Radiocarbon chronology of the pit-grave culture in the area between the Volga and Ural rivers

This study is devoted to the development of chronology and periodization ofthe Pit-Grave (Yamnaya) culture in the Volga and Ural interfluve. Establishing the chro-nology of the Pit-Grave culture by archaeological approaches has difficulties due to thelack of artifacts in the most studied burials. To solve the problem the special excavation ofthree kurgan groups in the Orenburg region of Russia was carried out over the last decade.18 kurgans of the Pit-Grave culture were studied using archaeological, paleopedologi-cal approaches and radiocarbon dating. The funeral complexes studied were divided into3 stages. A variety of carbon-containing materials from the same complexes were datedto increase the accuracy of the obtained dates. Dating was made in different laboratories.In addition, from the excavations of the last years some monuments of the Repino stagereferred to the early period of the Pit-Grave culture have been dated using ceramics. Basedon archaeological and paleopedological data the radiocarbon dating helped to clarify and,in general, to confirm the three-stage periodization of the Pit-Grave culture in the Vol-ga-Ural interfluve: the early (Repino) stage - 4000-3300 BC, the advanced (Classical)stage - 3300-2600 BC with two, A and B, steps - 3300-2900 and 2900-2600 BC respec-tively, and the late (Poltavkinsky) stage - 2600-2300 BC.