South Siberia Research Articles

Красочные изображения горы Тепсей

The article considers painted images of Tepsei, which is one of the petroglyphic complexes of the Minusa basin. The images are found on the riverside rocks of Mount Tepsei at the Tepsei I site. The images are hard to see due to their poor preservation. All the discovered panels with painted images have natural cornices that protect the panels from surface water flows and calcite incrustation. The latter make the images hard to see, on the one hand, and make a conservation layer to prevent the images from discoloration, shedding, and pigment washout. These observations, concentration of the images on a confined part of the slope and uninterpreted spots of pigment on some of the panels make us to think that, at some ancient times, there were many more painted figures on the Tepsei cliffs, and they were lost as time went by. During the investigation, we used non-contact methods of documenting based on photography and digital image post-processing. Due to the overlapping of some painted images with ancient carved ones, we are able to attribute some of the painted figures. Similar overlapping cases are rare in the Minusa basin and in South Siberia, which makes them particularly valuable for the replenishment of the source base of earliest rock art images on this territory. Attributing some images is hard for today. The stylistic analysis along with the analysis of pigment maps also gives some basis for the relative chronology of the paintings. Most of the documented images are self-sufficient ochre paintings. There are some animal-style figures: aurochs, a deer, some zoomorphic images that are hard to be taxonomically defined. There is possibly one anthropomorphic figure with a bow in his hands. There is a carved zoomorphic figure with traces of ochre in the carving. On three other panels with the earliest stratum, there are just some relics of pigment. On one of the panels, there is an ochre relic documented only along the contour of the carved image, which tells that the carving was made over the painted image. We consider the findings presented to be an evidence of a broad usage of the painting technique in antiquity that widen the source base of pre-written South Siberian peoples' history.

Новинка для флоры Китая: сибирский «эндемик» Euphorbia karoi (Euphorbiaceae) встречается в южной части Внутренней Монголии

Euphorbia karoi, a species described from South Siberia (the vicinity of Nerchinsk) and known from only a few gatherings, is reported from China, the southern part of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. This species was collected by the Russian expedition led by P. K. Kozlov (1908) in the Helan (Alashan) Mountains and also in the Jiufeng Mountains (according to the specimen image from PE Herbarium). E. karoi is accepted here in the strict sense; its taxonomic status and characters are discussed. The current disjunction in its distribution may be explained by the expansions of the steppe and desert flora into Siberia from Central Asia during the Cenozoic.

Lithic reduction in the final Middle and Initial Upper Paleolithic industries of the Kara-Bom site as shown by refitting analysis (technology, closest analogies, chronology)

The paper employs the method of refitting to reconstruct the lithic reduction technologies that were used by the Middle Paleolithic and Initial Upper Paleolithic inhabitants of the site of Kara-Bom (Altai Mountains). It is shown that the Middle Paleolithic technology was oriented at the production of points that were mainly struck from convergent single platform (unidirectional) Levallois cores. The Initial Upper Paleolithic industry is characterized by sub-prismatic opposed platform (bidirectional) cores aimed at the production of blades. The author draws many analogies with synchronous industries distributed from the Levant to the east of South Siberia and Central Asia. The available archaeological, chronological and paleogeographic evidence gives grounds to argue that the development of the Paleolithic culture in Northern Asia was strongly affected by climatic fluctuations that took place during the Upper Pleistocene and had a significant impact on human migration routes.

Почтовая открытка начала XX века как источник для изучения лучного комплекса бурят

Purpose. The article analyzes items of the Buryats’ archery complex depicted on the postcards of the early 20th century. These are bows and arrows, quivers, bow cases, belts and one arrow storage. Also in the article, the history of photographs are examined, the authorship and dating of the photographs are found. Results. In total, four postcards with east Buryats and three postcards with west Buryats were found. The analysis showed that all the images have bows with similar geometrical features that tells us about the proximity of structures. Items similar in geometry are now kept in museums and private collections and belong to the Buryat traditional culture and differ from the Manchu tradition bows, popular among the peoples of South Siberia and Central Asia. All the Buryat quivers have a special shape and are called “humpbacked” in publications. The bow cases are shaped like half a bow. Quivers and bow cases are represented in two decorative traditions: western and eastern. In western tradition, usually the entire front surface of quivers and bow cases is covered with metal plates of various shapes. The edges were decorated with sub-rectangular plates using vajra and “ram’s horn symbols”. The central part of the bow cases was filled with discs, the same part of the quivers contains a disk and a ‘comet’. Eastern tradition shows the use of metal plates much less frequently. One image shows a quiver similar in design to Mongolian items, however, in shape resembling Buryat “humpbacked” quivers. One image shows an arrow storage – a case for storing arrows. The images also show the features of wearing and using items of the archery complex. Conclusion. The postcard images confirm previous conclusions about the uniqueness of the Buryat archery complex and make it possible to highlight new typical features. All of this tells us about the importance of referring to visual sources including postcards when studying weapons.

Physico-chemical conditions of crystallization of minerals-phenocrysts in basaltic complexes hosting massive sulfide deposits of the Urals fnd Siberia

he paper discusses the physico-chemical formation conditions of minerals-pheno-crysts in basaltic complexes, which host massive sulfde deposits of the Urals and Siberia. It is found as a result of study of melt inclusions that clinopyroxene from basalts of the Valentorka (North Urals) and Kyzyl-Tashtyg (South Siberia) deposits crystallized from melts with similar temperature (1165–1130 and 1210–1085 °С, respectively) and chemical parameters. In both cases, the composi¬tions of basalt-andesite magmas (with features of igneous island arc and back-arc basin systems) evolved with a decrease in FeO, MgO, and CaO contents and increase in K2O and SiO2 contents. Modeling, which is based on the compositions of inclusions and clinopyroxene, showed that miner-als-phenocrysts crystallized from intermediate magma chambers of diferent depth, the parameters of which are consistent with each other and with data on present-day suprasubduction magmatism: Valentorka deposit – 33–27, 23–13, and 10–3 km, 1185–1090 °C; Kyzyl-Tashtyg deposit – 27–20, 15.0–6.7, and 5.0–1.7 km, 1215–1105 °С. Calculations using compositions of melt inclusions show a consistent change of melts from basalts to rhyolites, indicating that the combination of contrasting volcanic complexes of the deposits studied are a result of the evolution of initial basaltic magmas during their uplift to the upper crustal horizons. Our studies of rocks, clinopyroxene and melt inclu¬sions indicate that the basaltic complexes of the Valentorka and Kyzyl-Tashtyg deposits formed in an ancient suprasubduction island arc – back-arc basin system.

Ethno-Cultural Vocabulary in Bilingual Dictionaries by I. I. Giganov (In Comparison with Turkic Languages of South Siberia)

The lexicographic works by I. I. Giganov brought us the lexical richness of the Siberian Tatar language of the 19th century. The article is devoted to the study of the most important layer of the language vocabulary - ethnocultural vocabulary, recorded in the bilingual dictionaries by I.I. Giganov. In this study, the ethnocultural vocabulary of the Siberian Tatars is considered on the basis of thematic groups, namely: the vocabulary of clothing and jewellery; the vocabulary of food and traditional dishes; the vocabulary related to kitchen utensils. The study used descriptive and comparative methods and partly etymological analysis techniques. Studying the bilingual dictionaries by I. I. Giganov, we came to the conclusion that the compiler sought to preserve the features of vocabulary-language signs and their grammatical design, taking into account the existing sign-evaluative and specific-verbal expressions, the unique features of the figurative language system of his time, observing these lexical-grammatical canons and obeying the laws of science of language.

Исследование генетического состава носителей староалейской культуры: постановка проблемы и первые результаты анализа вариабельности мтДНК

Against the intensive studies of the genetic composition of early nomads from the Altai-Sayan mountain system, a number of Scythian populations from the adjacent forest-steppe zone remain unexplored by paleogenetic methods. This article presents the first results of a paleogenetic study of the Staroaleisk culture carriers from the Firsovo-XIV burial ground in the Barnaul Ob region. Analysis of a small series of mitochondrial DNA samples (N = 10) confirmed the participation of populations associated with the autochthonous genetic substrate of the southern regions of Western Siberia in the formation of the genetic composition of the Staroaleisk population (specific composition of the Western Eurasian component of the mtDNA gene pool and the presence of autochthonous Eastern Eurasian A10 haplogroup). We showed the presence of mtDNA (lineages of haplogroups A8 and A11) in the Staroaleisk population, which testifies to its genetic ties with the carriers of the Scythian-Siberian cultures who inhabited the territories to the east of the Upper Ob region – the Altai- Sayan mountain system, Tuva and adjacent regions of Central Asia. Thus, paleogenetic data indicate that the genetic composition of the Sratoaleisk population was formed under the conditions of the genetic interaction between autochthonous populations of the region, whose genetic roots go back to the Bronze Age, and newly migrated groups who were carriers of the cultural traditions of the Scythian-time nomads. Taking into account the informative value of the first genetic results, we can expect a significant detailing of ethnogenetic processes reconstructions with increasing of DNA samples from the Staroaleisk population, analysis of additional genetic markers (Y-chromosome) and obtaining data on the gene pool of other early Iron Age populations from the Upper Ob region and adjacent regions of the South Siberia.

Ареалы и происхождение различных типов фонаций в тюркских языках Южной Сибири

Ареалы и происхождение различных типов фонаций в тюркских языках Южной Сибири

Evidences of Different Drought Sensitivity in Xylem Cell Developmental Processes in South Siberia Scots Pines

Research Highlights: This study emphasized the importance of multi-parameter analyses along ecological gradients for a more holistic understanding of the complex mechanism of tree-ring formation. Background and Objectives: The analysis of climatic signals from cell anatomical features measured along series of tree-rings provides mechanistic details on how environmental drivers rule tree-ring formation. However, the processes of cell development might not be independent, limiting the interpretation of the cell-based climatic signal. In this study, we investigated the variability, intercorrelations and climatic drivers of wood anatomical parameters, resulting from consequent cell developmental processes. Materials and Methods: The study was performed on thin cross-sections from wood cores sampled at ~1.3 m stem height from mature trees of Pinus sylvestris L. growing at five sampling sites along an ecological gradient from cold and wet to hot and dry within continental Southern Siberia. Tracheid number per radial file, their diameters and wall thicknesses were measured along the radial direction from microphotographs for five trees per site. These parameters were then averaged at each site for earlywood and latewood over the last 50 tree rings to build site chronologies. Their correlations among themselves and with 21-day moving climatic series were calculated. Results: Our findings showed that wood formation was not simply the result of environmentally driven independent subprocesses of cell division, enlargement and wall deposition. These processes appear to be interconnected within each zone of the ring, as well as between earlywood and latewood. However, earlywood parameters tend to have more distinctive climatic responses and lower intercorrelations. On the other hand, there are clear indications that the mechanisms of cell division and enlargement share similar climatic drivers and are more sensitive to water limitation than the process of wall deposition. Conclusions: Indications were provided that (i) earlywood formation left a legacy on latewood formation, (ii) cell division and enlargement shared more similar drivers between each other than with wall deposition, and (iii) the mechanism of cell division and enlargement along the gradient switch from water to heat limitations at different thresholds than wall deposition.

Морфофункциональные характеристики алтайцев и монголов, специализирующихся в вольной борьбе

Studies on the differences in the morphological characteristics of freestyle wrestlers belonging to related ethnic groups from South Siberia and Central Asia have not been previously conducted. This research aimed to perform a comparative analysis of the anthropometric and functional characteristics of freestyle wrestlers from two mono-ethnic samples: the Altaians and the Mongols. A total of 99 freestyle wrestlers were examined (mean age 25.0 ± 2.6 years). The anthropometric survey included measuring longitudinal (body length and length of segments), transverse (shoulder and pelvis width, transverse and sagittal diameters of the chest), circumferential (trunk and limb circumference) parameters, as well as body weight and skinfold thickness on the trunk and limbs. Body composition was determined by multi-frequency bioelectrical impedance analysis (ABC-02 MEDASS, Russia). During the stratification of athletes by the total body measures (weight and height), we identified anthropometric differences that can be either interethnic or those formed under the influence of targeted selection. The comparative analysis of anthropometric features of the longitudinal and transverse development of the skeleton allows us to suggest that the high values of the transverse diameter of the chest as well as relatively long legs and short arms typical of the Altaians are preserved by sports selection and are manifested in a wide range of height and weight values. The greatest variability is characteristic of the body’s fat component. Within the normal body length/weight ratio (body mass index ranging between 22.0 and 24.9 kg/m2), Altaian athletes showed greater fat mass but lower level of subcutaneous fat deposition compared to Mongolian wrestlers with the same body weight.

SPECIAL ASPECTS OF METROPOLITAN AREA (BASED ON THE MATERIAL OF THE HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL EVOLUTION OF THE CITY OF NUR-SULTAN)

The strategic aim lies in coming to a decision on the specific and particular characteristics of the historical and cultural development of Nur-Sultan city. A range of traditional general scientific research methods has been used. They are analytical, synthetic, and comparative. Among other things, the author refers to statistical data that reflects socially significant development processes of the city, which is currently called Nur-Sultan. The article’s observation can be summarized in the following context. Sociocultural dynamics in the context of the transformation (renaming) of cities in Akmolinsk – Tselinograd – Akmola – Astana – Nur-Sultan system is taken into consideration. The statement is substantiated that the very dynamics of the city’s growth in question were evolutionary, consistent, systemic in nature. The remarkable thing is that in the spring of 1961 a new city appeared on the map of the USSR: Akmolinsk was renamed Tselinograd. In reality, a relatively small city has become the center of the region of the virgin land, the heart of the project for the all-Union development of virgin lands (North Kazakhstan and South Siberia). There is a description of the period, relatively short, but certainly significant in the context of the outlined thematic field, when the analyzed city was called Akmola. It has been stated that there is a task-oriented successive vector of public support, which has been provided to the city over the course of decades. The emphasis is put on the importance of political will and perseverance in giving Akmola, Astana, and then Nur-Sultan not only the nominal status of capital but also the actual position of the city, which is of fundamental importance for the socio-political, cultural, economic growth of the whole Kazakhstan. Succession and consistency are two basic factors that made a small settlement of the nineteenth century Akmolinsk a capital city of Nur-Sultan at the end of the first twenty years of the 21st century.

Research of the ecologo-climatical niche of Brunnera sibirica Stev.

Brunnera sibirica is a Southern-Siberian endemic herb. Being a Pliocene relict, it is included in Red Data Books of many Siberian regions. The aim of our study was to identify the climatic niche and territories suitable for this vulnerable species using the MaxEnt method. The climatic profile of B. sibirica was constructed using the BIOCLIM method with 19 bioclimatic variables. The research has revealed that the climatic conditions in the most of Siberian territory are not suitable for the growth of B. sibirica, which confirms its relic origin in the south of Siberia.

Archaeological Sites of the Middle Kiya River: History of Discoveries and Study Prospects

The article introduces some information about the expeditionary studies on the archaeological sites located on the banks of the Middle Kiya River valley. The authors believe that the Kiya is one of the main rivers for such important historical and cultural area of South Siberia as the Kiya – Chulym interfluve. The expeditionary studies have been conducted here since the late XIX century; however, professional archaeological studies began as late as in the 1950s. The paper describes the excavations conducted by A. I. Martynov, G. S. Martynova, I. I. Baukhnik, A. M. Kilemzin, A. V. Tsirkin, A. P. Okladnikov, V. I. Molodin, V. V. Bobrov, A. S. Vasyutin, V. N. Zharonkin, P. V. German, A. V. Fribus, and P. G. Sokolov. It focuses on the carefully planned excavations conducted on the banks of the middle forest-steppe part of the Kiya River valley. Seven expeditions discovered eighty previously unknown archaeological sites. While performing the historiographic mapping of archaeological sites, the authors took into account the type of artifact and the type of archaeological study. The authors analyzed the localization of the archeological sites near the villages of Shestakovo and Chumay and the city of Mariinsk published by A. M. Kulemzin and I. I. Baukhnik and compared them with the results of the mapping. They defined the territory as a single Middle-Kiya archaeological microdistrict that includes the archaeological complexes of Shestakovo, Chumay, and Archekas (Mariinsk). The article also includes some preliminary ideas about the types of archaeological studies, as well as typological and chronological description of the monuments.

The formation and current state of the beaver population in the Kuznetskiy Alatau Mountains, South Siberia

The chronology of extinction and restoration of the Eurasian beaver population in the Kemerovo region is analyzed. The beavers exterminated at this territory at the end of the 18th century were reintroduced 60 years ago. The animals of Voronezh, Smolensk and Belarusian origin were used as the pedigree material. The stages of formation of the Castor fiber population through artificial and natural resettlement and the vectors of dispersion over the main rivers of the region are investigated. The first stage of formation of the Kuzbass population lasted more than 30 years, until 1995. There was the formation, enlargement and closure of isolated colonies into a meta-population. The animals actively settled and developed the most favorable habitats. The second period, which lasted almost 20 years, can be conveniently classified into three stages of rapid growth in numbers, which alternated with stages of relative stabilization. During this time, beavers settled in all large river basins, began to explore anthropogenic landscapes and began to appear near of human settlements. The assessment of the current spatial distribution of beavers in the conditions of the foothills of southern Siberia is made. On the model territory in the east of Kuzbass - the Kuznetskiy Alatau Nature Reserve and adjacent areas - the dynamics of the development of mountain streams by beavers in the absence and/or minimum hunting pressure is shown. Specialized protected area have played an important role in the formation of the modern Kuzbass beaver population. Now beavers have formed stable settlements even in the zone of subalpine meadows at altitudes up to 1350 m a. s. l. and migrate through mountain passes to the Krasnoyarsk Territory and the Republic of Khakassia. The current population of the Eurasian beavers in the Kuzbass exceeds 18,000 individuals, however, this important hunting resource is not exploited efficiently enough. If this trend persists, supported by the weak economic interest of trappers, the further development of the Kuzbass population of the Eurasian beaver will largely be determined by natural factors.

Genetic polymorphism in Siberian stone pine (Pinus sibirica Du Tour) populations from Ural and Altai-Sayan mountains

The article presents the results of analysis of the variability of 23 allozyme loci in 10 populations of Siberian Stone pine. Populations from South Siberia mountain regions had higher percentage of polymorphic loci in averageand mean number of alleles per loci (P99% = 44,57 %, NA = 1,543 ± 0,014) compared to Ural populations (P99%=29,57%,NA = 1,348 ± 0,015). The average values of the observed and expected heterozygosity in the populations of the Altai-Sayan (HO = 0,087 ±0,007 and HE = 0,090 ± 0,004) and the Ural mountain region (HO = 0,083 ± 0,008 и HE = 0,082 ± 0,005)were close. About 8.4% of the total genetic diversity is due to differences between the studied populations. The results ofmultidimensional data analysis confirm the existence of the Altai-Sayan and Ural refugia in the post-glacial period andthe dispersal of Siberian stone pine to the North from the Ural glacier refugium.

First records of the Dendroxena quadrimaculata (Scopoli, 1771) (Coleoptera, Silphidae) in Tyumen region and possible reasons for its range expansion in Western Siberia

The paper presents data on the first records of Dendroxena quadrimaculata (Scopoli, 1771) in the Tyumen region. D. quadrimaculata is distributed in the European part of Russia, Caucasus and south of Siberia. This species was not previously recorded in the Tyumen region, but within two years (2018–2019), it spread throughout the region. We considered the possible reasons for its range expansion in Western Siberia.

Кого хранит великая богиня: нарративы и практики неотрадиционализма в современных религиозных представлениях тюрков Южной Сибири

The article considers the evolution of the traditional religion of South Siberian Turks influenced by modernisation. The author solves the problem of identification the prerequisites of gender asymmetry displacement in favour of feminisation of the religious beliefs of Khakass and Altai peoples. Methodological basis of the research is a conception of socio-cultural neo-traditionalism. Sacralisation of notable sites and related monuments of historical and cultural heritage is considered as one of the ways to overcome the collective memory trauma caused by modernisation. In order to substantiate her position, the author refers to the cases illustrating the desire to spot the source of sacred power of an ethnic community in archaeological artefacts. In collective memory of Khakass and Altai peoples, this power is embodied in the symbols associated with female reproductive and protective capacity. The author shows the specifics of narratives and practices of neo-traditionalism among the Turks of South Siberia on the example of nation-wide cults that have developed around their worship of Khurtuyakh-Tas and Ak-Kydyn. Particular attention is paid to the connection between the sacred and the secular in the formation of ethno-confessional narrative around the idea of female deity as a patron and guardian of life force of the people. The empirical basis of the research is the results of sociological expeditions carried out by the author from 2003 to 2018 in the Republic of Altai and Republic of Khakassia. The author analyses the cases of conflicting and conflict-free imposition of two hypostases of the same monument: a museum archaeological artefact and a sacred object of religious worship. The article substantiates the thesis that with the introduction of scientific rationality into public consciousness the religious discourse takes a new breath, becomes an element of social and political life of the national republics of South Siberia. The article concludes that patriarchal basis of traditional culture is eroded and its vanished elements are replaced by symbols associated with feminine strength.

Umbilicaria orientalis– a new species ofUmbilicariasubg.Papillophorawith an East Asian distribution: morphological delimitation and molecular evidence

AbstractUmbilicaria orientalisDavydov sp. nov. is described and phylogenetic analysis (ITS, mtLSU andRPB2) confirmed its distinctness and indicated a sister relationship withU. trabeculatawithin theU.velleagroup. The species is morphologically similar toU. velleabut differs by simple, cylindrical or strap-like rhizinomorphs and by thalloconidia, developing both on the lower surface and on rhizinomorphs, that are 1–2 (rarely 4)–celled or in aggregates of up to 5–6 cells.Umbilicaria orientalisis described from the Russian Far East and is currently known from a wide range of localities in East Asia, from the Far East to South Siberia and Mongolia in the north, to Hebei and Tibet in the south. New sequences ofU. americanawere obtained; the species represents an independent phylogenetic lineage withinUmbilicariasubg.Papillophora. Diagnostic traits and variability of different developmental stages ofU. orientalis, as well as its East Asian distribution pattern, are discussed.

Physico-chemical parameters of mineral-forming processes in pegmatites of the ilmenogorsk alkaline complex (South Urals) аnd Altai-Sayany Region (Siberia)

The conditions of mineral formation in non-granite pegmatites of the Urals and Siberia are examined. The physico-chemical parameters of the crystallization of minerals in miaskite-pegmatites of the Ilmenogorsk alkaline complex (South Urals) and pyroxenite-pegmatites from ophiolite associations of the Altai-Sayan region (South Siberia) are determined using inclusions of mineral-forming media in minerals and computational modeling based on data on the composition of melt inclusions in COMAGMAT, PETROLOG and PLUTON programs. The study of multiphase (silicate and salt crystals + vapor and liquid) inclusions showed that nepheline miaskite-pegmatites formed from melts-brines at maximum temperatures of 700–750 °C and pressures of 3100–3600 bar. During further decrease in temperature (up to 500–510 °C) and pressure (up to 1200 bar), cancrinite crystallizes from mostly fuid systems. Sodalite forms at the fnal stages of the pegmatite-forming processes (370–440 °C, up to 1000 bar). The analysis of multiphase fuid inclusions with salt phases indicates the involvement of highly saline fuids with temperatures of 445–455 °C during the formation of pyroxenite-pegmatites in serpentinites. Data on melt inclusions in Cr-spinels from ophiolite ultramafc rocks (including clinopyroxenites) indicate the possible crystallization of pyroxenite-pegmatites (hosted in ordinary pyroxenites) in high-temperature (1315–1245 to 1205–1100 °С) magmatic systems.

GRANITES OF THE NORTHERN TIMAN – PROBABLE INDICATORS OF NEOPROTEROZOIC STAGES OF RODINIA BREAKUP

The Northern Timan is an uplifted block of Late Precambrian basement of the Timan Ridge, where Neoproterozoic sedimentary-metamorphic rocks of the Barmin Group are cut by intrusive rocks of different composition and all unconformably overlain by Lower Silurian limestone. To determine the age of granites, U-Pb dating of zircons was carried out using secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). Two episodes of Neoproterozoic granite magmatism were established. Granite rocks of the Bolshoy Kameshek (613 ± 6 Ma) and Cape Bolshoy Rumyanichny (614 ± 11 Ma) plutons are interpreted to be associated with the formation of Central Iapetus Magmatic Province and record the Ediacaran stage of Rodinia breakup. The granites of the Sopki Kamennyie pluton (723‒727 Ma) formed in Cryogenian time and are assumed to represent an earlier episode of Rodinia breakup. Their ages correlate with the age of the Franklin LIP that existed in Northern Laurentia and is believed to have spread to South Siberia.