Ornamental decoration on the pottery of the eastern variant of the Pakhomovo culture in the Baraba forest-steppe

Various archaeological cultures coexisted in the Baraba forest-steppe in the Late Bronze Age and in the transitional period to the Iron Age, including the eastern variant of the Pakhomovo culture. Ornamentation motifs on 73 vessels from burial grounds, settlements, and cultic complex have been analyzed and divided into two categories: monotonous and geometric. Surfaces on the vessels were decorated with comb-like (82 %) and smooth (18 %) tool. The most common motif among monotonous ornamentation was “herringbone” (17 %). Slanting and vertical rows of stamp imprints constitute 6.7 % and 3.5 % of the total number of motifs. Grooves (5.4 %) and bands (1.8 %) were observed on the rim and in the area between the neck and shoulders of the vessels. The ornamental motifs such as grooves with notches (1.1 %) and fringe-like pattern (1.8 %) occupy a small part of the surfaces. Geometric ornamentation is dominated by rows of triangles (27 %). Meander (3.2 %) and “undecoratedneck” (26 %) have also been observed. The ornamental tradition of the eastern version of the Pakhomovo culture included three main components. First component comprised the common motifs of the period, typical of the Andronovo circle of cultures in Siberia. Second component included specific Pakhomovo motifs, and third component was represented by the motifs typical of other synchronous cultures, such as the Begazy-Dandybai and Suzgun cultures. Southern parallels appear at the sites of Central Asia, which is an additional testimony of contacts.