Burials Dating to the Migration Period in Western Siberia
Burials Dating to the Migration Period in Western Siberia
DOI: 10.17746/1563-0110.2016.44.4.122-130
N.P. Matveyeva
Tyumen State University, Semakova 10, Tyumen, 625003, Russia
Traditions and innovations in 4th–5th century AD burials in the northern forest-steppe and sub-taiga areas of the Tobol valley (Kozlov Mys-2, Revda-5, Ustyug-1, and Ipkul) are described. The burial rite reveals cultural heterogeneity. The mounds, the northerly orientation of bodies, the use of horsemeat in the funeral feast, and the addition of sand and grog to ceramic paste are elements inherited from the earlier Sargat culture. Features such as secondary cremation, inhumation with a horse placed on the roof of the grave perpendicular to the human body, wrapping the bodies in carpets, skins, and felt mats, as well as delayed burials, have no roots in local Early Iron Age traditions. The addition of burnt bones to the ceramic paste, new types of vessels such as pitchers and mugs, and heavy circular deformation of the head—all these elements were introduced by migrants from Southwestern Central Asia, as evidenced by parallels with the Aral Sea area, the steppe part of the Irtysh basin, the Southern Urals, the Tien-Shan piedmont, apparently indicating immigration of isolated groups of nomads of proto-Bulgarian and Xiongnu origin. The emergence of fl at cemeteries with rows of graves arranged along the latitudinal line, the use of boats as coffi ns, the stamp decoration of pottery, and bowls are features introduced by immigrants associated with the Karym culture of the forest parts of the Tobol and Irtysh basins.
Keywords: Early Middle Ages, Migration Period, burial rite, migrations