Medieval burial ground at the Galkina-1 site

This article discusses a burial ground at the Galkina-1 site, Abalakovo object of archaeological heritage, in Yenisei District of Krasnoyarsk Krai. The burial ground contained 14 burials, 13 of them were made according to the rite of inhumation and one burial was made according to the rite of cremation on the side. It has been established that the burial ground spread from east to west along the edge of the terrace. The accompanying inventory from the burial ground included tools (adzes, knives, firesteels, flints, and a needle), weaponry (glaive-like weapons, arrowheads, and spearheads), part of horse harness (bridle bit), elements of clothing decoration and accessories (belt buckles, plaques), and personal adornments (beads, earring). The material complex of the burial ground was generally typical for Medieval burial sites of the Yenisei Siberia. The similarity of the objects from the Galkina-1 burial ground with material evidence from Medieval funeral complexes of the Angara region has been established. This article describes the sex and age of the buried, most of whom (8 persons) were adult males from 19 to 55 years of age. Cremated remains also belonged to an adult, and three burials belonged to children. Due to incomplete set of bones, two burials could not be identified. The accompanying inventory of male burials included projectile and close combat weaponry indicating that during their lifetime these men were warriors. Based on the analysis of artifacts and elements of funeral rite, the burial ground belonged to the Middle Ages (10th-15th centuries). The materials obtained and their interpretation make it possible to significantly expand our knowledge about the culture of the indigenous population of Eastern Siberia in the Middle Ages.