Geospatial Analysis and Reconstruction of the Settlement System of the Ananyino Cultural and Historical Area Bearers in the Kazan Volga Region and the Lower Kama Basin: from empirical statement to a structural model
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24852/2587-6112.2026.3.34.51Keywords:
archaeology, Ananyino cultural-historical area, geospatial analysis, settlement system, method of spatial contours,, Post-Maklashevka culture, Classical Ananyino culture, Kazan Volga region, Lower Kama region, Early Iron AgeAbstract
This paper deals with the results of a comprehensive geospatial study of sites belonging to the Ananyino cultural-historical area (AКИО) within the Republic of Tatarstan territory, based on the analysis of a dataset comprising 226 objects. The study demonstrates a methodological transition from traditional descriptive archaeology to the reconstruction of a dynamic Early Iron Age settlement system using the spatial contour method. Based on calculations of economic exploitation zones (5-km radius) and clustering criteria (11-km distance), 37 local groups were identified and consolidated into three regional clusters: Middle Volga, the Mouth of Vyatka and the Mouth of Belaya. A detailed analysis of the cultural composition revealed fundamental differences between the Volga basin, characterized by the dominance of the Post-Maklashevka culture and the Kama basin. Unlike the Volga basin, the Kama one represents a zone of intensive intercultural interaction involving the classic Ananyino and Vyatka-Vetluga cultures. The proposed adaptable structural model of the settlement system, grounded in objective quantitative metrics, enables the tracing of regional settlement dynamics and the interaction zones of cultural components within the Ananyino cultural-historical area during the IX–III centuries BC, opening new avenues for future research.
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