"ELITE" BURIAL MOUNDS OF THE SROSTKINSKAYA CULTURE OF THE 1ST – 2ND MILLENNIUM AD ON THE OB PLATEAU

Abstract

In the late 1990s - early 2000s the expeditions of Altai State University conducted systematic studies of the sites of Srostkinskaya culture on the Priobskoe Plateau (on the left bank of the Ob). As a result, nine new burial complexes of the early Middle Ages containing 32 burials were discovered and thoroughly studied. Of particular importance among the fi ndings are large (up to 30 m in diameter) earth mounds surrounded by moats located at Gran, Popovskaya Dacha and Filin-I sites. In the centers of these objects were large pits with human and horse burials. The discovered inventory, despite the looting, is represented by a large number of
items of material culture including such prestigious articles as swords, spears, metal dishes, golden and silver adornments. The investigated barrows were made during the second half of 9th - the fi rst quarter of 11th centuries. This period corresponds to the golden age of Srostkinskaya culture, which is refl ected in the expansion of its territory due to the newly acquired northern and eastern lands. Apparently, the “elite” funerary complexes discovered on the Priobskoe Plateau indicate the social and political center of the Srostkinskaya community. A study of excavations of large funerary sites in the Upper Ob region will provide information for further ethnocultural reconstructions.