Rescue excavation of Podkuninsky-1 the Karasuk burial ground in the republic of Khakassia

Archaeological excavation of the burial ground Podkuninsky-1 was realized as part of the measures for the conservation of cultural heritage at the territory of the “Yenisei” road construction near Chernogorsk in 2015. K.G. Kotozhekov discovered this burial ground in 1997. Before the rescue excavation more than 20 Karasuk burials have been studied Karasuk culture, including the one burial, confidently associated with Kamenolozhsky stage. Burial ground Podkuninsky-1 consists of burial constructions with the stone walls and inner burial chambers. The most of the burials represented the stone wall. Their mean sizes are 3 x 4 m in plan and about 0,3 m high. They are made of vertically mounted sandstone tiles. The walls are quadrilateral or trapezoidal in shape. Decedent laid on his back, headlong to the west at the bottom of the stone box. He was accompanied by ceramic vessels, bronze, bone and stone items, and partial carcasses of domestic animals. The stone box was covered by massive sandstone slabs. We retraced the post-burial disturbances and “plunder” in the all structures. The small nondefinable bone fragments were found in the fillings of all burial chambers. In contrast, the metal items are rare. We obtained the ceramic vessels and their fragments, elements of carbon paste ornaments. Pits were fixed in the space between the graves. Soil from them was used for back filling of the boxes or walls. The special focus is on the burial No. 10, where we found the remains of an accompanying food on a wooden platter, and traces of the burial bronze assemblage.