Choburak-I – a necropolis of the Rouran period in the Northern Altai

Cover Page

Cite item

Full Text

Open Access Open Access
Restricted Access Access granted
Restricted Access Subscription Access

Abstract

The article presents the results of studying materials obtained during excavations of the Bulan-Koby necropolis identified as part of the large multi-temporal archaeological complex Choburak-I. This site, located in Chemal district of the Altai Republic, is being studied by an expedition from Altai State University. The burial ground included 12 mounds, which contained undisturbed burials of seven men, three women, a teenager and a child. The key features of the ritual practice identified during the excavations include a small stone mound with an oval stonework-crepidoma; shallow graves; single human inhumation; the head of the dead person pointing northwest; accompanying burial of a horse, laid “at the feet” and on top of the deceased. Representative grave goods was found in the burials, including weapons, items of human equipment, tools and household products, ornaments, as well as horse harness. An analysis of these finds makes it possible to determine the time of construction of the Choburak-I necropolis as the middle – second half of the 4th century AD, which is confirmed by the results of radiocarbon dating. An assumption was made about the short period of the burial ground functioning (no more than 30 years). It was established that this complex belongs to the Dialian tradition of ritual practice of the Bulan-Koby population, the bearers of which constituted the elite of the Northern Altai nomads in the Rouran period.

Full Text

Restricted Access

About the authors

Nikolay N. Seregin

Altai State University

Author for correspondence.
Email: nikolay-seregin@mail.ru
Russian Federation, Barnaul

Alexey A. Tishkin

Altai State University

Email: tishkin210@mail.ru
Russian Federation, Barnaul

Sergey S. Matrenin

Altai State University

Email: matrenins@mail.ru
Russian Federation, Barnaul

Tatiana S. Parshikova

Altai State University

Email: taty-parshikova@yandex.ru
Russian Federation, Barnaul

References

  1. Abdulganeev M.T., 2001. The Gorny 10 burial ground as a site of the ancient Turkic period in the northern foothills of Altai. Prostranstvo kul’tury v arkheologo-etnograficheskom izmerenii. Zapadnaya Sibir’ i sopredel’nye territorii [The space of culture in the archaeological and ethnographic dimension. Western Siberia and adjacent territories]. Tomsk: Izdatel’stvo Tomskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta, pp. 128–131. (In Russ.)
  2. Arslanova F.Kh., 1975. Mounds with stone ridges in Eastern Kazakhstan. Drevnosti Kazakhstana [Antiquities of Kazakhstan]. Alma-Ata: Izdatel’stvo Akademii nauk Kazakhskoy SSR, pp. 116–129. (In Russ.)
  3. Belikova O.B., Pletneva L.M., 1983. Pamyatniki Tomskogo Priob’ya v V–VIII vv. n.e. [Sites of the Tomsk area of the Ob region in the 5th–8th centuries AD]. Tomsk: Izdatel’stvo Tomskogo universiteta. 243 p.
  4. Bobrov V.V., Vasyutin A.S., Vasyutin S.A., 2003. Vostochnyy Altay v epokhu Velikogo pereseleniya narodov (III–VII veka) [Eastern Altai in the Migration Period (3rd–7th centuries AD)]. Novosibirsk: Institut arkheologii i etnografii Sibirskogo otdeleniya Rossiyskoy akademii nauk. 224 p.
  5. Dashibalov B.B., 2011. Drevnosti khori-mongolov: khunno-syan’biyskoe nasledie Baykal’skoy Sibiri [Antiquities of the Khori-Mongols: the Xiongnu-Xianbei heritage of Baikal Siberia]. Ulan-Ude: Izdatel’stvo Buryatskogo universiteta. 174 p.
  6. Egorov Ya.V., 1993. New study of a warrior burial from the Migration Period in Altai. Kul’tura drevnikh narodov Yuzhnoy Sibiri [Culture of the ancient peoples of South Siberia]. Barnaul: Izdatel’stvo Altayskogo universiteta, pp. 77–80. (In Russ.)
  7. Erdene-Ochir N., 2011. Weapons of the three ancient states of Korea from the Seoul National University Museum. Arkheologiyn sudlal [Archaeology], XXXI. C. 183–220. (In Russ.)
  8. Gallay G., Spindler K., 1970. Archäologische und anthropologische Betrachtungen zu den neolithisch-kupferzeitlichen Funden aus der Cova da Moura, Portugal. Madrider Mitteilungen, 11, pp. 35–58.
  9. Gao Fen, 2006. North Wen burials on the highway in the city of Datong, Shanxi province. Ven’u [Wenwu], 10, pp. 51–71. (In Chinese).
  10. Gavrilova A.A., 1965. Mogil’nik Kudyrge kak istochnik po istorii altayskikh plemen [The Kudyrge burial ground as a source on the history of Altai tribes]. Moscow; Leningrad: Nauka. 146 p.
  11. Gorbunov V.V., 2006. Voennoe delo naseleniya Altaya v III–XIV vv. [Military art of the population of Altai in the 3rd–14th centuries AD], II. Nastupatel’noe vooruzhenie (oruzhie) [Offensive weapons]. Barnaul: Izdatel’stvo Altayskogo universiteta. 232 p. (In Russ.)
  12. Gorbunov V.V., 2020. Accompanying burials of animals at the Inya-1 burial ground in the Barnaul area of the Ob region. Sokhranenie i izuchenie kul’turnogo naslediya Altayskogo kraya [Preservation and study of the cultural heritage of the Altai region], XXVI. Barnaul: Izdatel’stvo Altayskogo universiteta, pp. 235–243. (In Russ.)
  13. Gorbunova T.G., 2010. Rekonstruktsiya konskogo snaryazheniya srednevekovykh kochevnikov Altaya: metodika i nekotorye rezul’taty [Reconstruction of horse equipment of Altai medieval nomads: Methodology and some results]. Barnaul: Azbuka. 136 p.
  14. Gryaznov M.P., 1956. Istoriya drevnikh plemen Verkhney Obi po raskopkam bliz s. Bol’shaya Rechka [History of the ancient tribes of the Upper Ob based on excavations near the village of Bolshaya Rechka]. Moscow; Leningrad: Izdatel’stvo Akademii nauk SSSR. 162 p. (Materialy i issledovaniya po arkheologii SSSR, 48).
  15. Khudyakov Yu.S., 1986. Vooruzhenie srednevekovykh kochevnikov Yuzhnoy Sibiri i Tsentral’noy Azii [Armament of medieval nomads of South Siberia and Central Asia]. Novosibirsk: Nauka. 268 p.
  16. Khudyakov Yu.S., 1991. Vooruzhenie tsentral’noaziatskikh kochevnikov v epokhu rannego i razvitogo srednevekov’ya [Armament of Central Asian nomads in the Early and Advanced Middle Ages]. Novosibirsk: Nauka. 190 p.
  17. Konstantinov N., Soenov V., Trifanova S., Svyatko S., 2018. History and culture of the early Türkic period: A review of archaeological monuments in the Russian Altai from the 4th–6th century AD. Archaeological Research in Asia, 16, pp. 103–115.
  18. Kovychev E.V., 2006. Some issues of the ethnic and cultural history of Eastern Transbaikalia at the end of the 1st millennium BC – 1st millennium AD. Izvestiya Laboratorii drevnikh tekhnologiy [News of the Laboratory of Ancient Technologies], 4, pp. 242–258. (In Russ.)
  19. Kyzlasov L.R., 1979. Drevnyaya Tuva (ot paleolita do IX v.) [Ancient Tuva (from the Palaeolithic to the 9th century AD)]. Moscow: Izdatel’stvo Moskovskogo universiteta. 207 p.
  20. Levina L.M., 1996. Etnokul’turnaya istoriya Vostochnogo Priaral’ya. I tysyacheletie do n.e. – I tysyacheletie n.e. [Ethnocultural history of the Eastern Aral Sea region of the 1st millennium BC – 1st millennium AD]. Moscow: Vostochnaya literatura. 396 p.
  21. Matrenin S.S., 2017. Snaryazhenie kochevnikov Altaya (II v. do n.e. – V v. n.e.) [Equipment of the Altai nomads (2nd century BC – 5th century AD)]. Novosibirsk: Izdatel’stvo Sibirskogo otdeleniya Rossiyskoy akademii nauk. 142 p.
  22. Matrenin S.S., 2018. Chronological indications of the horse riding equipment of the Xianbei-Rouran period nomads (based on materials from burial sites of the Bulan-Koby culture). Sovremennye resheniya aktual’nykh problem evraziyskoy arkheologii [Modern solutions to topical issues of Eurasian archaeology], 2. Barnaul: Izdatel’stvo Altayskogo universiteta, pp. 188–195. (In Russ.)
  23. Matrenin S.S., Seregin N.N., 2019. Bone (horn) arrowheads of Altai nomads at the turn of antiquity and the Middle Ages. Izvestiya Altayskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta. Seriya: Istoricheskie nauki i arkheologiya [Izvestiya of Altai State University. Series: Historical sciences and archaeology], 3 (107), pp. 104–113. (In Russ.)
  24. Matrenin S.S., Tishkin A.A., 2016. Bridle plaques from Altai sites of the Xiongnu-Xianbei-Rouran period: experience of classification and typology. Izvestiya Altayskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta. Seriya: Istoricheskie nauki i arkheologiya [Izvestiya of Altai State University. Series: Historical sciences and archaeology], 2, pp. 220–228. (In Russ.)
  25. Mit’ko O.A., 2018. Archaeological evidence of the migration of Altai tribes to the Eastern European steppes at the end of the first half of the 1st millennium AD. Aktual’nye voprosy izucheniya istoriko-kul’turnogo naslediya narodov Evrazii [Current issues in the study of the historical and cultural heritage of the peoples of Eurasia]. Astana: Evraziyskiy natsional’nyy universitet imeni L.N. Gumileva, pp. 26–39. (In Russ.)
  26. Seregin N.N., Abdulganeev M.T., Stepanova N.F., 2019. A burial with two horses of the Turkic Khaganate period from the Gorny-10 necropolis (Northern Altai). Teoriya i praktika arkheologicheskikh issledovaniy [Theory and practice of archaeological research], 2, pp. 15–34. (In Russ.)
  27. Seregin N.N., Matrenin S.S., 2016. Pogrebal’nyy obryad kochevnikov Altaya vo II v. do n.e. – XI v. n.e. [Funeral rite of Altai nomads in the 2nd century BC – 11th century AD]. Barnaul: Izdatel’stvo Altayskogo universiteta. 272 p.
  28. Seregin N.N., Matrenin S.S., 2020. Sotsial’naya istoriya naseleniya Altaya v epokhu kochevykh imperiy (II v. do n.e. – XIV v. n.e.): po materialam arkheologicheskikh kompleksov [Social history of the population of Altai in the period of nomadic empires (2nd century BC – 14th century AD): based on materials from archaeological complexes]. Barnaul: Izdatel’stvo Altayskogo universiteta. 268 p.
  29. Seregin N.N., Tishkin A.A., Matrenin S.S., Parshikova T.S., 2019. Burial of the Rouran period from Northern Altai (based on materials from the Choburak-I burial ground). Teoriya i praktika arkheologicheskikh issledovaniy [Theory and practice of archaeological research], 4 (28), pp. 51–68. (In Russ.)
  30. Seregin N.N., Tishkin A.A., Matrenin S.S., Parshikova T.S., 2021. Saddle edges from excavated Rouran burial mounds of Altai. Narody i religii Evrazii [Peoples and religions of Eurasia], 1 (26), pp. 25–36. (In Russ.)
  31. Seregin N.N., Tishkin A.A., Matrenin S.S., Parshikova T.S., 2022. An extraordinary burial of a teenager with military equipment from the Rouran necropolis of Choburak-I (Northern Altai). Vestnik arkheologii, antropologii i etnografii [Vestnik Arheologii, Antropologii i Etnografii], 1, pp. 122–133. (In Russ.)
  32. Soenov V.I., 2000. Results of excavations at the Verkh-Uimon burial ground in 1999. Drevnosti Altaya [Antiquities of Altai], 5. Gorno-Altaysk: Gorno-Altayskiy gosudarstvennyy universitet, pp. 48–62. (In Russ.)
  33. Soenov V.I., 2003. Arkheologicheskie pamyatniki Gornogo Altaya gunno-sarmatskoy epokhi (opisanie, sistematika, analiz) [Archaeological sites of the Altai Mountains of the Hunnic-Sarmatian period (description, taxonomy, analysis)]. Gorno-Altaysk: Gorno-Altayskiy gosudarstvennyy universitet. 160 p.
  34. Soenov V.I., 2017. Disturbed military burial at the Verkh-Uimon burial ground. Drevnosti Sibiri i Tsentral’noy Azii [Antiquities of Siberia and Central Asia], 8 (20). Gorno-Altaysk: Gorno-Altayskiy gosudarstvennyy universitet, pp. 117–142. (In Russ.)
  35. Soenov V.I., Ebel’ A.V., 1992. Kurgany gunno-sarmatskoy epokhi na Verkhney Katuni [Mounds of the Hunnic-Sarmatian period on the Upper Katun]. Gorno-Altaysk: Gorno-Altayskiy gosudarstvennyy pedagogicheskiy institut. 116 p.
  36. Teterin Yu.V., 1991. The Dialian burial ground – a new site of the pre-Turkic period in the Altai Mountains. Problemy khronologii i periodizatsii arkheologicheskikh pamyatnikov Yuzhnoy Sibiri [Problems of chronology and periodization of archaeological sites of South Siberia]. Barnaul: Izdatel’stvo Altayskogo universiteta, pp. 155–157. (In Russ.)
  37. Teterin Yu.V., 2005. Earrings of the Hunnic-Sarmatian period of South Siberia (problems of typology and chronology). Vestnik Novosibirskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta. Seriya: Istoriya. Filologiya [Bulletin of Novosibirsk State University. Series: History. Philology], vol. 4, no. 5, pp. 52–64. (In Russ.)
  38. Teterin Yu.V., 2007. Tashtyk crypts of the Markelov Cape I burial ground in the north of the Khakass-Minusinsk region. Tashtykskie pamyatniki Khakassko-Minusinskogo kraya [Tashtyk sites of Khakass-Minusinsk region]. Novosibirsk: Novosibirskiy universitet, pp. 62–88. (In Russ.)
  39. Teterin Yu.V., 2016. Handles of whips of nomads in the Xiongnu period of South Siberia. Vestnik Novosibirskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta. Seriya: Istoriya. Filologiya [Bulletin of Novosibirsk State University. Series: History. Philology], vol. 15, no. 3, pp. 87–96. (In Russ.)
  40. Tishkin A.A., 2017. Results of radiocarbon dating of the Rouran burial mounds of the Yaloman-II site (Central Altai). Vestnik Tomskogo universiteta. Seriya: Istoriya [Bulletin of Tomsk University. Series: History], 49, pp. 54–59. (In Russ.)
  41. Tishkin A.A., Matrenin S.S., Shmidt A.V., 2018. Altay v syan’biysko-zhuzhanskoe vremya (po materialam pamyatnika Stepushka) [Altai in the Xianbei-Rouran period (based on materials from the Stepushka site)]. Barnaul: Izdatel’stvo Altayskogo universiteta. 368 p.
  42. Trifanova S.V., Soenov V.I., 2019. Ukrasheniya naseleniya Altaya gunno-sarmatskogo vremeni (Elektronnyy resurs) [Ornaments of the Altai population of the Hunnic-Sarmatian period (Electronic resource)]. Gorno-Altaysk: Gorno-Altayskiy gosudarstvennyy universitet. 160 p.
  43. Tur S.S., Matrenin S.S., Soenov V.I., 2018. Armed violence among the pastoralists of the Altai Mountains of the Hunnic-Sarmatian period. Arkheologiya, etnografiya i antropologiya Evrazii [Archaeology, Ethnology and Anthropology of Eurasia], 4, pp. 132–139. (In Russ.)
  44. Umanskiy A.P., 1970. Archaeological sites near the village of Inya. Izvestiya Altayskogo otdela geograficheskogo obshchestva SSSR [News of the Altai Department of the Geographical Society of the USSR], 11, pp. 45–74. (In Russ.)
  45. Yaremchuk O.A., 2005. Mogil’nik Zorgol-I – pamyatnik khunno-syan’biyskoy epokhi stepnoy Daurii: dissertatsiya … kandidata istoricheskikh nauk [The Zorgol-I burial ground as a site of the Xiongnu-Xianbei period of steppe Dauria: the thesis for the Doctoral Degree in History]. Chita. 296 p.
  46. Yu Junyu, 1997. Relics of the Former Yan Unearthed at Sanhecheng, Chaoyang. Wenwu, 11, pp. 42–48. (In Chinese).

Supplementary files

Supplementary Files
Action
1. JATS XML
Download
2. Fig. 1. The location of the funeral and memorial complex of Choburak-I

Download (2MB)
Indexing metadata
3. Fig. 2. A plan of the Choburak-I necropolis

Download (1MB)
Indexing metadata
4. Fig. 3. Plans of the graves at the Choburak-I necropolis

Download (760KB)
Indexing metadata
5. Fig. 4. A weapon and equipment complex from the Choburak-I burial ground

Download (1MB)
Indexing metadata
6. Fig. 5. Riding horse equipment from the Choburak-I burial ground

Download (1MB)
Indexing metadata
7. Fig. 6. Tools and household items from the Choburak-I burial ground

Download (1MB)
Indexing metadata
8. Fig. 7. Ornaments from the Choburak-I burial ground

Download (1MB)
Indexing metadata

Copyright (c) 2024 Russian Academy of Sciences

This website uses cookies

You consent to our cookies if you continue to use our website.

About Cookies