We present a detailed climatostratigraphic subdivision of Pleistocene deposits in the East Chamber of Denisova Cave, northwestern Altai. On the basis of the taphonomic and morphological analysis of pollen from those deposits, over 140 taxa of higher plants were identified. A comparative analysis of modern tree and shrub vegetation in the Upper Anuy valley and that reconstructed from remains in the East Chamber reveals a much greater diversity of Pleistocene formations. Environmental changes around Denisova Cave over the past 300 thousand years are assessed. Boundaries and paleogeographic characteristics of certain stages are specified, climatic and phytocenotic successions of warm and cold intervals are revealed, and specific features of periglacial flora and vegetation are described. On the basis of changes in the qualitative and quantitative composition of pollen spectra from lithological units 17.1–9, 32 zones are described, including three groups with spectra typical of relatively warm periods such as the Tobol, Shirta, and Kazantsevo interglacials of Western Siberia. The pollen zone relating to the Karga interstadial includes five spectra of an interstadial type and one also typical of interglacials, with the predominance of oak, lime, ash, alder, and hazel. Four groups of pollen zones, represented by periglacial spectra, indicate cold stages, specifically the Samara, Taz, Yermakovo, and Sartan.

The article addresses cultural horizons 6–2Б at Kovrizhka IV on the Vitim River, dating to ~19–18.5 ka BP. The best studied are cultural horizons 6, 3Б, 3/2, 2Г, and 2Б. The largest assemblage (~55 thousand pieces) comes from horizon 3Б, and the smallest (~1.4 thousand pieces) from horizon 2Г. In generalized technological and typological terms, techniques include pressure detachment of microblades, production of blades up to 12 cm long, coarse prismatic blades up to 5 cm long, and flakes, and facial processing of bifaces and unifaces. The technology of Kovrizhka microcore production is described. The Yubetsu technique was practiced in a minority of cases. Assemblages include scraper-like unifaces with bifacial trimming of narrow ends, bifacial tools, end-scrapers, chisel-like tools, burins, blades, and flakes with irregular marginal retouch or without retouch, used as knives, planes, burins for carving bone and horn, and end-scrapers. Differences between assemblages are caused by seasonality, duration of stay, and subsistence strategies. The general appearance of the industry indicates the early stage of the Late Upper Paleolithic of Eastern Siberia. The industry mostly correlates with the Studenoye culture of Trans-Baikal and Dyuktai culture of Yakutia. Comparison with the earlier site of Mamakan VI reveals no continuity and differences in the microcore production technique. The later industry of Bolshoy Yakor I does reveal continuity in the Yubetsu technique, but new types of burins and bifaces appear.

Radiocarbon dates of Mesolithic sites in the forest-steppe zone of the Volga basin are collected and analyzed. The calibrated dates are 8600–8200 BC (Starotokskaya), 8000–7500 BC (Chekalino II), 7800–7500 (Chernovka I), 7100–6600 (Luzhki II), 8400–6200 (Kochkari I), 7200–6500 (Syezzheye), and 9900–8800 plus 7300–6500 BC (Gora Mayak aka Sidelkino II). The comparison of these estimates with the typology of tools suggests the direction and chronology of ties between the cultures of the Volga forest-steppe and those of adjacent territories. The most apparent ties throughout the Mesolithic are those with the southern and eastern Urals (Romanovka-Ilmurzino and Yangelka cultures) and possibly with the Middle Volga forest zone (Russko-Lugovskaya culture). The first direction is attested by sites with typologically impoverished toolkits and singular asymmetric trapezoids, and the second one, by the few flint points and cutting tools. The Bayesian MCMC interval modeling suggests the existence of Mesolithic sites in the region between major climatic events of the Holocene—Preboreal oscillation and the global cooling of 8.2 ka BP. The Bayesian KDL chronological modeling reveals a chronologically irregular exploitation of the territory represented by the respective sites, with decreasing intensity coinciding with minor climatic events of the Holocene (10.9, 10.3, and 9.3 ka BP). The established agreement between the chronological boundaries of Mesolithic sites and major climatic events might account both for the Paleolithic-to-Mesolithic and the Mesolithic-to-Neolithic transitions in the region.

This article presents the results of a study of grave goods and the composition of sacrificial animals in burials of the Sintashta culture in the Ural-Kazakhstan steppes. Two burial samples (one including dogs and the other without dogs) were examined in order to test the hypothesis that individuals interred with dogs held a high social status. Particular attention is paid to the results of a correspondence analysis conducted to compare the funerary assemblages from 46 burials. Three groups of burials were identified. The first group comprises pits in which taluses constitute the most numerous finds. The second group includes burials characterized predominantly by ceramic vessels. The third group consists of graves containing multi-component assemblages. It has been demonstrated that in each group, so-called prestige items occur exclusively in burials with dogs. These items include bronze spearheads, bone spatulas, stone mace-heads, a bronze adze-axe (chekan), bone and bronze harpoons, as well as grinders and pestles. Additional indicators of high social status in burials with dogs include their location in the central part of a kurgan and the presence of pits associated with various elements of wheeled vehicles. Taken together, these features constitute recurring patterns of status-related characteristics, one of which is the inclusion of a dog in the burial rite. It is concluded that within the funerary practices of the Sintashta culture, the dog sacrifice was associated with a socially distinct group, provisionally defined as elite. We propose that this group includes herders and individuals connected with metal production. For representatives of these two economic spheres, the symbolic status of the dog held particular significance. The evidence suggests that the image of the dog was embedded in funerary practices and functioned as a symbol of protection over resources and people.

We present the results of an archaeological and anthropological study of a Late Bronze Age burial at Poperechnaya-1 in the Aley steppe, Ob Plateau, south of Western Siberia. Wide-range search for parallels in the funerary rite (extended position on the left side, shallow grave pit) and burial goods (curved-backed bronze knife with ring pommel, remains of pot and meat food) demonstrates that most parallels are with Karasuk burials in the Minusinsk Basin, Southern Siberia, rather than with the local Late Bronze Age funerary tradition represented by the Irmen and Sargary-Alekseyevka cultures. The radiocarbon date of the Poperechnaya-1 burial (1500–1200 BC) corresponds to the early stage of the Karasuk culture. Craniometric analysis of the preserved part of the cranium indicates a very high and broad face with a wide nasal bridge, which agrees with cranial characteristics of the Karasuk samples from Sukhoye Ozero II and Kyurgenner I and II. The X-ray fluorescent analysis of the bronze knife revealed tin in the alloy. Similar alloys are typical of knives with ring pommels from Southern Siberia (groups 11–13 according to N.L. Chlenova’s classification) and nearly never occur in the Irmen metal artifacts. The totality of findings suggests that the burial indicates the presence of Karasuk people in south of Western Siberia in the Late Bronze Age. A higher mobility of South Siberian population during the Late Bronze Age was probably caused by the emergence of craft and trade centers near the ore sources in the Ob-Irtysh steppe and in Central Kazakhstan and by the development of trade routes during the Late Bronze Age.

We present the results of a microbiological analysis of the soil-filling of vessels (two goblets, four pots, two jugs, and a jug-goblet) from a 6th century BC burial at Nor Armavir, Armavir Region, Republic of Armenia. Trophic preferences, the number of microbial communities in the soil samples, and the growth patterns of isolated microorganisms, grown in liquid culture media and capable of fermenting milk and simple sugars, strongly suggest that one pot contained cereal porridge, and the other, a concentrated solid fermented milk product. One jar contained a similar fermented milk product, but liquid. Mixed cultures of spore-forming bacteria isolated from samples of soil were capable of lactic fermentation and had various properties. Samples from jugs and goblets demonstrated similar growth intensity in the Elliker liquid nutrient medium, and in sucrose and raffinose solutions. Those from the filling of pots and small pots showed maximal growth in Elliker and raffinose. The most active microorganisms, which formed a milk curd in two days, were found in samples from a pot and a jug. Pure cultures from the filling of all vessels (except two) were formed from strain Sporolactobacillus terrae PQ 461357 KNN4, intensely growing under repeated subculturing.

This article describes early ondols (kangs) in dwellings on Neukdo Island in southeastern Korea, and in those of the Krounovka culture, Primorye, Russia, in order to test the idea that the traditions of building kang heating systems in southernmost Korea and in Primorye are related. Judging by absolute dates, Krounovka ondols are older than those in northwestern Korea. Based on a detailed analysis of ondols from 49 dwellings at the sites of Bangiri and Neukdo in southeastern Korea, four types (A–D) are described. The most common ones are L- and U-shaped ondols, constructed from stone tiles on the floor of houses (ondols of type A and B). Analysis of the clay suggests that they date to 200 BC–100 AD. In the areas of the Krounovka (Tuanjie) culture in Primorye, Northeastern Korea and Manchuria, ondols of similar construction have been known as early as the 3rd century BC. Comparative analysis of heating systems and dates of early ondols in dwellings of southeastern Korea and Primorye confirm the hypothesis of the appearance in the 2nd century BC of dwellings with early ondols in the southernmost part of Korea under the influence of the traditions of the Krounovka culture of Primorye. This process was evidently triggered by the migration of the Krounovka people along the Pacific coast first to northeast Korea, and then to the southernmost part of the Korean peninsula.

This article presents the findings of a multidisciplinary study of ramparts of Ust-Tersyuk, the largest two-platform fort in the forest-steppe zone of the Trans-Urals. Excavations of the outer defensive line revealed a chronology of construction works from the early 4th to the late 13th centuries. Based on the analysis of paleosols, a succession of environments during the respective period was reconstructed: from 300 to 500 AD a typical forest-steppe prevailed; the humid and warm period was followed by a colder climate. Until the mid-9th century, the fort dwellers were people associated with the Bakalskaya culture, and later with those who left the Yudino and Makushino sites. Of the Early Bakalskaya culture fortifications, which surrounded the promontory, traces of a palisade remained. Later, on the western side, an earthen rampart with a base 3.8–4.0 m wide was built and a ditch 3 m wide was dug. On the front side a rampart with a base 5.0 m wide, with a ditch that was wider, was constructed. Remains of the Late Bakalskaya culture fortifications include traces of wooden wall fortifications and a watchtower, and at the side with the entrance, a renewed ditch 8.6 m wide and rampart built of sandy clay with a base 8 m wide. New fortifications were at least two times wider. Construction works continued periodically and included seasonal sodding of the ramparts. Later in the Middle Ages, the fortification was restored by building a wall of turf blocks on top of the eroded older structure. Excavation findings provide further knowledge of the cultural traditions and socio-political situation in which the ancestors of the native people of Western Siberia lived.

We reconstruct the manufacturing process of unique earrings from a medieval burial at Koybaly, Khakassia, presumably representing the Old Turkic goddess Umay. The composition of the alloy is assessed, tools presumably involved in the manufacture are described, stages of the technological process are evaluated, design defects and reasons underlying mechanical damage are discussed. On the basis of the results of the technological analysis, a two-stage manufacturing process was reconstructed. First, bird-like figures with convex anthropomorphic images were made in the center of a flattened plate decorated with filigree. The material was an alloy consisting of silver (up to 98 %) and copper (up to 3 %). Individual elements were joined using silver-lead solder. At the final stage, fire gilding of the entire surface was carried out. All these operations testify to a high professional level. Next, additional elements were attached, and the ornaments were radically reshaped into earrings with an entirely different design. Globular pendants were rather carelessly attached with thin silver wire. On the outer surfaces, traces of wear were found, apparently caused by long use after the reshaping of the plates into earrings. The condition of the ornaments at the time of burial suggests that the manufacture, reshaping, and repair were performed by three different persons. Each used his own tools and materials, and their professional habits and skills, too, were different.

This study focuses on Jochid coins excavated in 2023 at the Taskeshu caravanserai on the left bank of the Sagyz River, Kzylkoginsky District, Atyrau Region, Kazakhstan. This medieval site is located on one of the main stretches of the Great Silk Road, connecting the Lower Volga and Ural regions with Khorezm. The site has been known from written sources since the 19th century, but coins (two silver and 12 copper) were discovered there only in the 21st century. Most of the coins date to the reign of the Golden Horde khans Uzbek (1313–1341, 3 spec.) and Janibek (1341–1357, 10 spec.), i.e., to the heyday of the Jochi Ulus. Ten coins were minted in the Lower Volga region (Sarai and Sarai al-Jedid), and the remaining four in Khorezm. The sample suggests that even after the disastrous outbreak of plague in the 1340s, trade contacts along the northern section of the Great Silk Road continued no less intensely through the 1350s, while the disruption of trade links between Eastern Europe and China was most likely caused by internal wars in the second half of the 14th century.

This article evaluates the results of the governmental audit of cultural heritage aimed at revealing archaeological sites in Krasnoyarsk. The study concerns legislative initiatives taken to protect archaeological sites and revise the practice of their preventive survey. All protected sites in the city were cataloged. The number of sites revealed over the decade after the governmental audit had been implemented was compared with that over the preceding 140 years of archaeological studies in Krasnoyarsk. In the recent decade, 39 sites were discovered, most of them (84 %) owing to the governmental audit. The list has been supplemented by a number of unique sites highly relevant for the city’s prehistory. These fall into three categories: Paleolithic, Neolithic to Middle Ages, and Modern Age. Archaeological surveys preceding the construction works changed our views of the location and nature of sites within each category. Findings suggest that recently adopted legal measures are the most efficient tool of the preservation and future study of archaeological sites over the entire history of archaeology in Krasnoyarsk. Under the newly reformed procedures, their effect on the archaeological knowledge received by the government and the public must be assessed.

Calendar dating of archaeological wood presupposes the existence of long-term tree-ring chronologies. Until recently, the development of such chronologies for the Novosibirsk Region remained an unanswered challenge. Several methodological issues had to be addressed, including the assessment of spatial homogeneity in dendrochronological signals across the region, the enhancement of the composite climatic signal contained within tree growth patterns (achieved through modern approaches to sample preparation and measurement of linear parameters of annual tree rings in archaeological wood), etc. To address these challenges, in 2016–2023, wood cores were sampled from 12 sites in forest stands dominated by Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.), along with those from seven architectural structures in the Novosibirsk Region. The application of modern digital methodologies enabled us to construct a treering chronology network. The analysis revealed homogeneous tree-ring signals across the region, demonstrating that regional and composite chronologies provide a basis for reliable calendar dating of wood from 18th–19th century historical structures in the region. The study resulted in the development of a long-term generalized Nov chronology, spanning 375 years, by pooling samples from living trees and archaeological wood, with EPS ≥ 0.85 for the most recent 318-year segment. Results demonstrate that residual (res) chronologies should be preferentially employed for cross-dating procedures in the Novosibirsk Region.

This study focuses on the practical and ritual meaning of scraps of fabric in traditional Buryat culture. The “textile theme” provides a link between the archaic hunting tradition and the rites of nomadic herders belonging to the Buddhist world. Scraps of fabric were common attributes of shamanic and Buddhist rites. The symbolic, magical, and social functions of those artifacts are assessed. Scraps of fabric, or their analogs, were used as gifts or offerings to shamanic and Buddhist deities and spirits. In wedding rites, they symbolized family relations established by marriage. Some of their magical functions were used in esoteric healing rites and in those relating to life and calendar cycles. Specifically Buryat symbolism evidenced by local Buddhist temples is described. The origin of scraps of fabric in traditional Buryat culture is reconstructed. Parallels in their symbolic meaning and functions among the Mongolian, Turkic, and Tungus-Manchu traditions attest to wide-ranging historical, cultural, and linguistic contacts between Buryats (Mongols), Turks, and Tungus-Manchu peoples of Central and North Asia.

On the basis of 18th century written sources, mid-19th century archival documents, historic and ethnographic studies, we examine certain aspects of the origin and functioning of village clusters of Siberian Tatars and Bokharans in the area between the Irtysh and its left tributary, the Osha, in the 1700s to mid-1800s. We publish archaeological and ethnographic field data on the location of abandoned villages. West Siberian Tatars emerged in the region at that time as a result of an amalgamation of indigenous Siberian Tatars and Bokharans that had migrated from Central Asia. They resettled from their villages on the right and left banks of the Irtysh. Five principal clusters of villages are described: Aubatkan (Yalankul), Tuskazan (Ulenkul), Kazatovo (Koshkul), Turaly, and Kogotovo. Each cluster had a center and adjoining camps, some of which were inhabited only during agricultural work—farmsteads, hamlets, separate houses located far from the central village in places of agricultural activities and subsidiary infrastructure (roads, wells, cemeteries, farmlands, etc.). Villages were situated on ridges, mostly on southeastern lake shores or on terraces and in floodplains of small rivers.

The study explores the dietary habits of people associated with the Early Iron Age Bolsherechenskaya culture of the Novosibirsk stretch of the Ob, using paleopathological and paleobotanical methods. Despite the cattle-breeding specialization of people represented by the Bystrovka burial ground, previous studies have revealed a significant proportion of plant-based food in their diet, attesting to occasional crises in their lives. Here, we analyze a much larger human skeletal sample from Bystrovka (336 individuals). The trait battery included dental pathologies evidencing the composition of diet (caries, calculus, periodontitis, fluorosis, antemortem enamel chips) and stress (enamel hypoplasia, children’s caries). Also, we analyzed symptoms of advanced inflammatory processes of various etiology, including abscesses and antemortem tooth loss. Paleobotanical study included the analysis of microfossils—phytoliths and starches—preserved in the calculus collected from 30 Bystrovka individuals. We conclude that the diet was mixed, with a considerable share of plant-based component, apparently including wild cereals such as barley, millet, and wheat, as well as Liliaceae roots. Identified cases of dental fluorosis possibly attest to a migration of small groups of people from the Kuznetsk Alatau foothills. Biological stress markers indicate short-term episodes of distress.

To assess the agreement between recent paleogenomic data concerning the origin of Uralic- and Yeniseian-speaking populations and craniometric data, measurements of 109 recent and ancient male cranial samples were compared using multivariate statistics. Results do not contradict the conclusions reached by geneticists and partly support them by revealing ties between the Neolithic sample from Yakutia and the Bronze Age group from Tatarka Hill in the southern Chulym basin, and between the latter and modern Uralic-speaking groups. Also, the sample from Tatarka Hill exhibits ties with Yukaghirs. As in the case of genomics, Nganasans are the “easternmost” Uralic population. The other Northern Samoyedic group, Nenets, may have migrated from the Altai, in agreement with certain ethnographic facts. Likewise, craniometry does not contradict genomics by showing that Late Neolithic and Bronze Age Cisbaikalians could have been the earliest known ancestors of the Kets. N.L. Chhlenova’s hypothesis about the Yeniseian affinities of the Karasuk people is directly upheld by genetics, but only indirectly by craniometry. The latter supports L.A. Chindina’s idea that Kulaika people spoke Samoyedic. Other claims of archaeologists and linguists about the Samoyedic or Yeniseian attribution of various Siberian Bronze and Early Iron Age cultures are unsupported by craniometric data. The accretion of morphologically “western” traits in Uralians in the east-to-west direction was caused by two “western” components—steppe and Mesolithic Northeast European. In the west of the Uralic distribution area, both these components were substratal. An important factor in the origin of Baltic Finns and Komi was the adoption of Finnic languages by pre-Finnic populations of Northeastern Europe.