Technical and technological analysis of pottery ornamentation of the Andronovo (Fedorovka) culture from the Nizhnyaya Suetka burial ground in the Kulunda steppe

This article analyzes imprints of ornamentation tools on the vessels from the Nizhnyaya Suetka burial ground of the Andronovo (Fedorovka) culture in the Kulunda steppe. All 71 imprints were divided into two groups with impressions of serrated (30) and non-serrated (41) tools. Particularly numerous were imprints of fine-toothed stamps (22) with symmetrical tooth shape up to 1.35 mm in size and straight baffle element up to 0.8 mm in size. These tools were used in decorating pots with geometric patterns. Slightly less common were imprints ofnon-toothed tools with a rounded smooth working edge up to 0.8 cm wide, which were used in making flutes for separating ornamental zones on the vessels of various shapes. Most of the imprints were divided into 13 subgroups. Each of the subgroups reflected specific features of shape and size of the tool, which were not random, but expressed common ideas of a group of (possibly related) artisans belonging to a culturally or chronologically similar population. Several imprints of a subgroup show the closest similarity. Decoration on this pottery was made using identical ornamentation tools, or possibly even tools made by the same artisan, which makes it possible to argue about relative synchronicity of these burials. However, some stamp imprints, for which no parallels have been identified, had completely non-typical features in terms of shape, decorative style, and vessel manufacturing technology, clearly indicating foreign cultural components among the Andronovo population who left the Nizhnyaya Suetka necropolis.