SUMMARY*

* Translated by Inna Laricheva.

Derev’anko, A.P., Petrin, V.T. Krivoshapkin, A.I., Nikolaev, S.V. The stone industry of the Kara-Tenesh Site in the Mountain Altai.

The article is devoted to the most interesting themes – transformation of the Moustier of Siberia into the early cultures of the Upper Paleolithic and revealing the typical peculiarities of the latter. In consequence of the intensive scientific investigations of the last two decades, on the territory of Southern Siberia, a series of archaeological objects has been discovered, the one that allowed to put the question about the presence of common tendencies of evolution of the ancient man’s culture, as well as about different lines of development of industries of the early stage of the Upper Paleolithic. In this connection, publication of materials of the Kara-Tenesh Site seems to be very timely. The authors consider the examined industry to be similar to that represented in “the Kara-Bom bed” but, at the same time, they lay emphasis on its individuality and specific features, as well as draw to the conclusion about formation, on the common late mousterian base, of several original variants of the Early Upper Paleolithic of Southern Siberia (some 30-35 thousands of years ago). The latter was, possibly, caused by the greater adaptive potentialities of these upper paleolithic industries in comparison with the preceding mousterian technology. Later on, this had led, in the authors’ opinion, to origin of that mosaic composition of the late paleolithic industries of Southern Siberia which is observed at present.

Postnov, A.V. The Levallois splitting stone method reconstructed on the base of assembling of artifacts of the collection of Layer 18A of the Ust’-Karakol-1 Site (the Mountain Altai).

In the article, the stone industry of Layer 18A of the Ust’-Karakol Site, in the Mountain Altai, is analysed on the base of the technological concept of the Levallois production strategies proposed by E. Boeda. The age of this layer determined by the radiocarbon method – 90 ± 18 thousand years.

In the operation sequence of splitting one of the cores of the examined cultural layer, the mixed system of the bipolar linear and recurrent method combined with the unipolar one is determined. The fact of obtaining preferable flake from this core, the presence of the typical products of the bipolar recurrent flaking, as well as the analysis of incomplete repeated assembling of some other blocks, allow to lay emphasis on the specific features of the Levallois splitting stone on the territory of the Mountain Altai.

Tabarev, A.V. The Paleo-Indian caches – hiding places of North America.

Basing on the analysis of the works of the modern American archaeologists, the author examines the unique complexes of finds relating to the final stage of the Clovis Culture those dated by 11,5–11 thousands of years B.P. These complexes are represented by caches hidden by the Paleo-Indians of North America. Unlike the collections of finds gathered at camp-sites and workshops of ancient craftsmen, the material analysed by the author allows to turn our eyes upon the problem of ritual-ceremonial artifacts and sets of the such ones in the Stone Age taken as the single whole. The article is illustrated by the most pronounced finds which are interpreted in the ritual, funeral or commercial and exchange contexts.

Khud’akov, Yu.S. The ancient Turkic burial at the Teren-Kel’ Burial Ground.

In the article, the materials of one of the most northern sites of ancient Turks, on the territory of Khakass are analysed and introduced into scientific turn. The peculiarities of constructions situated outside and inside the grave pit, as well as the character of the ceremonial rites of the site are examined. The author carries out the thorough analysis of the accompanying inventory of the burial and gives substantiation to its chronology, ethnic and cultural affinity. He gives carefully supported arguments in favour of recognizing of several groups of burials among the ancient Turkic ones of the Minusinsk Depression. The differences between them bear the chronological, local and other character. The results of this investigation have an important significance for elucidating of the role and place of the ancient Turkic ethnic component in the history of the medieval population of the Middle Yenisei.

Kyzlasov, L.R. The Siberian Manicheanism.

The author affirms that Siberia to the epoch of the Early Middle Ages became more and more the cultural continuation of the Middle Asia to the North. In his opinion, spreading of Manicheanism in Siberia was the most important event of Its spiritual development. In particular, after the Uigur compaign of the 758–759 years, Manicheanism had been spread in the ancient Khakass State. In the article, two most important urban temple and cloistral centres discovered in the course of excavations in Khakass – in the steppe(in the delta of the Uibat River, the left tributary of the Abakan) and in the mountains of the Batenev Ridge are described. During five centuries, in these regions no less than 11 Manichaean temples worked. Most of them represented themselves the monumental architectural constructions with their walls made of bricks. Creation in the Middle Yenisei Valley of such a great Holy Centre became possible after the Manichaean dogma had been declared as the State religion of the ancient Khakass Power, Its official ideology. This led to complete cultural upheaval in the life of population of Southern Siberia. The unprecedented centre of culture and education appeared in Siberia, spreading far to the North diverse knowledge in the literary Turkic language. The author gives a detailed characteristic of the Manichaean dogma.

Mat’ushchenko, V.I. One of the ways of an intensified investigation of archaeological material and its transformation into historical source.

The author examines some problems of investigations of archaeological microraions. These investigations are carried out by some archaeologists of the Omsk City. The groups of ancient sites situated in certain conditions of the ecological niche really belonged to the historical communities of people of this or that epoch within the limits of which. these or those archaeological complexes have been revealed The archaeological microraions display connections with such historical communities as archaeological culture and ethnographo-archaeological complex. To bring such connections to light – one of the main tasks of the article.

Baulo, A.V. The ritual quivers (cases for holding arrows) of the Ugrs of the Ob’ River Basin.

The article is devoted to the ritual quivers – one of the elements of the “bogatyr’s (warrior’s)” garment and equipment presented by the Obian Ugrs as a gift to the Gods and Spirits – Patrons. Analysing the tradition to beautify the ritual quivers with depictions of bears and lizards, the author points out one of its possible sources – the engraved bone covers of fighting quivers of the XIIIth – XIVth centuries A.D.

Lutsidarskaya, A.A. Private names: canon and mode (on the Tomsk materials of the XVIIth – the beginning of the XVIIIth centuries A.D.

Private names, acting in society for carrying out communicative contacts, are normalized by certain regulations set by the tradition or stable canons. For the Orthodox Russia the nominal list sanctioned by Church is such a canon. In the article, on the materials of archives, the problem connected with possible deviation from the church canon is examined. The author draws to the conclusion that regardless of the rules established by the Orthodox Church (baby was given the name of the Saint under whose symbol it had been born) fashion for certain names was not the least of the factors. The voiced supposition is illustrated by the enormous material.

Mainicheva, A.Yu. About semantics of the architectural image of the Cathedral of Sofia Wisdom of the God’s Word in Tobol’sk (the 1622–1643 years).

In the article, the semantic aspects of the architectural image of the wooden Cathedral of Sofia Wisdom of the God’s Word built in Tobol’sk in the 20s of the XVIIth century are examined. On the base of the preserved description, the appearance of the temple has been reconstructed. Dedication of the Cathedral of Sofia, in the world outlook aspect, signified one of the stages of creation, harmonization, expansion of the Russian Christian World and State. The semantics of the architectural image of the Cathedral was caused by the composite and elitarian theological philosophema reflected in Its architecture as an expression of the improvement of existence, harmonization of chaos, might of the Power, as well as by the symbolism of numbers three and five absorbed in itself the motifs of the Heathen and Christian beliefs.

Plakhotn’uk, M.A. Modern ethnocultural processes at the Russians of the Middle Cis-Irtysh Area.

In the article, the results of the ethnocultural inspection of the Russian rural population of the Middle Cis-Irtysh Area carried out by the author in the 1980s – 1990s are stated. The materials obtained in the course of such inspection have demonstrated that in the material and spiritual spheres of culture of the examined population the essential changes take place. Thus, for instance, dividing into local, social and confessional groups is practically lost, the standardization and urbanization of the everyday life becomes a usual occurrence, clothes lose their function of the ethnic disjunctive feature. The ethnic traditions seem to be the most stable ones in the sphere of nourishment. Cooking of the traditional dishes is a standard matter, despite inclusion of new foodstuffs, spreading of public catering and so on. The revival of many traditions is to be observed in the ritual sphere of the Russian villagers. Among the latter, the main bearers of the ethnic specificity women are, whereas among the age groups, old men and children may be called adherents of the traditions.

Okt’abr’skaya, I.V., Cheremisin, D.V. Bow and arrows in rock-drawings of Central Asia.

In he article, an attempt to interprete the original compositions of rock-drawings of Central Asia (Sinkiang, the Mongolian Altai, Kazakhstan) is made. The compositions represent scenes of copulation interpreted by the authors as the ritual ones. An indispensable participant of the action archer is. His attributes, bow and arrow, are the associative elements of the single context for all the participants of the compositions. The authors’ interpretation of the ideological content of the composition data are based on the authentic texts and the rites of the Turkic-Mongolian tribes fixed in the ethnographical descriptions. Arms – bow and arrows are universally connected with giving birth sphere. The authors also find a series of ethnospecific parallels to the investigated imitative texts.

The examined petroglyphs relate to the Early Iron Age. Numerous analogous plots of such kind given by the authors (first of all those from the sphere of the marriage-ceremonial rites of the Turks of the Sayano-Altai) allow to see in them not only the universal mytho-poetical formulas on the birth and death theme but also reminiscence of the mytho-ritual practice of the early nomads of Central Asia.

Larichev, V.Ye. The cosmographic figures and symbolic texts of the Ignatievskaya Cave: the Great Hall.

In the article, the problem of interpretation of the picturesque compositions discovered in the cave sanctuaries of the Old Stone Age is examined. In the beginning, unsatisfactory state of interpretations of separate images, complicated scenes composed of several zoomorphous depictions, as well as lines of certain kinds of symbols typical for the wall art of the Paleolithic Epoch is noted. Foreign interpreters are almost of the one and the same opinion about the necessity of revision of the supposition voiced in the beginning of the current century – zoo – and anthropomorphous images of the cave art of the Glacial Epoch are full of certain content (hunting magic, cult of fertility, etc.). However, realizing this, the interpreters did not propose any new conceptions. Such conception is proposed by the author. Its sense is as follows: in the symbols and images of the wall art the natural-scientific knowledge of the paleolithic hunter, in particular the calendar ones, are imprinted. The Ignatievskaya Cave yields the materials of plenty for successful elaboration of such an idea. The author has for an object to subject to analysis almost all (excluding one) compositions of the Great Hall of the cave. He decodes them as the lunar-solar monthly and yearly records, as well as precise diagrams explaining the events taking place in the Heaven when the lunar and solar eclipses happen. These diagrams represent themselves the crossing lines of the Sun and the Moon routes accompanied by the records of duration of these lunar and solar eclipses. The figures of animals and reptiles (Serpent, Dragon) are interpreted by the author as symbols of days, months, seasons and years, the events of eclipses and death.

Zhemerikin, R.V. Ornament of a vessel of the Andronov Culture as a calendar-astronomical record.

The author gives proof to the idea of possibility of perception of the ornament fixed on the walls of the funeral vessel as a symbolic record of the calendar significance. To support the correctness of such an approach he chooses for the study one of the vessels discovered in the course of excavations of one of the burials relating to the Bronze Age of Southern Siberia. In the article, the structural parts of the decor are described in detail, elements of each of them are counted up, and then the obtained numbers are analysed for the purpose of reflecting in them a series of calendar cycles. The author makes an attempt to reveal the systematic character of the record and such problem is solved in the first approaching. The “ornament” on the vessel is read by the author as records of the lunar, solar and synodic planetary cycles.

Kochmar, N.N., Pen’kov, A.V. The synodic lunar cycles in the rock-drawings of the Bronze Age of Yakut.

The authors analyse the lines of elementary symbols highly typical for the rock-drawings of the New Stone, Bronze and Iron Ages of Siberia. The usually proposed interpretations of the such ones can’t be considered to be quite admissible. Archaeology gives the key suitable of deciphering – vision of the synodic lunar cycles in the lines of records. The authors propose their reading of the sequence of such symbols fixed at two sites. They try to link the symbolic record with zoomorphous figures and to find the approach to explaining semantics of the latter. The article gives a new impulse to the study of rock-drawings of North Asia. It helps to solve the most complicated problem, i.e. to reveal the sacral sense of the images fixed by the priests of the Bronze Age on the stone planes of sanctuaries of Yakut.

Alkin, S.V. Heavenly Serpents on the mirror from Gansu.

The paper is devoted to description and the paleoastronomical interpretation of the ornament on the unique bronze mirror from the Zhanxian District of the Gansu Province (China). The mirror, in the author’s opinion, may be connected with one of the paleometal cultures of North-Western China and dated by the time of existence of the Developed Bronze Culture (the XIth – VIIIth centuries B.C. or even earlier). On the back side of the mirror,there is an embossed realistic depiction of two Serpents made in the framework technique. The both reptiles have small symmetric setacious branches along their vertebral columns. The latter became the object of the paleoastronomical interpretation. Reading of the symbolic records allowed the author to interprete semantics of images composing the spiral compositions on the back side of the mirror from Gansu by the following way: the Serpents impressed on the mirror are not the earthly but heavenly. astral ones symbolizing the main Heavenly Bodies – the Sun and the Moon. The matter is that the sum total of the small symmetric setaceous branches on the bodies of the Serpents (69 + 49)=118 fixes the duration in days of one third of the lunar year. On the mirror, the other variant of counting off time (one third of the solar year) has been fixed too. For this, to the scale of notation symbols of 2 heads and 2 put out tongues of the Serpents are added: (69 + 49) + 2 + 2=122. Thrice repeated getting through the records 118 and 122 allowed to fix the yearly cycles of the Moon and the Sun (354 and 366 days respectively).