Archaeology, Ethnology & Anthropology of Eurasia @journal-aeae-en
Статьи журнала - Archaeology, Ethnology & Anthropology of Eurasia
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This article examines the key cultural trends and events in the evolution of the Upper Paleolithic in the foothills of the Northern Tien Shan (Zailisky Alatau, Kazakhstan). It outlines the history of Paleolithic studies in southeastern Kazakhstan. We describe the geographic characteristics of the region, the geomorphological positions of sites, and features of sedimentation that infl uenced the preservation of cultural remains in situ. Archaeological materials from key Upper Paleolithic sites are reviewed, including those from stratifi ed sites—Maibulak, Rakhat, and Uzynagash-1, -2. Lithic industries and absolute dates suggest that Maibulak was permanently inhabited during the Early, Middle, and probably Late Upper Paleolithic, materials from the early stages being the most expressive. Early Upper Paleolithic industries display Aurignacian-like characteristics and are paralleled by certain Western Eurasian industries of the same age. The multicomponent site of Rakhat was peopled during the end of the Early Upper Paleolithic, in the Middle Upper Paleolithic, and at the beginning of the Late Upper Paleolithic, documenting the evolution of Upper Paleolithic cultures during the ~30–23 cal ka BP interval. The industries of Rakhat include an Aurignacianlike one, a Middle Upper Paleolithic complex with micro-Gravette-like points, and one with geometric artifacts shaped as scalene triangles. For the fi rst time, results of excavations and prospects of future studies at the new sites Uzynagash-1 and -2, dating to the late Early Upper Paleolithic, are outlined. We conclude that Upper Paleolithic cultures (or industries) of the foothills of the Northern Tien Shan are original, while following a single vector with the Upper Paleolithic of Western Eurasia.
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A digital X-ray analysis of Middle Bronze Age skeletal samples from the Baraba forest-steppe
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We present the results of a comparative analysis of skeletal and dental pathologies in Middle Bronze Age individuals buried at Late Krotovo and Andronovo (Fedorovka) cemeteries in southwestern Siberia. This was the period when the Andronovo steppe tradition in Northern and Central Asia expanded in various directions, including the foreststeppe. Growth arrest lines on tibiae (Harris lines) and dental pathologies (enamel hypoplasia and caries) were recorded. To evaluate developmental anomalies in the bone tissue, digital X-ray analysis was used. The principal sample includes representatives of various sex and age groups buried at the largest cemetery in the region, Tartas-1 (Baraba forest-steppe). Harris lines and enamel hypoplasia result from a broad range of factors such as infections, occasional malnutrition, traumas, vitamin defi ciencies, etc. Caries is caused by a high amount of carbohydrates in the diet, accompanied by low standards of oral hygiene. These pathologies occur at different ages: Harris lines and enamel hypoplasia evidence adverse factors during infancy and adolescence, whereas caries is typical of adulthood. Late Krotovo and Andronovo groups differ in terms of occurrence and combination of pathologies. Enamel hypoplasia is less frequent in the Andronovo sample, indicating a lesser stress level in children. Harris lines are less frequent in the Late Krotovo group, suggestive of lower stress level during adolescence. These differences may be tentatively attributed to various models of subsistence and cultural adaptation.
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A dugout from the Don river exhibited at the State historical museum, Moscow: discovery and dating
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A functional analysis of lithics of the Early Iron Age Yankovsky culture: new findings
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We present the results of a functional analysis of lithics of the Yankovsky culture (800 BC to the turn of the millennium) from two sites–Cherepakha-7 and Solontsovaya-2, excavated over large areas during salvage works in 2015 and 2017, respectively. Such tools are traditionally described as axes, adzes, chisels, knives, spearheads, and projectile points. Certain findings of the functional analysis disagree with this classification. The question arises of the correspondence between formal typological and traceological criteria. For functional analysis, the so-called Keeley method, or High Power Approach, was used, along with the classification of polishing types, elaborated at Tohoku University (Japan). Functions of 28 of the 62 tools selected for high-precision functional analysis were assessed. The existing nomenclature of woodworking tool types is clarified, information on the technique of harvesting herbaceous plants and on leatherworking tools is significantly specified. More details are provided on tools involved in bone carving, as well as those used to open shells of bivalve mollusks. The High Power Approach has enhanced our understanding of the functions of stone tools, which, despite the use of metals, were basic in Yankovsky technologies. Further directions of traceological studies are suggested.
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A half of a metal bipartite mold of the Seima-Turbino period from the Upper Irtysh region
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A house model from Popudnya, Cucuteni-Tripolye culture, Ukraine: a new interpretation
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A late 16th to early 17th century Mongolian ceremonial helmet from the Moscow Kremlin Armoury
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A medieval Yakut burial near lake Atlasovskoye of the 14th–15th centuries: an anthropological study
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The burial near Lake Atlasovskoye, Yakutia, is one of the earliest Yakut burials, dating back to the 14th or 15th centuries and associated with the medieval Kulun-Atakh culture. Initially, its age was assessed by the comparative typological method based on artifacts, and later а radiocarbon estimate was generated, suggesting that the burial dates to the early stage of the Kulun-Atakh culture. Its highly unusual feature is that the individual was buried in a seated position – an exceptional case in the Yakut funerary practice. The cranium was completely wrapped in a bandage sewn from birchbark sheets, under which lethal injuries were found. Our comprehensive study was aimed at assessing the individual's lifestyle and cause of death. Postcranial bones revealed pathologal symptoms unusual for an early age (20–25) and caused by excessive physical strain, suggesting that the man was either a slave or a warrior. The complex birchbark bandage may indicate high status. Together with the seated position of the body, this makes the military status even more likely. Multiple traumatic lesions infl icted with a cutting tool indicate the violent nature of confl icts at the early stage of the Yakut culture. Craniometruic analysis reveals Buryat and Mongol affi nities, supporting epic evidence relating to Yakut origins, in which Buryat or Mongol immigrants had taken part.
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A metric analysis of a human cranium from the Khatystyr cave, Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)
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We present the results of a metric study of a male Early Holocene cranium found in a cave near the Khatystyr village, Yakutia, in 1962. Eight measurements taken on the specimen were subjected to canonical discriminant analysis, using individual data on 14 ancient samples from Siberia and the Far East. Euclidean distances between these samples were calculated, and k-means clustering was performed. Results revealed similarity of the Khatystyr individual with Serovo crania from Cis-Baikal and with the Neolithic series from the Baraba forest-steppe. This suggests that the Khatystyr male is closely related to the earliest Upper Paleolithic populations of North Asia. A related component, assimilated by members of later migration waves, was also detected in other Northeast Asia territories, including Sakhalin, but is absent in the Neolithic samples from Primorye, in the Old Koryak and Old Bering Sea samples. Comparison with the Late Neolithic Ymyyakhtakh sample from Diring-Yuryakh, Yakutia, reveals no continuity between Early and Middle Holocene groups of that region. The Diring-Yuryakh sample shares no similarity with any other group, and likely represents an isolate.
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A monumental horse burial in the Armenian highlands
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Here we report on the unprecedented discovery of the complete skeleton of a ritually interred adult stallion with a bronze ring in its mouth. The horse was buried in a unique 15-meters diameter monumental stone-built tomb excavated in the Aghavnatun necropolis located on the southern slopes of Mt. Aragats, in the northern fringes of the Ararat Depression, Republic of Armenia. The tumulus was roughly circular; the horse’s remains were found in situ, in an inner oval-shaped structure. Our methodological procedure included a detailed description of the burial, a taphonomic study of the bones, and meticulous morphometric observations and measurements, and thus we could provide a taxonomic defi nition and an age estimate. Direct radiometric dating of the horse’s skeleton provided a date of 2130±20 BP. The morphological characteristics of the horse, with its tall stature and slender feet, suggest that it was a large individual, similar to the extinct breed of Nisean horse previously known mainly from textual and iconographical sources. The metal ring found in the mouth of the horse suggests that it likely served as a breeding stallion. This discovery presents a unique combination of zooarchaeological evidence for the importance of the horse in the Parthian-Hellenistic worlds, and advances our understanding of the broad social signifi cance of the past breeding of equids in the Armenian Highlands.
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