The debatable questions of the origin of the sintashta ceramic traditions: present state of the problem

The Sintashta culture, one of the famous and richest cultures of Northern Eurasia, was located in the southern steppe Ural during the transitional period between the Middle Bronze Age and Late Bronze Age. Many scholars consider this culture to be the center of the LBA culture genesis in South Eastern Europe. Ceramic reflects multi-component base of pottery traditions including local elements and some external impact. Meanwhile ceramic had certain standard got in the process of changes. Local base is very insignificant and represented by some technological traits and ornamental motives transited from the Late Eneolithic tribes of the Ural and adjoining territories. Many shapes and ornaments have East European MBA origin - the steppe Volga region (the Poltavka culture) and forest-steppe (the Abashevo culture). Links from the Dnieper catacomb areas to the Volga were sporadic but reciprocal and played role generally only in decor. Some ornament traits let us link the Sintashta with the northwest forest Fatyanovo culture. At present the study of the links with far south regions of the Caucasus, Transcaucausus and Middle Asia has real perspectives. The South Ural and mentioned regions were connected before. In the Early Bronze Age the ceramic of the Pit-grave culture (the Volga-Ural interfluves) is known in Zarevshan area of Middle Asia. Constructively difficult Sintashta shapes (beaker-like with separated flat bottom) and specific ornaments are distributed only in southern territories. It means that Sintashta cattle-keepers had links with southern agricultural and other population and it made serious and progressive impact concerning ceramic changes. Later in the LBA in Andronovo time those links increased and became more stable.