Bronze age burial of a potter (Tartas-1, Baraba forest steppe)

Potters’ tools have been discovered relatively rarely, and they occur in burial complexes only sporadically. Special attitude of potters to their tools is known from the ethnographic evidence: such tools were inherited and were rarely buried with their owners. The question on the existence of this group of artisans remains open due to the lack of information. A burial of a female potter of the Andronovo (Fedorovka) culture was discovered during the study of the Tartas-1 site in the field season of 2019. The deceased was placed on her right side in the crouched position, and was oriented with her head to the east. Her legs were bent and pulled to the stomach; her arms were bent, and hands were placed close to the facial part of the skull. The funeral inventory included bronze awl, several bronze tubular beads, two pottery vessels, two polishers, and denticulate ornamentation tool. Binocular analysis has shown traces of wear and deformation on the working surfaces of polishers and ornamentation tool. Distinctive configuration of a denticle on the small working edge of the “comb” and presence of the same defect on the imprints in the ornamental field of vessel No. 1 have made it possible to conclude that the potter used that ornamentation tool for decorating the vessel. Thus, the accompanying inventory of the female artisan included not only her tools, but also her product. It has been found that two vessels made according to different programs were placed into the grave. Therefore, the population which left that burial had several traditions (at least two) of pottery manufacturing.