The Chronological Positions of the Boborykino and Koshkino Complexes in the Lower Ishim River Region (Based on Materials of the Mergen-6 Settlement)

Abstract

Purpose. The article is devoted to one of the most debatable problems for the Trans-Ural Neolithic – the chronological correlation of the Boborykino and Koshkino complexes. From the excavations of the settlement Mergen-6 (Lower Ishim River Region), groups of these ceramic vessels from the ditches of dwellings were obtained. This allowed a spatial and chronological comparison. Results. Planographic, stratigraphic analysis of the location of the dwellings and the application of the “ties” method in assessing the spatial distribution of vascular fragments revealed a number of patterns. Morphological features of the in-depth part of buildings, interior details and the general relative position of structures (13 objects) indicate a unified architectural strategy and the presence of signs of the spatial organization of the settlement in antiquity – a layout loosely resembling a circular shape. This indicates the synchronization of the functioning of the dwellings. Ceramic vessels of both types lay in the same structures, at the same depths. Also, parts from the same vessels were found in different dwellings (fragments of 40 items). This is another confirmation of the synchronism of buildings and ceramic complexes in them. A comparison of the information with the dates (21 units) obtained from these structures on bone, horn, ceramics, and сharred crust on pottery confirmed these findings. Conclusion. The presented materials testify to the coexistence of the bearers of the Boborykino and Koshkino cultural traditions on the territory of the Lower Ishim River Region in the early Neolithic (the last quarter of the 7th millennium BC).