Final Bronze Settlements in the Middle Don Region

Abstract

The authors analyze the results of excavations at the Final Bronze settlements of the Ivanovo (Khvalyn) and Bondarikhino cultures in the Middle Don region. Two settlements of the Bondarikhino culture have been excavated in the Bityug River region, and closed complexes have been identified, which allow the authors to characterize in detail the ceramic and tool specifics of the culture. The Zhuravka 1 settlement was studied, it located in the south of the Middle Don, where complexes of the Ivanovo (Khvalyn) culture were traced. In the middle reaches of the Bityug River (the left tributary of the Don River), the Bobrov 2 and 3 settlements were excavated. New materials of the Final Bronze Age were obtained. Conclusions were made about the connection of the Don materials with neighboring regions. The results of studies of the Zhuravka 1 settlements and two settlements near the town of Bobrov have expanded our understanding of the cultural processes which took place in the Eastern European forest-steppe at the end of the 2nd Millennium BC.

Keywords

• archaeology
• ivanovo (khvalyn) culture
• bondarikhino culture
• final bronze age
• middle don region