Ob-Irtysh interstream area in the Early Neolithic period – the Bronze Age, the Middle Ages: cultural genesis, economy, worldview (based on the archaeological materials)

Abstract

This paper describes the research findings from the archaeological sites of the Neolithic – Early and Developed Bronze Age, the Middle Ages, located on the territory of Barabinskaya wood and steppe area in the Middle Omsk region, within the framework of the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (RFBR) projects. The excavations of diverse sites (burials, settlements, ritual sites) of various periods helped to obtain insights into residential and economic buildings, burials and ritual objects. As a result, new data on the economy and ideology shared by the representatives of some archaeological cultures, i.e. Odinovskaya, Krotovskaya, Andronovskaya (Fedorovskaya), Kyshtovskaya, were obtained. Based on the materials from the early Neolithic sites, a new archaeological culture Barabinskaya has been identified. The archaeological evidence of contacts between two Early Bronze Age populations, Odinovskaya and Krotovskaya cultures, during the 3rd millennium BC has been documented. The economy of the early Neolithic Middle Omsk population has been characterized as mainly based on fishing: taking into account the evidence of fishing development in Baraba microdistrict, the use of river and lake bio resources for this purpose as early as since the 8th–7th millennia BC is quite obvious. For the early Neolithic era, a specific method of preserving fish – “fish pits”, as well as fish smoking, – was documented. The bronze casting production acquires the first features of crafts. The analysis of the osteological materials from Odinovskaya culture sites in Central Baraba helps to reconstruct that economy as transitional from appropriating to producing type. The materials of the Middle Ages sanctuaries of the southern Khanty Kyshtovskaya culture are presented. The connection of cult complexes of this culture with small barns from the sacred places of the Siberian peoples and grave structures has been established. Based on the project results, two monographs were published.