Preliminary results of archaeological excavations at the Yugachi-2 site in the Askiz river valley in the Republic of Khakassia in 2021

The antiquities of the Minusinsk Basin have been attracting the attention of researchers for several centuries. During this time, a significant amount of information has been accumulated about the funeral practices of the population. But due to the small number of identified settlement and short-term camp sites in this territory, the economic aspects of the life of ancient communities remain much less studied. The increase in the number of established settlements is associated with the development of the practice of conducting state historical and cultural expertise within the rescue archaeology program. As a result of these activities, the Yugachi-2 site was discovered. Large-scale archaeological excavations made it possible to trace the variability of the stratigraphic situation at the site, identify the relevant reasons and thereby explain the variability of the stratigraphic position of the archaeological found materials. The cultural layer in the studied area of the site represented a variety of object complexes: a large medieval complex and solitary objects and areas of concentration of finds related to the early Iron Age and the Bronze Age. It is explainable by various economic systems practiced by the site populations during various historical periods. This is due to the changeable cultural situation in the region: migration processes caused by large-scale military conflicts, climatic fluctuations, and trade relationships between the inhabitants of the taiga and steppe zones. The archaeological excavations at Yugachi-2 provided comprehensive information about the ceramic production, bone carving and other economic activities of its inhabitants. A wide range of parallels to the discovered pottery includes not only the contiguous Gornaya, but extends to the north till the lower Angara River. The derived data provide information on the lifestyle and economy of the population and prove indirectly some historical scenarios of the historical and cultural development of this area described by previous researchers.