The burial ground “Omsk. Theater Square 2”: archaeological research and attribution

The article presents the preliminary results of the study of the cemetery located within the modern boundaries of the Theater Square in the center of Omsk. Local historians assumed that there should be the site of ancient cemetery since the late 1940s based on finding remains of burials in wooden coffins during the construction of the Summer Theater. The attribution of the finds was complicated by the lack of historical information about the existence of a necropolis at this place. A purposeful study of the site through archaeological excavations was not carried out. The authors got new evidence of the existing burials in 2017 during archaeological supervision of the reconstruction of Lenin Street. In 2024, the authors carried out rescue archaeological studies under the project of reconstruction of the Theater Square, during which 6 burials were excavated. The article describes the uncovered complexes and collected artifacts, on the basis of which age estimations and cultural affiliation of the necropolis have been made. The spatial distribution of the studied burials and stratigraphic sections within the boundaries of the construction grid system make it possible to establish the boundaries of the burial ground. The cemetery was located in the north-western part of the modern Theater Square on the edge of the high basal terrace of the right bank of the Irtysh River. The noted features of thefuneral rite (orientation of the dead, coffin remains, crosses worn on the neck) make it possible to associate the site with the Russian population of the region. Historical information about the existence of any cemetery at this place has not yet been found. The maps of the Omsk Fortress showed an esplanade at this place until the mid-18th century; later, the esplanade was transferred to the right bank of the Om and the map showed a wasteland, and the square of the Cossack suburb from the second decade of the 19th century. In 1833, the construction of the St. Nicholas Cossack Cathedral began. The authors hypothesize that the studied complex of burials was established by the detachment of I.D. Buchholz, the founder of the first Omsk fortress; hence, it might be the first cemetery of the city of Omsk.