Archaeology, Ethnology & Anthropology of Eurasia @journal-aeae-en
Journal articles - Archaeology, Ethnology & Anthropology of Eurasia
All articles: 584
Scientific article
A multidisciplinary analysis of ceramics from six sites of the Surgut variant of the Kulaika culture at Barsova Gora was made. Technology was assessed using traceological, petrographic, and X-ray phase analyses. At all the sites, the potters used ferruginous clays tempered with grus, grog, sand, and organic material. Fragments in the clay were either rounded, as in sand, or coarse, as in grus. The sand was mainly represented by feldspar and quartz, suggesting that this type of raw material was extracted from nearby non-metallic mineral deposits. The grus consisted of fragments of basaltoids, amphiboles, and pyroxenes, evidencing that it came from igneous common rocks associated with the Surgut volcanic fi eld and spread over a large area. Rocks were probably mined near settlements, perhaps on the floodplain of the Ob. Grog in all the samples was similar to the basic clay in terms of its composition. Three groups of sites were identified, differing in the composition of the clay of which the ceramics were made. This may indicate the presence of several groups within the Iron Age Kulaika population, utilizing various sources of clay.
Free
Review article
Free
Review article
Free
Review article
Free
Remain s of tapestry from a Xiongnu (early 1st century ad) burial in mound 22 at Noin-Ula
Review article
Free
Remains of brown bear (Ursus arctos L.) from the Kaninskaya cave sanctuary in the Northern Urals
Article
Free
Reminiscences of Traditional Prayer Rituals in Modern Udmurt Culture
Scientific article
Based on my fieldwork in 2018–2019, 2022–2023, late 19th to early 21st century studies by other experts, and internet resources, I explore the functioning of traditional prayer rituals in modern Udmurt culture. Current religious rites fall into three groups: continuing, renewed at ancient sanctuaries, and initiated elsewhere. Prayer rituals are continuing in several Southern Udmurt villages and meant to secure the communities’ wellbeing. They are a peculiar manifestation of Udmurt ethnic identity. Their deep meaning, however, is not always preserved, many elements are lost, and religious life in general is declining. Since the early 1990s, prayer rituals have been initiated at new places during festivals and holidays. They are thought to stimulate interest in Udmurt beliefs and rites and to propagate ethno-cultural codes outside Udmurtia. Under globalization and unification, the practicing of traditional rites preserves ethnic identity despite historical changes. Ceremonies with prayings contribute to the understanding and preserving ethno-cultural legacy.
Free
Article
An especially noteworthy part of the Firsovo archaeological area is a group of early burials at the fl at-grave cemeteries Novoaltaisk-Razvilka, Firsovo XI, and Firsovo XIV. Nine radiocarbon dates have been generated for those cemeteries at various laboratories: two by the liquid-scintillation (LSC) method and seven using the accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) method. The dates were calibrated using OxCal version 3.10 software. Dates for the Chalcolithic Bolshoy Mys culture burials at Novoaltaisk-Razvilka and Tuzovskiye Bugry-1 burial 7 match the previously suggested ones (around 3000 BC). Certain Neolithic burials in the Altai differ from others in the position of the bodies (fl exed on the side). They were dated to the late 5th to the early 4th millennia BC by the AMS method. Burials belonging to the “cultural core” of Firsovo XI, then, fall within the Early Neolithic (68 % interval, 5710–5460 BC; 95 % interval, 5740–5360 BC). The date 9106 ± 80 BP (GV-02889), obtained for Firsovo XI burial 18, may be somewhat accurate, pointing to the Final Mesolithic or Early Neolithic. Both the date and the cultural characteristics of this burial (sitting position, abundant ocher) are accompanied by the craniometric distinctness of the male cranium (huge total size).
Free
Scientific article
This article presents the results of a study of ceramics associated with the Valdivia and San Pedro complexes at the Real Alto site, southwestern Ecuador. The test sample, studied in 2022, includes fragments of vessels from two morphological and functional groups, relating to the first two phases of the Valdivia culture (bowls and pots) and those representing the San Pedro complex (vessels with necks and a bowl). A comparative analysis was based on identified technological indicators marking various stages of pottery manufacture. Certain differences are seen in the composition of paste and in the hand-shaping of the vessels. Significant differences were revealed in surface treatment and decoration. This is evidenced by the use of colored and plain coating, high-quality solid or matte striped polishing, and complexity of decoration. Distinctive features of firing include the use of different kilns and various atmospheric modes. Parallels include broadly similar firing temperatures. The technological difference between the two morphological and functional groups of the Valdivia complex is that bowls were manufactured with more complex and labor-consuming techniques, whereas pots are technologically somewhat similar to those from San Pedro. Radiocarbon dates (4640–4450 BP) suggest that the two traditions coexisted. Differences may reflect their cultural distinctness.
Free
Scientific article
In the 18th century, the ancient and traditional cultures of ethnic groups inhabiting the Russian Empire came to the attention of prominent scholars. This was in accordance with the ruling empress’ new attitude toward heterodox citizens of her state. This study describes findings of the Peter Simon Pallas 1768–1769 expedition to the Volga region and the Urals, published in 1773 in the second volume of his fundamental work “Travel to Different Provinces of the Russian Empire”. Special attention is paid to scarce but important evidence about ritual structures associated with various confessions, and places where various pagan rites were performed by local dwellers of the respective areas. A number of sites have since been subjected to anthropogenic factors, destroyed, or rebuilt, sometimes radically changing their function. To various degrees Pallas’s descriptions supplement the available information and can be used by experts as a source of knowledge about the traditional beliefs and history of certain monuments of religious architecture.
Free
Rock Art of the Ana Zaga Cave Shelter in the Archaeological Landscape of Gobustan, Azerbaijan
Scientific article
The Agisoft and 3D Studio Max software was used to study the petroglyphs of the Ana Zaga rock shelter, the largest in Gobustan. Stylistic features typical of various periods are described, and radiocarbon estimates for various cultural layers are given. Chronological stages in the evolution of rock art are defined. On the basis of geological data concerning transgressions and regressions of the Caspian Sea, the date of the first human settlement of the Ana Zaga shelter is estimated. The species composition of extinct faunas represented in rock art is assessed. It is concluded that in the Neolithic and Chalcolithic, following the rise of the sea level, the rock shelter became the principal habitat. In the Bronze Age, after the sea level had fallen, the middle and lower terraces became suitable for living. As new landscapes were settled, the themes of petroglyphs changed.
Free
Rocks and Their Sources in the Upper Paleolithic of the Altai: Relevance to Bifacial Technologies
Scientific article
On the basis of the analysis of thin leaf-shaped bifacial points, which are very elaborate and sensitive to the quality of rocks, we reconstruct the adaptive strategies of humans at the early stages of the Upper Paleolithic. Mineral raw materials and their exploitation relating to different resource bases of the central (the Ursul River basin) and northwestern (the Anuy River basin) parts of the Altai region are analyzed. To attribute the rock sources for bifaces, we have compiled a comparative database of petrographic and petrochemical characteristics of artifacts and pebbles from nearby rivers. Chemical criteria were proposed for differentiating rocks, including those that are hard to distinguish, and non-destructive techniques were applied to assess the chemical composition of rocks using a portable XRF spectrometer. Findings suggest that rocks available in the Anuy and Ursul basins met the conditions for biface manufacture. Bifaces from the Ursul valley were made of local fine-grained rocks—felsic volcanic tuff and ignimbrite; those from the Anuy valley were also of local rocks, but of lower quality—hornfels transformed (meta-sedimentary) siltstone and finegrained sandstone or felsic volcanic rocks. In the Anuy valley, scarcity of quality raw material was compensated for by imported high silica jasper-like rocks. Results suggest that the Early Upper Paleolithic inhabitants of the region, when implementing technical skills, showed stable behavioral and technological stereotypes despite habitat change and deterioration of the resource base.
Free
Rocks in the religious beliefs and rites of the Ob Ugrians
Scientific article
This study, based on materials collected in the 18th–20th centuries, and on the author’s field findings over the last 40 years, shows the role of rocks in the Ob Ugrian worldview and ritual practices. Evidence is provided on the veneration of various natural stone objects. Reasons for the cult of worshipping such places are discussed. One reason was that the rock resembled a human or animal figure. In legends and myths, the stone houses of heroic ancestors were correlated with numerous caves in the Ural Mountains. The main part of the article introduces materials relating to the stone figures of deities and patron spirits, supported by mythical narratives explaining the ways that a mythological hero was changed into stone. Examples are given of the figures of deities with a stone base found among local groups of the Ob Ugrians, such as the Lyapin and Sosva Mansi, Synya and Polui Khanty. The role of rocks in childbirth and funerary rites is examined, as well as their role in economic practices such as fishing. In Khanty and Mansi mythological beliefs, the modifier «stony» was equivalent to «iron» or «strong».
Free
Russian Orthodox churches “under the bells”: semantic features and origin of the worldview
Scientific article
The religious foundations underlying the construction of Russian Orthodox churches “under the bells”, and the meaning and role of this notion, are analyzed with reference to the traditional worldview. Architectural features of such churches are described. They belong to a rare type, and have been constructed in Russia from the 14th century to the present time. Their multiple meanings, influenced by Byzantine and European traditions, related to the key Orthodox notions, are analyzed. The most basic of these was the idea of the ladder, symbolizing spiritual growth, as evidenced by dedication of churches “under the bells” to the Stylites, to preachers developing key Orthodox notions, and to converts engaged in spiritual maturation, as well as to miracles believed to influence human life in a profound way. Dedications to miracles and miraculous icons, associated with military glory, and to canonized warriors, patrons of the military, are based on the idea of the victorious and life-giving cross. The image of the bell as a divine messenger is embodied in the tradition of placing bells right above the liturgical space, making perception of the “voice of God” by the flock more direct. A conclusion is reached that the pillar-like edifices of churches “under the bells” represent the most meaningful elements of the Russian worldview, marking the Orthodox cultural landscape, whose central idea is that of spiritual maturation and triumphant Christian faith.
Free
