Interpretation of the Alluvial Floodplain Accumulation: On the Example of Cross-sections of Geoarchaeological Site Ostrov Listvenichnyi (Northeast Angara Region)

This paper examines characteristic features of floodplain accumulation at geoarchaeological site Ostrov Listvenichnyi, located on the Angara River at the same-name island (Northeast Angara region, Baikal Siberia). The problems of interpretation of topographic and lithological data, island architecture, glacial and postglacial natural climatic insights (MIS 2–MIS 1) are also touched upon. The accumulation of sediments at a series of 16 archaeological test pits recorded along the northwestern side of the island was analyzed by using pedolithological method. Island formation history included the upbuilding of the origin island based on river point bar, further transformation into “east” pre-island and final articulation of ancient “east” pre-island and younger “west” pre-island. The primary differences in alluvium composition of ancient pre-island (red beds, clay loam) and Holocene sedimentations (grey beds, sandy loam), both situated at the same level, were identified and explained. Detailed analysis of floodplain accumulation revealed eight distinct lithological layers varying by the structure and the composition. The following conclusions were reached based on the data available: lithological strata 1–5 have formed in Sartan, lithological strata 6–8 have formed in Holocene. Every layer contains the information on the changing climate and environment: signals of floods (high flood stages in 7 layer, “dry” stages in 3 layer), different phases of humification (humusless strata 1–4, first fragile humus horizons in layer 5, more pronounced humus horizons a, b, c, d in layer 4, and humus background in strata 7–8), epigenetic markers of сryogenic processes in strata 3–5. Analysis suggest also three chronologically differentiated floodplain benches: lower 1,5–2 meter bench (top of layer 3) associated with Middle Sartan; middle 2,5–3 meter bench (top of layer 5) associated with Final Sartan; top 4,5–5 meter bench (top of layer 8) associated with modern time.

Tajiks in the South Urals in the Post-Soviet Years

The article is devoted to the formation and development of the community of Tajik migrants in the Post-Soviet period in the South Urals. The source database was made up of archival documents from the archive of the Chelyabinsk region, data on international migration and field materials of the author. Using this set of sources, the author reconstructs the quantitative and qualitative parameters of cross-border movements from Tajikistan, shows the time and circumstances of arrival migrants, reveals the participation of Tajiks in internal Russian and cross-border migrations. In total, the author collected 56 interviews with immigrants from Tajikistan, implemented 115 hours of included observation. The sample of objects for observation and establishment of contacts with informants included: cafes, “points” selling clothes in the markets “Chinese”, “Vostochnyi Gorod” and “Kashirinsky” in Chelyabinsk, residential buildings and schools near them, as well as public transport. The methodological basis of the research is transnationalism. The use of transnational optics made it possible to see the life of migrants simultaneously in two contexts – “there” and “here”. In the structure of Central Asian migration to the South Urals since the 1990s Tajiks predominated. Against their background, the Kyrgyz were small and “invisible” for the host country; Uzbeks joined labor migration only relatively recently. Dynamic movements from Tajikistan have led to the formation of stable transnational ties, connected, first of all, with the supply and sale of fruits and vegetables, seasonal work at construction sites, etc. People from the Khatlon and Sughd regions come to the South Urals. At the same time, Tajik migrants demonstrated a high level of mobility within Russia already in the 1990s, they actively moved around Russian cities (Moscow, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk) in search of work, higher earnings, and prospects for starting a business. Labor migration from Tajikistan is due to steady population growth in the country of origin, combined with low rates of economic development, unemployment, and low incomes. According to informants' estimates, in the coming years, one should hardly expect a significant reduction in migration from Tajikistan to the Chelyabinsk region.

On the Nomadic Influence on the Artistic Culture of the Cities of Semirechye and South Kazakhstan in the 6th – Early 13th Centuries

The study, the results of which form the basis of this article, is aimed at determining the role of nomadic Turkic peoples in the formation of the urban culture of Semirechye and South Kazakhstan during the Middle Ages. Semirechye from 6th to 8th century, in political terms, was under the rule of the nomadic Turks, who formed their state here (Khaganate). The main role in the emergence of the first urban centers belongs, to a greater extent, to the Sogdians who came from the south. At the same time, the significance of the nomadic peoples in the development of urban culture of the region remains unclear. Some researchers are ambiguous about the influence of the policy of Turkic rulers on the urbanization of Semirechye, and also note the difficulty of identifying the nomadic artistic tradition in the material and spiritual culture of the peoples of southeastern and southern parts of Kazakhstan. All this makes research in this area relevant. The article is based on the results of comparing the pictorial monuments left by the inhabitants of the medieval cities of Semirechye and South Kazakhstan (6th – early 13th centuries), with the epic works of nomadic Turks. The methodological basis of the study is a comparative typological analysis, with the help of which the presence of commonly used motives and plots in different types of art is determined. Methods of description and analogy were used in the analysis of archaeological material. The comparative historical method is necessary to confirm the existence of an epic motive or plot in a certain period using written data. In the course of the work, samples of figured ceramics and fragments of a carved stucco (carving on raw unbaked clay) are considered. General pictorial motives, images, and plots in both types of decorative and applied art, as well as their correspondence in ancient Turkic folklore and written sources are identified. On the basis of a comparative analysis, an interpretation of some images is given, which, in turn, define the ancient Turkic artistic tradition. It is concluded that many motives and images in both types of arts indicate the special role of the nomadic Turks in the formation of a peculiar artistic style in the urban culture of Semirechye and South Kazakhstan during the Middle Ages.

“Greenhouses and Workers’ Dormitories”: Migration from Central Asia and China to Rural Areas of the Southern Urals

The purpose of this article is to examine the impact of migration from Asian countries on the rural areas of the Russian region using the example of the Chelyabinsk region. Addressing this problem allowed us to answer the following questions: what objects in rural areas are labeled as “migrant” and what are the assessments of this phenomenon by the public? Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, natural population decline is growing. Restricting international migration has shown that migrants are very important for the Russian agricultural sector. The decline in the population in rural areas of Russia, the deterioration of the ecological situation in the Central Asian region shows the need for research on migration to the countryside. There is a high probability that after the removal of several restrictions, we will see an increase in the migration flow to some areas of the countryside (greenhouses, workers' hostels, empty villages). For this study, we applied a set of ethnographic and ethno-sociological methods: participatory observation, in-depth interviews, and massive ethno-sociological survey conducted within the framework of the RFBR and Chelyabinsk region project “Asian vector of migration to the Chelyabinsk region: historical retrospective, forecasts and risks”. In total, during the project, 150 hours of included observation were implemented. In 2021, 49 in-depth interviews were collected with residents of the Chelyabinsk region and 37 with migrants from Central Asia. The sample of objects for observation and establishment of contacts with informants included: greenhouses for growing vegetables, garden associations, settlements in the study areas, rural shops, etc. The focus of xenophobic sentiments may shift from large cities to suburbs and villages, where new objects are being built, labeled as “migrants” (greenhouses, dormitories for migrants). "Chinese" greenhouses are no longer perceived as objects directly related to the presence of the Chinese, but are associated with migrants in general. Greenhouse complexes, where the main contingent is made up of migrants from the Central Asia, seem to be perceived as "Chinese" by inertia. All negative characteristics and parameters that were attributed to them are automatically extended to all greenhouses where there are “others”.

Osteometric Characteristics of the Russian Population of Tara Cis-Irtysh in 17th–18th centuries

The article presents the osteometric characteristics of the Russian population of Tara Cis-Irtysh region in the 17th–18th centuries. The research based on the analysis of anthropological bone remains from the territory of Ananyino 1 burial ground. This site located in the Tara district of the Omsk region was discovered and studied since 2005 by Larisa Tataurova. The Ananyino village founded at the beginning of the 17th century is one of the first Russian settlements near the Tara city. The osteological collection includes the remains of 19 individuals, of which 12 belong to men, 7 to women. The research was carried out according to the standard osteological technique (the measuring program included 51 signs and 25 pointers). According to the results of analysis, it was found that the absolute values of the longitudinal dimensions of the long bones of the male Russian population fall mainly in the category of medium (shoulder, forearm, lower leg) and large (thigh) sizes. Women are generally characterized by large sizes of long bones, except for the length of the lower leg, which shows average values. The male group can be characterized as moderately massive with a tendency to increase the massiveness of the lower extremities, while the female group is moderately massive. The body length of men varies from 166 to 168,1 cm, of women from 159,2 to 161,4 cm. According to Rudolf Martin's conditional rubrication, the obtained values fall into the category of large values. The values of the intersegmental proportions (humeral-femoral and radial-tibial markers), as well as the values of the intermembral index, demonstrate a harmonious ratio of arms and legs, which corresponds to the mesomorphic body type. We used data on four groups of the male population from Siberia (Krasnoyarsk, Yeniseisk, and Irkutsk) for comparative analysis. Intergroup analysis showed that all samples are characterized by average skeletal dimensions. The data also show that the male population has an average ratio of the lengths of the upper and lower extremities. In general, the male Russian population of Siberia in the 17th–19th centuries can be characterized as a population with a mesomorphic body type.

Viktoriya Anatolievna Lipinskaya and Altai: Features of the Field Work of Moscow Ethnographers in Siberia in the 1960–1990s

The article considers field research of Russian population of Altai Krai (region), carried out in 1960–1991 by the Viktoriya Lipinskaya, in the context of history of expedition activity of Institute of Ethnography of Academy of Sciences of the USSR in Siberia. The research topicality is determined by the fragmentary study of Siberian academic expeditions, problems of formation of ethnographic personnel during the Soviet period, and methods and techniques of ethnographers' field work. The sources of this research are the scientific works by Viktoriya Lipinskaya, based on expeditions materials, as well as materials from the author's own personal archive. Among them there are epistolary sources, interview materials, and memoirs of Viktoriya Lipinskaya. The predominance of documents of personal origin determined the accentuation on under-investigated issues of anthropology of scientific life: the paths of research into ethnographic science, the influence of objective and subjective factors on scientific choice, the ratio of theory and practice in the formation of research competences of young ethnographers. The issues of the organization of expeditions, material and technical support, human and methodological resourcing of field research projects were also considered. The principles of choosing of the research areas and selecting respondents were analyzed, the expedition routing was reconstructed. As a result of the analysis of Viktoriya Lipinskaya biography, closely associated with the scientific life of the 1950–1980s, the contribution of the academic institute to the ethnographic study of the Altai population is assessed, and the influence of subjective and objective factors on the results of academic research is revealed. At the turn of the 1950s and 1960s the formation of research programs was determined by the change of research priorities from the study of “traditionalism” to “innovativeness”, interpreted as the influence of socialist modernization on mentality and utility culture of ethnic and social groups in Soviet society. In this context are considered the activities of the director of Institute of Ethnography AS USSR Sergei Tolstov and his deputy Ludmila Terentieva. At the end, conclusions are drawn about the contribution of Viktoriya Lipinskaya to the ethnographic study of the Russians in Siberia.

Transformation Features of the Role of Men in Tuvan Society

In modern humanities, including Tuvan studies, gender research is being widely developed. The problems of gender relations, the change of gender roles and statuses, and the feminization of society are only a small part of gender problems in modern Tuvan society. It is worth noting that gender research in Tuvan studies has an apparent bias towards the ‘women's issue’, the main theme of which was the ‘emancipation’ of the Tuvan woman in the 20th century. In the center of the gender research, not only in Russia, but also beyond its borders, there were mainly women. Less attention was paid to the ‘male’ topic, and it remained on the periphery of gender analysis for a long time. In this regard, the author of the article attempts to study the causes and features of the transformation of the role of men in Tuvan society. In the traditional Tuvan society, a man had the most important functions: social, political, and economic. Therefore, the man, being the central link, has always been a head of the family. The Tuvan man was both a breadwinner and a defender of the family. Men's work was considered more difficult and productive; mainly it was associated with cattle breeding, agriculture, and hunting. According to the traditional ideas of Tuvans, reflected in legends and folklore, a man, first of all, was associated with a warrior who defends justice and protects his native land, his family, clan and tribe from all kinds of troubles, enemy invasions. Significant changes in Tuvan society began in the 1930s century and continued after Tuva joined the USSR; the Soviet model of development was adopted in Tuva. The changes had caused not only positive, but also negative results, particularly, the destruction of traditional culture, detachment from spiritual education, ethical norms developed by Tuvans over the centuries. One of the consequences of these changes was the weakening of the role of men as the head of the family and his role in the upbringing of children. Several problems have arisen: a reduction in the number of men, low life expectancy, male mortality, low indicators of men's health, alcoholism, crime, unemployment, psychological and social problems, etc. Also, the article pays attention to the solutions of the identified problems adopted by the Tuvan society in the present time.

Ongotson Khamnigans in the 19th Century: Ethnic Composition and Allocation

This article continues the series of the works devoted to the study of ethnic composition of the Buryat and Khamnigan departments in 19th century. One of the self-government bodies of indigenous of the Transbaikalia in the 19th century was the Urulginskaya Steppe Duma, the main population of which was the “Tungus of Manchu tribe”, as the Russian administration called them. The Ongotson indigenous council was the southwestern outskirts of the Urulga Steppe duma. In the 19th century, in the literature, the population of this council, like most of the population of Urulga Steppe Duma, was called “Horse Tungus”. The basis of the ethnic composition of the Ongotson Khamnigans was represented by Sartuls, Sarduls, Bakhashils, Lunikers and Chimchagits. The largest unit was the Sartuls – immigrants from Central Asia, who settled in Mongolia, mainly in the west of Khalkha. A part of the Sartuls in the east (in the Setsen-khan aimag, on the borderlands of Mongolia and Manchuria, in Jarut, Yekhe and Khada), became involved in the ethnic composition of both the Mongols and Manchus. From here, probably, take roots of both the Sartuls and Sarduls of Onon region. It was the Sartuls who had a key influence on the linguistic and confessional affiliation of all Ongotson Khamnigans. The ethnonym Bakhashil < Vakasil < Vakaroi indicates the participation of “Reindeer Tungus” (Evenks) in the formation of groups of “Horse Tungus” (Solon). The spread of the ethnonym Vakarai and its other phonetic variants indicates a wide area of its distribution in the Evenks environment. However, the existing hypotheses admit its origin in the Manchu-Tungusic, Yukaghir and Turkic environment, of which the first two are preferable. The ethnonym Chimchigit< Chimchagir may have Tungus-Manchurian and Mongolian roots. Lunikir is found in Transbaikalia, Mongolia and Barga, which reflects the long-term contacts of its carriers in this region. The origin of this ethnonym is unclear, although it has a form close to the Tungus languages. The discovered connections with Mongolia, Manchuria and vast expanses of Eastern Siberia and Amgun region reflect the crossroads of the migration routes of Mongols and Manchu-Tungusic both in Transbaikalia, and specifically in the Onon region. This significantly expands the research area into ethnic history not only of the Khamnigans, but also wider than the Mongolian and Manchu-Tungusic linguistic groups. A detailed map of the settlement of Ongotson Khamnigans, based on the census tables, was compiled.

New Data on the Economic Activity of Ancient Population on the Little Sea of Lake Baikal (Based on Fauna Materials from the Shrakshura 3 Site)

The article discusses the results of fauna materials' analysis from the complexes of the Shrakshura 3 site, situated on the northwestern coast of Mukhor Bay (Little Sea of Lake Baikal). The analysis of 5862 animals’ bones and teeth obtained from three cultural layers of this site was carried out. The methodology is based on the taxonomic diversity study among identifiable animal species, the number of species and their quantitative indicators. Most of the fauna remains (5137 pieces) is recorded in the cultural layer 2, dating back to the early Neolithic in the chronological range of 7420–7290 cal BP. The fauna remains of the Early Neolithic cultural layer 1 (7170–6970 cal BP) are similar in species composition to the fauna from the layer 2. Judging by both the faunal remains and a set of tools (sinkers for fishing nets made of flat pebbles, composite fish hooks, fragments of bait fish and a horn tool for knitting nets), the Early Neolithic population of the e site was mainly engaged in fishing. The fish is represented by coastal species: perch, pike, roach, crucian carp. Fishing gear made it possible to reconstruct the methods of fish catching: with a net (as better productive method) and with the help of individual use tools (fishing rods). Hunting was a secondary activity. The objects of hunting were ungulates, carnivorous mammals, and birds. In general, the population led a complex appropriating economy, combining fishing (as the main activity) and hunting. The absence of traces of dwellings, long-term fireplaces and production area in the layers characterizes these complexes as short-term seasonal campsites. The large number of fish bones suggests a specialized (aimed at catching fish) nature of the campsites. In the complex of cultural layer 0 of the Shrakshura 3 site, dated back to the Late Bronze and Iron Ages, the bones of domestic animals were recorded. In general, the clear stratigraphic situation of the Shrakshura 3 site and the presence of radiocarbon dates helps to identify and characterize the Early Neolithic fauna remains in the range of the 7420–6970 cal BP, as well as to reconstruct the economic activities of the ancient population of this chronological period, living on the coast of Little Sea of Lake Baikal. Previously, all reconstructions were based only on materials of Ityrkhei site, where layers of the Early Neolithic were recorded.

Pottery of the Nabil Archaeological Culture from Sakhalin Island

The article considers the results of multidisciplinary analysis of the Nabil archaeological culture pottery identified in 2005 by results of the archaeological researches in North Sakhalin. The Nabil archaeological culture includes the ceramics complex consisted of pointed shape pottery decorated by comb stamps. The sources of the study are the archaeological studies of the settlements (the collections and reports) organized by the research team of Sakhalin Archaeological and Ethnography Laboratory of IAET SB RAS and SakhGU in 2004–2015 and additional archaeological material from other collections. According to absolute dating of the Nabil archaeological complexes, the material was clustered into three chronological periods: early – 3065–2781 cal BP, middle – 2754–2342 cal BP, late – 2334–2009 cal BP. The study used technical methods like X-ray Diffraction analysis, Petrographic analysis of pottery, Optical Binocular Microscopy, method of sherds’ laboratory re-firing, statistic-and-classification method. Most part of the pottery was identified as the remains of the everyday utensils, the lowest rate of the others were used like celebratory vessels. Recipes of the moulding compounds are almost homogeneous. Their raw material includes meagre clay with a lot of dust-like natural sand. As a thinning agent for the moulding composition added sand temper in pottery paste and sometimes chamotte. The vessels were made by the wall only “seedbody”. The walls of the vessels formed by the linear-ring building method. The pottery was roasted with bonfire firing, the later period with oven devices for pottery firing. The vessel's shapes are asymmetry. The contour of the vessel shape of the Nabil’s type is oval-shaped with either concave or straight or ill-defined neck. The upper part of the vessel surface was decorated. The basic type of ornamentation is the comb stamps. The elements of the pottery ornamentation are both continuous and discrete horizontal lines, curved ornament, short, long, diagonal, and vertical lines as well as individual impressions. The pattern of the pottery decoration consists of either horizontal continuous lines or discrete ones with either series diagonal or vertical short stamping. It is widespread. Stylistically the composition of the pottery decoration evokes associations with the row of the beads and pendants. In conjunction with nipple-shaped thickened of the vessel to the bottom it creates a stylistic image of the female breast. There was the infiltration of foreign cultural elements in the Nabil archaeological culture in the late period.