Ранние кулайские поселения на Барсовой горе

This article describes dwellings and pottery assemblages from the settlements of Barsova Gora III/16 and Barsova Gora III/17 of the Kulaika culture in the locality of the same name near the city of Surgut (right bank of the Ob River, Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug). The sites were initially excavated in the early 1970s. The modern village of Barsovo is now located in their places. Significant distance from the water (from the river bank) suggests that these settlements functioned during the winter season. The study of field documentation has made it possible to clarify specific features of the excavated objects. The remains of the structures were reconstructed using the current concepts of stratigraphy and formation of cultural layers in podzolic soil conditions. It is suggested that the dwellings were larger than indicated in the original report, and had unexcavated parts above the ground beyond the dwelling pit. In the structure at Barsova Gora III/16, this area might have contained sleeping platforms. The absence of a hearth in the structure at Barsova Gora III/17, combined with its winter character, suggests that it had a communal or public function. Typological analysis of the collections confirmed the attribution of the settlements to the Kulaika culture. The pottery assemblages were analyzed using statistical methods, based on the attributes such as rim morphology, types of ornamentation, and stamps used for its making. The assemblages were compared with other similar complexes from the Surgut Ob region, and their place among other Kulaika settlements in the region was established. The settlements were dated to the early stage of the Kulaika culture in the Surgut Ob region. It was also noted that scarcity ofpublications on the evidence of the Early Iron Age from the taiga zone of the Ob region hinders the development of reliable models of cultural genesis for that area.