Abstract: The object of this study is a monumental hydraulic engineering structure of the late 8th century, discovered in 2014 in the lower reaches of the Rubas River, 20 km south of Derbent (Russia). Excavations have established the complex composition of this structure, which included 6 buildings of different types connected by building bundles. The functional purpose of 3 structures has been fully determined - wall No. 1, arched structure and main wall No. 2. The subject of this study is the analysis of new data on the design and functionality of 3 structures obtained during excavations in 2023 - step structure No. 6, walls No. 3 and structures No. 5 in the form of a platform.The full form of the structure No. 6 of the stepped structure has been established. Its length was 8.6 m. The methodology used by the author for substantiating chronology and functional orientation is: analysis of structural features; dating according to written sources. The study of the eastern section of wall No. 3, in the direction of the South-South was made. A preserved section with a length of 3.0 m and a thickness of 2.2 m was opened. The northern and southern facades of this section of wall No. 3 with a height of 1.4-1.5 m were constructed of large blocks installed according to the "poke-spoon" masonry system. The blockage consisted of a crushed stone. Within the excavation site of 2023, Wall No. 3 continues to the east. The length of the western and eastern sections of wall No. 3 in 2023 was 9.5 m. The southern section of structure No. 5 in the form of a platform has been studied to determine its length. A 1.5 m long section of this structure has been preserved on the new site. The total length of the facade of building No. 5 was 9.7 m, the rest of it was destroyed. Large and small fragments of stone blocks were recorded at the lower level of the excavation. Determining the functional purpose of the Rubassky architectural complex, based on its complex structure, layout, construction technology used, location in the valley of the Rubas River, as well as the high level of processing of stone blocks and the quality of building materials, is a difficult task.

Keywords: stone blocks, front, excavations, design features, Derbent, Rubass architectural complex, hydraulic engineering structure, Rubas river, East Caucasus, wall

Abstract: The article is dedicated to the 90th anniversary of the birth of the famous Soviet and Russian archaeologist, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor of Bashkir State University Niyaz Abdulkhakovich Mazhitov. The object of the research is the works of the scientist published in the second half of the 1950s - the first half of the 1960s. The subject of the research is the theoretical developments of N.A. Mazhitov on the problems of cultural genesis in the Southern Urals in the Early Middle Ages, considered through the prism of his archaeological research and ethnocultural constructions. It is shown that despite the so-called "non-theoretical" period established in the studied period of time in archaeology and the absence of methodological works on cultural genesis in general, N. A. Mazhitov's publications showed a historical and cultural approach to studying the history of the Southern Urals in the I millennium AD. The methodological basis of the study is the analysis of the main publications of Niyaz Abdulkhakovich written in the initial period of the scientist's research activity related to the study of mainly the monuments of the 1st millennium AD. Bakhmutin, as well as the Pianobor and Turbasli archaeological cultures. An analytical review of N.A. Mazhitov's works devoted to the study of the ethnic history of the Southern Urals in the Early Middle Ages, conducted for the first time, allows us to conclude that his research was based, among other things, on the theoretical positions of cultural studies both in the study of the development of individual archaeological cultures of the Southern Urals in the I millennium AD, and in the study of ethnogenetic processes occurring in the region in general. Considering the ethnic history of the Bashkiria population in the designated period of time, Niyaz Abdulkhakovich largely appealed to the ethnocultural processes taking place in the region associated with changes in spiritual and material culture. Based on his work, the main factors that influenced their transformation can be called migration, socio-economic factor, intercultural interaction, traditions and innovations.

Keywords: archeology, earlier Middle Ages, interdisciplinary approach, Turbasli culture, Bakhmutin culture, cultural genesis, ethnic history, South Urals, Niyaz Abdulkhakovich Mazhitov, ancient Bashkirs

Abstract: The article is devoted to the crypts recorded during earthworks in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin and next to it. In different years, brick, white stone and underground crypts were recorded in the cultural layer on this territory. These funerary structures are atypical both for temples-tombs of the XIV- XV centuries North-Eastern Russia, as well as for the medieval dirt cemetery, which was located on this site before the construction of the cathedral. The subject of the study is the origin of these crypts and the history of their discovery. The purpose of the study is to review the history and details of the discovery, summarize all known information about the objects of research and, based on this information, propose hypotheses about the origin and dating of these burial structures. The results of the study were the generalization of information about the crypts, the interpretation of their origin and dating. The results obtained can be applied in the field of studying the history of the formation of the oldest cult center of Moscow. The scientific novelty of the article is the generalization of fragmentary information about the crypts found in the underground space of the Assumption Cathedral and next to it. For the first time, the question of the origin of these crypts is considered, on the basis of which their typology and dating are proposed.The brick and white-stone crypts found near the cathedral, apparently, were disposable structures. In this case, their origin is connected with the secondary reburial of the disturbed remains of a medieval cemetery located on this site before the construction of the Assumption Cathedral. The time of construction of the white stone crypt can be attributed to the 1470s, the brick one - to the middle of the XIX century. The crypt found directly under the floors of the cathedral should be dated to the end of the 1470s. This structure, apparently, marks the burial place of the only prince buried in the temple - Yuri Danilovich. External crypts will be considered in the article in the order of their discovery. The intra-temple crypt will be considered last.

Keywords: burial, burial structure, vault, headstone, brick tomb, crypt, Assumption Cathedral, Moscow Kremlin, reburial, cemetery

Abstract: The object of this study are the necropolises of the Moscow Kremlin, the subject of the study is the history of their study by field archaeological methods. The purpose of the study is to examine the history of the study of Kremlin necropolises in the context of field archaeological research in the Kremlin and highlight the stages of development of this process. The author examines in detail such aspects of the topic as methods of field archaeological research, their application and development in Kremlin archaeology and necropolistics – from the fixation of accidental finds and the search for relics to systematic archaeological observations and full-fledged archaeological excavations. Special attention is paid to the history of the discovery of burial complexes unknown according to written sources. As a result of the conducted research, the article examines the history of the study of the Moscow Kremlin in the XIX-XXI centuries by field archaeological methods, in the context of the archaeological study of the Moscow Kremlin, the history of field archaeological research of Kremlin necropolises is highlighted and, based on the analysis of the materials considered, the chronological stages of the development of Kremlin archaeology are highlighted. The scientific novelty of the article is to create a single brief description of the history of the study of the necropolises of the Moscow Kremlin by field methods of archaeology and to develop a periodization of the development of Kremlin archaeology. The main conclusion of the study is the identification of two major periods in the archaeological study of the Moscow Kremlin and the Kremlin necropolises. The criterion for the allocation of periods is the development of field research methods - from the fixation of random finds and observations to systematic excavations. The first period covers more than a century – from the late 1830s to the early 1950s. The author characterizes it as a time of accidental finds and occasional observations of earthworks. The second period begins in the second half of the XX century, when it became possible to conduct systematic observations of earthworks in the Moscow Kremlin, lay architectural and archaeological pits and conduct full-fledged archaeological excavations.

Keywords: tombstone, sarcophagus, burial, cemetery, nekropolis, observations, excavations, pits, archaeological research, Moscow Kremlin

Abstract: The subject of this article is the Aznayevo settlement – dwelling site of Bashkirs of the late Middle Ages and Modern Age located in the territory of Ishimbaysky District of the Republic of Bashkortostan. The main goal of this work consists in introduction into the scientific discourse of general information on the monument, as well as materials acquired in the course of archaeological research conducted in 1998 and 2016. Special attention given to the analysis of findings that characterize the economy and way of living of its inhabitants. For clarification of the chronological framework and establishment of relation of Aznayevo settlement with the Bashkir neighboring villages Aznayevo and Khazinovo, the author attracts archival and cartographic material. The article also employs historical-comparative and descriptive methods of analysis of the artefact. The conducted archeological research show that Aznayevo settlement, which supposedly was the winter encampment for the local Bashkir population in the XVII – XIX centuries has existed for a long period of time. In the course of its expiration, were acquires new materials that characterize the economic activity, spiritual and material culture of Bashkirs in the past, including certain aspects that were poorly covered in the ethnographic and historical literature. At the same time, they contribute to examination and reconstruction of ethnogenetic and ethnocultural processes that unfolded in Southern Ural in the late Middle Ages and Modern Age, as well as in the preceding time.

Keywords: traditional economy, Bashkirs, archaeological exploration, excavations, Bashkortostan, late archaeology, Aznaev settlement, spiritual culture, material culture, maps

Abstract: The subject of this research is the collection of tools from the middle cultural layers of Upper Paleolithic monuments Kamennaya Balka II and the Tretiy Mys located in the Lower Don. The monuments that have been studied over the course of 50 years by scientific archaeological expeditions of Moscow University and State Historical Museum required additional examination and clarification of the main characteristics of stone industry, according to which was determined the Kamennobalkovsky Paleolithic culture. The traditional typological method of research was applied in working with the collections. The basic categories of tools processed via morphological analysis served as the foundation for this research. The author describes and compares the main categories of instrument, such as microliths with a blunted point, incisors, scrapers, burins, scaly and denticulate tools. The author identified and verified the signs that confirm similarity of the monuments and discrepancies in morphology of the groups and categories of tools. As a result, belonging of the middle cultural layers of monuments to Kamennobalkovsky culture was verified, which implies the 1,500-2,000 years of existence and development of the culture. It is also noted that the differences can be of temporal or industrial in nature at different sites of the monuments. The inventory of the main cultural layer of Kamennaya Balka II and 2nd cultural layer of the site Tretiy Mys is characterized with individual attributes that are distinct from the earlier or later layers of Kamennaya Balka sites.

Keywords: Kamennaya Balka site, flint tool, flint industry, kamennobalkovskaya culture, Lower Don, Upper palaeolith, Tretiy Mys site, bladelet, multilayer sites, burin

Abstract: The article examines the problems in developing approaches for the description and stylistic interpretation of antique masonry, as well as the issues in their stylistic dating. The task of dating construction remains belonging to the 7th century B.C.E. to the turn of the era, has attracted the scholarly attention of the scientific community since the 1940s and has been considered by both foreign and Russian researchers. The article's research object is the construction remains of Greek civil and military architecture in the Mediterranean and the Northern Black Sea regions - territories considered to have been the center and periphery of the Greek Oikumena. The study applied the comparative-typological method, the synchronization of objects in time and space, and dating by analogy. Both in Russian and foreign studies a significant amount of data has been collected for the analysis and construction of appropriate conclusions regarding the distribution and popularity of certain masonry in particular periods of time. However, due to the presence of many factors affecting the ancient construction and stone-carving craft, a number of exceptions due to local natural, economic, raw material, and administrative factors can be distinguished in the observed patterns. Thus, the whole picture of the formation of the construction and stone-carving craft (with the allocation of the corresponding types of masonry in a certain historical period) can be reconstructed only with a comprehensive examination of all of them. As the most interesting objects in this regard, the article cites a number of architectural remains belonging to the monuments of the distant chora of Tauric Chersonesos dating to the second half of the 4th century B.C.E.

Keywords: Nothern Black Sea Coast, Mediterrian, Chora of Chersonesus, Greek bulding, antique culture, masonry, Crimea, Stone-pit, Hellinism, settlement

Abstract: The article presents an analysis of the changes in core reduction models at different stages of the Upper Paleolithic in the Northwest Caucasus. The broad chronological framework of this study (40 thousand - 12 thousand years ago) makes it possible to trace the changes in the preferred models for the use of cores. The correlation of the change dynamics in the main core reduction models along with a change in the metric and morphological features of the chips allowed the author to trace the development of stone knepping technology throughout the entire Upper Paleolithic era in the Northwest Caucasus. Methods. The work is based on an analysis of core morphology. All the cores from the collections were divided into several categories: core-shaped pieces, prismatic cores, edge-faceted cores, karenoid cores, and residual core fragments. Upon analyzing the morphology, the author takes into account the number of cleavage systems and their relative position. Based on the analysis of core morphology, the author determined the main reduction models. The identification of core reduction models is correlated with a change in the metric features of preformed chips. The author's analysis of core morphology revealed a number of trends. 1. There was a shift from the knepping technology, which includes two reduction models (knepping from prismatic and edge-faceted cores in the Early Upper Paleolithic (layer 1C of the Mezmay Cave), and in the first stage of the Late Upper Paleolithic) to primary splitting of prismatic cores in the late period of the Late Upper Paleolithic and in the Epipaleolithic. 2. The change in core reduction models was accompanied by a change in the metric features of the plate chips (an increase in the average value of the chip width and a decrease in the average value of the relative chip thickness).

Keywords: removal pattern, core reduction model, edge-faceted core, prismatic core, core, epipaleolithic, upper paleolithic, North-Western Caucasus, knepping technology, Mezmaiskaya cave

Abstract: The subject of this article is the excavation results from the ancient settlement "Chaika", located in the vicinity of Yevpatoriya (North-Western Crimea). In 2019, the expedition of the History Department of Lomonosov Moscow State University continued its work at the Chaika settlement and the ancient quarry.Late Scythian rooms were examined at the site. Upon the removal of the wall remnants of the rooms, archaeologists uncovered finds dating the preserved layers of this part of the Late Scythian settlement. These are fragments of red-varnished ceramics, “megara” bowls from the end of 2nd - first half of the 1st century B.C.E. Amphorae fragments of Knidos, Sinope and Rhodes date to the same period. Under the Late Scythian building remains archaeologists found the ruins of a Greek complex. In 2019, excavators unearthed two rooms adjacent to the courtyard, which was studied in 2018. The authors applied field research techniques on the Chaika settlement which is traditionally used in excavating ancient settlements. A comparative typological method was also used on the identified objects. Studies in 2019 demonstrated that the new Greek complex underwent two construction periods that date back to the second half of the 4th - 3rd centuries B.C.E.The ancient quarry is located 1.5 km northwest of the Chaika settlement. Excavators cleared areas with traces of a selection of quadras. Two burials have been discovered: a stone chest with a "collective" burial and an amphora burial of a baby. The bones of six individuals were found in the chest. The skeleton of the last buried has been preserved, while the rest of the bones were moved to the wall and laid in disarray. The burial dates to the 4th - 3rd centuries B.C.E. The second burial is in an amphora. The amphora belongs to the Chersonesus center and dates to the end of the 4th - 3rd century B.C.E.

Keywords: Crimea, Nothern Black Sea Coast, Late scythian culture, Chora of Chersonesus, Greek bulding, antique culture, Ancient stone pit, Antique manor, Hellinism, settlement

Abstract: The research subject of this study is the ornamentation on bone tools described through an examination of the Neolithic collection of the Ust-Belaya burial site, mound 15 (Chukotka). The author investigates the origins of the ornamental motifs on these bone tools and also discusses the concept of “ornament” from the perspective of the formation of its details. The author pays particular attention to the possibilities of "reading" ornamental elements and attempts to attribute the ethnical provenance of bone tools based on an analysis of the ornamentation elements seen as a sign system (information transfer, including between its kind and the formation of the notion of “friend-foe”). The article's research methodology is based on the structural-semiotic approach, which envisages the study of ornamental motifs as a society's sign system. Based on the results of the conducted study, the author drew conclusions regarding the viability of reconsidering ancient ornamentation from the perspective of modern thinking and extrapolating its semantics to vast territories and different periods in history. Based on a comparative analysis, the ties of the inhabitants of Ust-Belaya with neighboring northern peoples (Yukagirs, Chukchi, Koryaks, Kereks, Eskimos) have come to light, which can serve as the basis for studying the processes of cultural genesis in the North of the Far East during the Late Holocene.

Keywords: Chukchi, antler tools, bone tools, geometric ornamentation, primitive art, Neolithic, mound, Ust-Belaya burial ground, Paleometal Age, Eskimos

Abstract: The article is focused on the figurative and subject repertoire of artifacts belonging to the Xiongnu animal style, which have been discovered during archaeological excavations and collections. In the 1920s, thanks to archaeological excavations at the Noin-Ula burial ground, interest in Xiongnu rose and, as a result, interesting data was obtained. However, to date, there have been no studies conducted on the figures of the Xiongnu animal style.The Xiongnu animal style is divided into five categories based on its figures. Within the mega-representation of ungulates, the figures of deer, bull, horse, goat, mountain goat, mountain sheep, ram, and yak are different from one another. Among the predators, one can discern the images of the feline and bear families, generalized as well as undefined. The images of birds are divided into predatory and non-predatory. Among the fantastic animals, there are four figures of beasts that stand out in detail: griffin, dragon, unicorn, and horned wolf. The figures of beasts, which do not fall under the category of ungulates, predators, birds, or fantastic animals, can be allocated into the category of “other subjects”. There are not many "other" images in the Xiongnu animal style: only snake, hedgehog, hare, lizard stand out.The figures of the Xiongnu animal style are presented in this article in a variety of interpretations. The most interesting characteristic of the Xiongnu animal style is the fact that many animal forms are represented on a geometric plate. In the Xiongnu animal style, various floral elements often serve as the backdrop. It is likely that this is a typical feature of the Xiongnu animal style. In general, the position of the animals' legs and the direction of their heads are the most common features that are can be observed as the unique trait in the Xiongnu animal style. We can say that this taxonomy allows for the effective classification of the Xiongnu animal style.

Keywords: fantastic animals, ungulate, beast, images, repertoire, animal style, Xiongnu, birds, Ordos, classification

Abstract: The author’s research subject is a special category of early medieval antiquities which were widely distributed on monuments in Northern and Eastern Europe in the 9th – 11th centuries: miniature equal-arm folding scales for small weighings. These scales were primarily used to count silver of eastern origin and are traditionally considered to be borrowed from the East along with Islamic coins. The article discusses a wide range of examples of folding scales with origins in Southern and Eastern Europe, the Eastern Mediterranean, and Central Asia. The author pays particular attention to the writings of medieval Arab authors regarding the structure of miniature scales and which contain recommendations for their construction. The study is based on the methods of comprehensive source study, comparative morphological analysis of archaeological sources, and critical reading of medieval texts. For the first time in Russian historiography, the author conducts a comprehensive source-study comparative analysis of the discovered equal-arm scales from the early Middle Ages originating from different regions and traces the evolution of small-weighting instruments in Northern Europe during the second half of the 1st millennium C. E. Comparing them with a number of finds from the 10th – 11th centuries on the territory of Ancient Russia and the Volga Bulgaria, the author comes to the conclusion that the autochthonous origin of the North European folding scales is based on the local tradition, rooted in its late Roman past.

Keywords: Ancient Rus', British Isles, Scandinavia, Byzantium, Viking Period, Early medieval time, Collapsible balance scales, arabic East, Caliphate, Silver

Abstract: Since 2012, scientists have been actively studying the monuments located on high hypsometric levels on the territory of the Ust-Menza archaeological complex. These studies have allowed the examination of the multi-layered monuments within a unique stratigraphic context. The subject of this article is the multidisciplinary geoarchaeological studies conducted on the basis of the location of Ust-Menza-15 (Kedrovaya) in Western Transbaikal. As the research object, the authors analyze the possibilities of the geoarchaeological approach for the reconstruction of cultural and natural-climate processes in a wide chronological range. The aim of this article is to form an integrated view of the nature of the archaeological objects located on the high river terraces of the Baikal region. The authors by "high terraces" intend Middle Pleistocene elevations from 20 meters onwards. The foundations for the study of high elevations were laid back in the 1980s, but at that time they were not given sufficient attention. In the framework of the latest research, sediment drilling was carried out to a depth of 8 m. and a comprehensive soil analysis was undertaken. Additionally, T. E. Yurieva, a research associate at the Museum of Geology of Central Siberia, conducted an analysis of the petrographic composition of the raw material base and of the stone artifacts from the culture-containing layer 1. The scientific novelty of this work is the presentation of the results of the latest research conducted on the monuments associated with high floodplain terraces of the Ust-Menza archaeological complex. The authors propose a division of the complex into three subdistricts based on the particular differences in the organization of monuments and the characteristics of their location. A detailed analysis of the stratigraphic context and the stone inventory will expand the possibilities of studying multi-layered monuments at high hypsometric levels of river terraces.

Keywords: stratigraphy, periodization, stone industries, geoarcheology, Upper Paleolithic, sub-district, Ust-Menza, Western Transbaikal, river terraces, petrography

Abstract: The subject of this article is the archaeological material unearthed during the excavations of the multi-layered monument Ust-Menza 5 in Western Transbaikal. As the research object, the authors consider the oldest industries of the Ust-Menzinsky archaeological complex in a wide chronological range from the end of the Middle Paleolithic to the Bronze Age. The authors present in detail the history of the study of the monument and introduce the results of the latest research. This article is the first step towards the analysis of the archaeological material from the Ust-Menzinsky complex of monuments associated with high river terraces. The authors consider the high terraces as Middle Pleistocene elevations from 20 meters onwards. The basis for the study of high elevations was already laid in the 1980s, but at that time they were not given sufficient attention. The study of Ust-Menza 5 was conducted using the latest methods of interdisciplinary research. Particular attention is paid to the geomorphological and stratigraphic analysis of sediments, which revealed archaeological materials. For the stone industry, the authors used morphological, technological and typological methods. The novelty of this work consists in its introduction into scientific circulation of new data from the Upper Paleolithic and Bronze Age and the authors' presentation of their vision regarding the place of these materials in the historical and chronological periodization of the region. The authors conducted a regional correlation of the materials. The aim of this article is to present the latest research conducted in the Ust-Menza 5 lot, which is connected to the IV terrace above the floodplain. A detailed analysis of the stratigraphic context and stone inventory will enable to see the possibilities of studying multi-layered monuments at high terraced levels.

Keywords: stratigraphy, periodization, stone industries, Upper Paleolithic, Ust-Menza, Western Transbaikal, river terraces, absolute dating, Khentei archaeological culture, paleofauna

Abstract: The subject of this study is the material from the excavations of the ancient settlement "Chaika", located in the vicinity of Evpatoria (North-Western Crimea). In 2018, archaeologists excavated on the territory of the settlement a section with architectural remains from the 4th - middle of the 2nd centuries B.C.E. The earliest object is a Greek building: an estate courtyard. The walls have openings, three of which are wider than ordinary doorways, designed for carrying large-sized containers, which points to the estate having an agricultural function. In the eastern part, the estate is covered with an adobe structure dating to the end of the Greek period, which was cut by the Late Scythian dugout of the end of the 2nd century B.C.E. In the western part of the site, on top of the layer of sand that covers the ruins of the Greek construction, a fragment of a wall and pavement from the Late Scythian period was unearthed. The author applies the field research method on the ancient settlement "Chaika", which is traditionally used for the excavation of ancient settlements. The examination of the newly identified ceramic material, which has made it possible to date the constructions, was conducted in the field. The author also applied the comparative-typological method of comparing identified objects. The study's research methodology consists of its consideration of new material from the "Chaika" settlement in comparison with the material from excavations of previous years, as well as material from other monuments which are part of the agricultural chora of Chersonesos. The article's novelty lies in the fact that in the western section of the "Chaika" settlement new architectural structures were discovered, which add to our understanding of the structure of the settlements in the Chersonesos chora. The author examines the estate near the warehouse location, where goods were brought before being sent to Chersonesos. The discoveries confirm the fact of dugout residential constructions at the beginning of the Late Scythian period. A fragment of construction in the western part of the site testifies to the significant endurance of the Late Scythian settlement.

Keywords: antique manor, Crimea, Northern Black sea coast, greek building, Chora of Hersonesos, late scythian culture, antique culture, settlement, antique graphity, Hellenistic period

Abstract: In this article, for the first time in historiographical literature, the author identifies small wooden blocks with marks and some playing boards divided into fields as Medieval games. These objects were discovered during excavations in Novgorod inside the strata from the turn of the 10th - 11th centuries up to the middle of the 13th century. The closest analogies to these objects were found among the pieces for the Scandinavian "game-race with direct combat" of Daldos and Sahkka, known from the 19th century in Denmark, Norway and in the north of Finland through the study of ethnographers. By applying the comparative method to the archaeological and ethnographic sources, the author was able to establish that the examined blocks from Novgorod, being playing dice, and the game boards both belonged to a game that was close in nature to those of the other regions. Most scientists tie the origin of the Daldos and Sahkka games to the territory of the Middle East, from where it got to Scandinavia. However, there is no consensus opinion about the way these games were distributed North. The findings from Novgorod support the hypothesis of the introduction of Daldos and Sahkka into Northern Europe along the river routes of Eastern Europe at the end of the Viking Age. In Novgorod, this game took root, it was adapted and existed from the turn of the 10th - 11th centuries up to the middle of the 13th century.

Keywords: definition of artefacts, sahkku, daldøs, gaming boards, gaming dices, board games, Scandinavia, Medieval Novgorod, wooden objects, objects with marks

Abstract: The subject of this study is an artifact discovered during the archaeological excavations of the medieval settlement "Beam Hreeva-1" in the Temryuk district of the Krasnodar region, undertaken in 2015 – 2016 by the "Taman" archeological group NCR "The Heritage of Kuban". The object is a piece of an elk horn with graffiti drawn on its surface in the form of different symbols, as well as a rare type of the princely sign of the Rurik dynasty in the 11th century – a trident without legs with a cross-shaped end of the middle prong. In the process of studying the finding, determining its date and functions, the authors used the comparative-historical, historical-cultural and typological methods. As a result, the authors came to the conclusion that the symbol is affiliated to one of the princes who ruled in Tmutarakan and clarified the previously existing personalization, attributing it to Vseslav Brjachislavich of Polotsk. This finding also allows to affirm the genealogy of the personal and dynastic symbols of the Rurik dynasty and the message from "The Tale of Igor's Campaign" on Vseslav that provides the opportunity to clarify the little-known pages of the history of Tmutarakan, linked to the likely stay there of the Polotsk prince. The particularities of the symbols on the artifact, their typological proximity to the Khazar sacral symbols, the presence of the princely tamga, all suggest that the artifact may have had ritual significance, as well as perform the functions of a kind of sign of credentials. The published finding, along with other material from the excavations of the settlement, also allow scientists to have a new look at the problem of the ethnic composition of the Tmutarakan princedom and the presence there of Slavic components.

Keywords: Rurik dynasty, Tmutarakan principality, Vseslav of Polotsk, Tale of Bygone Years, medieval settlement, Taman peninsula, tamga, Ancient Rus, graffiti, princely symbol

Abstract: The scientific archival commissions of the Ryazan, Kaluga, and Orlov governorates at the turn of the 19th–20th centuries played an important role in the advancement of archaeological studies of the Tula krai. Members of these commissions launched a vigorous study of the hill forts and burial mounds of the Upper and Middle regions of the Oka river. Research was focused on the Kashira, Aleksin, and Belyov uyezds of the Tula governorate, as well as on the Likhvin and Tarussa uyezds of the Kaluga governorate (modern Suvorov and Aleksin districts of the Tula oblast). Along with preserving the records of monument locations and descriptions, archaeological excavations took up a predominant place. This allowed the introduction into scientific use of valuable archaeological finds, to use them in scientific elaboration towards new information, and to identify the cultural significance and dating of monuments. The basis for this article is the examination and analysis of archival materials concerning the relevant archaeological studies, as well as the publication of results in scientific volumes. The scientific investigations by the members of the governorate scientific archival commissions neighbouring the Tula governorate contributed to the accumulation of new data and of widening the source base for the archaeological monuments of the Tula governorate. The introduction into scientific use of the research results helped to bring the attention of representatives of central archaeological societies and organisations to this territory, and to initiate the study of history and archaeology of this region by local ethnographers.

Keywords: reka Oka, uchenye arkhivnye komissii, arkheolog, raskopki, gorodishche, arkheologicheskie kollektsii, Moskovskoe arkheologicheskoe obshchestvo, Imperatorskaya arkheologicheskaya komissiya

Abstract: At the end of the 13th – 14th centuries the administration of the Republic of Venice thrice tried to establish trading posts on the Crimean peninsula. For this purpose they used at different stages both old Byzantine towns, such as, for example, Sudak, and unpopulated bays, such as Provato. All these attempts were not met with success. At the end of the 14th – 15th centuries the Venetian presence in Crimea was limited to brief (from one day to three) ship moorage on the line to Tana. The main aim of this study is to localise the navigational point known in Venetian documents as the anchorage at the cape of St. John. The author compares three principal source types: written evidence, cartographical data, as well as archaeological material concerning this anchorage. The modern-day cape of Kiyik Atlama was named during the Middle Ages as the cape of St. John. The location of this anchorage has been established through the systematic archaeological investigations on the coast of Eastern Crimea. The ruined remnants of this navigational point were located in the eastern part of the shore of Tikhaya Bay. In 2000 this was the location of extensive archaeological excavations which uncovered material evidence allowing to precisely identify this location with the Venetian anchorage at the cape of St. John.

Keywords: Venetsianskaya respublika, Genuya, Genuezskaya Gazariya, Vostochnyi Krym, mys sv. Ioanna, Provato, Zolotaya Orda, kartografiya, arkheologicheskie issledovaniya, mys Kiik-Atlama

Abstract: This article reviews the main model of chronology and periodization proposed for archaeological epochs, which is based on the heuristically-established Fibonacci sequence and numbers that are the concrete mathematical expression of the “golden ratio”. The use of the Fibonacci sequence required the overall clarification of the structures of archaeological epochs: archaeological sub-epochs, periods, phases, nodal moments, as well as of its logical-conceptual apparatus and terminology (with term definitions) in general. The model chronology and periodization of archaeological epochs was correlated to the chronology of the generally accepted “system of three centuries” and verified with the chronology and periodization of the corresponding time interval of the informational-cybernetic model. The first two models reliably (the coupling coefficient f=0.57) describe the evolution and history of one and the same organism – of an archaeological epoch. The model chronology and periodization gains authority because it corresponds with the general laws of development, better completeness, precision, simplicity, perspective, and combination possibilities. The most significant results derived from applying the model of chronology and periodization of an archaeological epoch for its study are: evolutionary processing within an archaeological epoch – a coherent phenomenon that contains in itself archaeological sub-epochs; the visible part of an archaeological sub-epoch is the evolutionary triad – genesis (becoming) – flowering – dying (involution) – with hidden phases preceding and succeeding it. Digitalised chronology and periodization allow to process new non-verbal, but numerical information, studying and comparing not only the absolute and relative continuances, but also the multiplicity of “centuries”, archaeological epochs and periods, etc. Digitalised chronology and periodization has aided to see the harmony within the structures of archaeological epochs, their functions and dynamics, strictly (as following studies have shown) corresponding to the general harmony of universe.

Keywords: “golden ratio”, periodization, chronology, Fibonacci numbers, Fibonacci sequence, archaeological sub-epoch, archaeological epoch, archaeological culture, material culture, multidisciplinarity

Abstract: The Scythian-Siberian zoomorphic style from the VIIth – beginning of the IIIrd century B. C., being part of the “Scythian triad” along with armor and horse equipment, presents a particular artistic direction of applied zoomorphic art, characterized by a stable set of animal figures depicted in strictly defined poses and compositions, and using special detail modelling techniques. Some of the most important elements of this repertory are the syncretic figures: griffins and other zoomorphic creatures formed from different elements of real animals in fantastic combinations. This article is based on a study of a wide array of syncretic figures (201 objects in original, not including copies) made in Eastern European Scythian animal style, correlated with the region of Scythian archaeological culture and being one of the local variants of the Scythian-Siberian zoomorphic style. The author presents the main results of an image-figurative classification, subject-stylistic typology and statistical analysis of the mega-form of syncretic (fantastic) animals. The research shows that the figures of syncretic animals compose almost a tenth of the whole set of original figures of Eastern European Scythian animal style. Compared to the three other Scythian animal mega-forms – birds, hoofed and predatory animals – syncretic creatures had less morphological standardization and calibration for stylistic elaboration. The basis for the mega-form of syncretic creatures consists of figures of Early and Late Greek-type griffins and their local modifications. The theme of the griffin, which came into Scythian art through Ancient Greek and Near Eastern (Assyrian-Urartian, Hittite, and, later, Achaemenid) art, in its bare form was not enough popular in the Scythian culture and was often replaced with a similar, yet not identical syncretic figures, clearly, corresponding better to the local ideology.

Keywords: archaeology, Scythian animal art style, Scythian archaeological culture, history of Scythian art, repertory, syncretic figures, griffin, figural statistics, iconographical classification.

Abstract: the articles describes old facilities for transportation on water — bugouts. Author highlights the history of its’ creation, geography of distribution and use. The main attention is given to the blocksingle- log boats. Author brings the evidence of archeological findings of such boats and tells about the unique exemplars, found and studied during the historical and ethnographic researches in Dedinovo village in the Moscow region.

Keywords: history, archeology, ethnography, researches, findings, boatbuilding, dugout, block-single-log boats, tools, masters.