On results of the preliminary technical and technological analysis of tissue samples from the necropolis of the Upper Ob dated early iron age

Purpose. The aim of the article is to introduce the results of our preliminary technical and technological analysis of tissue samples found in the graves of necropoleis Novotroitskoye-1 and Maslyaha-1 discovered during A. P. Umansky's expedition. We analyze the materials that have already been published in journals but have not become the object of a focused study yet. The findings discussed are stored in the Historical museum of Altai State Pedagogical University. Our analysis sheds light on features typical for sash decor of the burial clothes of the ancient population of the Upper Ob Region. Results. The tissue fragments analyzed include two samples, a shoulder dress plain weave and a sash gate made with non-woven strands held together by a seam over the edge. The analysis of tissues shows that the material used for manufacturing such clothes was wool. We used a broad source base to consider the technology of weaving fabrics and garments for funeral that was typical among the population of northern Asia in Scythian times. Woolen clothes and hairstyles in the Upper Ob Region basin in the Early Iron Age are connected with the people's beliefs, in particular the Indo-Iranians. For example, in the Rig Veda we often meet a comparison of the sacrificial offerings made to the rite with qualitative dressed hair. The wool-making process itself might have been a social procedure, a kind of rites with accompanying rituals probably related to the initiation of the medium buried to Farnham deity. Similar findings were discovered in the burial sites in Western Siberia, the Altai Mountains and the Taklimakan Desert. Conclusion. The findings described belong to similar contexts, male burials of the Bolsherechye cultural-historical community and are connected with solar symbols due to the process of weaving resembling the sun moving in the sky. Based on the topography of the findings and our interpretation, the findings are directly related to the military belt sets. Our analysis shows that the dead used to wear two layers of clothes made of different fabric. We also discovered a previously unknown way of decorating a sash dress with lace, which probably played a certain semantic role. There is a notable semantic compatibility between the resource base and the layers of clothing, which expands our understanding of tailoring traditions among the population of the Upper Ob basin in the Early Iron Age. The results obtained allow us to address the issues related to archaeological textiles of the ancient population of Northern Asia more specifically.