The Complexes of the Late Period of the Nabil Archaeological Culture (North-Western Sakhalin).

The article analyzes the archaeological materials of the two Nabil dwellings located on the sand spit, which separates one of the largest lagoons in the north-eastern part of Sakhalin Island from the Sea of Okhotsk. The researched archaeological objects are presented by pit dwellings with entrances in the form of a corridor-crawlway. The objects are synchronized, and they have C14 calibration age within the 4th –2nd century BC. During the existence of the settlement (the climate boundary was between Sub-Boreal and Sub-Atlantic phases) the climate was a little warmer than the modern one. The objects were located in the favourable fishing area of the island. The household complexes of the dwellings are similar. The Nabil’s pottery has foreign cultural influence and it is differentiated from the Early Nabil complexes. There are a lot of stone tools intended for the fishery. The stone tools were locally produced. There are both the stone tools and the corroded metal fragments and the stone replica of the metal tools. The Nabil jewelry is of transit origin and it shows the presence of relationships between South Sakhalin and the continental areas of Far East. It is assumed that in the conditions of a shortage of metals, the need for its import caused the integration of the peoples of Sakhalin into the system of regional trade and exchange relations. Keywords: Sakhalin Island, Paleometal age, Nabil culture, pit dwelling, pointed shape pottery, stone tools, tubular beads, iron Acknowledgements: The author is grateful to her teachers and colleagues Doctor of History Alexander A. Vasilevsky and Candidate of History Vyacheslav A. Grishchenko for critical and suggestive remarks that contributed to a broader understanding of the sources.

Three-Part Appliques from Medieval Complexes of Lower Angara Region

The present paper investigates three-part appliques from the ensemble of archaeological sites of Shivera Prospikhino, which was located in the Lower Angara region. The variants of this type of jewelry have been indicated, and their territorial distribution in the region and Northern Eurasia have been determined. The chronological frame of the extent of appliques during the research archaeological complex is presented. The highest diversity of variants of appliques are recorded in the burials of the 12th — middle 13th century. In the burials of the Mongol period (the 13th –14th century) appliques with a plain shield and items with a drawn line on shield predominate. Jewelry with a convex figured nose, with «pearls’ on the ears and with a drawn line in the center of the shield have not been not marked in the materials of nearby and distant archaeological complexes of Northern Eurasia. The paper puts forward a position on the universal using of three-part appliques. Visual research of the appliques allowed us to record technological traces that reflect the techniques of making jewelry. The characteristic of the recipe of the alloys used has been presented. At the moment, the published materials indicate that the territory of the Lower Angara region is the north-eastern border of the mass distribution of three-part appliques. Keywords: Lower Angara region, High Middle Ages, jewelry, appliques, typology, chronology, manufacturing techniques

Rare Metal Mirror of the Jurchen Time From Tuva

The article presents the publication and diverse interpretation of a fragment of a rare metal mirror from the collection of the National Museum of the Republic of Tyva (Kyzyl city). The attribution of the composition, placed in the preserved part of the ornamental field of the mirror, required an appeal to the extensive collections of Chinese objects reflected in catalogs and special literature. It is established that the product belongs to a rare group of finds depicting the scene of the conversation “Xu Yu and Chao Fu” — a plot known since the Han Dynasty. An examination of the features of casting, the design of the rim, and the stylistics of the images of the published mirror shows that the manufacture of this item can be attributed to the period of the non-Chinese Jin Dynasty (1115–1234 AD). The significance of the fragment in the system of similar objects found on the territory of Tuva was determined by a review of known finds. The published fragment, the production of which dates back to the Jurchen time, demonstrates the latest period in the distribution of such objects in Tuva. It is important that the product shows a very rare specimen of a mirror, full analogies of which are absent not only in the designated region, but also, as far as we know, have not yet been identified in the sites of North and Central Asia. Keywords: metal mirror, Tuva, museum collections, China, Jurchen time, interpretation Acknowledgements: The study was carried out with the financial support of the Russian Foundation for Basic Research and the Ministry of Culture, Education, Science and Sports of Mongolia within the framework of the scientific project No. 19–59–44013 “Historical, Сultural and Ehnogenetic Processes in Mongolia during the Great Migration and the Early Middle Ages: an Interdisciplinary Analysis of Archaeological and Written Sources”.

Findings on Kupchegen-1 Settlement (Central Altai)

The paper presents the results of the chronological attribution of a complex of objects obtained during exploration work at the Kupchegen-1 settlement, located on the outskirts of the village of the same name in the Ongudai district of the Altai Republic. The settlement is located on a small site in a closed hollow, in the place of a seasonal watercourse. Due to this location, the cultural layer of the site is destroyed by a large gully, in which the locals collected lifting material in the form of fragments of ceramic vessels, iron products, animal bones and pieces of slag. In 2020, the ravine was cleaned up and additional material was obtained, allowing the dating of the main layer of the settlement. Based on the consideration of analogies of individual finds, in particular, an iron armor plate, a ceramic complex and a blank quiver loop, the materials of the settlement were tentatively dated to the 9th-13th centuries AD. It is possible that the materials received also contain a few items related to other periods. The studied complex can become a reference for the study of the settlements of the Turkic and pre-Mongol times of Altai. Keywords: settlement; Middle Ages; Turkic time; pre-Mongol time; ceramics; quiver; armor plate Acknowledgements: The research was carried out with the financial support of the Russian Science Foundation (project No. 20–78–00035).

Emergence of Microlithic Production in Mongolia: Research Terminology and Chronstratigraphic Position of Lithic Industries in Eastern and Southern Asia

Territory of Mongolia is situated in the center of Asia, a crossroad of the potential migration routes, that connect different Eurasian macroregions. Here an example of earliest appearance and longterm existence of small blade and microblade production has been found. Beyond that, the industries, that appeared within limited area of the Middle Selenga Basin in the late MIS3 — early MIS2, contained the earliest for Northern and Central Asia geometric and non-geometric microliths. They have been found in the sediments of Kharganyn Gol 5 and Tolbor-4, — 16 and –21. They end up in LGM — post- LGM which cause depopulation in the region and following changes in the human groups, occupying this territory. An understanding of the character, causes and specifics of such early appearance of the microblade and bladelet production, and especially geometric microliths, impose the arrangement and definition of the terminology, associated with microlithic assemblages in Asia. This is due to the fact that in the archaeological definitions of both processes and the desired forms of artifacts associated with the production and use of microliths, there are significant discrepancies that complicate the understanding of the described phenomena. The article provides an overview of the research terminology of microlithization processes, and also determines the position of the microlithic complexes of Mongolia in the Upper Paleolithic system of the eastern part of Asia. Keywords: Mongolia, East Asia, Upper Paleolithic, lithic industries, microlithic technology

Pinchuga-6 Burial Ground — a New Site of the Finale of the Iron Age in the Lower Angara Region

The article presents the preliminary results of studying of the Pinchuga-6 burial ground in the Lower Angara region. This site is the first large necropolis of the late Iron Age to be explored in the region. 16 cremated burials on the side were recorded at the necropolis. Eventually 30 individuals of different ages were identified. The research revealed single children’s and adults’ burials, collective and paired complexes. In the collective complexes the remains of three or five people are buried. Based on the results the main features of the funeral ceremony were identified. Among the finds from the burial ground and the inter-burial ground space are weapons, tools, ceramic vessels, objects of Western Siberian cult casting and adornments. According to the analogy, the burial ground dates back to the second quarter of the 1st millennium AD. In addition materials of the Tashtyk and Late Kulai guises have been collected at the site along with local elements of the Lower Angara region. Keywords: Lower Angara region, finale of the Iron Age, burial ground, burial ceremony, funeral equipment, ceramics, dating, cultural connection

Geophysical and Archaeological Survey of the Hillfort of Zilgi and the Barrow Cemetery of Beslan (North Ossetia)

The article is devoted to new methodological techniques in the study of widely known sites of the early stage of Alanic culture of the Central Ciscaucasia — Zilgi hillfort and Beslan kurgan catacomb burial ground (RNO — Alania). The use of satellite images, low-altitude aerial photography, photogrammetry and magnetometric survey made it possible to obtain fundamentally new information about these well-studied sites and to specify their topographic and planigraphic features in the shortest time with minimal destructions. The excavations carried out in two areas of the Beslan necropolis helped to considerably refine its chronological framework, trace the development of the necropolis from the Zilgi hillfort to the southeastern periphery and identify the area of the most recent graves dating from the middle of the 7th century AD, which were made near the eastern border of unfortified settlement of Zilgi. The non-destructive survey methodology tested by the team has wide prospects for the study of Alanic culture sites of the Central Caucasus, especially at its early stage. Keywords: North Caucasus, Alanic culture, “earthen hillforts”, barrow catacomb burials, photogrammetry, Remote Sensing data, magnetometric survey

Historic and Cultural Situation at the Turn of the Bronze and Iron Ages in the Trans-Urals

The article is devoted to the generalization and systematization of archaeological materials obtained during the excavations of sites of the late Bronze and early Early Iron Ages on the territory of the Trans-Urals. Comparative characteristics of the main life-supporting elements (settlement system, settlement planning, house-building, economy, ceramic production) of the carriers of the Mezhovka, Barkhatovo, Gamayun, Itkul (Iset) and Baitovo cultures made it possible for the authors to present one of the options for the development of the cultural-historical situation in the Trans-Urals forest-steppe and subtaiga zones at the turn of the Bronze and Iron epochs. Qualitative and quantitative data indicate dynamic transformation processes during this period, confirm the synchronicity of the Mezhovka and Barkhatovo cultures, the alien character of the Gamayun and Itkul (Iset) groups at the end of the Bronze Age and the continuity of the Barkhatovo-Baitovo antiquities. At the initial stage of the early Iron Age, representatives of the Itkul culture shared the space of the forest-steppe — subtaiga with the Baitovo communities. The alien traditions are becoming obsolete and there is a complete replacement of the local “standard” — Baitovo before the spread of the Sargat-Gorokhov influence. Keywords: Trans-Urals, complexes with cross ornamentation pottery, Barkhatovo Culture, Gamayun Culture, Itkul Culture, Baitovo Culture

Nizhnyaya Sooru Settlement in Central Altai: Some Outcomes of the Study and Prospects for Further Research

More than 150 years have passed since V.V Radlov began the first excavations to study the Afanasievo culture in the Altai. To date, mortuary complexes have provided the majority of cultural and biological material for the Afanasievo culture and have served as the basis for robust analyses and interpretations, even though their potential has not been fully exhausted. Critically, Afanasievo settlements have been very poorly studied. One of the most important reasons for this gap in our knowledge is the lack of surveys for occupational sites of communities in the Altai dating to the end of the 4th to the beginning of the 3rd millennium BCE. The available information on the Afanasievo culture gives hope that this research agenda will be eventually implemented. At the same time, it is important to bring existing results into the scientific literature and analyze available materials with modern methods. This article provides information about the Afanasievo settlement Nizhnyaya Sooru, which was discovered in the Karakol River Valley of the central Altai. In spite of the small scale of previous excavations, the findings attracted archaeological attention and have been described in several publications. Inspection of this settlement in 2019 and 2020 revealed that the cultural deposits were actively being destroyed by erosion. Here, we present our observations, photographs, and a topographic plan of the site, while outlining the prospects of future research at Nizhnyaya Sooru. Keywords: Altai, Afanasievo culture, Nizhnyaya Sooru, settlement, animal bones, ceramics, stone tools, radiocarbon dating, topographic plan

Medieval Mirrors from the Collection of Altai State Museum of Local Lore.

The article presents the characteristic of medieval metal mirrors in the collection of the Altai State Museum of Local Lore (Barnaul). The analysis of three items (two fragments and one complete product) has been carried out. The authors reviewed the history of the formation of this small collection, and also provided a detailed description of each mirror. It has been established that the find from the Kirillovka-V complex is a part of an eight-bladed artifact, which, judging by the recorded characteristics, is an original Chinese mirror of the late Tang time. The fragment discovered during the excavations of the Khoroshonok-I necropolis has no analogies in the sites of North and Central Asia. The dating of both designated objects is determined by the last centuries of the 1st millennium AD. The third mirror was made during the Yuan Dynasty and belongs to a very rare type of product. The analysis of the considered group of objects from the Altai State Museum of Local Lore collection demonstrates a significant informational potential for further study of metal mirrors from museum collections, some of which have not yet been published and are not included in the context of modern research. Keywords: metal mirrors, Middle Ages, museum, Altai, archaeological sites, China, chronology Acknowledgements: The study was carried out within the framework of the state assignment of the Altai State University, project No. 748715Ф.99.1. ББ97АА00002 “The Turkic-Mongolian World of the “Great Altai”: Unity and Diversity in History and Modernity”.