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Section MISCELLANEOUS
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PLANTS IN LIFE OF THE POPULATION OF GONUR-DEPE
(ANCIENT MARGIANA)
Sataeva Liliya
Bashkir State Agrarian University, Ufa, Russia
This research is devoted to results of the study of plant remains from excavations of a Bronze Age site Gonur-depe (Turkmenistan, Bactrian-Margiana Archaeological Complex or Oxus Civilization). Plants were widely used in both utilitarian and rituial purposes. Agriculture was developed in the settlement. Several kinds of wheat, barley, millet, legumes, fruit trees, grapes were cultivated. Saxaul, arboresced thistle, tamarisk, djuzgun, and camel-thorn were used as fuel. Poplar (Populus sp.) and willow (Salix sp.) were used in the buildings structures (beams in the palace, roofs of the external walls of the Kremlin). Some types of wood were brought from afar, and used for making of the artifacts: maple, elm, sumac or smoke tree (Cotinus corrygria), Vitex sacred (V^ex agnus-castus) and others. Plants theme is often found in cult things (pottery, seals, amulets, mosaics). Different images of the "world tree" were found. Among the finds, there is a unique figure of "the goddess of vegetation" with accurately executed ears of wheat. On the seals and amulets floral images which can be interpreted as "tulip", "poppy", "cannabis" are seenb. Furthermore, large vats and baths for pre-soaking plants, stone graters, pestles, mortars and strainers (conical vessels with holes in the center of the bottom) were found. It is assumed that they could be used for making a ritual drink - like Soma - Haoma.
Key words: archaeobotanical researches, Oxus Civilization, Gonur-depe, Bronze Age
Contact information: Sataeva Liliya, e-mail: [email protected].
PALEOANTHROPOLOGY OF KAZBURUN FUNERAL-SETTLER COMPLEX
OF SOUTHERN URALS
Shuteleva Iia1, Shcherbakov Nikolai1, Leonova Tatiana1, Gorshkov Konstantin2
1Bashkir State Pedagogical University named after M.Akhmulla, Russia
2Forensic Medical Examination of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Bashkortostan, Russia
The Late Bronze Age in the Southern Transurals (Beta Analytic: 1890-1750 BC) is characterized by uniformity of obsequies of barrow burials and Srubnaya culture settlements. In the basin of Urshak river, having area of 23.4 km2, Kazburun archeological region was identified, which monuments materials were used as a base for a complex of natural science investigation methods. The Kazburun archeological microdistrict belongs to homogeneous in archeological material interfluve of Urshak river and Dema river. A group of investigated sites included the monuments of Kazburun burial and settlement complex (Kazburun I-III barrow mounds, Muradymovsky settlement, Usmanovsky I, II and III settlements). They carried out paleope-dology investigations of the Late Bronze Age settlements, belonging to one cultural tradition - Usmanovsky II settlement (Usmanovo-2, settlement), Usmanovsky III settlement (Usmanovo-3, settlement), located at the Urshak river bank, Muradymovsky settlement - at the bank of a small brook. As may be supposed, people of this culture came to the Urals from the south, from dry steppes, almost semi-deserts and brought traditions of house building of gypsum (Sherbakov, Shuteleva, Obydennova, Balonova, Khohlova, Golyeva, 2010). In the biggest settlement various anthropologic material was found. In the mound of the settlement there was a grave of a child (1.2-1.5 years old). A study of the Kazburunovsky I burial mound provided the following anthropological materials: two adults buried at the age of 50-59 years. After anthropological analyzes carried out by K.A. Gorshkov, the cause of death of one of them was found out: a fracture of the skull base. In addition, the buried human had traces of paleo-disease that led to the complete merging of the large pelvic bones and femurs, as well as to the complete immobilization of the spinal column. Also, the
19 Конгресс Европейской Антропологической Ассоциации МГУ имени М.В.Ломоносова, Москва, 25-29 августа, 2014
Вестник Московского университета. Серия XXIII АНТРОПОЛОГИЯ — 3/2014
