Meteoric iron in production and religious practice of the Yamnaya culture in the Urals region

Large burial constructions that have yielded items made from iron occupy a special place among the Yamnaya kurgans in the Middle Volga region and the Southern Urals. It is possible to single out both production items and artifacts used for religious purposes. The radiocarbon data put the kurgans around the first half of III mill. BC. In 2019 the authors conducted new research of the chemical composition of the metal item surface, using modern equipment, performed the stable isotope analysis of the lead and carried out the restoration works of the iron objects. The additional studies provided an opportunity to confirm the meteoric origin of the iron, clarify the shape and the functional purpose of the artifacts. It can be inferred from the analysis of the funerary rite and the offerings made from copper and meteoric iron that the kurgans were intended to bury super leaders. During their lifetime such chieftains could perform management, military and sacral ritual functions. Presence of iron items suggests that the power of the chieftains was deified and the idea of the links between the leadership and heavenly forces was quite common.