Organization of the sacred space of the Kazanovka-6 burial mound

In 2020 during the rescue archaeological work at the “Kazanovka-6 burial mound” on the right bank of the Askiz River, at the foot of the Aar-tag and Toldogey Mountains, the Late Bronze Age burial ground was discovered. According to the excavation results in 2021, the identified part of the Late Bronze burial ground at the Kazanovka-6 can be attributed to the classical stage of Karasuk culture. The study was carried out using the method of continuous excavation of the area. This made it possible to identify a number of objects previously not recorded at the Late Bronze Age sites. First of all, it is domestic purposes pits, in the filling of which accumulations of slabs and rough stones from the red Devonian sandstone were found. Also, concentration of plates was recorded at the bedrock level. New data provide an insight into the organization of the inter-kurgan space at the burial grounds of the Karasuk culture. Four types of burial structures were record at the burial ground: single burials in stone box with a kerb; burials with an extension and a “tail-shaped” kerb; stone boxes are installed in one line in the west-east direction, complexes with an extension(s) to the central burial on the western and eastern sides. The rows of burials on the site were built along the west-east line with a slight deviation to the north. The burial ground probably was expanded from south to north. The space for the burial structures was preliminarily prepared by removing the sod layer. Several pits up to 4 m long were dug from the northern and southern parts, probably to get soil for mound construction. Judging by the pits filling, the construction of burial structures and the full cycle of funeral and memorial activities apparently took place over a long period of time.