A periodization of the timber-grave culture in the Western Orenburg region: archaeological and natural science-based evidence

Stages in the evolution of the Srubnaya (Timber-Grave) culture in the Orenburg region, Western Urals, are reconstructed using a multidisciplinary approach. The morphology and composition of buried soils provide a clue to the relative chronology of burial mounds within a cemetery. The earliest paleosols indicate arid conditions whereas the latest ones testify to greater humidity. The comparison of data from various analyses suggests that mounds contemporaneous in terms of 14C dates display resemblance in funerary rite, burial goods, and paleosol characteristics. The technological analysis of ceramics based on A.A. Bobrinsky approach showed that vessels from earlier mounds are more standardized, whereas those from later ones are more diverse. Based on the set of data, the evolution of Timber-Grave culture in the region falls into three stages.