Tendencies in transformations of the early catacomb funerary practice in the eastern littoral areas of the Sea of Azov

The paper explores the problems related with transformations in burial practiceof the Early Catacomb groups in the eastern littoral areas of the Sea of Azov. The groupsidentified earlier were used as a baseline in documenting changes in the funerary practices.Such tendencies include rounded angles of burial chambers, higher arched chamber ceilings,a more contracted posture of the dead, more orientations of the entry to the catacomb,including the southern half of the circle, fewer cases of chalk and ochre use. All thesetendencies were formalized in the Late Catacomb period, suggesting changes in the worldviews which manifested themselves through funerary rites.