Topography of the Cemetery of the Majar Settlement based on Archival Materials of the XVIII–XIX Centuries and Archaeological Sources

Abstract

The paper analyzes information on the topography of the cemetery of Majar city, contained in archival materials of the XVIII–XIX centuries and in the materials of archaeological excavations in 1907, 1909, 1989-1991 and 2020. Despite the fact that during the XIX–XX centuries the Madjar ancient settlement was heavily damaged, its plan made by A. Golokhvostov in 1742, I.A. Gildenstedt and K. Geisler in the second half of the XVIII century, allow to identify the urban necropolis on the left-bank part of the settlement. They also make it possible to identify landmarks on the ground for localization of certain parts of the necropolis. An important source is A.P. Arkhipov's information about the last four mausoleums in the settlement and their localization. The assumptions made by E.V. Rtveladze, Ye.I. Narozhny and I.B. Tishchenko about the presence of several Muslim cemeteries in the settlement have not yet been confirmed. The available materials allow us to determine the approximate boundaries of the settlement’s cemetery and identify a nomadic barrow. The cemetery of Majar settlement needs further research.

Keywords

• archaeology
• ancient settlement
• majar
• historic topography
• cartographic sources
• visual sources
• mausoleums
• relief