The burials of the Vladimirovsk culture from Amur region as the source to study ethnogenesis

Purpose. The article deals with the problem of the origin of the Daurs being one of the most important questions of the Mongolian peoples' ethno-genesis. The object of the analysis is the orientation of interments and the ancient funeral artefacts of the Vladimirovsk archeological culture (XIII- XVII centuries), which was pointed out in the upper and middle stream of Amur River. Results. First, the study of the interments' orientation in the archeological cultures of the Lake Baikal Region, Mongolia and Inner Mongolia shows that the north-ward orientation of interments can hardly be a reliable evidence to correlate the Vladimirovsk culture with that of earlier Mongols. Most burial grounds oriented north-ward were left by the Mongolian-speaking population, although part of the burials belonged to the Tungus- and Turkish-speaking ethnic groups. A ram's leg buried in the interment is characteristic for many nomadic cultures of the middle-century epoch in the Eurasian steppes. However, the ram's bone found only in one interment of the Vladimirovsk culture can hardly be a reliable proof to identify the people of that culture with earlier Mongols. Then, the examination of the earrings in the form of the question mark brings about the finding that they were widely spread elsewhere in the vast territory from the Upper Amur to Izhorsk Plateau and the Northern Caucasus. That is why it is difficult to judge that question mark formed earrings prove to be a reliable criterion to identify the ethnic origin of the archeological cultures' population. Afterwards, a limited number of ceramic ware is not also the characteristics of the closeness of the Vladimirovsk culture to that of the earlier Mongols. Mostly it was typical for the Vladimirovsk culture ceramic ware to have the features of the cultures of the Mohe, Parhae, Tang dynasty, Khitan. Additionally, one more sign of similarity with the earlier Mongols is likely to be the right side wrap over of the clothes of those buried. It does not seem to be convincing because there could have been the change of the wrap over. For example, the Manchurians did not retain their left side wrap over of their clothes, because they had rather quickly changed it from the left side to the right one. Finally, the predominance of the bone arrowheads over the iron ones does not also witness their closeness to the earlier Mongols, for they are similar to those belonging to the Mokhe culture. Besides, a complexly collapsible bow is like the artefacts of the Churchenian archeological culture of the Priamurye and it belongs to the weapons of the «Tungus» type. For instance, the trace of one of its elements, i.e. the ring used in archery, has been found among the XIX century artefacts of the Amur River Basin peoples. Based on the findings described, the author supposes that there, to the Priamurye, came a new mixed group of people distinct from the Mongols ethno-culturally. Conclusion. To sum it up, the research findings are as follows. Fist, the north-ward orientation of the corpses' position in the Vladimirovsk archeological culture, considered to be the ethnic sign of the earlier Mongols, is widely spread in those of Transbaikalye, Mongolia and North-Eastern China. Second, an animal's bone, put at the head of the burial ground, is an exceptional case in the Vladimirovsk culture. That is why, it cannot be used as a strong proof to correlate the Vladimirovsk culture with that of the earlier Mongols. Third, such things as the question mark form earrings, bone arrowheads, the absence of the ceramic ware and the right side clothes wrap over could not be also used as the reliable criterion to identify the ethnic closeness of the part of the Vladimirovsk culture as the earlier Mongols. The ancestors of the Daur people could have been the transitional groups close both to the earlier Mongols, and to the Tungus-Manchurian ethnic groups which were formed in the valley of Nonny River and the contiguous territories to West