Radiocarbon Chronology of the Burial Ground near the village of Syezzheye

Abstract

The paper deals with absolute radiocarbon chronology of the burial ground near the village of Syezzheye that was established during long-term archaeological investigations. This burial ground is interesting not only for the study of Eneolithic of forest zone in the Volga River region but also for the entire Mariupol historical and cultural area. This publication is timed to 50 years since discovery of this site in 1973 and anniversaries of archaeologists G.I. Matveyeva and I.B. Vasilyev. The most difficult aspects of this burial ground study are determination of its homogeneity and reliable chronological framework because of lack of inventory at some burials. To determine the chronology of burial grounds, several radiocarbon dates on organics from ceramics had been obtained. These dates gave two chronological intervals: the first interval is the second half of the VI millennium BC and the second one is the first half of the V millennium BC. After that the radiocarbon dates of 6520±30 ВР and 5925±25 ВР on the human bones from two burials were obtained that confirmed earlier determined dates. The repeated radiocarbon analysis of three ceramic samples confirmed just second interval of the first half of the V millennium BC. In 2022 three AMS dates were obtained in the Lab of IAE SB RAS. The bone artifact from burial 10 was dated to the Mesolithic. The bone harpoon from the sacrificial zone was dated to the same age as the “collar” pottery of the Eneolithic (4900–4800 calBC). The chronological framework of the Eneolithic complex of burial ground near the village of Syezzheye coincides with the absolute dates of the Caspian culture.

Keywords

• archaeology
• forest-steppe zone of the volga region
• eneolithic
• samara culture
• chronology
• radiocarbon dating