This paper presents the results of a comprehensive study of bone arrowheads from the Bronze to Iron Age Transition Period discovered at the Mergen 6 settlement (8th — 7th centuries BC). The morphology of the objects was studied, and their technological and use-wear analysis was conducted. The results revealed that the sample does not exhibit typological diversity. All arrowheads are tanged, with the most variable dimensions, proportions, and cross-section of the blade, which can be explained by the type of blank used to produce the arrowheads. The main techniques of secondary bone processing have been identified, including chopping, cutting, planing, scraping, and, less commonly, abrasive processing. It has been established that the artisans primarily used metal chopping and cutting tools, but occasional use of stone tools has also been noted. A sequence in the design of the arrowhead's structural components has been identified, expressed in the prioritization of the blade or the parallel design of the blade and the pommel. These observations are consistent with materials from contemporaneous sites of the Bronze to Iron Age transition and Early Iron Age complexes, constituting a unified territorial and chronological tradition. Furthermore, the redesign of one arrowhead and its secondary use, possibly as an ornamental element, has been documented.

Keywords: Western Siberia, Ishim region, Bronze to Iron Age Transition, Krasnoozerka, Itkul, Gamayun Cultures, bone arrowheads, technology, traceology.

 

Funding. The research was carried by within the framework of the state assignment of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation (theme No. FWRZ-2021-0006).

 

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

Accepted: 02.10.2025

Article is published: 15.12.2025