Kurgan 5 of the Necropolis “Ivanovskie I Kurgany” in the Southern Urals: Chronology of Complexes

The paper studies burial complexes of the kurgan 5 of the burial ground “Ivanovskie I kurgany” (“The Ivanovskiy 1st Kurgans”) located in the Southern Urals. The burial ground is located in the Trans-Ural regions of Bashkiria and is a part of the early nomads’ famous monuments in the Southern Urals. The kurgan necropolises located in steppe and forest-steppe zones of the Trans-Urals differ from those described in certain features of the funeral rite and clothing complexes. Researchers have repeatedly paid attention to the specifics of the monuments range in this region. A combination of various funeral rite features, diversity of funerary structures both in burial ground as a whole and in individual kurgans is the particular characteristic of the kurgan mounds of the 5th–4th centuries BC in the Trans-Ural regions. The trait is considered a sign of a transitional period. The necropolis “Ivanovskie I kurgany” can be included in the scope of such transitional period monuments. In total, 11 kurgans were recorded in the burial ground. Some of them were built in the Bronze Age (2nd millennium BC), but most were constructed by early nomads in the late Sauromatic and early Sarmatian stage. Kurgan 5, which can be attributed to the category of large ones, contained burial 4 at the heart of its structure. A wooden structure was erected over the central burial but it completely burned down when performing ritual actions in ancient times. Three more burials were identified on the kurgan periphery: a rich and varied inventory was found in the burials, moulded and pottery ceramic vessels, weapons elements (bronze arrowheads, iron dagger, iron spearhead), elements of horse equipment. Bronze mirrors, beads, and jewelry were found in women’s burials. The inventory has analogies both in the South Ural complexes and in the burials of the Middle Don. A certain part of the items dates back to a large period of 5th – 3rd centuries BC, however, a separate category of items that allow to specify the dating of the kurgan within the second half of the 4th – the turn of the 4th – 3rd centuries BC. In this regard, the burials from kurgan 5 can be interpreted as supporting complexes of the early nomads of the Southern Urals of the Early Prokhorov period. Association of the studied data with the nomads groups, carriers of cultural traditions of the Filippovska’s circle monuments, is an important aspect of the published materials.