Burial structures of the Andronovo (Fedorovo) culture of the northwestern foothills of Altai

The article is devoted to the analysis of the burial structures of the Andronovo burial grounds of the northwestern foothills of Altai. Interest in the study of burial complexes of the foothills is encouraged by the special position of the region, which is located at the junction of different geographical areas between the steppe, forest-steppe part of the Ob-Irtysh interfluve and Gorny Altai. In this regard, a comparative analysis of the burial structures of the contact zone in the Altai foothills is significant for understanding the features of the material complexes of the developed bronze of the indicated territory, and provides information on cultural and chronological processes of the Andronovo time. The study sample included nine burial grounds, which corresponds to 129 burials of the Andronovo (Fedorovo) culture of the northwestern foothills of Altai. The main research method was the classification method, which contains four taxonomic units: category, group, grade, and type. Seventeen types of burial structures were identified, which correspond to two different types of culture. Verkhneobskiy is characterized by the absence of grave structures, the construction of a burial chamber in the form of a simple ground pit (type 1), often with a wooden frame (type 2). The East Kazakhstan version has a stone for the construction of grave and intragrave structures (type 3-16). Presumably, it is possible to distinguish mixed burial structures (type 3-5), which combine the absence of grave structures (ground burial ground) and a stone intra-grave structure in the form of a box with an overlap (type 3), or a box (type 4) and a ceiling (type 5) separately. The considered features are due to the special location of the Altai foothills in the contact geographic area. This circumstance has determined the difference in burial traditions of the Andronovo population in the region under consideration.