Here, we present the results of the study of osteological materials from the settlement of the Chiyalik Culture of the Golden Horde period. The site is located in the forest-steppe zone of the Cis-Ural region, in the Dema River basin, and it is dated to the end of the first — second half of the 14^th c. (1330/50–90). The analysis of the taxonomic affiliation of bone remains showed that cattle breeding predominated in the economy of the ancient population of the Yabalakaly-1 village. The species included three taxa — large and small cattle, and horse, with the prevalence of the former. A camel was found, which may indicate the existence of caravan trade. The analysis of the composition of skeletal sections suggests that animal carcasses were most likely butchered directly at the village. Wild mammal species are only represented by single bones. Game and fish constituted a small part of the population's diet. In general, the characteristics of the economy of the Yabalakly-1 community correspond to those of other sites of the Chiyalik Culture. The absence of pig bones is consistent with archaeological data on Muslim burials common in the Chiyalik Culture. The discovery of domestic chicken bones casts doubts on the perception of this population as semi-nomadic, however, more accurate conclusions will be drawn after the analysis of the slaughter season for the animals.

Keywords: Southern Urals, Dema River, The Golden Horde, late Middle Ages, Chiyalik culture, village, archaeozoology.

 

Funding. The research was funded by the Russian Science Foundation, project No. 23-78-10057 “Dynamics of cultural development and development of the Southern Urals from antiquity to becoming part of Russia (IV century BC — XVI century): interdisciplinary archaeological research”.

 

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Accepted: 03.10.2024

Article is published: 15.03.2025