The Eneolithic artifacts from the northern coast of Alakul lakes

The authors present the Eneolithic materials obtained during the excavations of the Late Bronze Age Alakul burial ground in the Trans-Urals. Numerous stone tools and fragments of ceramics typical for the Eneolithic were discovered during the excavations of 20 burial mounds investigated at the territory of burial ground in different years under the direction of K.V. Salnikov, E.E. Kuzmina, and S.N. Shilov. The artifacts were found in the fillings of the mounds and burials; it may indicate the use of soil and turf from the adjacent territory for creation of the mounds, including the territory of an undetected and possibly completely destroyed Eneolithic site. The northern periphery of the site was located under the mound No 49 excavated in 1969 and interpreted by the director of the excavations as a cult place. This publication expands the source base of studying of the Eneolithic in the Trans-Urals and introduces new materials to the scientific world. The collection of finds contains all the main types of stone tools: cores, technical chips, blades with and without retouching, cutters, tips, scrapers, flakes. A rare find is a geometric microlith in the form of symmetrical trapezoid. The article also provides the description of the mineral base of the site.