Books by Andrey Epimakhov
The Proceedings include the contributions of the XIth All-Russian Conference with international p... more The Proceedings include the contributions of the XIth All-Russian Conference with international participation named after Prof. V.V. Zaykov»Geoarchaeology and Archaeological Mineralogy-2024». The Proceedings includes extended abstracts devoted to the analysis of technological traditions of the prehistoric past revealed by means of natural-scientific analytical methods. The first chapter is devoted to current problems of geoarchaeology of a general nature in the key to their solution using mineralogical and geochemical research methods. The second chapter combines geochemical studies of bone remains of people and animals, as well as archaeozoological research. The third chapter presents natural-scientific analytical methods for studying various archaeological objects and artifacts. The fourth chapter is devoted to the study of the use of rocks by ancient societies and the technology of processing stone material. The fifth and sixth parts combine studies of metal production of the Paleometal era, as well as the early Iron Age and the Middle Ages. The Proceedings is intended for geologists, archaeologists, historians, and museum staff.
Geoarchaeology and Archaeological Mineralogy, 2022
The Proceedings comprise the papers presented at the “IX Geoarchaeology and Archaeological Minera... more The Proceedings comprise the papers presented at the “IX Geoarchaeology and Archaeological Mineralogy-2022” Conference. This event took place at the South Ural Federal Research Center of Mineralogy and Geoecology, Urals Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Miass, Russia, from September 19th to 22nd, 2022.
Part General Issues of Geoarchaeology and Archaeometry is devoted to the general problems of paleogeography and survey of the Bronze and Early Iron Ages, affecting wide regions from the Northern Black Sea coast to the Urals. Here are the authors’ concepts on the development of ancient production, as well as a series of the latest isotopic-geochemical studies of artefacts.
Part Bioarchaeology and Cultural Layer Research, modern possibilities of studying the cultural layer are presented, related to the issues of diet, migration, and individual mobility of people and technologies in antiquity.
Part The Use of Rocks and Minerals by Ancient Societies combines the results of field and analytical studies of the ancient mines. The materials in this chapter are devoted from Caucasus to Western Siberia, from Stone to Bronze Age and Antiquity.
Part Mineralogical and Geochemical Methods in the Study of Ancient Ceramics is devoted to the features of the chemical and mineral composition of ancient ceramic artefacts originating from archaeological sites of Urals and the European part of Russia.
Part Archaeometallurgy and Metalworking presents the mineralogical and geochemical characteristics ofmetal artefacts, ancient ores, and metallurgical processing products discovered during archaeological excavations. The results of this part are devoted to the period from the Bronze Age to the Middle Ages.
Multidisciplinary archaeometry research is an important aspect of archaeological surveys. Various mineralogical, chemical, and isotopic research methods that are currently used in geological study are only just beginning to be introduced into widespread archaeological practice in Russia. The “Geoarchaeology and Archaeological Mineralogy” is one of the first conferences that provide a successful collaboration of various researchers from both geological and archaeological areas.
The Geoarchaeological Conference is aimed to coordinate and effectively improve the multilevel training of scientists and make linkages between young scientists and scientific geological and archaeological institutions. The conference aims to accumulate knowledge on new modern geological, geophysical, mineralogical, petrographic, and geochemical methods for searching and studying archaeological sites and ancient mines.
The conference promotes the application of natural scientific methods in archaeology and contributes to the knowledge of the mineral resource base of ancient societies, the analysis of economic relations in antiquity, and a combination of traditions and innovations from a historical perspective. The main social task of the conference is to form scientific linkages between the young scientists from various geological and archaeological scientific institutions of Russia and the international community, and to introduce the new generation of students into the field of science.
You can find the link to the previous volumes of Proceedings https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-48864-2, https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007%2F978-3-030-86040-0, https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-16544-3.
The Proceedings are intended for archaeologists, historians, museum staff, and geologists and also would benefit students, graduate students, and specialists—who are interested in the application of minerals at different stages of human development.
Степное: новые горизонты, 2023
The new monograph, which continues a series of publications on the study of archaeological sites ... more The new monograph, which continues a series of publications on the study of archaeological sites near Stepnoye village (Plast district of Chelyabinsk region, Russia), introduces materials from both old excavations and the results of recent field seasons into scientifi c circulation. The second chapter presents the results of scientifi c
analyses of settlement materials, which signifi cantly complement the picture of the economy and life of the Sintashta population.
Geoarchaeology and Archaeological Mineralogy – 2021, 2022
Маргулановские чтения–2021: материалы международной научно-практической конференции «Великая степь в контексте этнокультурных исследований», 2021
The procedure for analyzing collective burials is illustrated by two case studies of the Sintasht... more The procedure for analyzing collective burials is illustrated by two case studies of the Sintashta and Abashevo cultures of the Bronze Age. The interpretation of such complexes has been based on the most complete and detailed analysis of the burials themselves, their anthropological composition, the presence of trauma traces, as well as on a wide cultural background. The following should be considered as equal scenarios for the formation of the complex: a one-time death of individuals and a single funeral; non-one-time deaths of individuals and single funeral; non-one-time deaths of individuals and repeated actions (multi-act burial ritual). The analyzed materials illustrate the high probability of the fact that similar complexes may formally have fundamentally different ideas underlying the objectified behavioral acts.
В сборнике представлены материалы VIII Всероссийской научной конференции с международным участием... more В сборнике представлены материалы VIII Всероссийской научной конференции с международным участием им. проф. В.В. Зайкова «Геоархеология и археологическая минералогия-2021». Издание включает расширенные тезисы, посвященные анализу
технологических традиций доисторического прошлого, выявленных с помощью естественно-научных методов исследований. В первой части сборника рассматриваются
актуальные вопросы геоархеологии (археометрии). Вторая часть посвящена изучению минерально-сырьевой базы древних обществ и технике обработки каменного материала. В третьей части охарактеризованы методики изучения палеокерамического производства. Четвертая часть содержит сведения о составе и технологических особенностях добычи медных руд в древности. В пятой части собраны материалы по археометаллургии и металлопроизводству.
Издание рассчитано на геологов, археологов, историков и музейных работников. Все выпуски сборника находятся в открытом доступе.
The Proceedings include the contributions of the VIIIth All-Russian Conference with international participation named after Prof. V.V. Zaykov «Geoarchaeology and Archaeological Mineralogy-2021». The Proceedings includes extended abstracts devoted to the analysis of
technological traditions of the prehistoric past revealed by means of natural-scientific research methods. The first chapter deals with the topical issues of geoarchaeology (archaeometry). The second chapter is devoted to the study of mineral and raw material base of ancient societies and the technique of processing of stone material. The third chapter describes the methods of studying paleoceramic production. The fourth chapter contains information about the composition and
technological features of copper ore mining in antiquity. The fifth chapter contains materials on archaeometallurgy and metal production.
The Proceedings is intended for geologists, archaeologists, historians, and museum workers. All issues are in the open access
History of the South Urals (digest), 2019
Based on a synthesis of the accumulated materials on the archaeology of the South Urals and adjac... more Based on a synthesis of the accumulated materials on the archaeology of the South Urals and adjacent territories, the publication presents the history of the social, cultural and economic development of the region’s population in the Stone, Bronze and Early Iron Ages. A comprehensive analysis of archaeological and written sources reveals the historical processes that took place in the South Ural steppes in the period from the Great Migration of Peoples to the collapse of the Golden Horde. New data obtained in the course of the archival research and detailed analysis of the pre-revolutionary Russia mining legislation present the South Urals of the XVI–XIX centuries. Modern research reveals key events in the history of the South Urals in the XX century.
The book is aimed at graduate and postgraduate students, professional historians, and a wide range of readers interested in the history of Russia.
The South Urals at the beginning of the metal era. The Bronze Age, 2019
В данной монографии впервые сведены воедино материалы могильника позднего бронзового века Кулевчи... more В данной монографии впервые сведены воедино материалы могильника позднего бронзового века Кулевчи VI в Южном Зауралье. В книге читатель может найти как исчерпывающее описание исследованных экспедицией ЧГПИ в 1979–1983 гг. объектов, так и результаты обработки материалов этого замечательного во многих аспектах памятника разнообразными профильными специалистами. Безусловным достоинством монографии является ее обширный иллюстративный ряд.
Монография предназначена, прежде всего, для археологов. Но может быть полезна для всех интересующихся проблемами древней истории Южного Зауралья. Пространное англоязычное резюме, как надеются авторы, многократно увеличит читательскую аудиторию книги.
The cemetery of Kamenny Ambar-5 (Southern Trans-Urals) of the Bronze Age includes kurgans of the ... more The cemetery of Kamenny Ambar-5 (Southern Trans-Urals) of the Bronze Age includes kurgans of the Sintashta and Srubnaya cultures. Despite the radical differences in the funeral rites and material culture, these objects have a number of similar features. Firstly, the stratigraphically late burials of the Sintashta kurgans contain ceramic vessels with Srubnaya features. Secondly, calibrated radiocarbon dates indicate a single time interval (first quarter of the 2nd millennium cal BC). Finally, paleogenetic analysis has revealed the internal heterogeneity for the Sintashta and Srubnaya series. At the same time, groups of outliers find correspondences in series of different cultures: some of the Sintashta individuals resemble Srubnaya individuals and vice versa. Thus, the results of multidisciplinary research show a picture of a complex interaction of different cultural traditions, at least partially synchronous during the beginning of the late Bronze Age.
... to the area under study clearer in our future reasoning, we must review briefly at ... There ... more ... to the area under study clearer in our future reasoning, we must review briefly at ... There are now about 184 radiocarbon dates from metal-producing sites of this area indicating the ... Regional economic specialization and new types of social relations and connec-tions also were ...
The Urals and Western Siberia in the Bronze and Iron Ages, 2007
The Urals and Western Siberia in the Bronze and Iron Ages, 2007
The Urals and Western Siberia in the Bronze and Iron Ages, 2007
The Urals and Western Siberia in the Bronze and Iron Ages, 2007
The Urals and Western Siberia in the Bronze and Iron Ages, 2007
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Books by Andrey Epimakhov
Part General Issues of Geoarchaeology and Archaeometry is devoted to the general problems of paleogeography and survey of the Bronze and Early Iron Ages, affecting wide regions from the Northern Black Sea coast to the Urals. Here are the authors’ concepts on the development of ancient production, as well as a series of the latest isotopic-geochemical studies of artefacts.
Part Bioarchaeology and Cultural Layer Research, modern possibilities of studying the cultural layer are presented, related to the issues of diet, migration, and individual mobility of people and technologies in antiquity.
Part The Use of Rocks and Minerals by Ancient Societies combines the results of field and analytical studies of the ancient mines. The materials in this chapter are devoted from Caucasus to Western Siberia, from Stone to Bronze Age and Antiquity.
Part Mineralogical and Geochemical Methods in the Study of Ancient Ceramics is devoted to the features of the chemical and mineral composition of ancient ceramic artefacts originating from archaeological sites of Urals and the European part of Russia.
Part Archaeometallurgy and Metalworking presents the mineralogical and geochemical characteristics ofmetal artefacts, ancient ores, and metallurgical processing products discovered during archaeological excavations. The results of this part are devoted to the period from the Bronze Age to the Middle Ages.
Multidisciplinary archaeometry research is an important aspect of archaeological surveys. Various mineralogical, chemical, and isotopic research methods that are currently used in geological study are only just beginning to be introduced into widespread archaeological practice in Russia. The “Geoarchaeology and Archaeological Mineralogy” is one of the first conferences that provide a successful collaboration of various researchers from both geological and archaeological areas.
The Geoarchaeological Conference is aimed to coordinate and effectively improve the multilevel training of scientists and make linkages between young scientists and scientific geological and archaeological institutions. The conference aims to accumulate knowledge on new modern geological, geophysical, mineralogical, petrographic, and geochemical methods for searching and studying archaeological sites and ancient mines.
The conference promotes the application of natural scientific methods in archaeology and contributes to the knowledge of the mineral resource base of ancient societies, the analysis of economic relations in antiquity, and a combination of traditions and innovations from a historical perspective. The main social task of the conference is to form scientific linkages between the young scientists from various geological and archaeological scientific institutions of Russia and the international community, and to introduce the new generation of students into the field of science.
You can find the link to the previous volumes of Proceedings https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-48864-2, https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007%2F978-3-030-86040-0, https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-16544-3.
The Proceedings are intended for archaeologists, historians, museum staff, and geologists and also would benefit students, graduate students, and specialists—who are interested in the application of minerals at different stages of human development.
analyses of settlement materials, which signifi cantly complement the picture of the economy and life of the Sintashta population.
https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-16544-3
технологических традиций доисторического прошлого, выявленных с помощью естественно-научных методов исследований. В первой части сборника рассматриваются
актуальные вопросы геоархеологии (археометрии). Вторая часть посвящена изучению минерально-сырьевой базы древних обществ и технике обработки каменного материала. В третьей части охарактеризованы методики изучения палеокерамического производства. Четвертая часть содержит сведения о составе и технологических особенностях добычи медных руд в древности. В пятой части собраны материалы по археометаллургии и металлопроизводству.
Издание рассчитано на геологов, археологов, историков и музейных работников. Все выпуски сборника находятся в открытом доступе.
The Proceedings include the contributions of the VIIIth All-Russian Conference with international participation named after Prof. V.V. Zaykov «Geoarchaeology and Archaeological Mineralogy-2021». The Proceedings includes extended abstracts devoted to the analysis of
technological traditions of the prehistoric past revealed by means of natural-scientific research methods. The first chapter deals with the topical issues of geoarchaeology (archaeometry). The second chapter is devoted to the study of mineral and raw material base of ancient societies and the technique of processing of stone material. The third chapter describes the methods of studying paleoceramic production. The fourth chapter contains information about the composition and
technological features of copper ore mining in antiquity. The fifth chapter contains materials on archaeometallurgy and metal production.
The Proceedings is intended for geologists, archaeologists, historians, and museum workers. All issues are in the open access
The book is aimed at graduate and postgraduate students, professional historians, and a wide range of readers interested in the history of Russia.
Монография предназначена, прежде всего, для археологов. Но может быть полезна для всех интересующихся проблемами древней истории Южного Зауралья. Пространное англоязычное резюме, как надеются авторы, многократно увеличит читательскую аудиторию книги.
Part General Issues of Geoarchaeology and Archaeometry is devoted to the general problems of paleogeography and survey of the Bronze and Early Iron Ages, affecting wide regions from the Northern Black Sea coast to the Urals. Here are the authors’ concepts on the development of ancient production, as well as a series of the latest isotopic-geochemical studies of artefacts.
Part Bioarchaeology and Cultural Layer Research, modern possibilities of studying the cultural layer are presented, related to the issues of diet, migration, and individual mobility of people and technologies in antiquity.
Part The Use of Rocks and Minerals by Ancient Societies combines the results of field and analytical studies of the ancient mines. The materials in this chapter are devoted from Caucasus to Western Siberia, from Stone to Bronze Age and Antiquity.
Part Mineralogical and Geochemical Methods in the Study of Ancient Ceramics is devoted to the features of the chemical and mineral composition of ancient ceramic artefacts originating from archaeological sites of Urals and the European part of Russia.
Part Archaeometallurgy and Metalworking presents the mineralogical and geochemical characteristics ofmetal artefacts, ancient ores, and metallurgical processing products discovered during archaeological excavations. The results of this part are devoted to the period from the Bronze Age to the Middle Ages.
Multidisciplinary archaeometry research is an important aspect of archaeological surveys. Various mineralogical, chemical, and isotopic research methods that are currently used in geological study are only just beginning to be introduced into widespread archaeological practice in Russia. The “Geoarchaeology and Archaeological Mineralogy” is one of the first conferences that provide a successful collaboration of various researchers from both geological and archaeological areas.
The Geoarchaeological Conference is aimed to coordinate and effectively improve the multilevel training of scientists and make linkages between young scientists and scientific geological and archaeological institutions. The conference aims to accumulate knowledge on new modern geological, geophysical, mineralogical, petrographic, and geochemical methods for searching and studying archaeological sites and ancient mines.
The conference promotes the application of natural scientific methods in archaeology and contributes to the knowledge of the mineral resource base of ancient societies, the analysis of economic relations in antiquity, and a combination of traditions and innovations from a historical perspective. The main social task of the conference is to form scientific linkages between the young scientists from various geological and archaeological scientific institutions of Russia and the international community, and to introduce the new generation of students into the field of science.
You can find the link to the previous volumes of Proceedings https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-48864-2, https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007%2F978-3-030-86040-0, https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-16544-3.
The Proceedings are intended for archaeologists, historians, museum staff, and geologists and also would benefit students, graduate students, and specialists—who are interested in the application of minerals at different stages of human development.
analyses of settlement materials, which signifi cantly complement the picture of the economy and life of the Sintashta population.
https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-16544-3
технологических традиций доисторического прошлого, выявленных с помощью естественно-научных методов исследований. В первой части сборника рассматриваются
актуальные вопросы геоархеологии (археометрии). Вторая часть посвящена изучению минерально-сырьевой базы древних обществ и технике обработки каменного материала. В третьей части охарактеризованы методики изучения палеокерамического производства. Четвертая часть содержит сведения о составе и технологических особенностях добычи медных руд в древности. В пятой части собраны материалы по археометаллургии и металлопроизводству.
Издание рассчитано на геологов, археологов, историков и музейных работников. Все выпуски сборника находятся в открытом доступе.
The Proceedings include the contributions of the VIIIth All-Russian Conference with international participation named after Prof. V.V. Zaykov «Geoarchaeology and Archaeological Mineralogy-2021». The Proceedings includes extended abstracts devoted to the analysis of
technological traditions of the prehistoric past revealed by means of natural-scientific research methods. The first chapter deals with the topical issues of geoarchaeology (archaeometry). The second chapter is devoted to the study of mineral and raw material base of ancient societies and the technique of processing of stone material. The third chapter describes the methods of studying paleoceramic production. The fourth chapter contains information about the composition and
technological features of copper ore mining in antiquity. The fifth chapter contains materials on archaeometallurgy and metal production.
The Proceedings is intended for geologists, archaeologists, historians, and museum workers. All issues are in the open access
The book is aimed at graduate and postgraduate students, professional historians, and a wide range of readers interested in the history of Russia.
Монография предназначена, прежде всего, для археологов. Но может быть полезна для всех интересующихся проблемами древней истории Южного Зауралья. Пространное англоязычное резюме, как надеются авторы, многократно увеличит читательскую аудиторию книги.
archaeologists. Modern radiocarbon studies inevitably involve checking the coincidence of the carbon source with the event being studied also. One of the main problems for the Stone Age of the Ural region is the beginning of the Neolithic and the distribution of ceramic production. Today, some facts denote that process can be dated by earlier period - the middle of the 7th millennium BC. A number of chronological problems for the Bronze Age have been resolved, but the accumulation of series remains urgent. The sharpest defi cit can be detected when
trying to build the system of chronology of the Pit-Grave culture and its relationship with the cultures of the local Chalcolithic, the chronology of the Abashevo culture, the Final Bronze Age etc. We can state that the problems of the region chronology for the Stone and Bronze Ages are acute, and their solution requires both organizational efforts and signifi cant fi nancial investments.
and Western Siberia. In this regard, the Alakul’ culture is to be attributed to the first half of the II millennium BC cal. with a probable reduction of this interval in future.
was supported by means of annual household cycle, marital and other forms of relations.
mostly, on multi-disciplinary research. The paper demonstrates the capabilities of archaeological sources in the study of mobility using the example of one archaeological site that contained the attributes of a chariot complex (cheek-pieces and a cross-straps distributer of a horse’s headband). Typology of the discovered cheek-pieces suggests that they can be attributed to the Petrovka tradition with some Sintashta traits, while the ceramic assemblage is ascribed entirely to the Petrovka and Alakul cultures. There are no items that would be completely analogous to the strap distributor; however, the decoration tradition is very common for chariot sets found in the Don-Volga region. The finds from the Vladimirovka burial ground is not only a good illustration of people’s mobility but also help advance a hypothesis about individual mobility or mobility of small groups directly linked to production and use of the chariot set.
Previous research had largely ignored aspects of gender and age identity and other social aspects of individuals linked with chariotry. Our analysis clearly demonstrates the diversity of ‘chariot’ burials and the absence of firm rules governing their construction. The grave goods discovered contain attributes of chariot complexes that are quite diverse, including the following elements: weaponry, tools, ornaments, and items and artefacts linked to the production of metal objects. Departing from what has previously been proposed and stereotyped, we suggest that chariotry is likely to have been a part-time activity for some males (although some cheek-pieces were found in children’s and women’s burials), but most probably not for all men in a community. Archaeologically, we do not see a social group of so-called ‘warrior-charioteers’ who were exclusively occupied in war or training for it. By comparison, conflict, and the need for defensive structures during the Bronze Age in Europe and the Ural steppe differed dramatically, depending on fundamental environmental, economic, and social differences.
questions of chronology of archeological cultures showing acquaintance with a chariot complex. As a result he has drawn a conclusion on the origin of tradition at the turn of the 3rd —
2nd millennium BC and its long existence during the Bronze Epoch and the Early Iron Age. Dynamics of distribution of the chariot idea from the West on the East is revealed. These conclusions do not allow using the examined complex as means of a narrow synchronization. Thus the word-combination «horizon of chariot cultures» is a poetic metaphor and should not be applied as a scientific term.
Ключевые слова: лук и стрелы, бронзовый век, Южный Урал, методика реконструкции.
population inflow from the east. This process was facilitated by the existence of a developed communication network, that had formed during the previous Late Bronze period.
Key words: Bronze Age, Early Iron Age, transition, funerary sites, absolute chronology."
related to bronze metallurgy (molds, ceramic nozzles, ore and slag remains, metal bars and drops) had been placed. These were found in at least 10 % of graves. If stone hammers and abrasive tools are included, the share increases to one-sixth. The findings apparently indicate the social identity of those buried and point to a general characteristics of the group. People engaged in metal production were mostly adult males, and were relatively few. Women, too, may have participated, at least at the preparatory stages. Markers of engagement in metal production very rarely co-occur with attributes of high status such as mace-heads, spearheads, axes, chariots, and cheek-pieces. This agrees with conclusions of cross-cultural studies suggesting that “metallurgists” were not topranking
members of the social hierarchy. Nor were they subject to discrimination in the Sintashta society, because being buried at a cemetery evidenced high status. Professional membership was an important but not the main criterion of personal identity. Despite being few, burials of smiths distinguish Sintashta from most other Bronze Age steppe societies of Eurasia.
Keywords: Bronze Age, Southern Urals, Sintashta culture, metal production, mortuary rituals, social identity.
available source for the Ural Bronze Age can be the material attributes of the games (astragals, miniature ceramic items
etc.). A part of them has the direct evidence of children’s participation in their making. Judging by the substituted data, the game element was also included in the hunting activity, training of charioteers and fisticuffs because the game was a vital part of life not only for the children but also for the adults. The main body of evidence was discovered during the excavation of the settlements but the archaeologists did not consider these artefacts as a special category of items or did not interpret them as game attributes. Our work starts filling this gap.
Bronze Age by the example of the steppe Zauralie (Kizilski District of the Chelyabinsk Region). Quite thorough research and a reliable culturalchronological diagnostics of monuments have allowed to compare the conclusions made by results of the analysis of settlements and necropolises. There has been established a number of people living simultaneously in the same territory, the population density, quantity of coexisted settlements and made a conclusion about changes of principles of development of the territory during the bronze epoch. Thus, the author creates a model zone for a more profound reconstruction on a wide spectrum
of economic and social questions.
This paper investigates infant feeding practices through stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotopic analyses of human bone collagen from Kamennyi Ambar 5, a Middle Bronze Age cemetery located in central Eurasia. The results presented are unique for the time period and region, as few cemeteries have been excavated to reveal a demographic cross-section of the population. Studies of weaning among pastoral societies are infrequent and this research adds to our knowledge of the timing, potential supplementary foods, and cessation of breastfeeding practices.
Materials and Methods
Samples were collected from 41 subadults (<15 yrs.) and 27 adults (15+ yrs.). Isotopic reference sets from adult humans as well as faunal remains were utilized, as these form the primary and complementary foods fed to infants.
Results
Slight shifts in δ13C and δ15N values revealed that weaning was a multi-stage process (breastfeeding, weaning, and complete cessation of nursing) that began at six months of age, occurred over several years of early childhood, and was completed by four years of age.
Discussion
Our results indicate that weaning was a multi-stage process that was unique among late prehistoric pastoralist groups in Eurasia that were dependent on milk products as a supplementary food. Our discussion centers on supporting this hypothesis with modern information on central and east Eurasian herding societies including the age at which complementary foods are introduced, the types of complementary foods, and the timing of the cessation of breastfeeding. Integral to this work is the nature of pastoral economies and their dependence on animal products, the impact of complementary foods on nutrition and health, and how milk processing may have affected nutrition content and digestibility of foods. This research on Eurasian pastoralists provides insights into the complexities of weaning among prehistoric pastoral societies as well as the potential for different complementary foods to be incorporated into infant diets in the past.
We tested the hypothesis that the purported unstable climate in the South Urals region during the Middle Bronze Age (MBA) resulted in health instability and social stress as evidenced by skeletal response.
Methods
The skeletal sample (n = 99) derived from Kamennyi Ambar 5 (KA‐5), a MBA kurgan cemetery (2040‐1730 cal. BCE, 2 sigma) associated with the Sintashta culture. Skeletal stress indicators assessed included cribra orbitalia, porotic hyperostosis, dental enamel hypoplasia, and tibia periosteal new bone growth. Dental disease (caries, abscess, calculus, and periodontitis) and trauma were scored. Results were compared to regional data from the nearby Samara Valley, spanning the Early to Late Bronze Age (EBA, LBA).
Results
Lesions were minimal for the KA‐5 and MBA‐LBA groups except for periodontitis and dental calculus. No unambiguous weapon injuries or injuries associated with violence were observed for the KA‐5 group; few injuries occurred at other sites. Subadults (<18 years) formed the majority of each sample. At KA‐5, subadults accounted for 75% of the sample with 10% (n = 10) estimated to be 14‐18 years of age.
Conclusions
Skeletal stress markers and injuries were uncommon among the KA‐5 and regional groups, but a MBA‐LBA high subadult mortality indicates elevated frailty levels and inability to survive acute illnesses. Following an optimal weaning program, subadults were at risk for physiological insult and many succumbed. Only a small number of individuals attained biological maturity during the MBA, suggesting that a fast life history was an adaptive regional response to a less hospitable and perhaps unstable environment.
remains from the Kamennyi Ambar 5 cemetery (KA-5) (Southeastern Urals, Russian Federation) and represents
one of the largest stable isotope datasets from a single prehistoric site in the steppes of Central Eurasia. These
results are compared with other regional faunal, botanical and archaeological datasets to examine late prehistoric
trends in pastoralism and human dietary patterns. The findings of this research emphasize a subsistence
regime consisting of broad-spectrum resources that include domestic and wild animal species, wild plants and
fish. This study contributes to current knowledge regarding the diversity in isotopic values of human and animal
remains and indicates that variation in subsistence was related to distinct local resource biomes and economic
strategies. These results suggest a more complex model of late prehistoric subsistence trends in the steppes that
emphasizes the need for enhanced micro-regional studies combining environmental, biological, and archaeological
datasets. The study presented here also provides information on the most detailed bioarchaeological
study of human remains and stable isotopes to date related to the Sintashta archaeological pattern.
Consequently, the “robbery” in some cases could be a part of ritual practice. Judging from the ethnographical data, the relation to the dead could vary widely - the worship, fear, lack of respect. Perhaps each of these options actualized at different stages of the funeral ceremony. Further studies will clarify the dynamics of “robbery” motives. Maximum attention to the ancestors was paid in the early chronological period, in the period of development of new territory and the formation of new cultural traditions. Afterward there was a gradual decline in the number of these traces, and the custom of penetration into the graves became more utilitarian.
Ключевые слова: эпоха бронзы, Южный Урал, погребальная обрядность, идеология, социальные реконструкции.
The article considers the problems of social reconstruction by archeological sources. The author believes that burial monuments reflect the ideas of bearers of traditions about the perfect system of social relations. These ideas considerably differ from the reality.
Keywords: the Bronze Age, South Ural, funeral ceremony, ideology, social reconstruction.
Abstract. The article tests the possibility of application of Arthur Saxe’s hypothesis 8 to the archaeological materials of the Bronze Age. The diachronous analysis of the burial traditions practiced by the South Uralian population brings the author to the conclusion
that the necessity of substantiation of entitlement for vitally important resources, such as pastures, water sources, mineral deposits arose mostly in periods of crisis and social transformations. Yet it could have survived for a long period after the above mentioned stimuli disappeared.
Keywords: Bronze Age, metal, southern Urals
Ключевые слова: археология, эпоха бронзы, металлопроизводство.
mound burial places are dated XVII–XIV BC. A special analysis of mineral and microinclusions in the melt slags was held to determine types of bronze and investigate the ore source. Studies were made using the equipment of the Mineralogy Institute of UB RAS: Xray fluorescence INNOV, microprobe JEOL-733 and raster РЭММА 202М. The preliminary type of micro-inclusions is a chromite – FeCr2O4 – mineral of chromospinelide group that has Mg, Al, Ti, Mn, Zn, V as impurities in different proportions. The chromite slag presence indicates the use of ores associated with ultrabasic rocks. Due to the minimal impact of the molten slag on the chromite, the study of this mineral permits to evaluate the possible ore sources used by paleometallurgists. A rare event is an inclusion of sulphide chalcocite Cu2S, traced in the slags of settlements Arkaim and Kamenniy Ambar (Stone Barn).
The results of the study of metal inclusions from ancient slags in the Southern Urals show that the raw materials of arsenic and nickel-containing objects was often used. This fact is supported
by associating arsenic and nickel metals with the inclusions of chromospinelides from the ore-bearing ultrabasic rocks. In addition, there were found the slags with the tinny microinclusions, indicating the existence of tin bronze production in the Urals.
по находкам в захоронениях. Предложен вариант технологической схемы изготовления ювелирных изделий, материалом для которых могли служить не только бронза, но и драгоценные металлы.
Ключевые слова: бронзовый век, алакульская культура, украшения, технология ювелирного производства.
some conclusions can be done. The origin of the tradition for the South Urals is
dated by the last centuries of the III millennium cal BC and is connected with the
Abashevo-Sintashta cultural circle. The ornaments manufacture evidently was
highly tailored and based on local mineral resources. The mixture of gold and
osmium inclusions confirm this deduction.
Based on archaeological fi nds from the Kamennyi Ambar-5 cemetery, we test the hypothesis about the connection between the seasonality of pastoral practices and funerary rites in the Bronze Age (early 2nd millennium BC). We studied growth layers in teeth of 19 cows, 24 sheep/goats, 14 horses, a dog, and ten humans from 17 graves. We combined samples from various species from the same contexts in eight assemblages. Differences in seasons of death were revealed in one case with regard to animals. In spring, 70 % of graves were arranged, and in autumn, 30 %. Therefore, the hypothesis about the seasonal use of the cemetery was partly supported. The contemporaneous dwelling site Kamennyi Ambar demonstrates a similar tendency in the seasonality of animal slaughtering. However, the reasons underlying slaughtering differed from those in the cemetery. In the former case, it was motivated by practical needs, and in the latter case, only by the seasonality of human deaths, specifi cally by a higher frequency of deaths in late winter and spring. Also, postmortem selection is possible, whereby kurgan burials were arranged only for some individuals. In practice, apparently, several of the above factors overlapped, resulting in an anomalous composition of the buried cohort (disproportion of sexes and a higher proportion of individuals who died at the peak of vital activity).
Conclusions. The similarity of the distribution of anomalies on the maps of different types suggests the feasibility of the sampling technique. There is a clear tendency for the zones of elevated 87Sr/86Sr values to be associated with the older lithology (0.7106, mean). The lower values (0.7091 ± 0.002) are associated with the younger lithology. Given the complex geological structure and a wide range of rocks in the study area, a positive result is the low differentiation of the zoning of the identified anomalies, which correspond to large structural-formation zones of the Urals. The presented method demonstrates its suitability for studying sublatitudinal migrations of the ancient population of the Southern Trans-Urals.
disappointment and gradual enlightenment to the “productivity plateau”. The tendency to the accelerated passage of these stages and the emergence of sustainable use is traced. The last presupposes a clear understanding of the boundaries of the cognitive capabilities for the method.
Regional studies confirm the thesis about the inevitability of using natural scientific methods in the study of a number of topics (migration, mobility, long-distance communications, etc.) The expansion of new methods influenced the topic and territorial coverage of archaeological works: it became possible to bring forth and solve previously inaccessible problems; the scale of most research decreased (up to a single monument or category of artifacts). The emergence of new methods modifies the procedure for part of archaeological research, bringing it closer in some aspects to natural science. Nevertheless, the complete replacement of the humanitarian
component of archaeology is hardly realistic, since human activity is not rigidly determined, and the revealed correlations and patterns are inevitably statistical in nature.
the 87Sr/86Sr ratio in 67 samples of water and 57 samples of grass from the same locations. The statistical analysis of the two batches demonstrates their close similarity. The map of values was interpolated with simple krigging based on the 67 samples of water. The map demonstrated the variability in values depending on the geological structure of the region.
могильника Туктубаево. Особую значимость поселению Трубный придает наличие металлических изделий, среди которых наиболее редким является втульчатый наконечник стрелы. Аналогии ему обнаружены в памятниках разных культур, большинство которых датируется XVII—XIV вв. до н. э.
cultural types, outlying the most perspective directions of investigation.
Results: Theoretical and historiographical study concerned the current state of historical and cultural approach to the archaeological research in Russia and abroad. Contextual and statistical analysis was performed on specific materials the Bronze and the Early Iron Ages. The problem of the origin and prolonged existence of long-distance relationships is solved on the basis of analysis of Bronze Age sites and learning resource base functioning societies. The findings are reflected in the various publications and are presented as conference papers. Conclusion: As part of the project was organized and conducted by the All-Russian research and practice seminar «Culture, society and the people in the Paleometal era (Ural and Western Siberia), 11–14 November 2013 in Chelyabinsk». It was attended by 25 scientists from different cities of Russia. The seminar and discussion that took place on it demonstrated the relevance of this problem and received during her research results. Some of the reports have been prepared for publication in this issue.
Современный этап исследования миграций и мобильности опирается на анализ изотопов стронция. Перспектива решения крупных проблем связана с созданием карт фоновых значений. Несмотря на различия в подходах, эта работа обязательно предполагает определение изотопных значений образцов, статистический анализ и интерполяцию карты, а также анализ пространственного распределения. Изучение археобиологических материалов должно быть сфокусировано на создании выборок, включающих разные типы материалов и виды организмов. Это обеспечивает возможность проверки внутренней согласованности серий и позволяет оценить влияние диагенетических процессов. Итоговая интерпретация имеет вероятностный характер, поэтому должны тестироваться разные объяснительные гипотезы.