IZMERI BURIAL GROUND 16 OF THE MAKLASHEEVO CULTURE

Abstract

The confl uence of the Volga and Kama rivers is considered by researchers as an archaeological ‘Eldora-do’. The ancient population was attracted to this area by the favourable geographical position and the abundant biological resources of the valleys and terraces above the fl oodplains of the largest rivers in Eastern Europe. The region was rather densely populated in the Bronze and Early Iron Ages. A wide range of monuments dating back to the Bronze Age was classifi ed by A.Kh. Khalikov as the culture of the Kazan region and its latest Maklasheevo stage. Researchers subsequently classifi ed it as an independent culture, taking into account the chronological and cultural specifi cs of Maklasheevo sites. A total of 3 burial mounds of this culture have been studied in the course of longstanding activities of the Early Bolgar expedition near Izmeri village on the left bank of the Kama river. The paper is dedicated to the analysis of materials from XVI Izmeri 16 burial mound.