The article introduces the unique burial and cult complex of the Alakul culture, located on the northern periphery of the Ural-Mugodzhar mining and metallurgical center of the late Bronze Age. The monument is included in the structure of the Ishkininsky archaeological microdistrict, which is associated with a group of geoarchaeological production facilities represented by mine workings on the area of the copper deposit, the beginning of operation of which dates back to the Paleometallic era. The presence of an anthropomorphic stone statue and votive tools in the complex allows us to consider the mound-sanctuary as an object marking the ancestral territory, as well as an important cult center of the paleopopulation specializing in mining and metallurgical production.

Keywords: late Bronze Age, Ural-Mugodzhar Mining and Metallurgical Center, Ishkininsky archaeological microdistrict, funerary rituals, anthropomorphic stele, votive tools, industrial specialization.

Introduction

Currently, the number of funerary, domestic and industrial monuments (settlements, burial grounds, mining operations, processing sites, etc.) of the Alakul culture of the Late Bronze Age is estimated at thousands. Against this background, the insignificant number of objects of a cult nature is very significant. The only exceptions are a few shrines with petroglyphs, which are often difficult to determine their cultural affiliation and chronological position. For the western flank of the Andronovo cultural and historical community, this issue is particularly relevant, since there are few such places of worship in the region, and the first steps are being taken in their study. Only recently have there been succinct reports of petroglyphs in Mugodzhary (Derevyanko et al., 2001; Samashev, 2006, p. 32, Figures 1-3; Ongar et al., 2009; Korobkov et al., 2010, pp. 191-192, 322, 323, Figures 221, 223, 446).

Meanwhile, the appearance of the material culture of the population of the Ural-Kazakhstan region in the late Bronze Age indicates that the level of development of religious ideas was probably quite high. At the advanced stage of the Alakul culture, we are dealing with the unification of its main elements, in particular, the system of funeral rites, in which all stages of funeral and memorial ceremonies are strictly canonized. Therefore, it is necessary to pay closer attention in the structure of necropolises to objects that show a deviation from strictly regulated stereotypes of the design of burial complexes. One of these sites was investigated by me on the northern periphery of the Ural-Mugodzhar mining and Metallurgical Center of the Late Bronze Age in the course of a comprehensive study of the Ishkininsky archaeological microdistrict, dedicated to copper mines, the exploitation of which began in the Bronze Age [Tkachev, 2005, 2009, 2010a].

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Geographical localization and topographical alignment

The Ishkinovka III burial ground is located on the right root bank and the first above-floodplain terrace of the Sukhaya Gubernia River, 8.5 km north-northeast of the village. Ishkinino, 7.2 km west of the village. Popovka, 8.8 km southwest of the village. Pisarevka, 10.8 km northwest of Gaya, Orenburg region. Of the Russian Federation. Most of the burial structures were destroyed during many years of intensive plowing. Along the SSZ-YUV line, the burial ground crosses the Salavat-Orsk oil pipeline, which partially broke the embankment of the largest mound (Figs. 1, 1). The burial ground was discovered by me during an expedition in the Ishkininsky archaeological microdistrict in 1998. The monument consists of 15 objects located in two groups. The main mass of structures (N 1-11) is stretched out in a chain along the SW-NE line on the root bank along the Sukhaya Gubernia riverbed. They were typical for the Bronze Age in this area earthen mounds with a height of 0.1-1.3 m, a diameter of 8 to 28 m, on the surface of which stone slabs can be traced that were used to cover grave pits. The second group shows a different topographical arrangement, which is more typical of the Early Iron Age. It consists of four objects (N 12-15) - an earthen embankment, an oval-shaped stone layout (possibly a Kazakh mazar dating back to ethnographic times) and two stone-earth mounds-and is located on the edge of the first above-flood terrace. A stone stele with a height of approx. 2 m. To determine the cultural and chronological position of burial structures, mounds 1 and 3 were excavated, the first of which is the subject of discussion in this paper.

Materials of archaeological excavations

Mound 1 was located in the eastern part of the burial ground and was the largest. A semi-spherical earthen mound with a flattened top with a diameter of 28 m had a height of 1.30 m on the northern slope, and 1.09 m on the southern slope. At the foot of the mound, a slight drop to -0.15 m from the horizon level was traced, marking a ring ditch with a width of 3.5 to 5 m. The south-western floor of the embankment and a section of the ditch were destroyed by the Salavat-Orsk oil pipeline (Figs. 1, 1).

The mound was excavated manually using the ring trench method. To obtain stratigraphic data, two perpendicular edges with a width of 0.6 m, oriented to the cardinal directions,were left. In the process of removing the embankment, large stone slabs with leveling marks from -0.28 to -0.50 m from the zero reference point, which is assumed to be the conditional center of the mound, were cleared in the upper horizons of its central part. These slabs did not form any strict structure. Only in the south-western sector is a section of regular masonry with a length of approx. 2.7 m, 0.5 to 1.0 m wide and oriented along the NW-SE line. A large stone slab was also found in the south-western sector of the peripheral part of the excavation 9.0 m to the west and 8.5 m to the south of the conventional center (Figs. 1, 1). During excavations in the mound of the mound, remains of sacrifices in the form of horse bones, large and small cattle, as well as numerous fragments of ceramics were found (Figs. 1, 2-15).

The following stratigraphic strata were traced in the brow profiles and planigraphically during the removal of the embankment (Figs. 1, 1):

1) humus, the thickness of which in the center was 10-12 cm, at the sole-up to 40 cm;

2) an embankment with a thickness of up to 95 cm in the central part, which was a humusized gray soil with inclusions of yellow continental loam;

3) a grave outcrop from the main border 4 - yellow continental loam with inclusions of gray humusized soil up to 0.3 m thick lay on the buried soil in the form of a "horseshoe" with ends to the west, bordering the central grave;

4) buried soil - a layer of gray sandy loam with a thickness of 18-20 cm, cut through with a ditch on the periphery of the buried area;

5) mainland-yellow loam with inclusions of crushed stone, at the bottom cut by a ditch for 0.2 m.

During the excavation of the mound, four burials were identified, three of which were located on the periphery of the mound built over the central burial (Fig. 1, 1).

Border 1 (inlet) was located in the eastern part of the mound in the south-western sector on the border of the central and peripheral sections of the excavation 7 m to the east and 1 m to the south of the conventional center (Figs. 1, 1). The contours of the grave pit could not be traced, since it only cut through the mound layer and was slightly it is deepened in the buried soil, not reaching 10-12 cm to the level of the mainland. At a depth of 1.12 m from the zero reference point, the skeleton of an adult lay buried in a crouched position on his left side, with his head on the west side. Burial was disrupted as a result of the activity of earthmoving animals. Bone preservation is very poor: there are no bones of the feet, upper limbs, almost the entire middle part of the skeleton, including the spine, ribs, shoulder blades, clavicles, etc. Judging by the position of the phalanges of the fingers, the hands of the buried person were located in front of the face (Fig. 2, 1).-

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Fig. 1. Plan and sections (1) of mound 1 of the Ishkinovka III burial ground, ceramics from the mound (2-15). a-humus; b - mound (gray humusized soil with inclusions of yellow continental loam); c-grave throw (yellow continental loam with inclusions of gray humusized soil); d - buried soil (gray humus); e-mainland (yellow loam with inclusions of crushed stone); e-stones.

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the burial was accompanied by the remains of a sacrifice in the form of sheep ribs, as well as a rather diverse and numerous inventory found on the bone and in the headboard: two clay vessels; fragments of a bronze grooved bracelet; two bronze temporal grooved pendants wrapped in gold foil in one and a half turns, elongated in plan form, decorated with horizontal lines made in the technique of knife-shaped plate; earthenware cylindrical beads, piercing and beads; a fragment of a stone terochny plate; bronze staples for vessel repair (fig. 2, 2-13; 3, 6-10).

Border 2 (inlet) was located in the northern part of the mound in the north-eastern sector of the peripheral part of the excavation, 10.0 m to the north and 2.7 m to the east of the conventional center. At this site, at a depth of 1.2 m from the zero mark, a stone slab measuring 0.65 x 0.35 m was cleared (see Figs. 1, 1), which probably was the overlap of the inlet grave pit, the walls of which could not be traced. A clay vessel and a fragment of another one were found under the slab at a depth of 1.37 m from the zero reference point (Figs. 4, 3, 4). Apparently, it was the burial of an infant whose bones were not preserved.

Border 3 (inlet) was located in the northern part of the mound in the north-eastern sector of the peripheral part of the excavation, 10.6 m to the north and 4.5 m to the east of the conditional center, and 1.5 m to the east of border 2 (see Figs. 1, 1). The grave pit is irregular sub-rectangular in shape with rounded corners it had dimensions of 1.18×0.47 m and was oriented with long sides along the line of the VUVV-ZSZ. It was blocked by massive stone slabs that sloped into the middle part of the grave. This is probably due to the fact that the floor slabs fell in the center into the pit during the destruction of the burial structure (see Fig. 4, 1). At the bottom of the grave at a depth of 1.84 m from the zero reference point, a vessel stood at the western end wall (see Fig. 4, 2), next to which a baby tooth was found a child. Apparently, an infant was buried here with its head oriented to the west, as evidenced by the localization of burial equipment and a baby tooth.

Border 4 (the main one) was located in the center of the mound with a slight offset to the east (see Figures 1, 1). During the removal of the mound, it was established that the discard from this grave lay in the form of a "horseshoe" with a width of 1.5 to 3.7 m around the pit, except for the western direction, which was clearly recorded by the brow profiles (1, 1). The pit was excavated from the level of the buried soil. It had a rectangular shape with rounded corners, latitudinal orientation, and times-

Fig. 2. Border plan 1 (1) and inventory (2-13) from it. 2, 3-ceramics; 4, 13-stone; 5, 6-earthenware; 7-10-bronze; 11, 12-gold.

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3. Clearing of grave site 4 (1, 2), anthropomorphic statue (3) and votive mortar slabs from this burial site (4, 5); inventory from grave site 1 (6-10).

4. Plan and section of border 3 (1), ceramics from border 3 (2) and 2 (3, 4).

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measures 3.5×2.2 m. In the filling of the grave in its eastern half at a depth of 2.35 m from the zero reference point (-1.3 m from the level of the buried soil), redeposited bones of an adult were found: femur, pelvis and sacrum. The walls and bottom of the grave pit were severely disturbed by the activities of the Surchin colony. At a depth of 2.55 m from the zero mark (-1.5 m from the level of the buried soil), a massive stone anthropomorphic stele was placed vertically in the center of the grave with a slight offset to the south-western corner (see Figures 3, 1, 2), which preserved its original position. It was facing north. The morphology of the sculpture was determined by the nature of the initial blank. On the back side, several large chips were made, which formed the general contours of the stele and gave grace to its upper part, while preserving the massiveness of the base. On the front side, a series of targeted blows created a "mask" of a regular rounded shape. Its surface is polished. The shoulders are barely visible, and there are no other signs of anthropomorphism. In general, the statue is made rather roughly, the interpretation of anthropomorphic features is very conditional. The product gives the impression of undeveloped stone-cutting traditions and visual techniques. The height of the stele is 130 cm, the width of the base is 73 cm, the "head" is 44 cm, the thickness at the base is 30 cm, the largest in the middle part is 45 cm, in the area of the "head" is 20 cm (see Figs. 3, 3).

At the foot of the anthropomorphic statue, two stone slabs resembling terochniki or altars were found (see Figures 3, 1, 2). One of them has a trapezoidal shape, dimensions 20 × 17 cm, thickness 3 cm (see Figures 3, 5). The other slab is more massive, 29 × 25 cm, thickness 7 cm. It has a rounded shape due to rough chips around the perimeter of the workpiece (see Figs. 3, 4). There are no signs of exploitation on both items, which suggests a votive function of the products.

Discussion and conclusions

The cultural and chronological position of this group of burial complexes is determined quite confidently. The features of tombstone structures and intra-grave structures, the planigraphic distribution of graves on the burial site, the nature of inhumation and the orientation of the buried demonstrate full compliance with the canons of the funeral rite of the Alakul culture. This is equally true for metal, stone and bone products, jewelry, including ways to use them in traditional costume.

The same can be said about the diagnostic signs of the most widespread category of finds - ceramics. The morphological characteristics and ornamentation of the main part of the collection meet the standards of Alakul pottery. This applies primarily to vessels with a stepped shoulder, the decor of which is dominated by geometric shapes made along a straight grid by drawing and imprints of combed and smooth stamps, dimpled indentations of various configurations. Especially significant is the specific zoning, which implies the presence of an ornament-free zone in the lower part of the neck (see Fig. 1, 2, 5; 2, 2, 3; 3, 6; 4, 2). However, a distinctive feature of Ishkininsky ceramics is the presence of signs of the ceramic traditions of the Fedorovskaya and Srubnaya cultures. Among the first should be attributed the presence of vessels with a characteristic smooth profile, pallets in some pots, solid ornamentation, drawing geometric shapes on an oblique grid, the use of a comb stamp. Signs of log cabin culture traditions - a ribbed profile (see Fig. 4, 3) and some asymmetry of a number of vessels, the presence of typical pot-jar forms, "combs" on the outer surface, roughly applied sweeping geometric ornaments, unornamented containers. To be fair, we should make a reservation that against the background of the total sample of ceramics from 40 burials examined in three necropolises in the vicinity of the village of Ishkinino, a small group of vessels from the published complex least demonstrates the presence of foreign cultural elements.

Materials from the Late Bronze Age are most closely related to the Kozhumberdy cultural group, which belongs to the Alakul line of development, but organically incorporated Fyodorov components [Kuzmina, 1994, pp. 46-47; 2008, pp. 250-268]. Its distribution area covers vast areas of the Ural-Mugodzhar region. However, located on the northern periphery of this area, the monuments of the Ishkininsky archaeological microdistrict demonstrate the presence in the funerary rite and material complex of features typical of the syncretic group of monuments of the Magnitogorsk variant of the Alakul culture, localized in the upper reaches of the Ural River. Its specificity is determined by the impact of log culture [Kuzmina, 2008, p. 139, 141, figs. 42, 43].

The study of mound 1 of the Ishkinovka III burial ground has shown that we are most likely dealing with a non-trivial burial and cult complex. It was probably based on the pogrom. 4. It is possible that an individual of mature age was buried here, whose bones were found in the filling of the grave. It is possible that the intrusion into the grave pit was of a ritual nature, since the skeleton was almost completely removed, and a stone one was placed in its place.

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an anthropomorphic statue. It faces north with the latitudinal orientation of the grave pit. It is noteworthy that the facial part of the skull is also oriented in burials typical of the Alakul culture, in which the buried person was laid in a crouched position on the left side, with the head in the direction of the western sector, just as it is recorded in border 1. This interpretation seems quite realistic, taking into account the location of non-utilitarian stone slabs at the foot of the anthropomorphic statues.

It should be recognized that the connection of human bones found in the filling of grave 4 with a hypothetical primary burial is not obvious. The brow profiles show only a slight gentle drop above the main grave, which is usually a consequence of the subsidence of the ground tombstone structure due to the looser structure of the pit filling. At the same time, there were no traces of an inlet grave. Only the destruction of the walls of the grave pit as a result of the activities of the Surchin colony was noted. This state of affairs can be explained by various circumstances. Cult manipulations (removal of bone remains) with the person buried in grave 4 were performed after inhumation, but before the construction of the tomb structure. Then it is necessary to assume a long period of stay of the body in the ground, sufficient for complete skeletonization, or placing excarnated (cleaned of soft tissues) remains in the grave, for example, after "exposing the body". The latter assumption may also explain the incompleteness of the skeleton, and it is appropriate to note that the practice of secondary burials was widespread on the western flank of the Alakul culture area (Usmanova, 1992; 2005, pp. 20, 21, 89, Fig.7, photos 11-13], including in the Ural-Mugodzhar region (Tkachev, 1996, 2010b).

The second version of the interpretation suggests that there is no connection between the redeposited human bones and the burial complex under discussion. Then the presence of scattered individual human bones in the filling of the grave may be due to the actions of earthmoving animals. In this case, we have a cenotaph-a symbolic burial. With this interpretation of page 4, the archaeological context of the complex under discussion opens up tempting prospects for the semantics of the complex under discussion. Taking into account the supposed industrial specialization of the Alakul population, which left monuments in the Ishkininsky archaeological microdistrict, it is very significant that two massive stone slabs-mortars-were carefully laid at the foot of the anthropomorphic statue. Judging by the morphological features, metric parameters, and nature of processing of the working surfaces, one of them (see Figures 3, 4) could probably be used for crushing copper ore during dry processing, and the second (see Figures 3, 5) - for grinding the enriched ore when preparing the charge for smelting. Both items were apparently votive in nature, since they have no traces of exploitation, and were made specifically for the construction of a funerary cult complex. In this case, taking into account the above observations, the question arises whether pogrom 4 is not the cenotaph of an archaic leader who headed the production structure of the Ishkina miners, whose body was lost, for example, as a result of an accident with tragic consequences during mining operations. Of course, it is unlikely that we will ever have grounds for categorical judgments in this regard, but it seems appropriate to cite the information of Academician P. S. Pallas, who visited the Orenburg Region in 1768-1769. Describing the ancient mine "Saigachy" in the Urals, he pointed out that during the clearing of the adit, cakes of fused copper were found and "many large pots made of white clay, in which copper was melted, and the bones of workers covered with earth" [Pallas, 1773, p.369]. Perhaps, in some cases, the extraction of dead miners from the collapsed faces of ancient mines was not carried out due not only to the labor intensity of such a procedure, but also to the taboo of certain ideological attitudes, taking into account the special, often sacred status of mining and metallurgical production in archaic societies [Chernykh, 1976, p.159; Bochkarev, 1995, p. 115]. In this regard, a set of equipment from the burial of a mature woman (N 1), let into the floor of the original ground structure, is noteworthy (see Fig. 2, 2-13; 3, 6-10). At first glance, the clothing complex fully meets the standards of the strictly regulated system of funerary rites of the Alakul culture, with the caveat that a rich set of jewelry, including gold ornamented pendants of one and a half turns, may reflect a fairly high social status of the buried. But one item clearly stands out from the rest. This is a fragment of a stone terochnoy plate (see Fig. 2, 13; 3, 6). Features of the working surface of the product, characterized by roughness, lack of polish, exclude its use as a mortar, for example, for grinding grain, stems or dyes of natural origin. The massiveness and morphological characteristics of the slab allow us to assume with a high degree of probability that it was used for crushing ore.

The presence of tools associated with mining and metallurgical production in the described burials,

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especially in the symbolic border 4 with an anthropomorphic statue, it gives reason to attribute the funerary and cult complex as a whole to the number of extraordinary ones. This interpretation seems adequate, since the funeral rite of the Alakul culture practically did not take into account the professional specialization of the deceased, which is typical for most cultural formations of the Paleometallic era in Eastern Europe (Bochkarev, 2010, p.211). It seems that Mound 1 functioned for some time as a sanctuary or some other religious object, and its construction took place in stages. It stands out from other funerary objects by its special monumentality and complexity of its structural components. In the central part, in the upper horizons of the mound, various stone constructions were found, as well as numerous fragments of broken Alakul ceramics, which may have been the remains of triznas or other funerary and memorial ceremonies. Apparently, the initial stage of construction of the mound is associated with shallow ditches that appear in the floors in the form of gentle depressions, as well as animal sacrifices, the bones of which were found at the level of the buried soil on the periphery of the grave outflow from the main grave. 4 (see Figs. 1, 1). The soil for the tomb structure was taken from the upper horizons of the space surrounding the original burial site. Therefore, the structure of the embankment is dominated by gray humus fractions. A certain amount of yellow loam is explained by the use of continental inclusions from the ring moat as a building material. The final stage of operation of mound 1 is associated with the performance of inlet burials (N 1-3) after the completion of its construction. It is possible that the burial of a mature woman and two infants in this mound was dictated not only by the family connection with the person buried in the main grave 4, but also by ritual considerations.

Due to comprehensive research conducted over a number of years in the Ishkininsky archaeological microdistrict, it has been established that a group of compactly located synchronous monuments of various types is associated with the Late Bronze Age. Apparently, they were a single complex that functioned as a local economic and cultural center, combining mining and metallurgical production and cattle breeding. It was based on a mining and metallurgical complex, represented by a group of ancient copper quarries on the left bank of the Aulgan Stream (a left tributary of the Sukhaya Gubernia River) and a settlement associated with the mine, which occupied a site bordered on three sides by mountains on the opposite, right bank of the stream. A series of localities that can be regarded as places of regular visits by the related population tends to gravitate towards these monuments. Another compact group of synchronous archaeological sites is located a few kilometers upstream of the Sukhaya Gubernia River. It consists of three burial mounds and a series of localities.

It is noteworthy that there is no necropolis in the immediate vicinity of the settlement associated with mining operations on the area of the copper deposit, while there is no stationary settlement in the area of the concentration of burial grounds. This is probably due to the peculiarities of the existing local economic and cultural system. Burial grounds in this case could serve as markers of the territory controlled by a particular paleopopulation. The burial and cult complex of the Ishkinovka III burial ground under discussion is quite revealing in this sense. It is interesting that the inhabitants of the village. Ishkinino and now drive cattle to pastures located in the area of burial mounds of the Bronze Age, and the site of the dislocation of Ishkinovka III is the final point of movement of the herd.

The presence of a megalithic cult among the Alakul population is increasingly clearly traced in the materials of the Southern Trans-Urals (Polyakova, 2004). The presence of menhirs near the Alakul (Kozhumberdyn) settlements and in the structure of burial grounds associated with them was noted by E. E. Kuzmina in the Eastern Orenburg region in the Elenovsko-Ushkattinsky archaeological microdistrict, dedicated to the copper mines of the same name, the exploitation of which began in the Bronze Age [1959, p.22, 23]. In this regard, it is appropriate to note a granite menhir with a height of more than 2 m, installed in the center of the Alakul mound with a stone cromlech made of dug-in massive slabs on the Yelenovsky burial ground, located in the immediate vicinity of the mine of the same name. The stele was discovered in a redeposited state during an emergency excavation of the site, conducted under my supervision. It rested in a horizontal position under the mound mound at the edge of the inlet grave. A similar situation was recorded by E. R. Usmanova at the Lisakovsky III burial ground (building No. 8B) in the Upper Pritobolye. Other Andronovo necropolises in the Lisakovskaya district also show cases of placing stone tiles in cenotaphs instead of the remains of the deceased, while the stone, according to the author of the excavations of these monuments, was a substitute for the deceased, creating the presence of his image and reflecting one of the variants of the ancestor cult [Usmanova, 2007, p. 89, 90, Fig.5].

Thus, the uniqueness of finding an anthropomorphic statue in the central grave pit

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Alakulsky mound 1 on the burial ground of Ishkinovka III allows us to consider the burial and cult complex as a whole as a kind of burial mound-sanctuary. This type of object is the only one on the burial grounds that were ancestral cemeteries of related population groups within the Ishkininsky archaeological microdistrict. It was probably an important cult center of a fairly large association. However, verification of the proposed hypothesis is possible only with the expansion of the source base.

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The article was submitted to the Editorial Board on 02.02.11.

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