Purpose. The term “archaeological frontier” was first applied to the Western Tien Shan about 10 years ago to explain the phenomenon of the early appearance of microblade knapping in the Middle Paleolithic industries. Analyzing the Obi-Rakhmat and Kulbulak collections with materials from other synchronous sites in the region, it was suggested that the Western Pamir-Tien Shan could be a zone of competition between the ecdemic population (blade technology bearers) and the autochthonous group (Neanderthals, bearers of Teshiktash-type industries). The paper deals with such composing technocomplex of Kuksarai-2 (based on materials of Trench 1 excavated in 2023).

Results. It has been established that materials of Kuksarai-2 consist mosaic features such as Mousterian (Teshiktash-like) primary knapping for flakes, rare blade technology evidence, and presence of specific types referred to Selungurian technocomplex (Tayacian points, Selungurian side-scrapers). Preliminary the lower cultural sediments of Kuksarai-2 could be dated with MIS-5 time.

Conclusion. The first results of studies of Kuksaray-2 allow us to suggest that the upper reaches of Akhangaran valley were inhabited by Teshiktash tradition bearers in MIS-5 (~130–74 ka BP) when hunan groups with blade technology occupied Obi-Rakhmat and Kulbulak. At the same time, the presence of specific tool types in the most ancient complexes of Kuksarai-2 can be interpreted as the intrusion of Selungurian cultural impulses from neighboring territories into the region also in MIS-5. The mosaic nature of Kuksaray-2 industry is an important argument in favor of recognizing the territory of the western Tien Shan low mountains as a frontier zone in the Middle Paleolithic.

Purpose. The purpose of the paper is to approve and identify the possibilities of 3D modelling in the study of the Early Iron Age vessels.

Methods. A series of experiments comparing computer and manual measurements of the vessels metric characteristics have been carried out (corolla diameter and vessel height). The experiments are based on 3D-models of three Early Iron Age vessels: a complete round-bottom vessel; a complete flat-bottom vessel; a fragmented round-bottom vessel. The respondents are represented by two groups: Iron/Bronze age and Stone Age researchers. The methods of statistics and arithmetic were used to process the results. The obtained computer and manual metric characteristics were subjected to arithmetic and statistical analyses.

Results. It was revealed that the differences in measuring the corolla diameter between two groups were 0.1–1 mm. Measurements of vessels height by Stone Age researchers are more exact: the difference at the minimum discrepancies is less than 1 mm, the maximum values diverged up to 7 mm. According to the results of preliminary statistical analysis, there are no differences between the researcher groups on metric measurements of vessels. Statistical analysis showed that the results of manual measurements of simple objects (corollas) are sufficiently accurate and can be used for research. If a complex object (the complete vessel) is to be measured, it is better to use computerised measurements. Manipulation of high-precision artefact measurements is possible through the application of 3D-modelling.

Purpose. This article is devoted to the history of the study of the Neolithic pottery in Baikal-Yenisei Siberia from the point of view of the vessel manufacturing technology.

Results. At the first stage (1880–1915), researchers proposed hypotheses for the manufacture of vessels based on logical conclusions and ethnographic analogies without analyzing design features. The second stage (1916–1960s) was characterized by serious progress in the diagnosis of various techniques and the creation of hypotheses about Neolithic vessels manufacturing. Separate experiments on vessel modeling were carried out. At the third stage (1970–1990), due to the shift in the focus of research on the typology and chronology of ceramics, technological research was episodic. But after these issues were partially resolved and the achievements of domestic archeology were used in the study of ceramics, at the fourth stage (2000–2020s), the technological direction began to develop most actively. As a result of the technical and technological analysis and experiments, the cultural traditions of pottery were identified and options for reconstructing the manufacturing technology of all groups and types of Neolithic ceramics of Baikal-Yenisei Siberia were proposed.

Conclusion. As a result of studies carried out over many years, a lot of data has been obtained on the manufacture of vessels and a number of cultural traditions in the field of pottery have been identified among the Neolithic population of the region. The technological direction remains promising for obtaining further data, which requires the development of existing methods and the introduction of new ones.

Purpose. The article present the study of the cultures of the Bronze and Early Iron Ages in Southern Siberia by Chinese archaeologists in the first half of the 20th century and gives historiographical review of this study. The date of liberation, namely 1949, is an obvious chronological reference point for Chinese history and for the scientific development of China as well. But as for studying of Siberian cultures of Bronze and Early Iron ages in the 1950s, Chinese archaeologists simply continued previous tendencies. During this decade there was a quantitative increase in publications and even the first direct contacts were made, but external political obstacles prevented the transition of research to a higher level of quality.

Results. We can state now that only the materials of Yinxu at Anyang were used by Chinese scholars for comparative analysis with Bronze Age finds from Southern Siberia. Consequently, in our investigation we address the period from 1920s to 1950s as one historiographical stage.

Conclusion Nevertheless, it was in the 1950s that the foundation was laid for the subsequent rapid growth of scientific interaction in the field of archeology in general and in the study of the paleometal age of Southern Siberia in particular. The period of active research began in the late 1970s and early 1980s and continues to the present day.

The archaeological study of Manchuria began by Russians researchers at the end of the 19^th and beginning of the 20^th centuries. The scientific works of Russian archaeologists from Harbin to this day remain in demand in the modern scientific community both in Russia and China. This article presents an analysis of materials from Mohe sites found by K. A. Zheleznyakov in the 1930s – 1940s East of Harbin. A small publication from 1946 is now one of the first in the study of Mohe culture. This is the only article that contains information about 9 archaeological sites in the lower reaches of the Ashihe River. Some of them have already disappeared as a result of the expansion of the city and settlements boundaries. The artifacts are kept in the collections of the Heilongjiang Provincial Museum in Harbin, to which Russian archaeologists have limited access. This rare publication provides detailed morphological and parametric characteristics of the discovered vessels of the Mohe culture. For the first time in Mohe archeology, a name for vessels based on their shape was proposed. K. A. Zheleznyakov presumably attributed the sites and burials to the Anchegu Mohe. Their chronology was limited to the Mohe period. During a comparative analysis with known materials from the sites of the Amur region, Primorye and Manchuria, it was established that the vessels found on the banks of the Ashihe River belong to the Nayfeld group of Heishui Mohe of the 8^th – 9^th centuries.

Purpose. The term “archaeological frontier” was first applied to the Western Tien Shan about 10 years ago to explain the phenomenon of the early appearance of microblade knapping in the Middle Paleolithic industries. Based on the results of a comparative analysis of the collections of Obi-Rakhmat and Kulbulak and materials from other synchronous monuments in the region, it was suggested that the Western Pamir-Tien Shan could be a zone of competition between the ecdemic population (blade technology bearers) and the autochthonous group (Neanderthals, bearers of Teshiktashtype industries). The article examines a similar composite technocomplex Kuksarai-2 (based on materials from the trench 1, excavated in 2023).

Results. It has been established that the materials of the Kuksaray-2 site have such mosaic features as Mousterian (Teshiktash-like) primary knapping for flakes, rare blade technology evidence, and presence of specific types referred to Selungurian technocomplex (Tayacian points, Selungurian side-scrapers). Preliminary the lower cultural sediments of Kuksarai-2 could be dated with MIS-5 time.

Conclusion. The first results of studies of the Kuksaray-2 site allow us to suggest that the upper reaches of Akhangaran valley were inhabited by Teshiktash tradition bearers in MIS-5 (~130–74 ka BP) when human groups with blade technology occupied Obi-Rakhmat and Kulbulak. At the same time, the presence of specific tool types in the most ancient complexes of Kuksarai-2 can be interpreted as evidence of the intrusion of Selungurian cultural impulses from neighboring territories into the region also in MIS-5. The mosaic nature of Kuksaray-2 industry is an important argument in favor of recognizing the territory of the western Tien Shan low mountains as a frontier zone in the Middle Paleolithic.

Purpose. The present study is devoted to the analysis, systematization, verification and generalization of data on “Aurignacian-like” bladelet assemblages of the Early Upper Palaeolithic of the Altai. In the regional context, this luminous phenomenon is considered the main component of the technocomplex of the Ust-Karakolian cultural tradition and even a cultural marker.

Results. The study was based on the analysis of archaeological material from known Early Upper Palaeolithic sites in the region, published and archival data containing information on the chronology, stratigraphy and planography of the industries. As a result, the data on the bladelet component of the Ust-Karakolian complexes from Altai, their industrial and spatial contexts have been updated and supplemented. Materials from the Ust-Karakol-1 (excavation 1, horizon B) and Anui-2 (excavation 2, horizon B) sites were found to be the reference for preservation and information of this industrial group. In both cases, the bladelet strategy dominates the assemblage, clearly standing out against the back-ground of non-specialized blade and flake production. The age of the industry was determined to be around 37–34 thousand cal. BP using previously published and new radiocarbon dating data.

Conclusion. According to the obtained data, the main problems of identification and research of the Ust-Karakolian sites in Altai are related to the peculiarities of the conditions of their formation. They were determined by the processes of active slope formation, which led to deformation, fragmentation or complete destruction of the original archaeological structures.

Purpose. The prehistory of the Mongolian Altai is represented by chronologically various archaeological sites, especially the rock art ones. In 2023 (as part of 2019 season), the Russian-Mongolian expedition continued to study the rock art complexes in northwestern Mongolia.

Results. On the right bank of Baga-Oygur River, 7 new petroglyphs locations were discovered; the photo and graphic documenting of multi-temporal compositions was performed. In particular, the earliest petroglyphs of the “Kalguty” style were studied.

Conclusion. Dozens of images refer to the Bronze Age; images and scenes of the Early Iron and Medieval periods are also discovered. Along with the points where petroglyphs are concentrated and strictly localized, a wide distribution of petroglyphs was noted on boulders lying on coastal terraces, as well as on rocky outcrops and on the peaks of the mountain frame of the river.

The purpose of this work is to characterize archaeological sites of the Irmen culture located on the territory of the Tomsk Ob region. The introduction provides a description of the territorial boundaries of the area under consideration. The article begins with aa brief historiographical excursion into the problem of insufficient knowledge of the northernmost territory inhabited by the bearers of the Irmen culture. The next part provides a description of each of the 18 sites that have the Irmen cultural layer or indicative lifting material. In addition, the article, from a historiographical point of view, touches on the problem of identifying the Tomsk local variant of the Irmen culture. The author questiones the cultural originality of the materials from the sites of the region under consideration. The extent and possible reasons for this uniqueness are also discussed, not only in comparison with materials from the Late Bronze Age of adjacent territories, but also within the Tomsk Ob region.

Purpose. The objectives of the study are to present the most important burial complexes of the Sixteen Kingdoms period, known to date on the territory of the Hexi Corridor, to highlight the main characteristics of the funeral rite and accompanying grave goods and to trace their evolution, to identify data reflecting the processes of cross-cultural interactions in the northwestern regions China of the early Middle Ages.

Results. The most important archaeological sites are the Xindiantai, Qijiawan, Jinjiliang and Dingjiazha burial grounds. Single-chamber tombs were most widespread, the accompanying goods were represented mainly by ceramic vessels. Images of representatives of various ethnic groups on tomb murals indicate the multi-ethnic composition of the population. An important source of information about the spiritual culture of the inhabitants of the Hexi oases are epigraphic (apotropaic inscriptions on ceramic vessels) and pictorial materials (murals of tomb M5 in Dingjiazha).

Conclusion. It has been established that during this period, in general, the main features of the funeral rite of previous epochs – Cao Wei and Western Jin – were preserved. At the same time, there was a tendency towards further simplification of tomb structures, a reduction in the composition and a decrease in the quality of the accompanying grave goods. Despite the active penetration of Buddhism into the region, manifestations of its influence on funeral rituals at that time were limited to isolated cases. The ideological basis of funeral rituals and funerary art were elements of Taoist religion and folk religious beliefs.

The paper presents data obtained during the tracological analysis of the tools complex made of horse bone, probably related to the leather industry. They were discovered during the excavations of the late Medieval settlement of Yabalakly-1 in the middle reaches of the Dema River (Southern Urals) in 2023. 7 intact bone products were examined. As a result, a group of polished second phalanges of the horse was identified and described in detail. The general and specific features of the manufacture of each product, their functional affiliation and features of use were determined. The artifacts were studied using an MBS-9 binocular microscope and an Andonstar AD208 digital microscope with an 8.5-inch screen. The results presented in the work reflect the possibilities of an integrated approach to the study of the second phalanges of a horse, including typological, technological, and tracological methods.

Purpose. The sacralization of the tree and its involvement in ritual practice is one of the significant and widespread phenomena represented in the traditional culture of many peoples, including the Khakass. The life cycle of a person among this people ends with a funeral rite. The Khakass traditional funeral rite reflects the archaic ideas of people about the other world. Burial rituals were basically aimed at changing the semiotic status of a person and marked his transition from earthly life to otherness. Special importance in this process is given to the tree and its image.

Results. The purpose of the article is to determine the place and function of the tree and its derivatives in the funeral rites of the Khakass. The chronological framework of the work is limited to the framework of the late 19^th – 20^th centuries. The choice of such time limits is determined by the state of the source base on the research topic. Ethnographic and folklore materials, both published and introduced into scientific circulation, served as a source base. Among folklore sources, heroic tales (alyptyg nymakhtar) are widely used, excerpts from which are presented for the first time in the author's translation in Russian. Leading in the study is the principle of historicism, when any cultural phenomenon is considered in development and considering a specific situation. The research methodology is based on historical and ethnographic methods: remnants (relic) and semantic analysis.

Conclusion. As a result of the research, the author concludes that the tree and its image were given great importance in the Khakass traditional funeral rite. The specified plant had a wide semantic field, which included the idea of it as: an afterlife means of transportation – a boat / raft, a “world tree”, the sacred path of the human soul, the dwelling of the deceased, an apotropaic object, etc. In the traditional culture of the people under consideration, two main types of human burials have been identified: underground and aerial. In both cases, an integral ritual element of the funeral is a tree in its various manifestations and combinations.

Purpose. This article integrates studies relating to the history of urban communities of the Southern Siberian indigenous peoples (Altaians, Chelkans, Khakasses, Kumandins, Shors, Telengits, Teleuts, Tozhu Tuvans, Tubalars, Tuvans). A multidisciplinary approach to urbanization processes was used; their stages, rates, causes, and principal characteristics were analyzed. The database consists of our own field findings, published results of sociological studies, and those of All-Union and All-Russian population censuses.

Results. During the 19^th century, the prerequisites for the urbanization of the indigenous Turkic-speaking peoples of Southern Siberia were laid. There are three stages of urbanization of the indigenous peoples of Southern Siberia: 10) up to the middle of the twentieth century; 2) the 1950s–1980s (for the Shorians it is 1930s–1980s); 3) from the 1990s to the present. At the first stage of urbanization representatives of the indigenous population of the region moved to the city mainly in order to improve the level of education and within the framework of the policy of forming national personnel. At the next stage, during the period of industrial development of the eastern regions, there was an intensification of urbanization among a number of peoples (Shors, Teleutes and Kumandins) who lived near industrial centers. Industrial development was accompanied, among other things, by the transfer of rural settlements to urban ones, as well as the absorption of villages during the expansion of urban boundaries; since the 1990s, the reverse process began. At the last stage, educational strategies play a decisive role. The liquidation of unpromising villages in the middle of the 20^th century affected primarily small populations, contributing to the growth of migration to cities. Cities are beginning to attract representatives of indigenous small-numbered peoples (Telengites, Tubalars, Chelkans and since the 2010s Tuvinians-Todzhins), whose territory of traditional residence is located at a considerable distance from large settlements. The share of townspeople among Altaians, Tuvinians and Khakas during the 20^th century grew gradually, which was associated with a relatively less intensive industrial development of their territories of residence.

Conclusion. The peculiarities of urban population formation among the indigenous peoples of Southern Siberia are: asynchrony of urbanization; orientation of Aboriginal migrations to the nearest cities and urban-type settlements; incompleteness of urbanization not only in terms of qualitative, but also quantitative characteristics. With the exception of the Shors and Kumandins, the rest of the indigenous peoples of the region remain poorly and medium-urbanized.