Southern group of dwellings at the settlement of Staryi Moskovskiy Trakt-5 in Baraba forest-steppe (results of research in 2019)

In 2019, the Kuzbass Archaeological Expedition continued its research at the settlement of Staryi Moskovskiy Trakt-5, aimed at obtaining new data on chronology, stratigraphy, and planigraphy of Neolithic and Early Metal complexes in the forest-steppe area of the Middle Irtysh region. Dwellings No. 1-3 and parts of cultural layer between them have been explored, and numerous pottery fragments and stone tools have been discovered. Flat-bottomed vessels of the Early and Middle Neolithic, similar to pottery complexes from the Avtodrom 2/2, Tartas-1, Ust-and Tartas-1 settlements in the neighboring areas, constitute the most representative and important category of findings. The presence of several habitation layers of the ancient population has been confirmed. Several stratigraphic sections in different parts of the excavation pit have proven the absence of archaeological evidence under the layer of dark red clay, which indicates the absence of possible stratified nature of the site. The stratigraphic situation fully corresponded to the observations that the Neolithic complex with flat-bottomed pottery was earlier (in the lower position) that the complex of the Final-Neolithic-Early Metal Age containingpit-comb pottery with pointed bottoms. Cultural and chronological homogeneity of the majority of dwellings in the southern group of the site, located in the same planigraphic zone as dwellings No. 1-8 of the Staryi Moskovskiy Trakt—4 site has been established using the finds from the floor of the ancient structures. The sporadic evidence of the Pit-Comb Community of the Early Metal Age in the southern part of the settlement marks the periphery of the site and can be correlated with the Staryi Moskovskiy Trakt-4 site on the basis of planigraphic data.