Yen’shin D.N., Skochina S.N.

Adaptation resources of the Neolithic population from the Mergen’ lake  (housebuilding aspect)

Subject to estimation being adaptation resources in terms of studying housebuilding with the Neolithic population to have left settlements on the north-east side of the Mergen’ lake in the Low Ishim basin. Within limits of that economic-and-ecological niche, they discovered possible building materials, instruments, erection methods and details of the inner arrangement of the dwellings. Basing on particulars of the dwellings, they undertook their graphic reconstructions.

Low Ishim basin, the Neolithic Age, housebuilding, adaptation resources, settlement, Mergen’ 3, Mergen’ 6, Mergen’ 7, economic-and-ecological niche, dwelling, heating systems, arrangement of the hearths, heating pits, drainage-and ventilation ditches.

Skochina S.N.

Hunting and fishing tools in the Neolithic of the Low Ishim basin

The paper considers a big collection of tools with direct or indirect relation to hunting and fishing in the inventory of the Neolithic sites from the Low Ishim basin. Basing on complex analysis, including typological analysis and trace evidence analysis, subject to identification being types of hunting and fishing tools, revealing traces of their use.

Neolithic Age, Low Ishim basin, heads of spears, fishing tools, typological and trace evidence analysis, microphotos of traces of use.

Sotnikova S.V.

Children’s burials with sets of knucklebones and a role of games in societies of steppe population of the Bronze Age

The article considers children’s burials with sets of knucklebones, represented in sites of the Bronze Ages from Eurasian steppes (the Sintashta, Petrovka, Potapovka, Alakul, and srubnaya ones). Subject to identification being two age groups with sets of knucklebones being of different purpose. Attracting a broad circle of ethnographic sources as analogies, the author comes to a conclusion on the early existence of  specific children’s sacral sphere which spread not only into the field of children’s things, but also into their games.

Sites of the Sintashta, Petrovka and Potapovka types, Alakul culture, srubnaya culture, sets of knucklebones, children’s games, a sacral sphere of life.

Kupriyanova Ye.V.

Stepnoye 25 burial site of the Bronze Age (investigation  results)

The article gives investigation results regarding Stepnoye 25 burial site of the Bronze Age (Chelyabinsk Oblast). The complex has a long history of investigation, starting from the 1950s. In 2013, subject to investigation being a mound of srubnaya archaeological culture containing a central female burial and seven periphery children’s burials in a ditch.

Bronze Age, srubnaya culture, South Trans-Urals, burial rite, steppe, forest steppe.

Bakhshiyev I.I., Bakhshiyev R.I.

Settling structure and models of organizing living space with ancient population of Bashkir Trans-Urals (analysis of spatial data)

The paper considers particulars of a spatial arrangement system regarding settlements of the late Bronze Age on the territory of Bashkir Trans-Urals, using methods based on the «rank-size» rule. Within a local territory, subject to construction being a hierarchy scheme of subordinate sites defined into limits of corresponding spatial settlement complexes — microregions/clusters.

Late Bronze Age, settlement sites, Bashkir Trans-Urals, spatial relations, gravitation models, microregion, rank-size, associative number.

Chikunova I.Yu.

Clay anthropomorphous plastic  arts of medieval Trans-Urals

The Middle Ages in Trans-Urals in IX–XII cc. is characterized by the existence of cultures (Yudinskaya, Ust-Ishimskaya, Kintusovskaya) in which archaeological material being such category of findings as clay anthropomorphous plastic arts. Figurines of a small size mostly depict sitting people dressed into clothes elaborately decorated with ornament.

Middle Ages, Trans-Urals, clay plastic arts, anthropomorphous figurines.

Borzunov V.A., Chemyakin Yu.P.

Karym burial sites from taiga Low Ob basin

The article describes Karym necropolises from West Siberian middle and south taiga, including a burial site discovered in Surgut Low Ob basin. Subject to establishment being originality of early medieval mound burial sites left by the communities with mixed population, among those descendants of north Karym and south Sargatka groups.

West Siberia, taiga, early Middle Ages, Karym stage, burial sites.