Early medieval single burial with horse equipment from Northern Altai

The article presents the publication and diverse interpretation of materials from the excavations of grave 24 of the Gorny-10 necropolis. This site located in the Krasnogorsk District of the Altai Territory was investigated in 2000-2003. Currently, it may be considered as a basic complex for the study of various aspects of the history of population of southwestern Siberia of the early Medieval Ages. The published complex is a single burial of an adult male with a fairly representative set of items, including weapons, jewelry and costume elements, as well as horse equipment. The analysis of the finds and their comparison with known materials from the sites of Northern and Central Asia made it possible to date the burial to the 7th century AD. The revealed set of items testifies to the rather high lifetime status of the deceased person. It was found that a similar situation is generally characteristic of single burials in the region of the Great Migration period and the beginning of the early Middle Ages, some of which reflected the peculiarities of the material culture of the social elite. There are grounds for asserting that elements of horse equipment, and not only rare toreutics (bridle decorations), but also standard functional items, were social markers of various levels in the ritual practice of the population of the forest-steppe Altai of the period under consideration. Further systematic analysis of materials from already known sites as well as expanding the available data through excavations will allow for a more detailed consideration of various aspects of the social history ofpopulation of the southwestern Siberia.