Ethnic and Cultural Affiliation of the Xichaogou Burial Ground Based on Materials of the Xiongnu Culture Belt Plaques

Purpose of the work is to determine the ethnic and cultural affiliation of the population that left the Xichaogou burial ground. Xichaogou is an expressive archaeological complex located in the Liaoning region of China. The uniqueness of this necropolis lies in the fact that several hundred burials of varying degrees of preservation have been recorded in it. Inventory complexes of burials include ceramics, objects made of bronze, iron and stone. The materials of the site demonstrate the features of various cultures – Xiongnu, Buyeo, Han, Xianbi and etc. Since the burial inventory of the Xichaogou burial site demonstrates multicultural features, the question of the ethnic and cultural affiliation of the population that created this site is debatable.Materials and methods. In previous works, the problem of ethnic identification of the Xichaogou burial ground was solved on the basis of certain categories of grave artefacts. In this paper, the questions of the ethnic and cultural affiliation of the Xichaogou sie are considered on the material of the belt plaques decorated in the animal style. The main reason for this choice of material is that the shape and ornament of belt plaques reflect the ethnic and cultural identity of an individual or group in nomadic cultures. 17 belt plaques were found at the Xichaogou site. The entire amount of material is divided into 3 types according to such features as shape, rim ornament (teardrop-shaped, dotted, herringbone), manufacturing technique (presence of through openwork holes), method of fastening (presence of eyelets on the back side), function as part of a belt set (presence peg). A search for analogies to the groups of belt plaques in the Xiongnu culture, identified in the materials of the Sichagou site, has been undertaken.Result. It has been established that belt plaques from the materials of the Xichaogou burial ground find analogies in the vast territory of the Xiongnu culture in Northern Eurasia.Conclusion. It can be concluded that the population that created the Xichaogou site does not belong to the Xiongnu by ethnic origin, but was strongly influenced by this culture. The population of Xichaogou was formed on the basis of the local culture of the previous period. Various and diverse cultures of the eastern part of the Liaoning and the western part of the Jilin regions also contributed to its formation. At the current stage it is possible to identify the Xiongnu and Buyeo cultural components.