Intercultural links in the western piedmont of the Ural mountains during the late bronze age: attributes of the Srubnaya - Andronovo contacts, chronological and social aspects of interaction

The paper summarizes results of the studies related to the Srubnaya (Timber-grave) - Andronovo sites located in the western piedmont of the Ural mountains conducted in the past ten years. The total number of the excavated graves from eight cemeteries reaches 252; besides, ceramic collections from two settlements were analyzed (Fig. 1). The paper shows that the Andronovo elements largely manifest themselves in clay vessels (Fig. 2) retrieved from Srubnaya sites in the steppe western piedmont of the Urals mountains; such vessels occur more often in female graves located on the periphery of the area covered by the mound which usually do not have too many funerary offerings. It was found that the clay vessels exhibiting Andronovo characteristics from the Srubnaya - Andronovo graves can be used as an indirect chronological indicator of sequence in which mounds were constructed in cemeteries. Thus, the mounds with the burials containing only Srubnaya vessels are the earliest. The mounds with graves with Alakul' and the Srubnaya - Alakul' clay vessels were built later. The latest chronological position is occupied by the mounds containing vessels with pottery characteristics of the Fedorovka culture.