DATING OF BURIAL GROUNDS OF THE XIONGNU ERA ALA-TEY 1 AND TEREZIN IN TUVA

Статья посвящена вопросам датировки могильников эпохи хунну Ала - Тей 1 и Терезин в Туве. В ходе раскопок получен значительный материал, включая непотревоженные захоронения с разнообразным погребальным обрядом и богатым инвентарём. Помимо широко распространённых в это время баночных керамических сосудов, железных ножей, шильев и других бытовых предметов, здесь найдены многочисленные, в том числе уникальные образцы декоративно - прикладного искусства древних кочевников - большие ажурные пряжки с зооморфным или геометрическим орнаментом, инкрустированные и гравированные пряжки - пластины из сибирского гагата, китайские бронзовые зеркала и монеты у - шу, хуннские вазовидные сосуды и пр. Для некоторых погребений получены радиоуглеродные даты. Исходя из анализа погребального инвентаря и результатов радиоуглеродного датирования, время существования этих могильников можно отнести ко 2 - 1 вв. до н. э. The article is devoted to the dating of burial grounds of the Xiongnu Epoch Ala - Tey 1 and Terezin in Tuva. During the excavations, signifi cant material was obtained, including undisturbed burials with a variety of funeral rites and rich inventory. In addition to the widely used ceramic vessels, iron knives, awls and other household items, archaeologists found here numerous and unique samples of ancient nomads’ decorative and applied art - big openwork buckles with zoomorphic or geometric ornaments, inlaid and engraved buckles - plates made of Siberian jet coal, Chinese bronze mirrors and Wu - shu coins, Xiongnu vase - shaped vessels, etc. Radiocarbon dates were defi ned for some burials. Based on the analysis of the burial inventory and the results of radiocarbon dating, the time of existence of these burial grounds can be related to the 2nd - 1st centuries BC.

Craniological sources on the problem of ethnogenesis of the Narym Selkups

The Narym Selkups are an indigenous population of the Middle Ob River region speaking various dialects of the Selkup language related to the South-Samodian branch of the Ural language family. In the course of the study of Medieval and relatively recent burial grounds in the territory of the Narym Ob area of Tomsk Oblast, considerable amount of craniological material has been collected, which constitutes an important historical source for solving general problems of their origins. According to the archaeological and ethnographic materials, the Medieval burials were left by direct ascendants of modern Narym Selkups, whereas the materials from the later burial grounds are directly associated with their specific local-dialect groups. This paper is aimed to introduce into scien-tific discourse virtually all craniological materials known today from the burial grounds left by the Narym Selkups, and, on the basis of the results of group cross-correlation, to identify trends of the territorial variability of the whole community. Significant increase of new finds from the vast territory of the Middle Ob region, population-driven approach to the data analysis and development of the craniometric technique warranted re-grouping of the finds by the territorial principle and their repeated measurement and analysis. In view of the current problem, all cranio-logical materials were grouped into ten sampling series, five of which are published for the first time (the burial ground of Ostyatskaya Gora and four combined craniological series from the burial grounds of Lower Chulym, Narym Ob, Upper Ket, and the Tym and Vasyugan rivers). Analysis of the variability of the series from the Narym Ob region in chronological and geographical bands showed their weak variability in space and time. Therefore, prior to the Russian colonization of Siberia, this region of the Middle Ob area was not invaded by considerably large groups of people of different anthropological appearance. All studied craniological series were samples from the single unity. Although the territorial variability of the anthropological features within the groups of the Narym Selkups is not large, in some cases an influence of territorially closest neighbours on the anthropological structures of particular Selkup populations can be discerned. It appeared that the southern groups exhibit resemblance with their territorially closest Turkic populations of the Chulym and Lower Tom regions, while in the composition of other Narym groups, there have been identified an admixture of the component genetically related to the Turkic populations of the Western-Siberian forest-steppe — Barabino and Tobol-Irtysh Tatars, and, although being very weak, an influence of the Ob Ugric populations can be discerned.

Burials with Signs of the Muslim Rite Among the Nomads of the Golden Horde

The article presents the typological characteristics of the nomadic burials of the Golden Horde, interpreted as Muslim. The burial grounds located in the depths of the Steppe at a distance from the urban centers of the Golden Horde were taken as a source base. This approach allows the authors to consider the genesis and evolution of the Islamic funeral rite among nomads without taking into account the influence of urban Islam on this process or through the prism of its minimal impact. On the example of the Linevsky burial mound in the Southern Cis-Urals, it is shown that the signs of the Islamic rite, characteristic of urban and suburban burial grounds, are present among the nomads, but mainly in the form of separate reminiscences.

Portable X-Ray Fluorescence (pXRF) Analysis of Heavy Metal Contamination in Graveyards with Contrasting Soil Types

Human remains have been interred in burial grounds since historic times. Although the re-use of graveyards differs from one country, region or time-period to another, over time graveyard soil may become contaminated or enriched with heavy metal elements. This paper aims to present heavy metal element soil analysis from two UK church graveyard study sites with contrasting necrosols, but similar burial densities and known burial ages dating back to the 16th Century and some possibly older than 1,000 years. Portable X-Ray Fluorescence (pXRF) element analyses were undertaken, both in-situ on surface locations and laboratory-based on surface and near-surface soil pellets. Results show elevated levels of Pb, Mn, Cr, Cu, Zn and Ca in both necrosols when compared to background values. Element concentration anomalies remained consistently higher than background samples down to 2 m bgl, where sampled, but reduced away from church buildings which may reflect burial densities. Element concentration anomalies were higher in the clay-rich necrosol than in sandy necrosol. Field-based rapid measurements gave similar relative concentration values to laboratory-based soil pellet measurements, although laboratory-based analyses were more precise. Study results implications suggest that long-used necrosols are likely to be more contaminated with heavy-metal elements than similar soil outside graveyards with implications for burial grounds management, adjacent populations and where burial grounds have been deconsecrated and turned to residential dwellings.

Cranial materials from the Oglakhty burial ground

In this article means of cranial measurements and indexes of the Tashtyk sample from the Oglakhty burial ground obtained as a result of analysis and integration of the measurements of G. Debets, V. Alexeev and I. Gokhman are presented. Also we updated the means of the pooled Tashtyk sample. It was demonstrated that the Oglakhty cranial sample cover the whole spectrum of variability of the Tashtyk population. The data on 37 male and 35 female Early Iron Age series of the Tashtyk culture, Early Tes tombs, Tes flat-grave burial grounds, Podgornovo, Bidzha, and Saragashen stages of the Tagar culture, were subjected to canonical variate analysis. The results of the analysis reveals that Tashtyk male and female series are very similar to the Early Tes samples mainly due to higher cranial index in both male and female samples and smaller nose protrusion angle in male sample. Describing the variety of options for postmortem trepanations of the Tashtyk skulls, we argue that the trepanation process was not a ritual in itself, but was a routine procedure aimed at extracting the brain.

Skupinové pohřebiště únětické kultury z Lovosic (okr. Litoměřice). K funerálním areálům starší doby bronzové v severozápadních Čechách / The Únětice Culture Group Cemetery from Lovosice (Litoměřice District). On Early Bronze Age Burial Grounds in Northwest Bohemia

The subject of the article is the “group” Unětice culture cemetery from the Early Bronze Age investigated in 2014 in Lovosice (Litoměřice district, northwest Bohemia). The cemetery’s dating to 2021–1751 BC corresponds to the mature stage of the Unětice culture in other parts of Bohemia (Moucha’s preclassical and classical stages). The cemetery is characterised by stone and apparently even wooden structures, multiple burials and the exclusive presence of miniature vessels. The population was composed primarily of old adults with the corresponding degenerative productive changes; only two non-adults were determined. Epigenetic marks on the skeletons testifying to a certain degree of kinship between the buried individuals were documented at the group cemetery and outside of it. New excavations have provided more detailed information on the spatial structure of burial grounds which, in addition to large cemeteries (of the Liběšovice, Březno near Louny, and Velke Žernoseky type), are composed of cemeteries with 10–20 graves, small groups of graves and solitary graves. These are also frequently accompanied by contemporary settlements located either close to the cemeteries or, as in the case of Lovosice, in the middle of the burial grounds. The spatial distribution of exogenous artefacts (amber beads, gold ornaments, silicite daggers) points to the possibility of the existence of an established network of long-distance routes in northwest Bohemia in the Early Bronze Age. One of the possible nodal points connected to the long-distance exchange system could have been located in the lower Ohře River region. This is documented, among other things, by the concentration of burial grounds with exceptional finds, settlements with evidence of metallurgy and the largest Bohemian hoards of ingots concentrated in the geographically defined microregion of Lovosice.

Rewriting the Grammar of the Education System: Delhi’s Education Reform (A Tale of Creative Resistance and Creative Disruption)

The study was not designed to undertake an evaluation of the success or failure of reform. Nor was it specifically about the desirability or defects of the policy reform choices. It took these reform choices and the policy context as a given. It is important to note that the Delhi reforms had its share of criticisms (Kumar, 2016; Rampal, 2016). However, our goal was not to comment on whether these were the “right” reforms or have their appropriateness measured in terms of their technical capability. This study sought to understand the pathways through which policy formulations, designed and promoted by committed leaders (the sound and functional head of the flailing state), transmit their ideas and how these are understood, resisted, and adopted on the ground. In essence, this is a study that sought to illuminate the multifaceted challenges of introducing change and transition in low-capacity settings. Its focus was on documenting the process of implementing reforms and the dynamics of resistance, distortion, and acceptance of reform efforts on the ground. The provocative claim that this report makes is that the success and failure, and eventual institutionalisation, of reforms depend fundamentally on how the frontline of the system understands, interprets, and adapts to reform efforts. This, we shall argue, holds the key to upending the status quo of “pilot” burial grounds that characterise many education reform efforts in India. Reforms are never implemented in a vacuum. They inevitably intersect with the belief systems, cultures, values, and norms that shape the education ecosystem. The dynamics of this interaction, the frictions it creates, and reformers’ ability to negotiate these frictions are what ultimately shape outcomes. In the ultimate analysis, we argue that reforming deeply entrenched education systems (and, more broadly, public service delivery systems) is not merely a matter of political will and technical solutions (although both are critical). It is about identifying the points of reform friction in the ecosystem and experimenting with different ways of negotiating these. The narrative presented here does not have any clear answers for what needs to be done right. Instead, it seeks to make visible the intricacies and potential levers of change that tend to be ignored in the rush to “evaluate” reforms and declare success and failure. Moving beyond success to understand the dynamics of change and resistance is the primary contribution of this study.

They Are Preserved Forever: Visualising the Memorialisation of Archipelagic Religious and Community Identities

In this article, we respond to the Special Issue theme by addressing the complexities of religious identities in archipelagic communities where the dual role of the sea as conduit and barrier has impacted the parish system, farming estates and community life. The focus is primarily on nineteenth and twentieth century testimonies and material evidence, approached within a broader chronological context going back to the Middle Ages. Using qualitative GIS mapping of the habitations of the people memorialised in two burial grounds in Orkney, we visualise the active role of the islander in constructing identities linking people and place at parish, community and personal levels. The results show that the people with memorial stones were buried within a long-established parochial structure but did not adhere to ecclesiastical norms, with district burial grounds being favoured over a single parish churchyard. We conclude that this approach demonstrates the complexities of identities within an island community and identify its applicability in other contexts combining material culture and historical documentation to investigate religious island identities.