Variants of Conventional (Virtual) Reconstruction of Wooden Dwellings of the Late Bronze Age in Western Siberia

This article analyzes the variants of a single type of reconstructing wooden dwellings from the explored sites of the Late Bronze Age in Western Siberia. The publications on this problem contain many types of reconstructions for residential and utility buildings made of wood, often despite a complete absence of evidence. Many of these variants are based on similar elements of basic house-building traditions, which makes it possible to combine them into specific classification category of conventional (virtual) reconstruction. Currently, in scholarly and referential literature, reconstructions made using 3D methods and their variations have become increasingly important, although such reconstructions are debatable and uninformative for conducting specialized technical and technological research. The article provides brief description of settlements and dwellings left by the carriers of different cultures of the Late Bronze Age in the forest-steppe of Western Siberia, including the Irmen, Barkhatov, and Suzgun cultures. Comparative analysis of ground plans of ditches and post pits remaining from dwellings, as well as house-building traditions of the population living in this time is provided. Brief technical and technological analysis of the available options for virtual reconstruction of wooden buildings is carried out using analysis of archaeological evidence and parallels in ethnographic data. Types of settlement layouts, forms of dwellings, and number of chambers in a particular building have been identified. The most adequate variants of conventional reconstruction of wooden buildings derived from the requirements of actual carpentry in house-building traditions and their available scholarly classifications are presented. The estimated volume of labor costs for constructing dwellings is established; original appearance of the most representative buildings is recreated.