Stone tools from an island in Berd bay, Novosibirsk reservoir

This article presents the results of a multidisciplinary study of stone tools (discoid mace-head, adze, and axe) found on an island in Berd Bay, Novosibirsk Reservoir. Trace analysis suggests that the mace-head is made of fragile sandstone, precluding its use as a striking weapon. Therefore, it was likely a ceremonial weapon. The adze and the axe are also made of a local rock-shale. The specimens resemble prestigious weapons of the Early and Middle Bronze Age from the forest-steppe zone of southwestern Siberia. Discoid mace-heads, like globular ones, are typical of the Middle Bronze Age. Importantly, all the specimens were found where the submerged Fort Berdsk was possibly situated. Early artifacts have also been found near other Siberian forts such as Tomsk, Umrevinsky, and Sayansk, suggesting that these were built at places with a long history of habitation.