KURGAN SITES IN THE SAMARA RIVER BASIN: RESULTS OF INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH

Four barrows (kurgans) were excavated in the basin of the river Samara in 2007—2008. Kurgan 1 near the village of Peschanka was located in its lower course. Three kurgans were situated near the mine «Stepova» in the middle course of Samara. Fifteen burials were discovered in the barrow 1 near the village of Peschanka. Three of them, graves 6, 7, 14 appear to be the earliest, exhibiting male burials and dating to the 38th to the 36th centuries BC (Eneolithic). The first burial mound was erected above these burials. Another two Eneolithic graves with skeletons of children were dug into the first kurgan. The construction of the Copper Age kurgan was completed after these two graves by digging a ditch around the mound. Among the four burials of the Yamna culture grave 15 was the oldest. However, its radiocarbon date 3626—3106 cal BC seems to be very early and is therefore debatable. But analyses of stable isotopes of nitrogen and carbon do not indicate a diet which might have caused a reservoir effect. The radiocarbon dates obtained for other burials in this kurgan correspond quite well with the relative chronology. The graves 10 and 11 date to the Yamna culture as well, but show characteristics in the funeral rites of its final phase. The calibrated time spans fall into the interval of 27—24 centuries cal BC. They coincide with the absolute dating of the Early Catacomb culture.  C14-dates were also obtained for the catacomb graves 4 and 12. They agree well with the absolute and relative chronology of the developed phase of the Catacomb culture. The earliest kurgan (barrow 4) near the mine «Stepova» was built above the destroyed burials of the Eneolithic. In all three kurgans graves of the earliest phase of the Yamna culture were found. Interestingly, the identical organization of the space under and in the barrows and the very similar of details of the funeral rites indicate that all three barrows form a single burial complex. Probably, all graves were erected according to the same canonical norms during a relatively short time period. Most likely a single community used and formed these Early Bronze Age barrows. Unfortunately, the absence of radiocarbon dating makes it impossible to verify this hypothesis. The burials of the Catacomb culture discovered in the kurgans near the mine «Stepova» exhibit features of different phases and demonstrate the influence of various regions. The grave of a Kipčak warrior appears to be the most recent burial in kurgan 4 and dates to the time of the Golden Horde.