Radiocarbon Dating of the Kurgan of the Pazyryk Culture with Chinese Imports of the Burial Ground Chineta II (Altay)

Abstract

The paper discusses the Dating of barrow No. 31 of the burial ground Chineta II, which is situated in Krasnoshchekovskiy district of Altai Krai (North-Western Altai). During the excavation of Kurgan No. 31 of the burial ground Chineta II the definite features of the burial rite were fixed. These features detect the similarity with analogous characteristics with previously studied monuments of the Pazyryk culture in Chinetinskii archaeological district, and in other parts of the Altai. The dating of the object was based, firstly, on the results of the analysis of the accompanying inventory. At the same time, an important indicator was the wooden lacquer products from China. Secondly, the results of radiocarbon analysis of the horse bone sample produced by the Institute of monitoring of climatic and ecological systems of the Siberian branch of RAS (Tomsk) were taken into account. Based on the comparison of the results of archaeological and radiocarbon dating, it was found that the time of construction of the burial mound No. 31 was not earlier than IV century BC, perhaps during the IV – beginning of III centuries BC.

Keywords

• archaeology
• Pazyryk culture
• Altai
• dating
• radiocarbon dating
• burial rites
• artifacts
• Сhinese imports