The cult of skull in the funeral practice of the pit-grave culture of the Volga-Ural interfluves

The article contains an attempt to decide the problem of the role of the cult of skull in society of pit-grave culture's tribes on the base of the burial grounds of the pit-grave culture in the Volga-Ural interfluves. Special attention is paid to the burials of the individual skulls in a grave on the pedestals and also to different posthumous decorations of skulls and trepanations. The analysis of these ritual actions allows reconstructing some aspects of religious beliefs of the pit-grave culture’s society and their influence on the social structure and social relations of the pit-grave culture.