infancy and early childhood. However, this situation improved with increasing age, suggesting that residents from the Xiaheqiadong site had the capacity to withstand severe living conditions and adapt after experiencing stress events. The tooth ablation and occipital modification cases from the Xiaheqiadong site are the earliest cases among the individuals with accurate dating results found in China.

Новые погребальные комплексы сарматского времени из кургана на Кавказских Минеральных Водах

In 2010, the expedition of the Nasledie State Unitary Enterprise (Stavropol) conducted archaeological excavations on the territory of the Caucasian Mineral Waters and excavated the kurgan 1 of the Voniuchka-1 kurgan cemetery near the city of Pyatigorsk. The kurgan originated in the Eneolithic era; its construction and use as a cemetery continued up to the Early and Middle Bronze Ages. The most extensive changes in the kurgan are associated with the North Caucasian archaeological culture. The Sarmatian burials of the early Iron Age became the final ones in the kurgan; this study is devoted to their material publication and analysis. Single burials and grave goods (probably the remains of a funeral feast) were compactly located in the central part of the kurgan. The burial rite and the inventory are described in detail and examined in the system of both chronologically close Sarmatian newcomers and Pre-Caucasus aboriginal monuments. In general, the funeral rite of the published burials is quite uniform and corresponds to the canons of the pre-Caucasian Sarmatian kurgans. The burials and the cluster are chronologically close to each other, and the inventory found in them has numerous analogies among the synchronous sites of the Pre-Caucasus. At the same time, some details of the funeral rite, in particular the discovery of three left front legs of sheep in two burials, together with a number of other facts, indicate a kinship relationship between the buried. The Sarmatian burials in kurgan 1 of the Voniuchka-1 cemetery can be considered a small ancestral cemetery created, most likely, during the lifetime of one generation. The general dating of the burials and the accompanying funeral feast fits into the framework of the 3rd (possibly 2nd) – 1st centuries BC. There is a high probability of their connection with the Sirak tribal union, and this cemetery is located on the southern border of the territory occupied by it.

Пути христианизации Скандинавии. IX–X века

Prior to the baptism of the rulers of Scandinavian countries and introduction of Christianity as an official religion, Scandinavians for several centuries familiarized themselves with Christian ideas and practices, on the one hand, in the course of trade connections, Viking expeditions, service as mercenaries in Western and Eastern Europe and, on the other hand, through missions from Germany and England. Contrary to traditional view that Christian missions, especially those launched from Hamburg-Bremen Archdiocese, played the dominant role in the process of Christianization of Scandinavia, recent studies give them an insignificant place since their results (which are understood as the baptism of rulers and nobles) are ‘negligible’. Representatives of both trends rely mostly on the information of written sources. An important, though yet understudied and ungeneralized source on the problems of ‘Christianization before Christianization’ are archaeological materials that can throw light on the time, intensity, and forms of the penetration of Christianity to the North. The purpose of this article is an attempt to collect at least some of the relevant archaeological materials and suggest their preliminary interpretation in comparison with the information from written sources. The main categories of possible evidence in material culture are burial customs, artifacts, and church construction. However, the interpretation of both single burials and finds like crosses or cruciform pendants as Christian is ambiguous in most cases. In the context of the discussed problem, the materials of large necropolis, first and foremost in Birka, are best studied at the moment, as well as the construction of early churches preceding stone buildings of the 12th an 13th centuries. These materials show that burials that can be interpreted as Christian and churches (built by missionaries or Christian neophytes) concentrate in the areas of intensive missionary activities. It testifies its productiveness in dissemination of Christian ideas in Scandinavia in the 9th and 10th centuries. Along with churches built by missioners in the largest trade centers like Birka, Hedeby, and Ribe, houses intended for divine service, usually rather small in size, were erected by recently baptizes nobles or stórbondir on their farms.

Последние носители мазунинского культурного комплекса и стык мазунинской и бахмутинской культур

The article reviews complexes that reflect the process of the Mazunino culture transforming into the Bakhmutino culture. On the right bank of the Kama River, the Mazunino monuments cease to exist by the end of the 4th century. Further development of these antiquities occurs on the left bank, where the traditional complex of material culture is preserved. The prevailing types are temple pendants and large oval fibulae. In- novations accumulated throughout the 5th century lead to a change in the “ethnographic” specifics and result in the complex of Bakhmutino culture. Changes are found in set of pendants, the structure of belt sets, the decor of ceramic vessels, and the funeral rite. There is no reason to date finds of Bakhmutino types earlier than the 5th century. By the second half of the 5th century, Mazunino features (objects) are preserved only in single burials: Birsk burial ground, burials number 18, 81, 92, 125, 128. Found buckles and double-plate fibulae are the basis for dating. The entire transformation of costume decor and accessories (belts with two strap-ends, shoe sets, earrings, mirrors, a developed set of pendants, beads) has chronological significance. The considered complexes can be dated only in general terms within the era, but not earlier than the middle of the 5th century. These five graves no longer directly belong to the classical Mazunino culture, the complex (but not particular elements) of which cease to exist in the 1st half of the 5th century, and completely disappear by the middle of the 5th century. Mazunino decorations slowly leaving the everyday life speaks about slow changes in the same population.

Epigraphic Monuments of Chechnya (on the Example of Tombstones of the Middle of the 19th – the First Third of the 20th Century)

The article considers thirteen memorial gravestone stele-churts as epigraphic sources of Chechnya. The author's task is to introduce these sources into scientific circulation with the subsequent introduction of the revealed information into secondary historical research. The list of works devoted to epigraphic monuments of the Chechen Republic is considered; the weakness of the existing base on the topic under study and the need for a wider study of the surviving objects and their epitaphs are noted. The evolution of the burial culture is briefly noted, which is also expressed by the change of accompanying the deceased with objects of weapons, worship and everyday life to their display on the funeral tombstone. The role of cruciform tombstone in early Muslim single burials is noted according to those monuments that have survived to the 20–21th centuries. Translations of the epitaphs of the considered tombstone are introduced into scientific circulation for the first time. The results of the work show that Chechen churts (tombstones) are often used not only to depict texts of epitaphs dedicated to the buried, but also to reflect their genealogical tree, social status and memorable events. At this stage of the study, we can only talk about preliminary conclusions, which, however, allow us to conditionally divide the Chechen stelae-churts (in terms of functionality) into tombstones, border, memorial and cult ones. The review also reflects the need for a careful attitude to the cruciform tombstone of Chechnya, which do not always (and not necessarily) indicate the religious affiliation of the buried, although they may reflect the likely continuity and transitional "dual faith" during the period of Islamization of the region.

Burial ground Kariv-I in the Context of the Ethnic and Cultural Situation of the Last Quarter of the 2nd Century AD in the Area of Western Buh and Upper Dnister Regions

The article characterizes the ethnocultural situation in the basins of the Western Buh and the Upper Dnister Rivers of the last quarter of the II century AD. It is based on cultural situation associated with the consistent residence in these areas of the population of Przeworsk and Wielbark cultures, as well as the appearance of new polyethnic group such as Kariv in the last quarter of the second century AD. The “Kariv group” is currently represented by a cremation burial ground on the site Kariv-I in the Chervonohrad district of Lviv Oblast, and by single burials sites in Rechychany and Slovita near Lviv in Western Ukraine and by a number of accidental single finds. The community of the “Kariv group” can be characterized as a mix of Przeworsk, Suebian, Western Baltic and possibly Venedian cultural elements. It can be clearly seen both in the nature of how the graves were constructed and in the ritual actions connected with the burial itsel. The existing dating material (fibulae, spurs, drinking horn tips, amphorae, glass and bronze vessels, etc.), most of which comes from the closed complexes of the Kariv site, allows us to determine the chronology of the Kariv group to the second half of the second century CE, or phase B2/C1. Its appearance can be related to the events of the Marcomannic Wars in the Middle Danube region. The wars were attended by various ethnic groups from the territory of the European Barbaricum, including the northern tribes of the Lombards, Chauci and others. As a result of the difficult political and economic conditions, after they were defeated in the war, some members of the barbaric coalition could have left the area near the Danube limes and move to the north to the territory of more peaceful regions of the European Barbaricum. The disappearance or assimilation of the “Kariv group” population chronologically matches the arrival of the Wielbark culture in the Western Buh and Podollian areas.

Graves, landmarks, or sacrificial monuments? The human osteology and paleopathology of the Bronze Age burial cairns in Finland

During the Bronze Age (ca. 1800-500 BC), cremation became the dominant burial practice in Finland. These Bronze Age (BA) cremations have been excavated from burial cairns in Finland for more than 150 years. This work provides new information on human osteology from this previously understudied area in northeastern Europe. The results cover the earliest period in Finnish prehistory for which large-scale human osteological assemblages are available. In this article, we present a comprehensive human osteological study on the curated bone collections of the National Museum of Finland and other provincial museums, and provide new radiocarbon datings of the cairns. The results show that the cairns were most often used for single burials, without accompanying animals or artefacts. Double and multiple burials became more common in the Iron Age. Porotic hyperostosis was a common finding. Signs of osteoarthritis are more common in the central Satakunta region, where Iron Age burial practices first emerged already during the Late Bronze Age. These observed changes can be connected to changes in subsistence strategies that also enabled permanent settlements

ON THE HISTORY OF THE STUDY OF SCYTHIAN SITES AT DNIPRО NADPORIZHZHYA AREA (THE BURIAL GROUND NEAR THE 3rd QUARRY OF DNIPROBUD)

During the period between First and Second World Wars a large-scale archaeological research was carried out in connection with the construction of the Dnieper Hydroelectric Station (the DniproHES). Large number of ancient sites felt into the area of flooding and destruction. In order to study them the Dniprobud expedition was organized which carried out significant excavations in 1927—1932 under the head of D. I. Yavornytskyi.
 Among the excavated sites there was also the necropolis located on the eastern side of the 3rd quarry of the Dniprobud, on the right bank of the modern Zaporizhzhya city, on a high rocky slope of the Old Dnieper. The works took place in September — early October 1931 headed by the Dniprobud expedition member P. I. Smolichev. At the time of the excavation most of the necropolis included more than a dozen stone pavements had been destroyed. Only two burials survived under single-layer stone pavements with a diameter of 5.6—8 m. A menhir-like stone was recorded near grave 1. Single burials of the necropolis were made in catacombs with stone chambers’ barriers. Supposedly a child and a warrior were buried. Child’s burial was without grave goods. The man was accompanied by the arrowheads and pot.
 The necropolis near the 3rd quarry of Dniprobud is a part of the whole system of Scythian necropolises with moundless burials on the Lower Dnieper. The area of such necropolises coincides with the Scythian settlement network. Settlements are often located near such necropolises which gives grounds to connect these burials with the population of such settlements. The topography of the necropolis on the slope above the Dnieper is typical for burial mounds in the Dnieper area. Burials made of stone are also typical for this region. This tradition dates back to the Bronze Age and is also known during the pre-Scythian period. The graves near the 3rd quarry of Dniprobud can be dated to the 4th century BC based on the types of burial structures and grave goods. Moreover, they can be considered to belong to the local ordinary nomadic Scythian population which began to change their way of life to the settled one. However, it preserved typical traditions of nomads’ funeral rites. In addition, the implementation of burials under stone pavements may indicate that the new ethnic substrate of the region, formed in Scythian Age, may have included some part of the aboriginal population that lived here since the Bronze Age and pre-Scythian times.

Detection of Single Burials Using Multispectral Drone Data: Three Case Studies

Natural burials are interments where a body is buried without embalming fluids or coffins. These burial grounds are ideal locations for retrospective multispectral analysis of non-conventional single burials as the age and location of each grave is documented. The detection of disturbed soil under the influence of human decomposition has been well-studied, but lacks the temporal component needed for characterising simulated clandestine burials. A critical gap in the literature is how these burials re-vegetate and to what extent soil profiles re-establish over years or decades. Multispectral drone data from three natural burial sites in southern U.K. are documented here, with trends in re-vegetation from bare soil to full recovery in graves as old as 2005. As with many burial detection techniques, environmental influence is a limiting variable to universal use of this method. However, we suggest a timeline over which single burial sites in this location reach detection limits and possible reasons for variations in these limits.

Бронзы из курганного могильника Арчекас на реке Кия (по материалам раскопок 1971 года на северо-востоке Кузбасса)

To solve the problem of cultural and chronological affiliation of the Archekas burial mound, located on the right bank of the Kiya River (left tributary of the Chulym River), in the Middle Kiya archaeological microdistrict in the north-east of Kuzbass, the author analyzed the elemental composition of the metal of the accompanying inventory from two collective and one single burials of the burial ground, which consisted of two burial mounds. The materials of the archaeological site have a chronologically and territorially wide range of analogies; therefore, since the first comprehension of the results of excavations in 1971 (the works of A.M. Kulemzin), they entail conflicting dating and understanding of the cultural attribution of this object. The data published in the article about the composition of copper-bronze alloys of seven objects (two mirrors, a celt, two buckles, a knife and a badge-wheel) were obtained as a result of application of two methods - non-destructive X-ray fluorescence analysis of the surface and atomic emission spectroscopy with inductively coupled plasma, when a metal sample in the form of swarf is analyzed. The publication of the results of the analysis of metal products is accompanied by their description and illustrations. Statistical and archaeometallurgical interpretation of the data obtained showed that by the ratio of chemical and metallurgical groups of copper-based alloys (43% of tin bronzes, 14% of arsenous-tin bronzes, 29% of “pure” copper, 14% of arsenic copper) the studied collection of bronzes is close to the materials of the sites of the Upper Ob region (Kulay culture, Kamenny Cape burial ground), Kiya-Chulym interfluve (Lepeshkinsky stage of the Tagar culture, Serebryakovo I burial ground) and Tuva (Uyuk-Saglyn culture, Suglug-Khem burial ground) dated III-II centuries BCE. Like the Archekas collection, the sets of non-ferrous metal of this time are distinguished by the absence of pieces with a pronounced predominance of tin or arsenic alloys. This shows the transitional nature of the metallurgical strategy, which fits in terms of relative chronology between the tradition of tin alloys of the middle of the 1st millennium BCE and copper-arsenic alloys at the turn of the era. In combination with the analysis of the range of late analogies of the objects of the Archekas burial ground, covering the period from the II century BCE until the VI century BCE, the data on the elemental composition of the bronzes allow concluding that the metallurgical tradition is archaic, which is recorded on the basis of the materials of the only burial site investigated in the Archekas archaeological complex. The analogies given for the Archekas inventory from the monuments of the Bolsherechensk culture of the Upper Ob region, mainly of its Berezovsky stage (II-I centuries BCE), are supported by the hypothesis earlier expressed by V.V. Bobrov about the nearby Kuznetsk Basin as a seasonal pasture of the population of the Bolsherechensk culture.

Mortuus Bellator: burial of Late Roman Period from Western Podillya

The article introduces the objects of late Roman burial near the village of Malashivtsi on the Seret, which are in the storage of the History and Local Lore Museum. The set of materials consists of weapons and equipment of the horseman. Due to traces of ritual damage, the burial belongs to the Przeworsk culture. All things have traces of burning. The set of materials includes weapons – a long double-edged sword, which can be attributed to the cavalry swords such as «spatha» with an iron suspension and a spearhead with a wide blade. Perhaps part of the fastening of the sword was an iron two-membered buckle, analogies of which are known from the European Barbaricum. The elements of the protective equipment of the warrior include a conical umbo, as well as the handle of the shield. Interestingly, on the surface of the umbo there is a lenticular hole from the impact of a sharp object, possibly a spear. The fact that he was buried by a horseman is indicated by the findings of two spurs with massive spikes. Iron tweezers are an object of personal use, in the area of settlement of the tribes of the Przeworsk culture on the territory of Ukraine it is quite a rare find. Based on the typology and classification of objects, the burial complex can be dated to the end of phase C1a–C2 – the middle – the second half of the III century. A. C. At this chronological stage, the population of the Przeworsk culture, under pressure from the Goths, moved to the southeast, resulting in several separate military burials known in the Dnister region. In the ethnocultural context, they are evidence of certain cataclysms that occurred in a certain period of time. The problem of single burials in the area of the Przeworsk culture remains poorly understood. This encourages the localization of such sites and their proper study. Key words: Przeworsk culture, military burial, late Roman period, Western Podillya.

«Свои поганые» Киевской земли: этапы заселения и ландшафтно-географическая ниша кочевников в земледельческом обществе

The paper analyzes the issue of the spatial and ecological niche of the nomadic population of the south of the Kiev principality (“Black Hats”), as well as the dynamics of the settling in the Ros’ river basin in the 11th—13th centuries. An important part in the spatial organization of the Ros’ river basin was the multi-row system of long walls, which divided the steppe zone into closed sectors. Nomadic burials were not discovered yet in the large northern sector (“Perepetovo Pole”), it was used as a buffer between nomads and farmers of the Stugna river basin. The area of burial mounds concentration is characterized by a lower amount of precipitation and a higher winter temperature, which makes it suitable for winter pastures. The more humid northwestern part with single burials was used for seasonal migrations in summer. There are four main episodes of the nomad influx in the Ros’ river basin detected. The wave of the 11 th century were Torks and Pechenegs, they occupied the space between the Rosava and the Dnieper. Migrants of the 12 th century wave were added to the Rosava basin, but they also left burials near Vyshgorod. The third big wave of the Cuman origin came in 1223—1241. They occupy both the main area of the “Black Hats” and new sectors along western Ros’. The Yablunivka burial ground of the 2nd half of the 13th—14th centuries should be withdrawn from the list of the “Our Pagans” sites. It arose after the migration of a group of the North Caucasian population during the Golden Horde stage.

On the relative and absolute chronology of early burials at the Firsovo-XI burial ground (Barnaul Ob River region)

The present work addresses the issues of the absolute and relative chronology of early burials at the Firsovo-XI burial ground on the right bank of the Upper Ob River. Description of four burials of the site and results of their AMS 14C dating are reported, alongside with the cultural and chronological analogies among the contem-poraneous monuments of Altai. Eight burial places were discovered at Firsovo-XI, including five single graves, two double graves and one collective burial. The burials were arranged in two rows in the direction from northwest to southeast. The deceased were oriented with their heads to the north and northeast. The research concluded that the burials which form the cultural “core” of the Firsovo-XI burial place (burial grounds nos. 14, 15 and 42) belong to the Early Neolithic period, and their radiocarbon age is determined by the middle of the 5th millennium BC, while their calendar age fits into a very narrow interval of several decades or several centuries (a one-sigma interval of 5710–5460 cal BC and a two-sigma interval of 5740–5360 cal BC). The Neolithic burials of Firsovo-XI constitute a single chronological group with burials nos.1 and 13 of the Bolshoi Mys burial ground. It stands to reason that this group may grow in size over time, as the work on AMS 14C dating of early necropolises and single burials of the Upper Ob region expands. At this stage of research, the problem of identifying cultural and chrono-logical markers for the selected group of burials remains urgent. Within the framework of this study, it has been suggested that the ornaments made from the teeth of a bear and a horse (?), or an onager (?), take the role of such markers. It cannot be ruled out that with the appearance of new data such markers may include the orna-ments made from wolf teeth and double-sided polished knives with a concave blade. As a working hypothesis, it has been suggested that the date obtained for the cemetery no. 18 of Firsovo-XI (GV-02889 9106±80 BP) was not accidental and that this burial actually belongs to the final Mesolithic or early Neolithic period. The chronologi-cal and ritual specifics of this burial are also emphasized by the craniological specificity of the buried male, and by the large total size of the skull, which distinguishes him from the rest of those buried at the burial ground.

Bronze Age burials from Doghlauri (Georgia). Preliminary analysis of human remains reveals a change in burial customs

The investigation of the Aradetis Orgora site and its burial area, Doghlauri, is providing new data about the Bronze Age in the Shida Kartli province (Georgia). A salvage excavation allowed the discovery of numerous graves and the human remains from 75 of these were later available for the present study. Twenty-three of them date back to the Early Bronze Age (EBA, Kura-Araxes culture) and 52 to the Late Bronze Age (LBA, Lchashen-Tsitelgori culture). Using standard anthropological methods, the minimum number of individuals (MNI) was estimated for each grave and sex and the age at death were assessed.Our preliminary results reveal a clear difference in burial customs between these two periods. The anthropological data coupled with the archaeological documentation suggest that in the EBA many of these graves can be interpreted as collective burials (in 13 Kura-Araxes graves out of 23 more than one individual was represented, with up to six individuals buried in them). Both sexes and almost all the age classes are represented in these. By contrast, in the LBA, single burials are the rule for all age classes and both sexes.

Ancient genomes reveal structural shifts after the arrival of Steppe-related ancestry in the Italian Peninsula

Across Europe, the genetics of the Chalcolithic/Bronze Age transition is increasingly characterized in terms of an influx of Steppe-related ancestry. The effect of this major shift on the genetic structure of populations in the Italian Peninsula remains underexplored. Here, genome-wide shotgun data for 22 individuals from commingled cave and single burials in Northeastern and Central Italy dated between 3200 and 1500 BCE provide the first genomic characterization of Bronze Age individuals (n= 8; 0.001-1.2× coverage) from the central Italian Peninsula, filling a gap in the literature between 1950 and 1500 BCE. Our study confirms a diversity of ancestry components during the Chalcolithic and the arrival of Steppe-related ancestry in the central Italian Peninsula as early as 1600 BCE, with this ancestry component increasing through time. We detect close patrilineal kinship in the burial patterns of Chalcolithic commingled cave burials and a shift away from this in the Bronze Age (2200-900 BCE) along with lowered runs of homozygosity, which may reflect larger changes in population structure. Finally, we find no evidence that the arrival of Steppe-related ancestry in Central Italy directly led to changes in frequency of 115 phenotypes present in the dataset, rather that the post-Roman Imperial period had a stronger influence, particularly on the frequency of variants associated with protection against Hansen's disease (leprosy). Our study provides a closer look at local dynamics of demography and phenotypic shifts as they occurred as part of a broader phenomenon of widespread admixture during the Chalcolithic/Bronze Age transition.

THE BURIAL PRACTICES OF THE GRAVETTIAN AND THE EPI-GRAVETTIAN PERIODS IN ITALY, CZECH REPUBLIC, AND RUSSIA

This paper describes the burial practice in the Gravettian (early Upper Paleolithic) and the Epi-Gravettian periods (lateUpper Paleolithic) in Italy, and the Gravettian period (early Upper Paleolithic) in Czech and Russia. In Italy, the Gravettianand the Epi-Gravettian burial sites were mostly situated in caves because geologically Italy has extensive karstic systemsthroughout Alpine mountains. Meanwhile, the Gravettian single and multiple burial sites in Czech and Russia were foundin an alluvial plain. The single burials are more numerous in the Epi-Gravettian than the Gravettian periods in Italy.Furthermore, Italy has the largest number of the Gravettian single and multiple burials compared to Czech and Russia. Ifthe compass direction and the corpse placement (prosthesis) in the ground and the position of the head are considered, itapparently links to their origin. The ancestors of the Gravettian peoples in Italy, Czech, and Russia are supposed to haveoriginated from the East or Southeast. The disparity of cultural behavior between the Gravettian and the Epi-Gravettianperiods in Italy can be deduced by the number of single burial and the environmental condition where the Gravettianperiod developed during the last glacial maximum (LGM), while the Epi-Gravettian happened in warmer condition.

Организация сакрального пространства курганного могильника Казановка-6

In 2020 during the rescue archaeological work at the “Kazanovka-6 burial mound” on the right bank of the Askiz River, at the foot of the Aar-tag and Toldogey Mountains, the Late Bronze Age burial ground was discovered. According to the excavation results in 2021, the identified part of the Late Bronze burial ground at the Kazanovka-6 can be attributed to the classical stage of Karasuk culture. The study was carried out using the method of continuous excavation of the area. This made it possible to identify a number of objects previously not recorded at the Late Bronze Age sites. First of all, it is domestic purposes pits, in the filling of which accumulations of slabs and rough stones from the red Devonian sandstone were found. Also, concentration of plates was recorded at the bedrock level. New data provide an insight into the organization of the inter-kurgan space at the burial grounds of the Karasuk culture. Four types of burial structures were record at the burial ground: single burials in stone box with a kerb; burials with an extension and a “tail-shaped” kerb; stone boxes are installed in one line in the west-east direction, complexes with an extension(s) to the central burial on the western and eastern sides. The rows of burials on the site were built along the west-east line with a slight deviation to the north. The burial ground probably was expanded from south to north. The space for the burial structures was preliminarily prepared by removing the sod layer. Several pits up to 4 m long were dug from the northern and southern parts, probably to get soil for mound construction. Judging by the pits filling, the construction of burial structures and the full cycle of funeral and memorial activities apparently took place over a long period of time.

Раннесредневековое одиночное погребение с конским снаряжением из Северного Алтая

The article presents the publication and diverse interpretation of materials from the excavations of grave 24 of the Gorny-10 necropolis. This site located in the Krasnogorsk District of the Altai Territory was investigated in 2000-2003. Currently, it may be considered as a basic complex for the study ofvarious aspects of the history of population of southwestern Siberia of the early Medieval Ages. The published complex is a single burial of an adult male with a fairly representative set of items, including weapons, jewelry and costume elements, as well as horse equipment. The analysis of the finds and their comparison with known materials from the sites of Northern and Central Asia made it possible to date the burial to the 7th century AD. The revealed set of items testifies to the rather high lifetime status of the deceased person. It was found that a similar situation is generally characteristic of single burials in the region of the Great Migration period and the beginning of the early Middle Ages, some of which reflected the peculiarities of the material culture of the social elite. There are grounds for asserting that elements of horse equipment, and not only rare toreutics (bridle decorations), but also standard functional items, were social markers of various levels in the ritual practice of the population of the forest-steppe Altai of the period under consideration. Further systematic analysis of materials from already known sites as well as expanding the available data through excavations will allow for a more detailed consideration of various aspects of the social history of population of the southwestern Siberia.

Preliminary results of study of the inlet burials on the Besinshitobe in Otrar oasis

The proposed publication aims to the introduction into scientific circulation, systematization and analysis of the burials of Besinshitobe. To date, about 50 graves have been studied. The analysis of burial materials allows the author to distinguish three main types of burial complexes. The chronological identity of the graves was made on the basis of analogies to the inventory. Their dating is still preliminary. The earliest burial complex is characterized by single burials with accompanying equipment. Five buried had the traces of artificial deformation of the ring type on their skulls. In two burials, an incomplete cremation ritual was performed. The earliest burials of this complex belong to the 4th–5th centuries A.D. The second complex combines burials in large earthen vessels placed in pits. All the burials were children’s, one of which was collective. On the basis of analogies, this group can be attributed to the 7th – 8th centuries A.D. The third, medieval burial complex is characterized by single Muslim burial grounds. A common sign for him is the lack of accompanying inventory, orientation of the deceased's head to the north-west and north-north-west. The use of incomplete scorching in the burial ritual is a known case. The ceramic complex obtained from the level I of the tier of the excavations at Besinshitoba allows the author to attribute Muslim burials to the 9th –11th and 13th –15th centuries A.D.

Burned human remains: diachronic analysis of cremation rituals in necropolises of northern Italy

The funeral ritual of cremation has been practiced since ancient times and is an important source of information for the reconstruction of past mortuary behavior. In this study, 387 cremation tombs from five sites in the Po Valley (northern Italy) belonging to different periods (from the Bronze Age to the Roman Age) were examined to identify possible diachronic differences in cremation rituals. Anthropological analyses consisted of sex and age-at-death determination and estimation of the minimum number of individuals. Factors such as color variations of bones, fragmentation, skeletal completeness, and presence of animal bones were investigated as indicators of the funeral ritual. Different representation of the two sexes and different age-at-death were compared, as were single burials versus multiple ones. The results demonstrated significant differences among periods for almost all variables considered. The Bronze Age sample presented a higher frequency of single graves. The Iron and Roman Age samples showed a higher frequency of subadults than the Bronze Age. The cremations from all periods showed high frequencies of arm and leg bones, but the Roman Age sample showed a higher frequency of vertebrae and pelvic girdle elements. Larger fragments (≥ 20 mm) prevailed in the Roman Age, as did the presence of animal bones and blackened bones. We discuss these results by comparing them with sociocultural data of the human communities settled in the Po Valley during the Bronze, Iron, and Roman Ages. In conclusion, our study revealed different funerary rituals in northern Italy among the three periods.