To the Question of Studying the History of Irrigation on the Territory of Central Asia in the Bronze Age. Arkheologiya Evraziyskikh stepey No6 2023 (original) (raw)
Related papers
2023
The article continues the series of publications discussing the reasons for dating the beginning of the Piany Bor culture in the Kama region in two aspects: firstly, what are the grounds for the assertions about the beginning of the culture in the 3d century BC and secondly, how the extracted finds correspond to the modern state of chronology. One of the discussed categories of finds is bronze arrowheads. In the first part of the work (Krasnopeorov, 2021) bronze arrowheads findings in a late context in sites, primarily in the steppe zone, were discussed. The review, even taking into account the incompleteness, showed that the justifications for the early dates of the sites, based on the finds of bronze arrowheads, repeated in publications, are insufficiently argumentative. «The widespread replacement of bronze arrowheads with iron ones in the 2nd century BC" did not happen. This part examines the complexes (burials) with bronze arrowheads in the area of the Piany Bor culture. Extensive lists of finds compiled by other authors were checked. They exclude burials with arrowheads and indeterminate and non-informative finds. The rest of the accompanying materials, that are regularly repeated throughout the entire group of burials, has no basis for dating. Two burials from the Stariy Chekmak and Yuldashevo burial grounds are important. The accompaniment inventory of Yuldashevo, burial 16 make it possible to compare them with the sites of the Andreyevka-Piseraly 'circle', which does not allow dating the set earlier than I (possibly 2nd half) – beginning (possibly 1st quarter) II century AD. In this case, it shows that bronze arrowheads continue to exist after the turn of the era. Due to the fact that arrowheads were no longer used in the «Sarmatian» burial rite, we do not know the date of the end of the existence of the type. The available facts, their uniqueness show that bronze arrowheads are not a fundamental dating inventory. The mere fact that bronze arrowheads were found in a complex is insufficient evidence for necessarily early dating of a complex or site. However, this category of finds continues to retain the potential to determine an early date for the Piany Bor culture.
2021
The paper continues a series of publications discussing the foundations of dating the beginning of the Piany Bor culture in the Kama region in following two aspects: first, the grounds for the statements about the beginning of the culture in the 3rd century BC, and secondly, to what extent the finds in question correspond to the contemporary chronology. One of the categories is represented by bronze arrowheads. According to the results of unraveling the chains of references, almost all of them come down to the work by M.G. Moshkova in 1962 and K.F. Smirnov in 1961. In the 1980s, there were cardinal changes in the general chronology of the Sarmatian cultures - while maintaining the main features of the rite and inventory of the cultures themselves, the dating of the transition of the Early Sarmatian to the Middle Sarmatian culture has changed from the 2nd century BC to the turn of the epochs. The complexes enabling the dating of the attributes have “rejuvenated”. Bronze arrowheads are still most characteristic of the Early Sarmatian culture, but the culture itself, according to new information, existed before the beginning of the 1st century AD. But, surprisingly, this did not affect the chronology of the local cultures. A review of the cases used by M.G. Moshkova, supplemented by new information, demonstrated that bronze arrowheads have been repeatedly found in the Middle and Late Sarmatian complexes. In certain cases, these are “amulets” made of very archaic types of arrows, and in others, these are items actually used in everyday life. Considering that the placement of arrows in burials of these periods is generally uncommon, it cannot be argued that the existence of arrows is strictly limited to the 3rd century BC. And the dating references of 60 years ago are unacceptable.
2018
The aim of the paper is to examine the traces of hydraulic facilities in the southern part of Bolgary site, especially its upper part with some open bodies of water, mainly seasonal and situated lower then a zone of buildings. Usually explorers of urban beautification (particularly water conduits) examined its central (northern) part where there is a slope from reservoirs to buildings. The principles of our approach is usage of old maps of the site, accessible cosmic photos, results of excavations and observations on location for relief. Presumably there was a cascade of ponds in Jerusalemsky ravine in the time of the Golden Horde. High lakes were used in the southern part of the site as reservoirs for water. Sometimes the hollows of lakes are connected with small channels. Location of some large wells is detected. One of them partly investigated in excavation CCXIV. Sometimes any lines passing out of the wells are fixable on the cosmic photos. It correspond either to paths or to surface water conduits. There are two places where lines fixed on photos correspond to trenches. It partly explored by excavations CCVIII and CCIX. Presumably the trenches were used for irrigation. Small fountain (cheshme) was found out in the excavation CCI. May be, it was supplied with water from nearest well by surface water conduit.
2022
The author of the article presents translations from Arabic into Russian by the fragments of the 12th-century geographer al-Idrisi literary composition "Nuzhat al-mushtak fi ikhtirak al-afak" ("Entertainment of the exhausted in wandering through the regions") concerning the peoples of Central Asia (the Kazakhs, Kirghizs, Turkmens). Among other similar medieval geographical works, it is still poorly studied and not even studied – there are no complete translations into Russian of source materials related to the Turkic peoples of Central Asia. Despite the fact that the work of al-Idrisi is geographical, in fact it carries a lot of information concerning the life and everyday life of many Turkic tribes and peoples of Central Asia of the Middle Ages. Therefore, this work can rightly be called both a historical and ethnographic work that reflects the spirit of the medieval era. Moreover, this work, among other Arab-Muslim works, is one of the most informative geographical sources about the peoples of Central Asia. This translation presented in the article will serve as a source for the development of archaeological investigations, since it is associated with the determination of the place of settling of the ancient Turkic peoples of Central Asia. The translations were made by the author of the publication on the basis of the Italian edition of 1970-1984, which most correctly reflects the name of ethnonyms and geographical names of Central Asia.
2021
The author of the article presents translations from Arabic into Russian by the 12th-century geographer al-Idrisi of fragments of the composition "Nuzhat al-mushtak fi ikhtirak al-afak" ("Entertainment of the exhausted in wandering through the regions") concerning the peoples of Central Asia (Kazakhs, Kirghizs, Turkmens). This translation will serve as a source for the development of archeology, since it is associated with the determination of the place of settlemen Among other similar medieval geographical works, it is still poorly studied and not even studie Despite the fact that the work of al-Idrisi is geographical, in fact it carries a lot of information concerning the life and everyday life of many Turkic tribes and peoples of Central Asia of the Middle Ages. Therefore, it can rightly be called both a historical and ethnographic work that reflects the spirit of the medieval era. Moreover, this work, among other Arab-Muslim works, is one of the most informative geographical sources about the peoples of Central Asia.d – there are no complete translations into Russian of source materials related to the Turkic peoples of Central Asia.t of the ancient Turkic peoples of Central Asia. The translations were made by the author of the publication on the basis of the Italian edition of 1970-1984, which most correctly reflects the name of ethnonyms and geographical names of Central Asia.
2024
The article is devoted to the contribution of Igor Borisovich Vasiliev in the study of the Bronze Age of the Volga region. In 2024, the Samara State Pedagogical University will celebrate 50 years of archaeological activity and 20 years of memory of an outstanding scientist. I.B. Vasiliev made a significant contribution to the research of the Bronze Age in the Volga region. He substantiated the discovery of new cultures (Volsk-Lbschi, Potapovka), discovered bright sites of the Yamnaya, Poltavka, Srubnaya cultures and ones of the final Bronze Age. The researcher was at the origins of the creation of the archaeological school of the Samara State Pedagogical University and the use of interdisciplinary methods in the archaeology of the Volga region. The researcher has carried out a lot of scientific and organizational work: holding expeditions, conferences, creating a laboratory, a museum, an institute of history and archeology of the Volga region. Scientific conclusions of I.B. Vasiliev are relevant not only for the Volga region and the Urals, but also for other regions.
2021
The paper provides an alternative approach to study of the cultural layers of archaeological sites from the perspective of exploratory data analysis – one of the branches of mathematical statistics. It is often impossible or irrational to perform a complete study of the cultural layer of an archeological site, i. e. to subject it to complete excavations. Therefore, the main types of samples are described: random sampling, systematized random sampling and stratified random sampling, which are required to obtain an undistorted view of the general population – the cultural layer. The basic principles of the formation of random samples are also outlined in the paper. Statistical methods for calculating the confidence intervals of the averages and proportions are described on the example of the cultural layers of the Late Bronze Age settlements of the Southern Trans-Urals. They are used to study the saturation of the cultural layer with material remains and their diversity in order to characterize the entire general population inaccessible for studying. In conclusion, a method is provided for calculating the area required to be excavated in order to characterize the previously unexplored sites. It is concluded that, in combination with a statistical approach, the excavation of small areas can guarantee studying of the cultural layer while preserving the cultural heritage site.
2020
The paper concerns the materials obtained during the studies of Bryukhovo settlement located in the vicinity of Lake Galichskoye conducted by E.I. Goryunova in 1961 and O.V. Novikova in 2016-2017, contains an analysis of the ceramic complexes, outlines its predominant manufacturing traditions and its main features, and identifies the characteristics of its formation from the third quarter of the second Millennium BC. The authors distinguish textile ceramics bearing the traditions of the previous cultures in the Late Bronze Age. In the Final Bronze Age - the beginning of the Early Iron Age, poorly ornamented (only pitted) textile ceramics with a speckled finely meshed (more rarely, widely meshed) imprint prevailed, and the other types appeared - textile ceramics with thread imprints, shaded and smoothed ceramics, ornamented with pits or orifices. In the 6th century BC the settlement was included in the Ananyino Cultural and Historical Area. The materials obtained at the site suggest a mixed nature of the culture borne by the settlements located in Lake Galichskoye area with Ananyino (the culture of comb-cord ceramics) and textile origins. The cultural transformation had been completed by the 5th century BC, and a cultural space with a new hybrid type of ceramics was formed, which existed until the 3rd/2nd centuries BC.
2019
The paper deals with interpretation of the results of the comparative statistical analysis of pottery from the late Bronze Age settlements in the lower reaches of the Belaya river – Kakry-Kul, Birsk, Udelny-Duvaney. The analysis has been aimed to determination the cultural identity of these settlements and to establishing genetic links between ceramics of the Early Ananyino (Pitted Ware and Corded Ware) Culture and the Late Bronze Age ceramics in the Volga and Kama region. The analysis of ceramics has been carried out according to the program and methods developed by V.F. Gening and G.A. Fedorov-Davydov at their time. The obtained results show that the Late Bronze Age settlements in the lower reaches of the river Belaya belong either to the Maklasheevka (according to V.N. Markov) or to the Byrgynda (according to L.I. Ashikhmina) cultures of the Lower Kama basin; in their morphological features, the ceramics of the of Early Ananyino type, decorated with a complex cord and pit ornament, differ markedly from the pottery of the Late Bronze Age in the Volga-Kama region, which does not allow the authors to speak about the genetic relationship between the compared groups of ceramics. That is, the pottery of the Early Ananyino type with a cord and pit ornament was brought to the Volga-Kama region outside. Most likely, the origin of this pottery should be sought in the late Bronze Age settlements in more northern areas.
Final Bronze Settlements in the Middle Don Region. Arkheologiya Evraziyskikh stepey No2 2022
2022
The authors analyze the results of excavations at the Final Bronze settlements of the Ivanovo (Khvalyn) and Bondarikhino cultures in the Middle Don region. Two settlements of the Bondarikhino culture have been excavated in the Bityug River region, and closed complexes have been identified, which allow the authors to characterize in detail the ceramic and tool specifics of the culture. The Zhuravka 1 settlement was studied, it located in the south of the Middle Don, where complexes of the Ivanovo (Khvalyn) culture were traced. In the middle reaches of the Bityug River (the left tributary of the Don River), the Bobrov 2 and 3 settlements were excavated. New materials of the Final Bronze Age were obtained. Conclusions were made about the connection of the Don materials with neighboring regions. The results of studies of the Zhuravka 1 settlements and two settlements near the town of Bobrov have expanded our understanding of the cultural processes which took place in the Eastern European forest-steppe at the end of the 2nd Millennium BC.