New radiocarbon dates and environmental analyses of finds from 1903 excavations in the eastern plot of the Tashtyk cemetery of Oglakhty
Resource type
Journal article
Creator (person)
Cartwright, Caroline
Simpson, St John
Makarov, Nikolay
Pankova, Svetlana
Date published
2021
Abstract
The early Tashtyk cemetery site of Oglakhty in Minusinsk basin is best known because of the exceptional state of preservation of some of the organic objects found there in excavations in 1903 and 1969. The chronological and spatial development of this extensive cemetery have not been clearly explored until now. This paper represents a first step in that direction by dealing with previously unpublished finds from Adrianov’s excavation at the site in 1903 and held in Krasnoyarsk Museum of Local Lore. They were found in the Eastern plot of the cemetery (Oglakhty I) which represents one of four such plots according to the latest fieldwork results from the site. This paper presents the results of a new series of calibrated radiocarbon dates and new scientific identifications of the woody and plant species used to construct and fit out these graves. The results are considered within the first attempt to examine finds from Oglakhty cemetery within what we now know of its spatial organization. This has only been possible through a combination of these new absolute dates combined with a recent survey of the site and the identification of the previously excavated burials using scattered archival sources. The new series of 15 radiocarbon dates were based mainly on samples of different materials from two graves (1 and 2) containing the best-preserved objects from Adrianov’s excavation. This adds a new footing to understanding the chronology of the site as previous absolute dates were only available for a single grave in the Western plot, and other studies have been forced to rely on typological approaches and comparative analysis with finds from other regions. According to these new results, graves 1 and 2 in the Eastern plot date between the mid-2nd and mid 4th centuries AD, the former slightly later than the latter. The species of all of the finds, whether of wood, birchbark, grass or cereal grain, have been confirmed through scientific analysis. The results provide new glimpses into early Tashtyk exploitation of the local environment, and constitutes the first such step of studying the palaeoenvironment of this region in the Tashtyk period.
Editor
Cartwright
Funder
| Funder name | Awards |
British Museum | |
Tomsk State University | |
Journal title
Siberian Historical Research
Volume
3
Publisher
Department of History of Tomsk State University
Place of publication
Tomsk
ISSN
2312-461X
Official URL