UDC 903.531

A. D. Stepanov

Museum of Archeology and Ethnography of the Yakut State University

Kulakovsky str., 48, Yakutsk, 677000, Russia

E-mail: mae-ysu@mail.ru

An early Iron Age burial was found in Central Yakutia, 5 km north-east of the village. Dupsia. A man was buried in a shallow grave pit, laid in a crouched position, with his head facing southeast. The accompanying inventory is represented by the remains of two end plates of a small bow, a flint scraper, eight horn holders-intermediaries with eight flint arrowheads, a long bone dagger or spear tip, a bone awl, an iron fragment, and flint flakes. Similar burials have not yet been found in Yakutia. According to the typological characteristics of the subject complex, this burial site is close to the Pokrovsky burials of the Early Iron Age. It is tentatively dated to the 5th century BC - 5th century AD.

Key words: burial, skeleton, Early Iron Age, bow pads, arrowheads, crouched position of the buried.

Introduction

The burial was discovered by Gavril Ivanovich Pribylykh, a resident of the village of Dyupsia in Ust-Aldansyug ulus, on his summer truck: when digging a hole, he dug out a human skull. The Museum of Archeology and Ethnography of the Yakut State University (MAE YSU) received information about the burial only in October 2005. At the same time, E. K. Zhirkov, Head of the Department of Ethnography of the MAE YAGU, and S. K. Kolodeznikov, an ethnoarchaeologist with the Candidate of Historical Sciences, left for a preliminary examination. They made a conclusion about the significant antiquity of the burial. In 2006, excavations were carried out by the Lena Archaeological team of YAGU under the supervision of the author of this article*.

Description of the burial site

The burial is located in the north-eastern part of a vast meadow in the area of Bultey Sayylyk near the lake. Luka, 5 km north-east of the village. It is also located 20 km south of the Aldan River (Fig. 1). Its peculiarity is that it is located not on the five-meter lake terrace or higher levels, but in a lowland. There were no signs of burial on the surface.

On the territory of letnik, a 2x3 m excavation was laid. The contour of the burial pit, broken by numerous wormholes and passages, was practically not traced. Fragments of the lower jaw of a field or water rat were found. Only at a depth of 38 - 40 cm was it possible to fix the contours of the western corner and the south-western wall of the pit. Apparently, the pit was sub-rectangular. The contour of the north-eastern wall is not so clear: on this side, the burial is more disturbed by burrows and burrows.

* We are deeply grateful to the Pribylykh family for their hospitality and full cooperation. The excavations were carried out with the sponsorship of the Agrotex Group of companies (Yakutsk).

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moves. The south-eastern border of the grave can not be traced because of the modern pit. The approximate size of the grave is 55x120 cm. In the northern part, at the feet of the buried person, there was an empty space with an extension or projection to the northeast. The width of the pit here is 67 cm (Fig. 2). Perhaps this place was intended for accompanying things.

The skeleton, which was located at a depth of 45-50 cm, belonged to a man, the buried person was oriented with his head to the south-east, towards the lake and laid in a crouched position on his right side (with a straight back), with his legs bent and pulled up to his stomach, arms bent at the elbows, while the left forearm was extended forward from the the right arm was raised at the elbow to shoulder level, the forearm was lowered parallel to the torso, the hand was lying under the left leg (Fig. 2; 3). The length of the backbone (in the form in which it was found) without the skull it is 67 cm, with the skull-approx. 90 cm.

The skull was damaged (split into several fragments) when digging a hole. Judging by the absence of some bones and traces of rodents, the burial site was disturbed by predators. The last two phalanges of the index and middle fingers of the left hand are missing. The predator's teeth damaged and broke some of the left ribs. There is no left kneecap, other bones of the knee joint have traces of teeth of a large predator. The upper part of the fibula is broken off and missing. There are no bones of the right leg below the knee, and the knee joint has severe damage from the teeth of a large predator (wolverine?). The right femur is obviously displaced from its original position.

The bone was surrounded by a light brown spot, probably a trace of decomposed organic matter (see Figure 2). Between the right humerus and the sternum, a rounded spot of brown and dark brown color was traced with an admixture of particles of some decomposed organic matter, possibly a leather thing. Its dimensions are 20x15 cm, power up to 3 cm.

Fig. 1. Location of the Dupsin burial site.

Fig. 2. Burial plan.

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Fig. 3. Burial profile.

Accompanying inventory

The accompanying inventory consists of 25 items. Above the bone, at a depth of 18 and 33 cm, there were two horn end plates of the bow, directed by the ears in opposite directions (see Figs. 2; 3). The end scraper of orangish translucent-matt chalcedony was located above the right humerus next to one of the onion pads (see Fig. 2; 3; 4, 19). In the area of the head of the buried person, three flakes of greenish and greenish-gray flint lay almost at the bottom of the pit (see Figs. On the lower part of the left tibia, eight arrowheads with eight horn intermediaries were located in a compact group (see Figs. 2, 3, and 5). Under the right humerus and shoulder blade was a spear tip or a dagger made of horn (see Fig. Next to it lay a 13 cm long metapod awl with a semicircular pommel (see Figs. 2; 3; 4.20) and a rusty iron piece of a sub-triangular plate measuring 2. 4x1.3 cm (see Figs. 2; 3).

Fragments of onion pads have a length of 7.8 and 8.3 cm, a width of 1.1 - 1.2, and a thickness of 0.25 cm. They are slightly curved, the lower edge is an uneven kink, eaten away by decay, the upper one, with an angular eye for attaching the bowstring, is intact (see Figs. 4, 77, 18). The location of the linings indicates that the bow (or its fragments) was placed diagonally on top of the buried one. If the bow was whole or only broken (but not folded in half), then its length was approx. 1 m, which is very close to the size of Scythian bows [Melyukova, 1989, p. 92].

Arrowheads of sub-triangular shape with slightly convex sides and concave base are made of green cornea, black siliceous shale, greenish and brown-

Fig. 4. Accompanying inventory.

1-8-stone arrowheads; 9-16-horn mullions-holders of arrowheads; 17, 18-horn end pads of the bow; 19-end scraper; 20-awl from the metapod.

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Fig. 5. Burial detail: arrowheads with horn intermediaries (photo from the east side).

6. A dagger made of horn.

go of flint. Their length is 2.8-4.0 cm, width 1.1-1.6 cm (see Fig. 4, 1 - 8). It is noteworthy that one tip was in the cluster in an inverted form, with the base up (see Fig. 5). It may have been specially impaled with the tip down so that the wide base served as a slice.

Of the eight intermediaries, seven are spindle-shaped, with cutouts-splits for the attachment of arrow shafts and stone tips (see Fig. 4, 9, 11 - 16). The eighth is a rather complex form. It has a split under the stone tip and a flattened petiolate nozzle with a length of 5.3 cm. But its main feature is two side splits, highlighting the spikes, which, at first glance, are quite thin and not rigid enough. Nevertheless, they can still be interpreted as spikes, since the wedge-shaped flattening for the shaft is designed for a length of 3 cm (see Figs. 4, 10). Length: 7.4-9.3 cm, diameter 0.7 - 0.9 cm.

The tip of a spear or dagger made of horn 40 cm long, 2.6 cm wide has a handle-shaped (?) base (fig. 6). Blade length 30 cm. On the one hand, it is convex, has a smooth surface, and at the tip - an axial rib, on the other-porous, with a groove along its entire length. The "handle" is narrowed from the sides, and in the lower part it has a rounded, wedge-shaped expansion flattened on the porous side. Perhaps, the fastening of a wooden shaft was provided for here. At the transition from the "handle" to the blade, five small angular notches are symmetrically applied on the sides, and the upper two are 4.5 - 6.0 mm distant from the other three.

Analogs

Close analogs of bow linings with an angled eye under the bowstring, stone arrowheads, spindle-shaped mullions-holders, awls with a mushroom-shaped pommel are among the materials of Pokrovsky burials I and II [Okladnikov, 1950, pp. 12-20, fig. 1, 1, 5, 7 - 9; 2, 2; Table I, 8; Stepanov and Zhirkov, 2006, Fig. 1, 10; 2, 8 - 10]. The first Dupsin burial is united by some common features in the nature of the accompanying inventory. In both cases, there are flakes and scrapers located near the skull; arrows placed on the right side of the buried person; awls with a mushroom-shaped pommel, large spearheads or daggers.

As for the position of the buried person, crouching burials are typical of the Bronze Age in a vast territory of Eurasia [Bronze Age..., 1987]. Geographically similar burials have been known since the Neolithic period in Transbaikalia (Okladnikov and Kirillov, 1980, pp. 113-120; Kirillov and Verkhoturov, 1985). In the Bronze Age, burials in a crouched position or with bent legs, on the right or left side, were recorded in the Late Glazkovsky and Shiversky burial grounds of the Baikal region, Fofanov burials of Western Transbaikalia, and monuments of the Doronin culture of Eastern Transbaikalia (Maksimenkov, 1978; Grishin, 1981; Bronze Age..., 1987). During the Early Iron Age, such burials were known in the Baikal region as the Yelga (III century BC - IV century AD) and Cherenkhyn (V-VIII centuries AD) burials (Kharinsky, 2001, 2005). Skeletal remains of buried bodies laid on their sides and

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on the back with bent legs, found on Vitim (Vetrov and Ineshin, 2002). At the beginning of the first millennium AD, crouched burials were recorded in the Xianbi tent complexes (Aseev, 2003: 120-122). In the early Middle Ages, this funerary tradition became widespread in the Darasun culture of Eastern Transbaikalia (Kirillov, Kovychev, Kirillov, 2000). Most burials, especially in the Early Iron Age and Early Middle Ages, in these regions are characterized by a bent-legged position, and all of them are accompanied by masonry. Thus, the funeral rite of the Dupsin burial is rooted in a whole layer of similar traditions of different times. An interesting problem emerges, which probably outlines a certain circle (or circles) of cultures united by a worldview system that caused the similarity of funeral rites. In some cases, it can be assumed that the wide spread of these traditions is associated with the influence of steppe pastoral cultures.

The south-eastern orientation of the Dupsin burial site can be explained by reference to the area, for example, to a lake or a large watercourse. So, the buried person was laid almost parallel to the Aldan, head upstream and in the direction of Lake Baikal. To Luka. It is known that large reservoirs played a significant role both in the life and in the traditional beliefs of ancient people. Nevertheless, the connection with spatial and sacred orientation to the cardinal directions is preferable, where east and south are associated with the cult of the sun and rebirth.

Conclusion

On the basis of the presence of iron and the characteristic bone linings of the bow, the Dupsin (Bultei Sayylyk) burial site is tentatively dated to the 5th century BC-the 5th century AD. This is the fourth funerary monument of the Early Iron Age in Yakutia, after the Tumulur and two Pokrovsky monuments (Konstantinov, 1978, pp. 14-15; Stepanov and Zhirkov, 2006). Although Tumulurskoe probably belongs to the early Middle Ages, which is indicated mainly by the iron accompanying inventory [Stepanov, 2003, p. 228].

The discovery of the Dupsin burial confirms the supposed heterogeneity of the Early Iron Age culture of Yakutia. Differences in the funerary rites of the Dupsinsky (crouched position of the buried, without a coffin, south-eastern orientation) and the first Pokrovsky (elongated position of the buried, in the coffin, corpse-burning, south - western orientation) burials (Okladnikov, 1950, pp. 12-20) may indicate both chronological features and local variations in ethnic character in the culture of the early Iron Age of Yakutia.

List of literature

Aseev I. V. South-Eastern Siberia in the era of stone and metal. Novosibirsk: IAET SB RAS Publ., 2003, 207 p. (in Russian)

Vetrov V. M., Ineshin E. M. Burials of the Early Iron Age of the Vitim River basin (dating and cultural affiliation) / / Central Asia and the Baikal Region in antiquity. - Ulan-Ude; Chita: Publishing House of the Buryat State University, 2002. - p. 92-103.

Grishin Yu. S. Monuments of the Neolithic, Bronze and Early Iron Ages of the forest-steppe Transbaikalia, Moscow: Nauka Publ., 1981, 203 p.

Kirillov I. I., Verkhoturov O. G. Novye neoliticheskie mogilniki iz Vostochnogo Zabaikal'ya i ikh znachenie v opredelenii etnokul'turnykh svyazi localnykh plemen [New Neolithic burial grounds from Eastern Transbaikalia and their significance in determining ethno-cultural relations of local tribes]. Novosibirsk: Nauka Publ., 1985, pp. 7-21.

Kirillov I. I., Kovychev E. V., Kirillov O. I. Darasun complex of archaeological monuments. Eastern Transbaikalia. Novosibirsk: Publishing House of IAET SB RAS, 2000, 175 p. (in Russian)

Konstantinov I. V. Early Iron Age of Yakutia. Novosibirsk: Nauka Publ., 1978, 127 p. (in Russian)

Maksimenkov G. A. Andronovskaya kul'tura na Yenisei [The Andronovo Culture on the Yenisei], Nauka Publ., 1978, 190 p.

Melyukova E. I. Scythian material culture: Weapons, horse equipment, carts, pommels // Steppes of the European part of the USSR in the Scythian-Sarmatian time, Moscow: Nauka Publ., 1989, pp. 92-100.

Okladnikov A. I. Lena Antiquities, Moscow; L.: Publishing House of the USSR Academy of Sciences, 1950, Issue 3, 242 p.

Okladnikov A. P., Kirillov I. I. South-Eastern Transbaikalia in the Stone and early Bronze Age. Novosibirsk: Nauka Publ., 1980, 177 p. (in Russian)

Stepanov A.D. The epoch of the early Middle Ages in Yakutia (problem statement) / / Archeology and socio-cultural anthropology of the Far East and adjacent territories. Blagoveshchensk: Blagoveshchensk State Pedagogical University. un-ta, 2003, pp. 225-230.

Stepanov A.D., Zhirkov E. K. Pokrovskoe pogrebenie II rannego zheleznogo veka [Pokrovskoe burial of the Second Early Iron Age]. Irkutsk: Publishing House of Irkutsk State Technical University. un-ta, 2006, issue 4, pp. 309-313.

Kharinsky A.V. Predbaikalie v kontse I ka. b.c. - sredne II ka. n. e.: genezis kul'tury i ikh periodizatsiya [Pre-Baikal Region at the end of the first millennium BC-the middle of the second millennium AD]. Irkutsk: Publishing House of Irkutsk State Technical University. univ., 2001, 198 p. (in Russian)

Kharinsky A.V. The Western coast of Lake Baikal in the first millennium BC. BC-I thousand AD / / Izv. laboratorii drevnykh tekhnologii. Irkutsk: Publishing House of Irkutsk State Technical University. un-ta, 2005, issue 3, pp. 198-215.

The Bronze Age of the forest belt of Eurasia, Moscow: Nauka Publ., 1987, 471 p.

The article was submitted to the Editorial Board on 08.04.08.

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