Opening and exploitation of a typical landscape in the Don forest steppe during the 3rd mill. BC
Final Report Abstract
In the 3rd millennium BC, the western Eurasian steppe was mainly inhabited by pastoralist communities who had adapted their economy and way of life to the continental climate in this vegetation zone. Archaeologically, it is mainly the burial mounds of the Bronze Age pastoralists that are known, while the settlement remains are rather sparse and have rarely been the focus of research, not least for this reason. In the joint project, the Ksizovo microregion in central Russia was investigated from 2019 to 2024 in order to understand subsistence and mobility in the second half of the 3rd millennium BC. The focus was on the Ksizovo-1 settlement, which is located on the Snova tributary on the upper Don and which contained a cultural layer that can be assigned to the Middle Don Catacomb Culture (Middle Bronze Age). The excavations completely uncovered the peripheral area of the settlement; the central area was destroyed by high water levels of the river Snova. Numerous scientific analyses were carried out. A series of radiocarbon dates confirmed the absolute chronological timespan of 2400 - 2000 calBC. Archaeozoological and archaeobotanical studies suggest that the inhabitants of Ksizovo-1 consumed mainly beef and did not cultivate crops. They met their carbohydrate and vitamin requirements with wild grasses and fruits. This is also confirmed by the organic residue analyses of food crusts. Although stable isotope analyses could only be carried out to a limited extent, they indicate that the ruminants were not led over long distances to grazing areas. There are some indications that Ksizovo-1 was mainly inhabited during the winter months. Numerous settlement sites, which also yielded pottery from the Middle Don Catacomb Culture, are known in the microregion and five were surveyed by test trenches. The Middle Bronze Age material was always mixed in with finds from other periods, indicating that the sites were inhabited repeatedly. Due to the mixed material, they do not allow a more in-depth investigation. However, it is clear that the Ksizovo microregion was exploited intensively in the second half of the 3rd millennium. In addition, three flat graves with typical features of the Middle Don Catacomb Culture were uncovered in the necropolis Ksizovo-19. 14C analyses of human bones from two graves revealed older radiocarbon ages, which might be the result of a reservoir effect and thus the consumption of freshwater fish or molluscs. Additionally, two burial mounds were excavated in the Ksizovo microregion. The burial mounds were obviously constructed after 2000 BC, and the graves can be assigned to the late Middle and Late Bronze Age, which is supported by eight radiocarbon dates. The presence of Catacomb culture flat graves and the later date of the excavated burial mounds confirm that – in contrast to other areas of the Catacomb culture – the deceased were mainly buried in flat graves in the middle and upper Don region.
Publications
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Раскопки однослойного поселения эпохи средней бронзы Ксизово-1 в Задонском районе. In: А.А. Найденов, А.А. Клюкойть (Ред.), Археологические открытия 2014 года в Липецкой области (Липецк 2015) 4 (The excavation of the Middle Bronze Age single layer settlement Ksizovo-1 in the Zadonsk district).
Gak, Ivashov 2015: Гак Е.И. & Ивашов М.В.
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Поселение катакомбной культуры Ксизово-1 на Верхнем Дону: результаты и перспективы комплексных исследований. In Труды V (XXI) Всероссийского археологического съезда в Барнауле-Белокурихе (pp. 226-230).
Гак, Е. И., Ивашов, М. В. & Кайзер, Э.
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Isotopic perspectives on pastoral practices in the Eastern European forest-steppe during the Middle Bronze Age. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 54, 104392.
Gerling, Claudia; Eger, Jana; Gak, Evgenii & Kaiser, Elke
