Sintashta

Семененко А.А. О научной недобросовестности авторов коллективной монографии по истории Южного Урала эпохи бронзы. Отзыв на книгу: Южный Урал в начале эпохи металлов. Бронзовый век / А.В. Епимахов и др. // История Южного Урала: В 8 т. — Т. 2. — Челябинск: Издательский центр ЮУРГУ, 2019. — 432 с. // История. Общество. Политика / РИО ФГБОУ ВО «Брянский государственный университет имени академика И. Г. Петровского». — №3(19). — 2021. — С. 163–170.

Аннотация: Рассматриваются проблемы методики и методологии археологического изучения погребений Южного Урала эпохи бронзы со следами установки колёс (на оси). Подчёркивается необходимость проведения научно-достоверной археологической интерпретации синташтинско-петровско-алакульских погребений с колёсами как важнейшего предварительного этапа подлинно-научной реконструкции использовавшихся транспортных средств и источника для историко-социологических обобщений. Выявляется псевдонаучный характер колесничного мифа в истории Южного Урала эпохи бронзы. Доказывается псевдонаучность лингвистической карты Южного Урала эпохи бронзы.

Ключевые слова: Южный Урал, эпоха бронзы, псевдоколесницы, псевдореконструкции, псевдонаука, псевдолингвистика.

Semenenko A. A. On the scientific dishonesty of the authors of a collective monograph on the history of the Southern Urals of the Bronze Age. Book Review: The Southern Urals’ Region in the palaeometal epoch. The bronze age / A. V. Epimahov et al. // The history of the Southern Urals’ Region: in 8 volumes. — V. 2. — Chelyabinsk: SUSU Publishing Centre, 2019. — 432 p.

Abstract: The problems of the methodology of the archaeological investigation of the burials of the Southern Urals of the Bronze Age with traces of the installation of wheels (on the axis) are considered. The necessity of carrying out a scientifically reliable archaeological interpretation of the Sintashta-Petrovka-Alakul burials with wheels is emphasized as the most important preliminary stage of a truly scientific reconstruction of the vehicles used and a source for historical and socio-logical generalizations. The pseudoscientific character of the chariot myth in the history of the Southern Urals of the Bronze Age is revealed. The pseudoscientific nature of the linguistic map of the Southern Urals of the Bronze Age is demonstrated.

Keywords: the Southern Urals’ Region, Bronze Age, pseudochariots, pseudoreconstructions, pseudoscience, pseudolinguistics.

Горащук И. В. Рецензия на книгу: Семененко А. А. Эталон колесничного погребения или почему Урало-Казахстанские погребения с повозками эпохи бронзы не являются колесничными? (электронная монография на правах рукописи). — Воронеж, 2020. — 677 с. + 575 илл. — ISBN 978-5-6043336-1-7 // История. Общество. Политика / РИО ФГБОУ ВО «Брянский государственный университет имени академика И. Г. Петровского». — №3(15). — 2020.— С. 162—164.

The article analyzes the inventory of burials with psalia in the cultures of the Bronze Age of steppe Eurasia. The collection, where the first version of this article was submitted, had not been published for several years. During this period the authors continued to monitor the situation, noting both the new studied complexes and the new literature. A long-prepared collection has recently been released, but the accumulated data has allowed to propose an expanded version of the article, which is based on the information from 106 burial complexes. Based on the collected complexes, the authors attempt to determine the social status of the people buried with psalia. Information about the burials with psalia of several cultures (Sintashta, Petrovskaya, Potapovskaya, Alakulskaya, Pokrovskaya, Don-Volga Abashevskaya) or cultural entities (Nurtai complexes, Zeravshan version of the Bactrian-Margian archaeological complex) was collected by the authors. Throughout the new version of their work, the authors verify which of their conclusions have passed the test over the time period, however short it may be, and make adjustments in their earlier assumptions. After an analysis of the obtained information the authors concluded that the more burials with psalia are introduced into scientific discourse, the more questionable is the hypothesis that these artifacts primarily mark the carriers of military function who fought on chariots. The harness located in the grave was a token of a high social status of the deceased, but the person did not necessarily belong to a military function.

In recent years studies of prehistoric society mobility has been relying,
mostly, on multi-disciplinary research. The paper demonstrates the capabilities of archaeological sources in the study of mobility using the example of one archaeological site that contained the attributes of a chariot complex (cheek-pieces and a cross-straps distributer of a horse’s headband). Typology of the discovered cheek-pieces suggests that they can be attributed to the Petrovka tradition with some Sintashta traits, while the ceramic assemblage is ascribed entirely to the Petrovka and Alakul cultures. There are no items that would be completely analogous to the strap distributor; however, the decoration tradition is very common for chariot sets found in the Don-Volga region. The finds from the Vladimirovka burial ground is not only a good illustration of people’s mobility but also help advance a hypothesis about individual mobility or mobility of small groups directly linked to production and use of the chariot set.

This article presents data from an international experimental study on the reconstruction of the “compound” bow of Sintashta culture of bronze age South Ural, Russia. The project is carried out by a collective of researchers from Greece and Russia as part of the grant program of the world association of experimental archaeology EXARC - “Twinning program”. The article reviews the global context of the design features of bows of the Neolithic-Bronze Age. The features and parts of the Sintashta “compound” bow were considered, and the role of long-range weapons in the life of Sintashta society was discussed. Using authentic technologies and materials, the authors of the article managed to make four versions of the bow reconstruction prior to obtaining the correct version.
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The content is published under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial 4.0 License. Archaeological Experiment on Reconstruction of the "Compound" Bow of the Sintashta Bronze Age Culture from the Stepnoe Cemetery exarc.net/issue-2021-2/ea/reconstruction-compound-bow-sintashta
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Persistent Identifier: https://exarc.net/ark:/88735/10579

In Eastern Europe, the use of light vehicles with spoked wheels and harnessed horse teams is first evi-denced in the early second-millennium BC Sintashta-Petrovka Culture in the Southeastern Ural Mountains. Using Bayesian modelling of radiocarbon dates from the kurgan cemetery of Kamennyj Ambar-5, combined with artefactual and strati-graphic analyses, this article demonstrates that these early European chariots date to no later than the first proto-chariots of the ancient Near East. This result suggests the earlier emergence of chariots on the Eurasian Steppe than previously thought and contributes to wider debates on the geography and chronology of technological innovations.

The southern Ural center of cultural genesis and the Babino Culture (КМК): the problem of intercommunication.
The origin of cultures of the Novy Kumak chronological horizon allocated into 1970th in Ural re-gion, spoke as influence Catacomb cultures from the west, in particular Mnogovalikovaya ceramic culture (Babino). The further researches have led many authors to a conclusion about synchronism of Babino culture with Novy Kumak chronological horizon, including Sintashta burial ground. The concept of the Volga-Urals (Southern Urals) center of cultural genesis has generated the assumption that Babino culture (Mnogovalikovaya) is a product of influence of Sintashta culture from Ural in the western direction on the world of the Catacomb culture of the Don basin. Article is devoted to the proof of that, such script does not correspond to the data of archeological sources. First, chrono-logical researches show, that Sintashta is younger than Catacomb cultures and that Sintashta is not senior than Early Babino culture. Second, Babino culture on all parameters is alien to "cultures of chariots" Don-Volga-Ural region. It is obvious, that formation of Babino culture did not grow out actions (influences) from the Southern Ural center of cultural genesis. Taking into account localiza-tion of the earliest monuments of Babino culture in an area between Dnieper, Severski Donets and Azov Sea, preliminary we suggest to allocate the Dnieper-Donets (Dnieper-Don) center of cultural genesis and to connect with it process of formation of Babino culture and other cultures of the Post-Catacomb block. Some parallels between Babino culture and Sintashta can speak that in process of birth of Sintashta culture, took part together Abashevo and Late Catacomb substrata (components).

Статья посвящена аспектам реконструкции ткацкого станка бронзового века Южного Зауралья и Северного Казахстана. Рассматриваются два возможных варианта его конструктивных особенностей: примитивный станок-рама и классический ткацкий станок с ремизкой. Технологические параметры ткани, изученные по ее отпечаткам на керамических сосудах синташтинской, петровской и алакульской культур, свидетельствуют об ее изготовлении на классическом ткацком станке. Археологические параллели указывают на западный импульс данной технологии производства текстиля.

В статье приводятся результаты полевых исследований синташтинского кургана 1 могильника Каратомар (Костанайская область, Северный Казахстан). Могильник  был обнаружен весной 2017 года. Курган диаметром 25 м, высотой 0,9 м.  В полевом сезоне 2017 года, под насыпью кургана были изучены две могильных ямы № 3 и № 4, которые относятся к синташтинской.  Среди находок выделяются деревянный наконечник копья, берестяной сосуд и бронзовый сосуд.

The article deals with the research of cloth imprints on the inside of pots from the bronze age Krivoe Ozero cemetery in the Trans-Urals. It was possible to reconstruct the basic characteristics of the cloth as well as possible technology used in its production. In addition, commonalities and differences in the sintashta and petrovka cloth production are considered.

The article studies all series of radiocarbon dates of one of the most debatable sites of the Bronze Age in Southern Ural – Big Sintashta kurgan. A study of the historiography shows serious contradictions in interpretation of the site including its cultural and chronological attribution, function, etc. Finding its chronological position would facilitate progress in interpretation; however, six dates (wood-based) are divided into three groups and overtake almost all II millinery BC. The reasons for the heterogeneity of the series can be found in the origins of the assemblage which partly is proved by soil scientists' conclusions. Besides, one of the chronological groups (14-13 centuries BC) has no archaeological concentration in the excavated part of the kurgan but is well presented in the settlement with the same name. At the present time, we can carefully take note that at least a part of wooden constructions refers to different periods of the Bronze Age. Further progress depends on the widening of the series of quality dates for the site obtained from well studied and recorded context. The second task of verification is the precision of Cherkaskul culture chronology in the steppe Trans-Urals, based on its excavated material. Modern ideas of its chronology are based on a very small series of dates obtained using the scintillation method without the second dating checking.

The study examines the ancient fortified settlement of the Southern Urals, dating from the Bronze Age (3-1 millenium BC). These objects are considered as fortificatios, the oldest industrial and residential or artisanal-residential complexes, localized on a sepsrate territory. During the study the morfology of their formation is described and their typological belonging to the architectural of the ancient Indo-European fortifications is revealed that allows us to consider them in a general context with more recent types of similar objects in Eurasia. The relation of Sintashta-Petrine culture with ancient architectural and town-planing traditions of Central Asia are considered. According to the study results the comparative analysis of planning structures at the fortified Southen Urals settlements of the Bronz Age with identified counterpsrts at the time of the study.

SPINNING AND WEAVING BONE TOOLS IN SINTASHTA
A group of weaving and spinning tools «knitting-needles» has been singled out in 18 Timber-grave settlements (44 items), in the Sabatinovskaya (8 items) and Chernolesskaya (2 items) settlements. A great number of «knitting-needles» (more than 59 items) has been found in the Timber-grave burials. After publishing the article in 1999 (A. N. Usachuk, R. A. Litvinenko, 1999. P. 204-216) the traceware analysis of bone items has made it possible to single out some more «knitting-needles». In the Timber-grave settlement (Kapitanovo-II) 3 more «knitting-needles» have been found (10 items in the whole). In addition to them some «knitting-needles» were found in the settlements of Ukraine: Chernikovo Lake-1 (3 items), Kapitanovo-II (1 item) and Boguslav (3 items). Sets of «knitting-needles» were found in the Timber-grave burials in Rostov and Saratov regions of Russia. One «knitting needle» has been found in the settlement of Lebyazhinka (the Middle Volga). A great number of such bone tools has been singled out in the Late Bronze Age Settlements of the South Ural (Pokrovskoye – 1 item, Rodnikovoye – 3 items, Tokskoye – 4 items, Gorniy – 1 item). The traceware analysis of bone tools from the Sintashta fortified settlement has made possible to single out 6 «knitting-needles» (fig. 1, 1-6). Four «knitting- needles» (fig. 1, 1-4) were found in the corner of dwelling 6 and, perhaps, they are scrificial. One «knitting-needle» (fig. 1, 5) was found in addition to the 4 other ones (dwelling 7 – ?). The place where the latter was found (fig. 1, 6) is not clear enough. Nowadays there have been found 81 «knitting-needles» in 29 Late Bronze Age Settlements. A group of «knitting-needles» from the burials of the period totals 67. Authors believe spinning and weaving bone tools were used not only in the Late Bronze Age but, perhaps, in the Middle Bronze Age as well.

The Andreevskoye settlement (Bredinsky district of the Chelyabinsk Region, the left bank of the Sintashta River of the Tobolsk basin) belongs to a rare type of site of the Trans-Ural Bronze Age with dense housing development, enclosed by a system of walls and ditches. Deciphering archival aerial photography, the use of low-depth geophysics (micromagnetic survey and ground-penetrating radar), analysis of the microrelief, and test pits allowed us to determine main architectural elements, clarify their parameters, and propose a scenario for changing the object’s structure over time. The basic layout throughout its history has been linear. The space within the walls was occupied by the blocks of buildings and passageways (“streets”) dividing them. The number of rows was dependent on the expansion and reduction (at a later stage) of the area of the enclosed space. A typical feature of the early stage is numerous combustion products and fi retraces. They form positive magnetic anomalies, mainly confined to the surfaces of the outer wall of the early stage of development. Traces of economic activities of the Bronze Age population outside the walls have only been found at the site between the moat and the riverbank.
The composition of finds is typical for the Bronze Age cultures: fragments of ceramics, animal bones, slag, petiolate arrowhead made of stone, etc. The early period reliably belongs to the Sintashta culture; among the lifting collections, some finds belong to the Stone Age and the cultures of the Late Bronze Age. The example of the Andreevskoye settlement is one of many illustrations of dynamic processes of the development and adaptation of the Sintashta population to local conditions. All synchronous settlements explored over wide areas have traces of restructuring, including the transformation of the layout. The reasons for these changes can be diagnosed only on the basis of the results of new multidisciplinary projects.

Результаты археозоологических исследований на поселении бронзового века Коноплянка в Южном Зауралье Памятник относится к синташтинской культуре и датируется 1920-1745 гг. до н.э. При исследовании материалов использовались как стандартные археозоологические методики, так и относительно новый для российских работ пато-логический анализ. Такой подход позволяет получить данные не только о составе древнего поголовья скота, возрасте заби-тых животных, но и о состоянии их здоровья. Изучение патологий дает возможность реконструировать уровень живот-новодческих навыков обитателей поселения и условия содержания домашних копытных. В работе широко привлекаются этнозоологические данные-результаты наблюдения за современной системой выпаса и опроса пастухов в той же мест-ности, в которой находится памятник. Это позволяет получить сведения о вмещающих возможностях ландшафта и сде-лать реконструкцию формы животноводства более корректной. В статье также рассматривается остеофагия среди домашних копытных и предпринята попытка интерпретировать это явление в контексте поселенческой археологии. Ис-следование показало, что продукция животноводства играла доминирующую роль в системе жизнеобеспечения обита-телей поселения. Результаты патологического анализа дают основания говорить о высоком уровне животноводческих навыков населения и использовании крупного рогатого скота для физической работы. Свидетельства остеофагии среди домашних копытных позволяют определить место содержания животных. Форма животноводства реконструируется как придомная с вероятным круглогодичным содержанием всего или части поголовья на поселении. Ключевые слова: бронзовый век, синташтинская культура, археозоология, палеопатология, остеофагия копытных, рабочий скот. Konoplyanka is a fortifi ed settlement associated with the Sintashta culture and dating to 1920-1745 cal BC. The faunal sample was studied with regard to standard traits and markers of pathology, rather recently adopted in Russian archaeozoological studies. The results are relevant not only to herd composition and age at slaughter but also to the animals' state of health. The analysis of pathologies provides information about the herders' skills and the housing of domestic ungulates. Ethnographic data relating to the modern grazing management system in the same area and information received from herdsmen were widely used. This makes it possible to assess the carrying capacity of the land and to arrive at a more accurate reconstruction of the pastoral economy. Markers of osteophagy among the domestic ungulates are analyzed and the phenomenon is discussed in the context of settlement archaeology. The study showed that animal husbandry was the predominant subsistence strategy. Markers of animal pathology indicate a high level of herding skills. The cattle were used as draught animals. Osteophagy attests to places where animals were kept. The predominant system was homestead herding, all or most animals being likely kept within the settlement throughout the year.

Konoplyanka is a fortifi ed settlement associated with the Sintashta culture and dating to 1920-1745 cal BC. The faunal sample was studied with regard to standard traits and pathology analysis, rather recently adopted in Russian archaeozoological studies. The results are relevant not only to ancient herd composition and age at slaughter but also to the animals' states of health. The analysis of pathologies provides information about the herders' skills and the housing of domestic ungulates. Ethnographic data relating to the modern grazing management system in the same area and information received from herdsmen are widely used. This makes it possible to assess the carrying capacity of the land, and to arrive at a more accurate reconstruction of the pastoral economy. Osteophagy among the domestic ungulates is analyzed, and the phenomenon is discussed in the context of settlement archaeology. The study has shown that animal husbandry was the predominant subsistence strategy. Results of pathology analysis indicate a high level of herding skills. The cattle were used as draft animals. Osteophagy attests to places where animals were kept. The predominant system was homestead herding, all or most animals being likely kept within the settlement throughout the year.

Bolshekaraganskaya Valley is located in the basin of the Bolshaya Karaganka River joining the Ural River downstream, in the southern part of the Chelyabinskaya region. The valley is also known as the Arkaim. In 1987 archeologists studied the territory to be impounded and uncovered evidence for a unique ancient Bronze Age settlement as well as over 70 other monuments created on the border of various archaeological cultures: Yamnaya, Srubnaya, Abashevo and Poltavka. As the result of research justification regarding considered objects function is given, objects location on the area is visually illustrated by planning structure types of their layer wise fixation. Tasks for the further developments based on the theoretical results in obtaining the most full idea about observable buildings from the historical reliability point of view are stated. Preconditions for the further work in reconstruction of space-and-planning structure of the observable objects are given.

Представлены результаты исследования краниологических материалов из могильников синташтинской культуры с территории Тургайского прогиба из могильников Халвай 5 и Бестамак. Обсуждаются вопросы формирования антропологического состава и генетической структуры европеоидного населения эпохи бронзы степной и лесостепной зон Евразии.

Петров Ф.Н. Левобережное – укрепленное поселение скотоводов и металлургов бронзового века. Материалы выставки музея Заповедника «Аркаим». Челябинск: Фонд «Наследие», 2020. – 20 с.

Издание приурочено к открытию выставки «Левобережное – укрепленное поселение скотоводов и металлургов бронзового века» в Брединском районном историко-краеведческом музее и посвящено подведению основных итогов пяти лет исследований поселения Левобережное (Синташта II), расположенного в Брединском районе Челябинской области.

Supplementary data for the paper ''Markers of seasonal pastoral campsites: results of an osteological study of present livestock enclosures in the valley of the Karagaily-Ayat River (Chelyabinsk Region, Russia)''.
The dataset contains all tabular data, a description of the Karagaily-Ayat river valley, modern livestock farming systems and a description of livestock enclosures.
Images of all collected bones that were chewed by cattle and ovicaprids in the valley of the Karagaily-Ayat river are also presented.
At the end, images of the most common pathologies of the skeletal system of slaughtered cattle from the studied pens are shown.

В статье анализируется историография по теме жилищ и поселений синташтинско-петровского типа. Автором кратко освещены важнейшие полевые открытия и исследования. На основании отмеченных качественных изменений в осмыслении темы определены три хронологических этапа. Первый этап длился с конца 1960-х по конец 1980-х годов. Были открыты и исследованы первые памятники, вышли первые публикации. Второй этап длился с конца 1980-х по середину 2000-х годов. В эти годы была обнаружена целая серия подобных поселений, а для историографии были характерны смелые и завышенные интерпретации. Тогда же появилась первая обобщающая концепция – «Страны городов». Третий этап начался с середины 2000-х и продолжается по настоящее время. Для настоящего этапа характерна, по мнению автора, критика построений предыдущего этапа, нацеленность на междисциплинарные полевые работы и планомерные исследования. Это приводит к большей детализации и усложнению современных представлений о предмете. Выделяются две новые обобщающие концепции – «металлургическая» и «освоения пространства».

Historiography on the topic on dwellings and settlements of Sintashta-Petrovka type is analyzed in the paper. The most important field discoveries and research are examined briefly by the author. Three chronological stages were identified based on the marked qualitative changes in the research of the residential space. The first stage lasted from the late 1960s to the late 1980s. The first archaeological sites were discovered and investigated, the first works were published. The second stage lasted from the late 1980s to the mid-2000s. A whole series of similar settlements has been discovered. Bold and exaggerated interpretations are characteristic of historiography during these years. In those years the first generalizing concept appears – «the Country of towns» emerged. The third stage began in the mid-2000s and continues to the present time. According to the author, the present stage is characterized by criticism of the previous stage concepts, as well as focusing on interdisciplinary field works and systematic research. This leads to more detailed and complex modern ideas about the subject. Two new generalizing concepts – «metallurgical» and «mastering the space» have been put forward.