Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography

The article continues a series of multidisciplinary studies of the Tartas-1 cemetery in the Baraba forest-steppe, southwestern Siberia. Here, we present the fi ndings of a paleogenetic analysis of human remains from double burials associated with the Andronovo (Fedorovka) and Late Krotovo (Cherno-Ozerye) cultures. Three types of double burials are described: two adults, adult and child, and two children. In all 11 cases of adult burials, pair members belonged to different sexes. Close kinship was detected in only one Late Krotovo pair, where a male was buried with his elderly mother. Other pairs of adults were unrelated. Four adult-subadult burials were those of mothers and their children. Some members of double children’s burials were unrelated, while others were likely maternally related siblings of different age. Certain observations on various types of double burials can be interpreted with regard to Andronovo burial traditions and family/marital structure. Further conclusions would be premature at this stage, because results based on a small sample from a single (albeit the largest) cemetery can hardly be extrapolated to other populations.

This article outlines the results of the analysis of animal bone remains from Pleistocene deposits in Denisova Cave, Altai, presenting the longest and most complete Paleolithic record in North and Central Asia. The faunal sample comprises 158,000 bone and tooth fragments from lithological layers 15–9 in the cave’s East Chamber, spanning the period from MIS 7 to 2. The fossils represent 35 species of large mammals from six orders: rodents, lagomorphs, carnivores, proboscideans, perissodactyls, and artiodactyls. Building on a comprehensive (morphometric, taphonomic, paleoecological, and zooarchaeological) analysis, we compiled a systematic review of the most characteristic animal species in the Denisova Cave area, reconstructing the general trend of environmental changes throughout the Pleistocene sedimentation period. Taphonomic features of separate sedimentation stages are presented, and the role of Paleolithic humans and predators in the formation of taphocoenoses is assessed. We concluded that when sedimentation layers 15 and 14 were formed, significant areas were occupied by forests. The accumulation of fossils in the lower part of the sequence was largely caused by humans. During the sedimentation of layers 13–9, steppe areas predominated in the vicinity of the cave, with forested areas being most likely confined to river valleys and northern-facing mountain slopes. Taphocoenoses in this part of the section originated mostly as a result of the subsistence activity of predators.

This article discusses a unique find discovered by the excavations at the trade and craft settlement of Karakabak (Mangyshlak peninsula, Kazakhstan). This is a lead seal with a Greek block monogram within a border of leaves and a cross above on the front side. The images of the kind are the earliest monuments of Byzantine sigillography. From the parallels in possessions there are reasons to date the find in question to the sixth century, the final stage of the settlement of Karakabak. According to the analogies given in the article, the monogram reads as the name “Marinos / Marianos / Maurianos” with the position eparchos (head of a city’s administration). The discovery of an Early Byzantine lead seal on the territory of the trade and craft center of Karakabak is an outstanding of Byzantine expansion into the Aral–Caspian region. The coin finds and typical jewellery found on Karakabak confirm the said interpretation. Apparently, in the sixth century this emporium linked Byzantine Bosporos, Cherson, the Caucasus, and the Central Asian oases, bypassing the political and commercial claims of Sassanid Iran. The seal of eparchos from Karakabak may indicate the direct or indirect participation of representatives of the Byzantine authorities in regulating the internal life of the settlement and the surrounding areas.

In 2022, within the framework of the collaborative project ‘Medieval Fortifications along the Silk Roads’, a joint initiative of the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography NAS RA and the ISMEO – International Association for Mediterranean and Oriental Studies, archaeological excavations and surveys were conducted at several sites in the village of Aruch. These included the religious and palatial complex surrounding the 7th-century Aruch Cathedral (Area 1), the early medieval military fort (Area 2), and the high medieval to early modern castle (Area 3). The primary objective of the test excavations was to conduct a comprehensive investigation of the fortified and secular architectural complexes of Aruch to refine the chronology, examine the stratigraphy, and reconstruct the historical development of the site through its various phases of occupation and use.This paper focuses specifically on the results from the Cathedral complex area (Area 1). Since the early 20th century, the monumental Cathedral has drawn scholarly attention due to its architectural and historical significance. Large-scale excavations conducted in the early 1950s by Antiquities Preservation Committee revealed important components of the complex, including the 7th-century columned hall of Grigor Mamikonian’s palace, a preexisting 5th-century church that had been converted into a secular structure, as well as several other buildings. However, those investigations prioritized monumental architecture and neglected the site’s stratigraphic complexity and subsequent phases of occupation. The new excavations aim to address this gap, offering a deeper insight into the site’s later phases of occupation and transformation.

In 2022-2023, archaeological investigations were conducted prior to the design work for a new museum facility as part of the museumification and restoration program of the Dvin archaeological site. Three distinct archaeological strata were documented across two excavation areas designated as A and B. The uppermost stratum exhibits a disturbed state and lacks coherent archaeological contexts. The second archaeological stratum represents sedimentary deposits associated with the water supply conduit system that encircled the citadel and traversed the urban settlement. The third and primary archaeological stratum contains well-preserved archaeological contexts, yielding abundant material culture assemblages dated to the 9th century AD. The chronological attribution of this stratum is substantiated by the substantial quantities of glazed ceramics recovered from the primary deposit and dated to the 9th century AD, as well as stratigraphic evidence of destruction debris attributed to the 894 AD seismic event. The majority of unglazed ceramic material recovered from this densely occupied sector of 9thcentury Dvin, while predominantly preserved in fragmentary condition, represents nearly the complete typological repertoire characteristic of 9th-century Dvin ceramics. This paper presents an analysis of the unglazed ceramic assemblage dated to the 9th century AD recovered from the excavations, contextualizing the material within the broader framework of 9thcentury unglazed pottery traditions at Dvin.

SummaryCentral Asia, located at the crossroads of Eurasia, played a crucial role in the prehistoric spread of cultivated plants. Archaeobotanical evidence from rockshelters in the Fergana foothills and the Pamir Mountains reveals exchange between lowland and highland zones. Radiocarbon dating shows that broomcorn millet reached the lowlands of northern Central Asia by the late third millennium BCE and foxtail millet by the early second millennium BCE. Walnut and pistachio remains from the Fergana Valley indicate nut foraging as early as 7,800 years ago. The high-altitude site of Kurteke demonstrates cultural and economic links with lowland areas through shared technologies, while its plant assemblage differs from contemporaneous Tien Shan sites, suggesting distinct subsistence strategies. This study identifies early cultivation and foraging patterns along mountain ecoclines and proposes likely routes of crop dispersal across high-elevation Inner Asia, helping fill major gaps in the chronology of prehistoric trans-Eurasian agricultural exchange.

This ethnographic study explores emotional connections between flea market locations, vendors’ narratives, and the transnational movement of goods in Armenia and Georgia. It is focused on two souvenir flea markets in the countries’ capitals, Yerevan and Tbilisi, that have been a hub of informal mobility, nostalgia and the circulation of Soviet materiality. At the same time, the flea markets exemplify the commodification of nostalgia that can bridge the past and present, leading to the creation of new international trade routes, which reach beyond the countries in question. The findings of the study underscore the enduring appeal of Soviet nostalgia, even among those who did not personally experience that era. Through the exchange of goods, vendors’ and consumers’ stories, the analysis of these markets facilitates a deeper understanding of the region’s complex cultural and political (dis)connectivity. I argue that a mythicized nostalgia for the Soviet era serves as a resource for triggering new informal and formal economic links and channels between local markets and marketplaces in China. The circulation of objects becomes a mechanism for enlivening connections, concurrently contributing to globalization from below propelled by the gatherers of material culture.

Denisovans, an extinct sister group of Neandertals who lived in Eastern Eurasia during the Middle and Late Pleistocene, are known only from a handful of skeletal remains and limited genetic data, including the high-coverage genome of a woman who lived ~65,000 years ago. Here, we present a second high-quality Denisovan genome, reconstructed from a molar found at Denisova Cave. It belonged to a man who lived ~200,000 years ago in a small Denisovan group. This group mixed with early Neandertals and was then replaced by Denisovans who had mixed with later Neandertals. We show that in addition Denisovans received gene flow from hominins that diverged before the split of the ancestors of Denisovans and modern humans. The two Denisovan genomes allow us to disentangle Denisovan ancestry in present-day humans revealing contributions from at least three distinct Denisovan groups. In particular, Oceanians and South Asians independently inherited DNA from a deeply diverged Denisovan population which was likely isolated in South Asia. This supports an early migration of the ancestors of Oceanians through South Asia followed by the later arrival of the ancestors of present-day South Asians. East Asians do not share this Denisovan component in their genomes, suggesting that their ancestors arrived independently, perhaps by a northerly route. Finally, the two high-quality Denisovan genomes allow us to refine the catalogue of genetic changes that arose on the Denisovan lineage, some of which were contributed to present-day humans.