Particular Significant Markers of the Odinovo Culture

Abstract

The paper describes the Odinovo culture of the early–developed Bronze Age, which occupied vast areas of the West Siberian forest-steppe. The paper is dedicated to the 70th Anniversary of S.V. Kuzminykh, a leading researcher of the Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The problem of identifying markers of the Odinovo culture is addressed at the example of the archaeological sites of the Ob–Irtysh Rivers and Baraba forest-steppe, such as Sopka-2/4A, Staryi Tartas-5, Tartas-1, Ust-Tartas-2 and Preobrazhenka-6. In addition to a brief review on the history of the studying the Odinovo culture, a detailed description of a number of diagnostic attributes is provided. Thus, the ceramic complex is characterized by flat-bottomed jar vessels with an ornament in the form of rows of notches or a comb stamp alternating with rows of circular dimples. A specific feature of the burial practice is the heterogeneity of the depth of the burial chamber bottom. The object complex of the Odinovo culture is distinguished by the bronzes of the Seima-Turbino type, original belt buckles with a stylized bear head, artifacts made of bone, and ornithomorphic tops of wands. As for spiritual concepts, the materials from the burials clearly trace the cult of the bear, a particular kind of totemic symbol. All these specific features emphasized the originality of the Odinovo culture with respect to the other cultures of the early-developed Bronze Age in Western Siberia.

Keywords

• archaeology
• western siberia
• odinovo culture
• early developed bronze age
• burials
• settlements
• markers