1987 (NCPDB) Telegin&Potekhina

B.A.R.
CONT
ENTS
Editor's
5, Centremead, Osney Mead, Oxford OX2 ODQ, England.
Introduction
Introduction
1. History
of Research
2. Excavations
5. Chronology,
6. Cultural
and Popul ati ons in t he Dneipe r
Beliefs
and Social
Population
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1111 1111 11 ol c hang and $8.00 added to cover exchan ge charges.
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Rites
105
Rel ationships
117
Position
of t he Mariupo l - Type Cemeter i es 133
of the Dnieper Basin
8. The Late Cro-Magnon Population

History of Eastern Europe
9. Chronol ogy and Cultural
l'nt
182
Rela t ions
204
Appendix I: The Mariupo l Cemetery
217
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190
References
I l'f
khln,
148
of the Dnieper Basin in the
,hi to ll.A R. nd ent to the _above address.
I, I ,
25
68
of the Burial
and Historical
7. The Neolithic
Cemeteries
Cemet er y
4. General Characteristics
A.R. Hands, B.Sc., M. A., D.Phil.

D.R. Walker, M .A.
'Neolithic
at Vilnya nka , Vasi l yevka V, Osipovka and Yasinovat ka
3. The Nikolskoye
GENERAL EDITORS
BAH - , H '3, 1 87:

II
In'
tage by
Printed in Great Britain
i i i
EDITOR'S INTRODUCTION
The cemeteries
of the Dnieper basin are among the largest
Neolithic
of
cemeteries
in Europe. This work offers a full s4rvey and analysis
both the cemeteries and the physical anthropology of those buried. The
authors first
treat the history of research and then examine in detail
some of the best preserved and most important of the cemeteries,
the
grave goods found within
them,
the problems of their
relative
chronology,
absolute
date,
cultural
affiliation
and the physical
composition of their population.
Finally,
both authors evaluate
the
role of the culture
and the physical type (Proto-Europoid
Cro-Magnon)
in the broadest perspective
of Eurasian prehistory.
These cemeteries of the Mariupol type (named after the famous site of
Mariupol which was situated
in the southern Ukraine just north of the
Sea of Azov) are attributed
to the Dnieper-Donets culture.
Although the
authors refer to this culture
extensively
in the text, a very brief
summary description
of this culture (even if unfashionably
'normative')
seems to the editor to be necessary,
especially
with regard to its nonmortuary aspects.
The Dnieper-Donets
culture is known from approximately
200 sites in
the Ukraine and Byelorussia.
These sites are principally
located along
the course of the Dnieper and some of its tributaries,
the northern
Donets and the Pripet.
According to Dr. Telegin,
the culture can be
divided into three major periods.
Period I
The earliest
period sees settlement
primarily
confined to the Middle
Dnieper basin and the northern Donets. It is characterized
by primitive
pointed based pottery and a lithic
industry
dominated by microlithic
forms; flake axes were also utilized.
The roots of the lithic
industry
lie very much in the later Mesolithic.
Cemeteries from this period are
very poorly known. Possibly
the burial at Igren 8, discussed
by Dr.
Telegin in the first chapter,
belongs to this period. Radiocarbon dates
and imports from the next period indicate
that Period I precedes c.
4500 Cal. BC.
Period II
The Middle period witnesses
a major expansion of the Dnieper-Donets
culture
in all
directions
and the subsequent
formation
of local
regional variants.
The role of microliths
diminish in the composition
of the lithic
assemblages and polished stone axes begin to appear. Some
regional
variants
are typified
by the manufacture
of flat-based
vessels.
This period marks the rise of cemeteries of the Mariupol type,
especially
in the the Nadporozhe-Azov variant,
with their attendant
grave goods of deer and fish teeth, plates manufactured from boar tusk
enamel, stone maceheads and occasional
ornaments of copper and gold.
Both radiocarbon dates and ceramic imports from the well-dated Tripolye
culture suggest that Period II flourished
c. 4500 - 3600 Cal. BC.
Period III
The Late period sees
southern Ukraine and
Byelorussia.
Tripolye
which would place it
northern region until
a collapse
of the Dnieper-Donets
culture
in the
its restriction
to the area north of Kiev and
C-1 ceramics have been uncovered from Pustynka 5
c. 3500 Cal. BC. The culture
continues
in the
the Bronze Age.
The majority
of Dnieper-Donets
sit~s are se~tl~ments
or. camp sit~s
offering
surface
scatters
of ceramic
and lithic
m~terial.
It is
difficult
to assess their total sizes although excavations
have ranged
up to nearly 2000 square metres. The settlements
are p~imarily situat~d
on the lower river terraces,
near lakes or even on islands.
Onl_y in
rare situations
have cemeteries
been discovered
in obvious and direct
association
with the Neolithic
settlements;
in general,
the cemeteries
are found in the high loess terraces.
The remains of settlement
architecture
are quite
poor given the
abundance of mortuary remains (over 800 burials).
While a number of
few have yielded other. structural
settlements
have produced hearths,
features.
At the site of Vita Litovskaya a small hut measuring 2 x 2.~
m. with a hearth in the centre was uncovered while the site of Sosonki
produced remains of a rectangular
hut 3.4 x 3-2.4 m. in size and sunk
c. 20-30 cm. into the soil.
The late site of Pustynka 5 produced a
number of pits, and a surface dwelling 3.2 x 1.5 m. in size.
In general,
the industrial
technology
begins with mi_croliths . (both
assymetrical
and symmetrical trapezes)
which gradually
disappear in the
later
phases when they are replaced
by la~ger flint
imp_lements. The
quality of local flint
resources
in many regions was restricted
and the
overall
size of tools was not very large except in areas such as the
northern
Donets which had access to better
flint
sources.
Flake axes
gradually
yield to ground stone. An assortment
~f spears and arrowheads
some
are also known from Period II. Scrapers and knives are abundant,
of the latter
possibly
serving
as sickle
blad~s.
Bone was_ u~ed for
arrowheads,
harpoons,
fish-hooks
and awls. Net sinkers for fishing are
also known.
Of especial
importance
in understanding
the structure
of DnieperDonets society
are its
economic remains.
Agriculture
is not well
attested,
however, impressions
of charred barley were recovered from a
sherd from the site of Vita Litovskaya.
Faunal remains are known from
several settlements
and these are listed
in full below:
Igren
N
Cattle
Sheep/Goat
Pig
Horse
Dog
Aurochs
Elk
Red Deer
Roe Deer
Wild Pig
Onager
Fox
Wild Cat
Rabbit
Beaver
Birds
Fish
Tortoise
Molluscs
MNI
+
MN!
56
5
8
23
38
9
2
3
4
3
1
1
8
12
1
1
1
16
12
54
10
48
93
11
3
2
3
1
1
11
4
21
18
4
5
3
1
3
1
4
2
12
2
Buzky
Sredny Stog I
Sobachky
N
MN!
1
1
1
1
2
2
3
2
N
42
3
MNI
3
1
1
1
16
28
27
1
3
4
4
2
5
34
14
1
126
22
l
8
18
With such
from the data.
Dnieper-Donets
with the full
The domestic
there are no
fauna ( unlike
horse in the
dating to the
Sredny Stag I
more northerly
small samples, it is obviously

difficult
to generalize
The site of Igren 8 belongs to the early period of the
culture
and domestic cattle
are attributed
to this site
range of domestic animals appearing by the middle period.
horse is attributed
to the Dnieper-Donets
culture
but
extensive
arguments for its inclusion
among the domestic
the case for the more extensive
remains for domestic
Sredny Stag culture
(Telegin
1986)). Of the three sites
middle period,
the two southern
sites of Sobachky and
show a greater percentage
of domestic livestock
than the
forest-steppe
site of Buzky.
In evaluating
the economic foundations
of the people who utilized
the
large cemeteries
in the Nadporozhe, Dr. Telegin . especially
emphasizes
fishing.
This area of the Dnieper basin is marked by an abundance of
rapids,
cascades,
and pools offering
unparalleled
opportunities
for
fishing
(indeed,
Telegin remarks that fish can be obtained from this
area without any devices whatsover).
Fish bones are marginally
attested
at a number of sites,
more likely because of the techniques
of recovery
rather than any paucity of actual remains. The primary catch appears to
have been the common carp, which may weigh up to 20 kg., and pearl
roach (Rutilus
frisii).
As the reader will see, fish teeth are one of
the primary grave goods in Dnieper-Donets
burials.
An examination
of
the fish tooth ornaments from the cemetery of Vovnigy revealed
that
they derived from 76 carp and 16 pearl roach.
In general,
the underlying
economic basis of the societies
producing
the Mariupol-type
cemeteries
was substantially
dependent on fishing.
As Dr. Telegin indicates,
there are substantial
Mesolithic
cemeteries
in precisely
the same region
as the later
Mariupol-type
burials.
Ethnographic
data suggests that fishing-based
economies is one of the
ma;t develop
both
few forms
of hunter-gather
subsistence
that
substantial
long term settlement
and territoriality.
With the latter
we
also
find
evidence
for warfare,
probably
associated
with fishing
rights,
which is indicated
in both the Mesolithic
and Neolithic
cemeteries
of the region.
Through what would appear to be a gradual
process
of acculturation,
stimulated
by their
western
agricultural
neighbours,
e.g. Cris, Bug-Dniester
and Linear Ware, the Dnieper-Donets
culture
adopted various forms of the productive
economy, at least
in
its more southerly
distribution.
The reasons for this are complex and
we still
have only the boldest
of hypotheses,
e.g.
lack of forest
resources
in
the
southern
steppe
area,
climatic
change
and
deforestation
of the riverine
areas through increased population,
etc.
The reader will be especially
interested
in the social implications
of these
changes,
especially
as they are reflected
in mortuary
practice.
This is a subject where the Dnieper basin offers us extensive
data to examine the major long term changes in social structure
from
primarily
hunting-gathering
(Mesolithic)
populations
through both SubNeolithic
and Neolithic
settlements
culture
to
the later
Eneolithic
cemeteries
and burials
of the Sredny Stag and
Yamnaya cultures.
There have been few detailed
attempts to assess the
social
evolution
of society
through its mortuary practice
for this
particular
region.
The most active specialist
in this area has been M.
D. Klobystina
(1979) who has analyzed
some of the Mesolithic
and
Neolithic
cemeteries
along the Dnieper.
vi
vii
The Mesolithic
cemetery at Vasilyevka
1 yielded
the remains of 26
individuals
buried in the flexed position.
The burials were arranged in
both individual
graves
and groups,
the latter
predominating.
The
distribution
of the burials
according
to sex was 19 males, 3 females
(?) , 2 unsexed adults,
1 'youth'
and 1 child.
On the basis of her
analysis,
Khlobystina
observed that the cemetery reflected
a social
system that included sexual segregation
in mortuary ritual
accompanied
by age stratification
in that all of the males ranged from 25 to 60
years of age.
The somewhat later
Mesolithic
cemetery of Vasilyevka 3 yielded 45
burials
in all.
These consisted
of 16 males,
12 females,
4 unsexed
adults,
1 juvenile
and 12 children.
By this time certain
changes in the
social
system expressed
in the mortuary
ritual
could be observed.
Females were now regularly
included within the same cemetery as the
males although only one of the seven group burials
could be positively
determined as of mixed sex. Despite a full range of ages, the age group
from 12 to 25 years was absent
from the cemetery
suggesting
to
Khlobystina
that this
age-set
may have been socially
classified
as
beyond childhood
(children
were now buried in the cemetery)
but not
yet full adults.
The fact that children appeared to be buried with both
males and females suggested that kinship relations
were reckoned bilinearly,
at least in the final Mesolithic.
A
a
6
b
E
e
)!{
l'1
zh
I wish to thank
Emma Brown and Barrie
Hartwell,
Department
of
Archaeology,
Queen's University,
Belfast,
for assistance
in redrawing
and reproducing
a number of the illustrations;
Sinclair
Forrest,
Dep.
of Archaeology,
Queen's University,
for assisting
in the proofing
of
the text;
my wife Eimear for typing
the manuscript;
and Dmitry
Yakolevich and Ina Potekhina for both their hospitality
in Kiev and for
asking me to serve again as 'midwife'
to another important
work on
Ukrainian archaeology.
J.P.
Mallory
Department of Archaeology
Queen's University
Belfast,
Northern Ireland
The subsequent
Dnieper-Donets
culture,
as the reader
will
see,
retains
in some instances
archaic Mesolithic
traits
but also evidences
new social
groupings.
These are discussed
by Dr. Telegin
in his
treatment
of the relative
chronology
and social
structure
of the
Neolithic
cemeteries.
Finally,
one aspect that may have escaped archaeologists
previously
unfamiliar
with
the
Mariupol-type
cemeteries
is
their
possible
relevance
to specialists
in the prehistory
of Atlantic
Europe. One
might imagine there
to be little
in common between the flat-grave
cemeteries
of the Ukraine and the megalithic
tombs that dot western
Europe from the Mediterranean
to southern Scandinavia.
Nevertheless,
in
both areas we are witnessing
two different
expressions
of collective
burial.
In both regions
we find individual
and collective
graves,
s-econdary burial,
sequential
burial
and the reuse of burial
vaults,
unceremonious
disposition
of previous
burials,
etc.
In a sense the
Mariupol-type
cemeteries
are megalithic
tombs without megaliths.
They
stimulate
us to reconsider
the predominant mortuary remains of western
Europe from the perspective
of the actual burials
setting
aside for the
moment the edifices
in which they were deposited.
When one co nside rs
the arguments
and hypotheses
concerning
the Mesolithi c or1.g1.ns of
collective
and megalithic
burials
in western Europe, e.g. Te viec in
Brittany
or Carrowmore in Ireland,
then the Ukra i nia n e vi dence may
serve as a useful external
yardstick
for evaluating
the we st. Europ ean
evidence.
In editing
the text, I have retained
Cyrillic
lett e rs whe n they hav e
been used for identifying
excavation
units.
This was nece ssary heca use
many of the maps so identified
the units
and also beca use oL the
hopeless
confusion
of making simple alphabetic
substitut.ions,c.g.
'B'
is the third and not the second letter
of the Cyril..lic alphab( ~L. The
basic sequence that the reader will encounter
in this
text
is the
following:
viii
ix
INTRODUCTION
The famous site of Mariupol, the largest and richest Neolithic cemetery
in Eastern
Europe, was discovered
and excavated more than a half
century ago.
During
the past decades, the number of such monuments
known in the Ukraine has greatly increased.
Today approximately twenty
Neolithic
cemeteries
are known within the territorial
limits
of the
Ukrainian SSR and these have yielded many hundreds of burials.
The
overwhelming majority
of these cemeteries
are concentrated
in the
vicinity
of the Dnieper rapids.
These .include the sites
of Vovnigy,
Vasilyevka,
Nikolskoye,
Maryevka,
Chaply,
Vilnyanka,
Kapulovka,
Yasinovatka and also cemeteries at Sobachky, one in the region of the
Nenasytets rapids,
and on the Igren peninsula.
South of the Dnieper
rapids some cemeteries are known at such sites at Lysaya Gora and Kairy
while similar sites have also been discovered and examined in the more
northerly
territory
of the Dnieper basin. These include the cemeteries
of Derei vka near Kremenchug and Osipovka on the river Orel. Similar
cemeteries
and groups of burials
are also known in areas adjacent to
the Ukraine such as Dolinka in the Crimean steppe and Alexandria on the
river
Oskol.
Finally,
it
is
probable
that
a cemetery
near
Nizhneterskaya
station on the Lower Don was destroyed at the end of the
last century when a railway was built across the river Chyr (Yakovlev
1901).
We know of no other region in Eastern Europe that has produced so

many cemeteries
belonging
to the Neolithic
period as the Dnieper
valley.
Unfortunately,
up until now there has been little
attempt to
publish and interpret
this material outside of the Soviet Union despite
the fact that these cemeteries
have long attracted
the attention
of
scholars both within the Soviet Union and abroad and they provide both
archaeological
and anthropological
data of great interest
to numerous
specialists.
The evidence from these Ukrainian cemeteries
bears on a number of
problems relating
to the cultura l development of Eastern Europe and
neighbouring
territories.
These include the entire
issue of steppe
influences
on the Balkans and the Danube basin (e.g. M. Garasanin),
and
the origins
and development of the TRB culture
(e.g. C. Becker, J.
Lichardus).
Also, there are numerous problems directly
concerned with
the role of these cemeteries
within their
own region.
These would
include the issue of their cultural
identity
and both their relative
and absolute chronology. Some archaeologists,
for example, assign those
Neolithic
cemeteries
in the region of the Dnieper rapids to local
cultural
groups thus distinguishing
a so-called Dnieper-rapids
and PreAzov type, e.g. A. D. Stolyar.
Others consider them to be a component
culture,
e.g. D. Ya. Telegin,
or the DnieperDonets ethno-cultural
area, e.g. E. N. Titova, while V. N. Danilenko
assigned them to a separate Azov-Dnieper culture.
Recent excavations
have now made it possible
to reconsider
the
evidence for their
relative
and absolute
age. In addition,
a reevaluation
of their
cultural
identity
is necessary
because
the
cemeteries are not quite uniform and they appear to relate to different
variants of the Dnieper-Donets (Comb Ware) culture.
The purpose of this work is to provide a complete publication
the known monuments of the Mariupol type in the Dnieper
1
of all
basin.
Chapter 1
Moreover, a comprehensive summary of the Neolithic burial rite in this
region as well as a resolution
of the problems of chronology will be
attempted. The monuments will be divided into periods and according to
their local cultural
groupings. These cemeteries also provide the basic
data for determining the anthropological
composition of the Neolithic
population
in the Dnieper basin during the 5th ~nd 4th millennia
BC.
Consequently, an analysis of the physical remains is provided in order
to help clarify
the role of the late Cro-Magnon populations
of Eastern
Europe and adjacent regions.
The work was undertaken
at the Institute
of Archaeology of the
Ukrainian Academy of Science (Kiev) on the basis of material
stored
there and also material housed in museums in Leningrad, Dnepropetrovsk
and other cities
of the Soviet Union. Chapters 1 through 6 and 9 were
written by D. Ya. Telegin
while chapters 7 and 8 w.ere written by I. D.
Potekhina.
HISTORYOF RESEARCH
The first
Neolithic burials and small cemeteries in the Dnieper valley
were discovered nearly concurrently
with the excavation of the famous
Mariupol cemetery (see Appendix 1).
These discoveries
were associated
with the surveys of the Dneprostroy expedition
in 1927-1929, however,
the larger cemeteries of the Mariupol type were mainly discovered only
in the post-war period.
Three sites in the vicinity
of the Dnieper rapids yielded
burials
during
the pre-war
years.
These comprised
the
Sobachky, Vinogradny island, and Igren peninsula.
Neolithic
sites
of
The cemetery at Sobachky, near the village

of Privolnoye,
VerkhneKhotitsk
district
of the Zaporozhe region,
was excavated by A. V.
Dobrovolsky (1949) in 1928. The site is situated
on the right bank of
the Dnieper near a large Neolithic
settlement.
Fourteen skeletons were
uncovered, buried extended on their backs with legs close together and
hands on the pelvis.
Nine of the skeletons were sprinkled with ochre.
No grave goods were recovered.
The dead were oriented
in opposite
directions
along a north-south
axis. They were distributed
in one row
three
of seven individual
grave pits and two group graves containing
and four burials
each. The single burials were situated
about 45 cm.
higher than the group graves. One of the single burials
(No. 4) was
stratified
above one of the group graves (Fig. 1, 1). The Neolithic
burials
at Sobachky clearly
precede the Eneolithic
Yamnaya culture
since one of the single graves (No. 7) had been cut by a burial in the
flexed position
which was accompanied by three Yamnaya vessels and
covered with a stone cairn.
In 1929-1930 A. V. Dobrovolsky excavated a cemetery on Vinogradny
island
which is situated
opposite
the aforementioned
village
of
Privolnoye.
The cemetery included
more than 70 graves of various
periods
including
18 Neolithic
and Eneolithic
burials.
These were
interred
in the extended supine position.
The Neolithic burials yielded
no grave goods while in the graves of the Eneolithic
period a number of
peculiar
pendants
and beads fashioned
from tubular
bones were
discovered (Fig. 2, 24-28).
Seven Neolithic
burials
were uncovered on the Igren peninsula
( the
present southern limit of Dnepropetrovsk),
at the mouth of the Samara
river, near the Igren camp-site.
In 1932 grave numbers 9 and 17-19 were
excavated
(PIOO 1935, 9-10);
in 1946 grave number 6 was excavated
(Dobrovolsky 1949); and in 1974-1975 numbers 4 and 12 were uncovered by
D. Ya. Telegin. None of the graves contained grave goods and only in a
few instances
were traces
of red ochre discovered,
sometimes in
considerable
amounts.
In 1932 a burial in the supine position with legs slightly
bent at
the knees was discovered in the adjacent site of Igren V (Gorodok). It
was situated
under a Neolithic
cultural
horizon
and eight
large
fragments of tortoise-shell
were found.
The great
investigated
majority of Neolithic cemeteries in the Dnieper basin were

after the war, between 1948 and 1978. Nearly all of these
3
')
were discovered by A. V. Bodyansky, a keen prospector

of archaeological
sites
in the Lower Dnieper area. The reason for the disco\"ery of so
many sites in such a short period and in such a limited territory
was
the intense erosion of the loessic terraces
of the Lower Dnieper basin.
This was caused by rising
water levels produced in the basins of the
Dneprogess (Lenin Lake) and Kakhovka Hydroelectric
station.
- -4
13
In 1948 A. V. Bodyansky (1951) discovered

a small cemetery by the
Nenasytets rapids,
near the village
of Nikolskoe, Solonyansky district
of the Dnepropetrovsk region. He discovered nine burials here, interred
These included
a number of child
graves (Fig. 1, 2). Among the others were two group graves containing
two and three skeletons
each. The deceased lay with their
heads in
opposite
directions.
Six of the burials
had been sprinkled
with red
ochre; eight contained grave goods. The richest
grave was No. 3 which
contained
150 annular
(limestone?)
beads (Fig.
2, 10, 11) and 55
pendants
of immature deer teeth
(Fig.
2, 23), Unio shells
and a
retouched flake. Similar finds,
though in considerably
lesser amounts,
were found with burials
4, 6, 8, and 9. A scraper and a knife were
found near burials 2 and 8 (Fig. 2, 14). Special note should be made of
seven of the deer tooth pendants which had grooves (Fig. 2, 23) which
are rarely
met on such artifacts.
Four of the burials
belonged to
adults and five were children.
12
15.J.4
2 ....
In 1949 and 1952, M. Ya. Rudynsky excavated two Neolithic

cemeteries
near the village of Vovnigy, Solonyansky district.
Savran. The first of
the cemeteries,
was on the left bank of the Dnieper, and the second was
situated
on the right
bank within
the village
of Vovnigy. Both
cemeteries
contained
burials
Grave
goods were few though most graves were sprinkled with ochre.
-1 2
...
11111111
OL,.I ___
5 4
.__
__
_.f""
Fig.
1 Neolithic cemeteries in the settlement

the Nenasytets rapids (2).
of Sobachky (1) and near
The first
cemetery has already been thoroughly published by Rudynsky
(1956) and requires only summary treatment here. The cemetery took the
form of a large subrectangular
pit measuring 2 x 4 m. In it were
uncovered 31 skeletons
in various states
of preservation,
their heads
oriented
to the south. They had been deposited
in layers
(Fig. 3).
Fourteen
of the burials
had grave goods although
these were not
abundant and rather similar.
They included pendants of immature teeth
of deer,
pharyngeal
Cyprinidae
teeth
which had probably
served as
decorations
on clothes,
and retouched flint
flakes
(Fig. 2, 1-5). In
the fill
of the cemetery, which had been covered with red ochre, there
was also found a globular
bone bead which had been perforated
(Fig.
2,22), which represents
a very rare find for the cemeteries
of this
type in the Dnieper basin.
In addition,
there were also found three
sherds with stroked ornamentation
(Fig. 2, 6,7). These may be assigned
to the II-B stage of the Dnieper-Donets
culture
in the area of the
Dnieper rapids
(Telegin 1968, 73). A perfect
analogy to the globular
bead is known from the Mariupol
cemetery where such beads were
numerous.
The excavation
of the second Vovnigy cemetery,
the largest
in the
Dnieper rapids
region,
has only seen summary publication
(Rudynsky
1955). The cemetery included
130 burials
arranged
in three parallel
rows with the bodies deposited
in a number of different
layers (Fig.
4). With but a single exception,
all the dead were oriented with their
heads to the northwest
and about 70% of the skeletons
had been
sprinkled
with red ochre. Grave goods were found with about 30 burials.
5
,~
4
@}~
10
9
<
12
15
<
(Q)_O
13
14
::,
....
00
'<
16
(l
(1)
~
~
22
rt
(1)
.
'i
'<
21
Fig.
cemeterie s of
II from9t
(8,
' he15-20),
ceramics
an ornaments
.
Nenasytets
Flint tools'
21 . 22)' d Vovnigy
(24-28).
I
(1-7,
land
Vovnigy
( 10-14' 23 ) an d Vinogradny is
As was the case with the first

cemetery,
the finds
were rather
monotonous. They consisted
primarily
of annular limestone beads which
accompanied
four burials
(Fig.
2, 19), deer tooth
pendants
(12
burials),
fish teeth (16 burials)
and some small flint
artifacts,
In
many cases, fresh water shells were also found.
*l
f
$
':,
>,
1-t
Q)
Q)
I(),
!
Q)
fi
,0
,......._
i>
,,.
It. i
Hi
fft
I, I
'l
,,,,
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--+-
r-:
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i
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II'
tftf
i::
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,..c
.
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00
r-1
1-t
'-../
H
H
>,
The annular beads were distributed

several dozens per burial.
In two
instances
they numbered as many as 242 and 500 beads. Pendants were
generally
found to number a few per burial
although here again two
burials
had as many as 20 and 37 teeth each. In the latter
instance
they had probably served to decorate
some form of head-dress
on the
deceased. Fish teeth were found in quantities
ranging from a few to 50
or 70 pieces,
Vovnigy II yielded
13 pieces of flint.
These included
five trapezes
and trapeze fragments,
two flake scrapers and knife-like
blades without retouch. Two trapezes had flaked backs (Fig. 2, 8, 16).
In the pit fill
were also found two sherds of Dnieper-Donets
pottery
and an elongated limestone bead (Fig. 2, 18).
The distribution
of finds
in the burials
of Vovnigy II are as
follows:
Flint knives in burials 47, 54, 73-74 (Fig. 2, 9);
Knife-like
blades in burials 22, 23, 105;
Scrapers in burials 92, 118 (Fig. 2, 17, 20);
Trapezes and trapeze blanks in burials 30, 32, 81, 109, 112 (Fig.
2, 15, 16);
Annular beads in burials 9, 10, 17, 74;
Deer tooth pendants in burials
16, 21, 33, 36, 45, 58, 66, 73,
74, 106, 109, 127;
Fish teeth in burials 36, 53, 58, 75, 91, 105, 109, 112, 115,
120, 121, 123, 127;
Tortoise shell in burials 33, 35.
00
r-1
i::
>
0
>
-4'
00
.-t
""'
The discovery of the two Vovnigy cemeteries

was of great importance
since they showed that the cemeteries
of the Dnieper rapids and the
Mariupol cemetery in the Azov region,
which for a long time had
occupied a separate place in the Neolithic
of the Ukraine, had much in
common. M. Ya. Rudynsky, for example, maintained
that the Vovnigy
cemeteries
were of great
value in elucidating
the origin
of the
Mariupol cemetery.
In 1950 A. V. Bodyansky discovered
two cemeteries
in the Dnieper
rapids
region.
One of these
was near the village
of Maryevka,
Sinelnikovsky
district,
Dnepropetrovsk
region, which Bodyansky himself
excavated.
The other was in the village
of Chaply (in the present
territory
of Dnepropetrovsk)
which was excavated by A. V. Dobrovolsky.
The Maryevka cemetery yielded 15 skeletons.
In general,
they were in
poor condition
and had lain in the extended position
(Fig. 5). A. V.
Bodyansky believed they had been killed and that their bodies had been
partly dismembered. Nine skeletons
showed traces of ochre. Grave goods
were scarce--ten
burials
had only fish teeth while three had small
flint artifacts:
two knife-like
blades and a trapeze (Fig. 5A-C). With
the exception of burial No. 15, all occurred in small group grave pits
with two (graves 2 and 5), three (graves 1 and 4) and four (grave 3)
skeletons,
The Chaply cemetery yielded 25 burials

of various
periods
ranging
from the Mesolithic
through the Eneolithic
(Fig. 6). Sixteen of the
burials
belonged to the Neolithic
period (Dobrovolsky
1954). All of
these occurred in sandy deposits
of the terrace
at a depth of 1. 5-1.7
m. The deceased were buried in the extended supine position
with heads
oriented
usually to the north, sometimes to the south. All the graves
were arranged perpendicular
to the flow of the river and for the most
part
formed a single
row. The excavator
divided these Neolithic
burials
into
three
subgroups
which,
as can be seen from the
stratigraphy,
were non-contemporaneous.
The earliest
burials
(Nos. 5,
7, 11, 12) had slight traces of ochre and in only one burial were there
any grave goods--a
deer tooth pendant,
two animal teeth
and four
Cyprinidae teeth.
The later burials
also showed slight
traces of ochre
(Nos. 1-4, 8-10, 15-16). No grave goods were found with these. It was
impossible to trace the outline of the burial pits of either this group
or the earliest.
The burials
of the final Neolithic
period occurred in
grave pits of an oval form and they had been liberally
sprinkled
with
red ochre. Again there were no grave goods.
4
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7 6
~~,i~
~~).
8
II
- +-----+
- --~..M
13
10
,..:::
!?o
o--+-
t_~
,2~~IV
t 4:i"> qQ, Ill

-\;
,,
~-~
The Chaply cemetery revealed for the first

time that in the Dnieper
basin extended burials
of the Neolithic
period had been both preceded
and followed by contracted
burials
in the Mesolithic
and Eneolithic.
&
Fig.
Maryevka cemetery.
skeletons.
Flint
artifacts
(A-C) collected
near
The cemetery of Vasilyevka II contained 32 burials arranged in groups

in one row. The grave pits were of oval form and were dug into loess.
Although two strata
of burials
were found toward the centre,
most of
the burials
were confined
to a single
layer.
The dead were in the
extended supine position,
heads to the north, i.e.,
parallel
with the
flow of the river.
In most cases yellow clay had been scattered
over
the burials.
IV
Fig.
XII
XI
Chaply cemetery. Burials 6, 6a, 7a, 8a, and 19 are Mesolithic

and burials
la, 2a, 3a, 4a, and Sa are Eneolithic.
1n
In the 1950's both near and downriver of the Dnieper rap~ds, another
group of large neolithic
cemeteries
was discovered
in the eroded banks
of the Kakhovka reservoir.
These included Vasilyevka II (excavated by
by D. Ya.
A. D. Stolyar
in 1953),
Vilnyanka
(excavated
in )955
Telegin),
Lysaya Gora (excavated
in 1959 by A. V. Bodyansky) and
Nikolskoe (excavated in 1959 and 1967 by D. Ya. Telegin).
Near the skeletons

were recovered
a great quantity
of Cyprinidae
teeth although no deer tooth pendants were found. In a single instance,
four deer incisors
were discovered.
In addition,
there were a few
fragments of tortoise
shell.
Of considerable
importance are a number of
bone arm-rings which carried
engraved ornamentation.
No publication
of
these finds
is yet available,
however, with the permission
of the
finds
excavator we reproduce field drawings of these very interesting
(Fig. 7).
The cemetery at Lysaya Gora is one of the richest
in finds but it is
rather complicated in terms of grave structures.
A. V. Bodyansky (1961)
both discovered
and excavated
the site in an outcrop of a loessic
terrace
at the Kakhovka reservoir.
A large area covered with red ochre
marked the main part of the cemetery.
In outline,
it had the form of
two lines
converging
at a right
angle. From the direction
of these
lines it was evident that the south-eastern
corner of the ochred area
lay in an unexcavated portion of the terrace.
Unfortunately,
the northwestern part of the cemetery had been washed away (Fig. 8). In section,
the ochred area consisted
of a lens up to 60-70 cm. thick which was
11
situated
at a depth of 0.6 to 0.9 m. in the subsoil.
Within the ochred
area there were five burial pits of round (I,V) or elongated oval (IIIV) form and a large quantity
of other remains, especially
sherds as
well as human and animal bones. The skeletons
in the grave pits were
mainly in a ruined state.
Three of the pits (I-III)
contained only child remains: one skeleton
in grave No. I, three in No. II and 4 in No. III.
Pits IV and V
probably comprised a single
ossuary.
In the elongated
portion were
skeletons
in the extended position while in the annular pit there were
more than twenty human skulls. Both skulls and other bones in pits IV-V
were partially
burnt. Two other collections
of burnt human bones were
discovered in the area over pit III. Among these the skeletons of three
adults could be distinguished.
In addition to both the grave pits and
the accumulations
of burnt bone, there were also other skeletons in the
cemetery that had been deposited
directly
into the clay without any
trace of a grave pit. These were in the extended supine position with
only a few grave goods and no signs of ochre. A. V. Bodyansky regards
the burials lacking a grave pit to be the earliest
in the cemetery.
-~
The total number of skeletons recovered exceeded 50. These included

six-seven skeletons without burial pits, eight in grave pits I-III,
26
in pits IV-V and about six additional
cremation burials.
The grave goods from Lysaya Gora were both varied 'and numerous.
Within the area of red ochre and the grave pits there were found sherds
from 80 vessels broken during the burial rites.
Similar ceramics are
found on other Mariupol-type
cemeteries.
About 20 vessels
have been
restored.
The pots were flat
bottomed with biconical
shapes and
collared rims. Ornamentation usually covered the entire surface of the
vessel,
including its base. Stroked ornament predominated with incised
and linear
ornament less frequent (Fig. 9, 1-10). Coarse-grained
sand
and traces
of vegetable
matter were in the fabric.
A. V. Bodyansky
indicates
that one of the vessels was tempered with an admixture of
sand.
Fig.
Vasilyevka
burials.
II.
Field
drawing of bracelets
found near the
More than twenty flint

artifacts,
including
large knives and knifelike blades and scrapers
were found (Fig. 9, 11-16). There was a
variety of ornaments among which were seven plates of boar tusk enamel
of the Mariupol type, fish teeth,
deer tooth pendants and numerous
annular
beads of various
sizes,
ranging
from 0.6 to 3.5 cm. in
diameter.
They were fashioned from shale, gagate, bone and shell (Fig.
10). There were also four miniature spherical
beads of grey-blue colour
and one bead of elongated
form (Fig. 10,10).
The ornaments found
accompanying the single burials which occurred without grave pits and
those recovered
near the skeletons
deposited
in pits I-V differed
somewhat. None of the Mariupol-type
plates were found with the first
type of burials while deer tooth pendants were absent from those buried
in the grave pits.
On the other hand, other types of ornament were
found in both types of grave.
Excavations
at Lysaya Gora and Nikolskoye were of great importance
since
they
helped
associate
the cemeteries
with the Neolithic
habitation
sites
near the Dnieper rapids.
The presence of a large
amount of pottery in these cemeteries convinced the excavators that the
Mariupol-type
cemeteries
in the Dnieper valley and in the adjacent
12
...,
u
3
5
LU
-f-- -
.,. - ":it.:
..
10
11
/ -i
--
Fig.
LJ_J
Lysaya Gora cemetery. Plan and sectional

view.
Legend: 1 outline of red coloured area; 2 - stones; 3 - ceramics; 4 burnt bones; 5 - black soil; 6 - subsoil;
7 - red coloured
fill;
8 - loess.
1 /J
13
12
Fig.
-1-
Lysaya Gora cemetery.
15
Ceramics and flint
1 C:
16
tools.
steppe territories
the Dnieper-Donets
4
2
01
001
6
01
11
10
Fi g . 10
12
13
14
J
15
Lysaya Gora cemetery. Boar tusk plates of the Mariupol type

(1.....:2); annular beads (3-8, 10-14), deer tooth pendant (9) and
fish tooth (15).
Fig.
11
Kapulovka cemetery.
were related
culture.
to the Dnieper
rapids
and Azov group of
Five further
cemeteries
of the Mariupol type were excavated in the
1960' s-70' s. One of them was situated
near the village
of Kapulovka,
Nikopol district,
Dnepropetrovsk
region,
on the Lower Dnieper and
excavated
in 1962. Two cemeteries
were in the Dnieper-rapids
region:
Vasilyevka V, excavated in 1967, and Yasinovatka which was investigated
in 1978. The remaining
two cemeteries
lay further
to the north:
Dereivka near the town of Kremenchug, excavated 1960-61, and Osipovka
on the Orel river which was examined in 1971-1973. O. G. Shaposhnikova
and A. V. Bodyansky (1970) excavated Kapulovka while all of the others
were excavated by the author.
Bodyansky discovered
the Kapulovka cemetery in the eroded bank of the
Kakhovka reservoir
in 1961. Twenty-five burials were excavated from the
loess
deposits
at a depth of about 1.2-1.3
m. Typical
of these
cemeteries,
the burials
were in the extended supine position,
arms at
the sides
with hands either
near or under the pelvis.
The burials
formed a single
row. Bodyansky indicated
that
prior
to the 1962
excavation
season about 40 burials,
aligned
in one or two rows, had
been destroyed
by fluvial
erosion.
The skeletons
lay close to one
another,
heads to the east.
Only one burial
(No. 1) was about 3. 7 m.
distant
from the others.
The legs of this individual
were bent slightly
at the knees (Fig. 11). The skeletons
generally
occurred in a single
layer though in some places they appeared to have been disturbed,
which
suggests that the cemetery was reused. As usual, there were only slight
traces of ochre. Grave goods were few: in two cases (Nos. 21, 22) there
were deer tooth pendants (Fig. 12, 5). A spearhead
made of horn was
found between the ribs of skeleton
No. 15.
Near the skull of skeleton
No. 1, a burial that was set apart from
the others,
there was an undamaged flat-based
pot, grey in colour, with
comb ornament over the neck (Shaposhnikova and Bodyansky 1970, fig. 3).
The vessel is typologically
similar
to the ceramics of the late stage
of the Sredny Stag culture
(see Telegin 1973, figs. 45, 3; 61, 1). In
1961 Bodyansky found another
vessel,
similar
to this one, near the
burial of a child which was located outside the area of the cemetery.
On the basis
of these two finds,
the authors
assigned
the entire
cemetery to the Eneolithic
period. This is hardly supportable
since the
single grave (No. 1) does not appear to be contemporary with the main
cemetery. While it probably does relate
to the Eneolithic
Sredny Stag
culture,
the rest of the burials
of the cemetery should be regarded as
Neolithic.
Derei vka is the largest
of the Mariupol type cemeteries
yielding
173 burials
(Telegin
and Zhilyaeva
1964; after
reports
published
in
1964, 1965 and 1967, an additional
19 Neolithic
burials
were uncovered
during the excavations
of the Dereivka settlement
site).
The cemetery
is located on the right bank of the Omelnik river as it discharges
into
the
Dnieper
near
the
village
of Dereivka,
Kremgress
district,
Kirovograd region.
This is the most northerly
cemetery of the Dnieper
valley of this type. It is situated
in the southern part of the Middle
Dnieper on the boundary between the forest-steppe
and the steppe.
The cemetery contains
both single
and group burials
100 metres along the bank of the Omelnik. The cemetery
16
17
extending
over
can be divided
into two separate

parts--western
and eastern-between
which no graves
were discovered.
Older informants
in the area, however, recall
that in
the 1930' s earth-moving
activities
destroyed a large grave pit which
contained
numerous ochred skeletons.
Therefore,
the number of burials
in the Dereivka cemetery was originally
much higher than we were able
to recover.
All burials
were in the extended supine position.
In addition,
seven
graves with flexed burials
dating to the Eneolithic-Bronze
Age were
also uncovered.
A number of different
features
help distinguish
the
burials
in the western and eastern halves of the cemetery.
jl:1
l.i
'I \
\),
In the western part the burials

primarily
occurred in a single large
sub-rectangular
grave pit that measured 6 x 3.5 m. in size (Fig . 13A).
Here we excavated 51 burials,
among which only 20 skeletons
showed no
evidence
of disturbance
from later
burials.
The other burials
were
generally
represented
by individual
burials of skulls and the remaining
bones. This 'bone'
layer measured as much as 0.5-0.6
m. toward the
centre of the grave pit. The fill
of the grave pit was dark, sometimes
because of the presence of red ochre flecks.
Whenever it was possible
to trace
the orientation
of the burials,
the dead were uniformally
positioned
with their
heads to the west with but a single exception
(No. 18a) where the burial was pointed east.
ii'I, '
1
;11
I
\1,
'
\,
2
I
I' '.
'I
I
.lj;
,1
I'
I
I
a
.
Near the large collective

burial
pit in the western part of the
cemetery was a group grave (Nos. 42-44) and more than a dozen single
graves.
These burials
were oriented
differently
from the large
collective
burial
pit. Most of the burials
were laid out with their
heads to the south-west
or south while some were oriented
in the
reverse direction
to the north or north-east.
Remains of a vessel with
stroked ornamentation
(Fig. 12, 11) was recovered from the fill
of the
grave pit. It should be noted that one of the single burials
(No. 41)
appeared to be in the sitting
position.
Nearby was a decorated plate of
the Mariupol type (Fig. 12, 3).
!I
:1I
/!
'
c::t~:
:::i:'::.:1-@8
9
12
11
13
Fig.
12
14
15
16
()
18
19
'
17
Grave goods f rom Dereivk a (1 - 4, 7-19) and Kapulovk a ( 5-6)

cemeteries.
18
Nine of the burials

in the western part of the cemetery contained
grave goods. The richest
was burial No. 49 which was located
in the
collective
grave pit. Here there were found five deer tooth pendants, a
Mariupol-type
plate and 35 fish teeth (Fig. 12, 7). Among the bones
concentrated
below burial No. 49 were a considerable
number of sherds
with comb ornament (Telegin and Zhilyaeva 1964, fig. 6,2). In this same
grave pit there were also found a pharyngeal fish tooth (No. 29) and a
fragment of a flint
knife (Fig. 12,2). A flint
spear-point
(Fig 12,1)
was found in the smaller group grave (Nos. 42-44).
A few finds were
also recovered in the vicinity
of the single burial.
These included one
deer tooth pendant nea r burials
4 and 5. A fish tooth was f ound near
burial No. 5. As previously
mentioned, a Mariupol-type
plate was found
near burial No. 41 which was in the sitting
position.
Near skeleton No.
4 7, which was deposited
in a single
grave, there were seven annular
beads.
The burial arrangement in the ea s te rn part of the cemetery exhibit ed
some di ff erences f rom th e we st ern. The buri a l s were mainly a rra nge d i n
four rows with their heads oriented
to the north-west
(Fig. 13,B). East
of these burials
were 20 single
graves where the dead were oriented
with their
heads to the south-west
and west. Some of the dead were
oriented
in the oppos i te direction
to the north or north-e a st. I t has
been observed that some of the single burials

with south-western
and
north-eastern
orientation
(No. 134) overlay those graves aligne d in
rows. The skeletons
exhibited
only s l ight traces
of ochre. Another
group grave pit (Nos. 141- 143) was a l so uncovered in the easter n part
of the cemetery.
Only three artifacts
were recovered
from the eastern
part of the
cemetery: a bone harpoon of unique form (No. 76), a bone 'spoon-bait'
near burial No. 80 (Figs. 12, 4, 8, 12), and a flint
s c raper (No. 88).
Sherds from two vessels
assist
in determing the cult ural identi ty of
the Dereivka cemetery.
The forms of both vessels
have been larg ely
restored
(Fig. 12, 11). The fabric of t he vessels con t ains an admixt ure
of grass and sand and the surface
of the vessels hav e been decorated
with stroked and comb ornament as well as deep cylin drical impress io ns
around the rims. Typologically,
these vessels
may be related
t o the
Cherkassy group of the Dnieper-Donets
culture (Telegi n 1961, fig. 5).
+--i-t--m
;:
<
-
I~
t .
---L-
t-~
j
I
--'-! _ .....;.
I_ _
-+
- --
<
>,
I-<
Q)
Q)
Q)
_J
co
>
The large
size of the cemetery,
the variety
of orientations,
the
presence of both group graves and individual
buria l pits all point to
the long term use of the cemetery. The general impr ession is that the
cemetery was begun in the western part with a few single burials
(where
we also find the deer tooth pendants) and a group pi t. Then came the
large collective
burial
pit.
Later th e cemetery was used for the
occasional
single burial.
The rows of graves in the eastern part of the
cemetery were probably contemporary
with the large collective
bur ial
pit in the western part. The most recent burials shou l d have bee n those
single burials
with a south-western
or north-e a ster n orien tation . The
burial
in the sitting
position
(No. 41) was also probably fro m t his
most recent
period.
The similarity
of finds
from across
the site
suggest that the interval
between the earliest
and most recent buri als
was unlikely
to have been particularly
gr eat
At Dereivka we find that burial
in the sitting
position
was la ter
followed
by contracted
burials,
a fact
confirme d by stratigr ap hic
observations
(Telegin and Zhilyaeva 1964, 150).
r-4
Q)
M
Q)
A
C")
rl
In addition
to the extramural
cemeteries
of the Mariupol type, there
is also a considerable
number of burials
that have been disco ve red
within habitation
sites in the Dnieper valley.
Below we provide a brief
account of these additional
bur ial s beginning
first
with the Middle
Dnieper basin and then continuing
down the lower course of the river.
One burial was recovered during the 1958 excavatio ns of the Neo lit hic
settlement
at Buzky, Irklivsky
district,
Cherkass y region.
The bur ial
was discovered
in an oval grave pit beneath the cu l tura l layer. It was
in the extended sup i ne position and lightly
powdered with red ochre. No
grave goods were found ( Teleg in 1961).
While probing
the Dnieper-Donets
settlement
of Sivash near the
village
of Kamennye-Potoky, Kremenchug district,
Poltava
region,
the
author discovered a Neolithic
burial in sondage No. 4 . The body was in
the extended
supine pos iti on with head to the nort h-east.
Near the
skeleton a pharyngeal Cyprinidae tooth and a piece of ochre were f ound
(Telegin and Shmagliy 1959).
20
21
In 1954 workers
discovered
a burial
in the quarry
at SkelyKamenolomny near the village
of Voloshskoe,
Dnepropetrovsk
district,
Dnepropetrovsk region. The skeleton was in the extended supi ne position
and accompanied by pharyngeal Cyprinidae teeth. According t o the quarr y
workers, no less than seven similar
burials
had been destroyed
there
during the course of quarry operations
(Bodyansky 1954).
A.V. Bodyansky discovered a cemetery in 1952 on the Popov promontory
at the site of Podkovka, opposite the village
of Staraya Igren in the
present
territory
of Dnepropetrovsk.
The burials
had been in the
extended supine position
but had been completely
eroded away. Mixed
with the bones were a dozen sherds of Early Dnieper-Donets
pottery with
comb and linear decoration,
and also a number of microlithic
artifacts.
In the 1970's, also in the area of the Popov ravine,
V. I. Privalov
unearthed the remains of two burials
of probable Neolithic
date which
were eroding out close to one another.
In 1946 A. V. Bodyansky examined a Neolithic
burial on Sursky island
near the village
of Voloshskoye, Dnepropetrovsk
district.
It was close
to a cairn (No. IV) und er which a number of burials of later times were
found. The Neolithic
grave (No. 4) was under a layer of shells.
The
deceased had been deposited
in a grave pit whose outline could not be
traced.
The body had been in the extended supine position with head to
the north-east,
shoulders
tightly
contracted,
arms at sides,
hands on
pelvic bones and legs straightened.
''
'\
In 1954 Bodyansky discovered

another burial
near the Klagusa ravine
on the left
bank of the Dnieper opposite
the village
of Vovnigy,
Solonyansky district,
Dnepropetrovsk
region.
It was situated
about 150
metre s east of the right tip of the ravine. The grave was found in the
deposits of the third terrace at a depth of about 1.5 m. The burial was
in the extended supine position
with its head to the east, parallel
to
the course of the river.
It had been powdered with ochre. No grave
goods were found.
In 1951 Bodyansky
Gadyuchaya ravine,
which is situated
district,
Zaporozhe
discovered
a paired burial on the left slope of the
upstream from the Neolithic
settlement
at Sobachky
near the village
of Privolnoye,
Verkhne-Khortitsk
region.
On the 'Map of Neolithic

Sites of the Ukrainian SSR', housed in the
Institute
of Archaeology
(Kiev),
A. V. Dobrovolsky
indicates
the
existence
of a Neolithic
burial which was examined on Lokhansky island
opposite the village
of Krupskaya, Sinelnikov
district,
Dnepropetrovsk
region.
I n 1950-51 during excavation
of a Later Bronze Age settlement
in the
village of Zmiyevka, Borislavsk
district,
Kherson region, A. V. Burakov
uncovered four burials
of probable Neolithic
age. The burials
were
arranged in rows at 2, 4 and 6 m. in loessic
deposits
at a depth of
about 1.75 m. There were no traces of grave pits. The skele to ns were in
the extended supine position,
legs cl os e together,
hands near the
pelvis.
There were no tr aces of ochre and the bones were poorl y
preserved.
No graves goods were discovered.
A trapeze was f ound between
the ribs of burial No. 1 (Bur akov 1952).
??
Fig.
14 Mariupol-type
cemeteries
(A) and individua l bur ials (B) in the
Dnieper valley and adjacent territories:
1. Kozintsy;
2. Buzky; 3. Kamenny Potoky; 4. Dereivka ; 5. Osipovka;
6. Zasukha; 7. Igren; 8. Chaply ; 9. islan d sites of Sursk y ,
Lokhansky and Skelya Kamenolomnya; 10. Vasi lyevka I I;
Vasily evka V; 12 . Maryevka; 13 . Nikolskoye;
14 . Nenas ytets ;
15. Klaguza; 16. Vovni gy I; 17 . Vovnigy II; 18 . Yasinovatka;
19. Vinogradny isla nd; 20. Vilnya nka; 21 . Sobachky;
22. Kapulovk a; 23. Zmeevka; 24 . Kair y ; 25 . Alexandria;
26. Mariupol; 27. Dolinka; 28 . Gospitaln y Kholm.
23
During a_su:vey
in 1957, the author and A.V. Bodyansky excavated a
large Neolithic
cemetery near Kairy village,
Gornostaeyvka
district
Kherson region. It was situated
about 200 m. north of the mouth of th;
ravine.
Here,
in the eroded
bank of the Kakhovka
Novosel?vskaya
re~ervoir,
we observed a large area measuring from 2.5 to 8 m. in size
which was stained with pieces of red ochre that appeared on the surface
?f ~h~ loam as a result
of water erosion.
In the saturated
clay several
individual
human bones were uncovered sprinkled
with red ochre. In some
places well preserved
skeletons
were
also_found.
In addition,
three skulls were found barely visible
in the
eroding
clay.
In the immediate
vicinity
of this
concentration
of
skeletons,
a small cairn (1 x 1.5 m.) was found covering ochred human
bone~ U_nfortunat~ly,
the high water table prevented a more thorough
examination of this cemetery during the survey and the entire cemetery
was washed away in the next year.
These comprise the approximately
30 sites in the Dnieper basin (Fig.
14) where both Neolithic
cemeteries
and individual
burials
have been
reco~ered.
In ~he next two chapters,
more detailed
descriptions
will be
pro~ided of five of the cemeteries:
Vilnyanka,
Vasilyevka,
Osipovka,
Yasinovatka and Nikolskoye.
Chapter
EXCAVATIONS
AT VILNYANKA,VASILYEVKA
V, OSIPOVKAANDYASINOVATKA
The author
excavated
Neolithic
cemeteries
at
Vilnyanka
( 1956),
Vasilyevka
V (1967), Osipovka (1971-73) and Yasinovatka
(1978). Among
the
Neolithic
cemeteries
of
the
Dnieper
basin
these
are
all
comparatively
large
and fundamental
to our understanding
of the
cultural
development of this region.
Vilnyanka Cemetery
The cemetery of Vilnyanka is situated
on the left bank of the Dnieper
(the Lenin Lake), about four to five kilometres
north of Zaporozhe,
somewhat downriver of the Vilny rapids,
and one kilometre
south of the
Vilnya ravine.
It was in 1928 that A. V. Dobrovolsky excavated the two
Neolithic
campsites
of Sobachky and Volchek which were located on the
opposite
bank of the Lenin Lake near the village
of Privolnoye
at the
mouth of the Gadyuchya ravine.
The Vilnyanka cemetery was discovered
by A. V. Bodyansky high in a
bank about 10-12 metres above the lake level.
The terrace
on which the
cemetery was situated
is about five metres higher than the bank and
gradually
levels
out into a plateau.
The location
differs
little
from
that
of the surrounding
territory.
This area of the bank forms a
watershed between the Vilnya ravine and the other ravines to the south.
The highest
point of this watershed
is defined
by a geodesic
mark
located
nearly opposite
the cemetery about 1 to 1.5 kilometres
away.
The absence of any surface indications
of the cemetery is typical
for
these monuments.
In the section of the bank, burials
could be seen extending for seven
at
to eight metres and ranging from 1. 2 to 2 metres in depth, either
the bottom of a layer of black soil or on top of a bed of loess some 10
metres thick.
Opposite the exposure of the burials
we excavated an area of about 84
about 1 to 1.5 metres wide
square metres. We also excavated two strips
and 6 metres long on both sides of the main excavation
area.
In
total,
we recovered
50 skeletons
in
various
degrees
of
preservation
(Fig. 15). Some of the skeletons
had been damaged through
erosion or collapse
of the bank while others had been damaged by later
interments
during the Neolithic,e.g.
Nos. 3, 18-a, 18-6, 18-s, 22-a,
26-a, 13-a, 11-a.
The majority
of the burials,
approximately
30, were adults.
T.S.
Surnina (1961) was able to ascertain
that 13 of the burials
were males,
10 were female, 16 skeletons
belonged to children
and 6 to adolescents.
The percentage
of child burials
in the cemetery was relatively
high; at
Mariupol only six child burials were recovered (Makarenko 1933, 169).
All the dead were buried in the extended supine position.
The arms
were slightly
bent at the elbows, hands near or on the pelvis,
legs
straight
and close together.
Many of the skeletons
(Nos. 1, 20, 29,
etc.)
were contracted
at the shoulders,
some quite severely.
In many
instances
one skeleton was overlain
by another.
24
25
48
58
.,.,
. 2M
68
78
67
77
65
75
8!J
14
l+.::c-----+.:.,,---
t-10
..-11-20.120
~ 21-JO ~ Jl -40 ~ 41-50 ~ 52-58
IT1ID
Ill
Fig.
15
62./;8 ...
e/V
GD
Y
OYI
Vilnyanka cemetery. Plan and sectional

view. Legend: I - black
soil; II - loessic loam; III - pit fill;
IV, V, VI - burials
of groups 1, 2 and 3.
Fig.
26
16 Vilnyank a cemetery . Burial
?.7
Nos. 31, 32 and 38.
The stratigrahy
and differences
in the burial rites make it
to divide the burials in this cemetery into three chronological
possible
groups.
Group 1 was the largest

and included the remains of more than 20
skeletons.
All of these had been buried in grave pits about 2 metres
deep. Four burials
were single (Nos. 6, 15, 17 and 19) while most of
the burials
occurred in groups where skeletons
lay in a number of
layers. The group burials ranged from two to seven skeletons.
Six group graves may be distinguished.
Grave pit Al held Nos. 7, 8
and 9: pit A2 had Nos. 20,31,32,34;
pit A3 held Nos. 16 and 29; pit A4
had Nos.
13,35,36,37,38,39,40
and 41;
grave
pit
AS had Nos.
24,25,26,26a;
and pit A6 had Nos. 33 and 38. The remains of skeleton
No. 30 probably belonged to Group I.
I\
The grave pits of type A were elongated

and sub-oval in form and
their size corresponded to the number buried within them. The deceased
appeared to have been buried from the lower part of the layer of darkcoloured
soil since the fill
of the grave pits consisted
of grey
coloured loam and soil. Moreover, the outlines
of the pits were first
between the
traced at a depth of about 1.3 metres at the transition
black soil layer and the loam. The substantial
depth of the pits was
probably due to the fact that they were intended to serve for repeated
burials and, therefore,
required a greater depth to prevent disturbance
from later interments.
The upper part of the pits was usually widened
and contained
a darker fill.
This was particularly
evident from the
fill of pit A2 where the lowest burials (Nos. 32 and 34) were buried in
nearly pure loam which hardly differed
from the natural.
The same may
be said about burial No. 38 in the fill of pit A6.
I1
/
/
/
/
//
:, ~"
Iii II ~
I
'
13
I \
11
,'
14
/
.,
;o@
The overwhelming majority of those buried in the type A oval grave

pits were powdered with red ochre, although the quanti ty of the ochre
of this group was far less than that applied to the burials of the 5type grave pits. The orientation
of the burials in the oval grave pits
was primarily to the north-east
(No. 9) or south-west (No. 11). Only a
few were oriented
to the south or south-south-west
(Nos. 24, 25, 33,
38).
')Q
i,
The 'grey'
grave pits were irregularly
arranged in the form of a
curved line (Fig.
15). In some instances,
a number of graves cut
earlier
ones. Thus, for example, in grave pit Al the i nsertion
of
burial
No. 19 damaged skeleton
9. It is probable that the cemeteu
functioned
over a long period and that surface
indications
of the
location of earlier
graves had become obscured.
A comparatively
large quantity of grave-goods was recovered from the
burials
of group 1. They consisted
primarily
of ornaments such as
pendants and fish teeth, and also various tools of bone and flint (Fig.
17). Deer tooth pendants, ranging in number from 2 to 17, accompanied
nine of the group I skeletons
(Nos. 7, 8, 17, 20, 29, 32, 36, 37, 40).
Fish teeth,
sometimes numbering in the dozens up to over a hundred,
were recovered from near 12 skeletons
of this group (Nos. 6, 15, 16,
20, 29, 31, 34, 35-37, 40, 41). In addition,
a Unio shel l lay by most
skeletons
(Nos. 7,8, 13, 15, 17, 29, 33, 38). A small Theodactus shell
was found near No. 38. The shell had been perfor ate d for suspension.
Flint artifacts
include four trapezes,
one of which had a flaked back
(Nos. 19, 29, 40), three scrapers near burials Nos. 38, 40; a number of
12
Fig.
17
16
Vilnyanka cemeter y . Artifacts

and animal teeth (13-17).
18
of flint
(1-9 ), bone (1 0- 12, 18)
knife-like
blades and flakes
and three artifacts
of bone: two awls
(Nos. 37, 39) and a point (No. 29). This latter
was relatively
massive
and well-polished
and it is not improbable that it served as a spearpoint (Fig. 17,10).
The second group of burials at Vilnyanka included 13 skeletons
that
had been deposited in three rectangular
grave pits. One of the pits was
well preserved (61), but the other two had been severely eroded (
62,
63). The skeletons,
as a rule, were entirely
covered with red ochre.
61, three well-preserved
(Nos. 14, 27, 28) and two
In grave pit
partly
preserved
(13a, 27a) skeletons
were uncovered.
Grave pit 6 2
yielded one well-preserved
skeleton
(No. 18) and the remains of four
6 3 were two well-preserved
other
skeletons
(Nos, 18a- A). In pit
skeletons
(Nos. 10, 12) and the remains of Nos. 10a, 11 and 12a. The
outlines
of these grave pits were first
discerned
at a depth of about
0,74 metres in the middle of the black soil layer and then followed
down to a depth of 1.5 to 1.6 metres, The well-preserved
grave pit 6 1
measured 2 x 2 metres and had steep walls inclined
slightly
towards the
inside
at the bottom. Both the size of the pits and their
regular
outline
suggests
that
they were intended
to be used repeatedly,
However, the bottoms of the pits were not level and there were hollows
provided for some of the lower burials.
In some cases (Nos. 27, 28),
niches had been cut into the bottom of the pit to accommodate the head
and legs of the deceased.
Each of these rectangular
grave pits was probably intended
as a
collective
domestic tomb, Thus, for example, grave pit 63 contained the
remains of two adults and three children
and adolescents.
One of the
skeletons
of an adolescent
(No. 12) was found close to an adult (No.
11) as if it were being supported by the hand of the latter.
The distinguishing
feature of the group II burials
is the damage done
to earlier
burials
by later interments.
With reusable
grave pits,
the
earlier
skeletons
were partly
exhumed and then redeposited
on top of
subsequent burials.
For example, skeleton No. 18 in pit 62 was entirely
buried in human bones, including
four skulls.
Many individual
bones
were also found near burials
14, 27 and 28. In this respect,
the group
2 burials at Vovnigy resemble the situation
at Mariupol.
All the burials
of group II were oriented
with heads to the north.
Some of them were accompanied by finds such as pendants of deer teeth
(Nos. 14, 18, 28) and fish teeth (Nos. 10, 12, 14). In three instances
an Unio shell was found near the skeletons
(Nos. 10, 18, 28). In burial
27, two shells were found. A backed trapeze was found near skeleton No.
10 and a knife-like
blade near burial 14 (Fig. 17).
The third
group of burials
at Vilnyanka included
eight skeletons
(Nos, 1,2,4,5,21,22,22a,23).
These had been deposited from the level of
the black soil,
about 1.3 metres below the present surface level.
The
deceased were oriented
to the south (Nos. 1,2,21,22,22a,23)
or to the
north (Nos. 4,5). The graves were arranged in two rows and spaced at
considerable
intervals
from one another.
These burials,
as all others
in the cemetery, were in the supine extended position,
arms at sides,
hands near the pelvis.
In some cases (Nos. 2,5), the arms were bent at
the elbows and the legs were straightened,
No outline of the grave pits
could be traced.
were no finds.
Some of the
skeletons
showed traces
of ochre.
There
The Vilnyanka cemetery probably functioned over a considerable

period
during which time the burial rite changed significantly.
This resulted
in the formation
of three groups of burials
that differed
both in
burial ritual
and according to burial horizon. In addition,
the earlier
wer~ overlain
by burials
of subsequent periods which included
burials
the burials
of the second group overlying
those of the first
and those
of the third group overlying
the second. Thus, for example, skeleton
No. 5 of group III entirely
overlay
the 'red coloured'
grave pit
containing
skeletons
18, and 18a-A. On the other hand, the latter
was
situated
directly
over the remains of an oval grave pit containing
burial No. 30 of group I. That group I was earlier
than group II is
confirmed by the fact that oval pit A4 was overlain
by the rectangular
can be seen where
grave pit of 61. Other examples of superpositioning
skeletons
of group III (Nos. 4 and 5) overlay burials
of group I (Nos.
19, 20, 31, 32, 34). All of this supports
the basic chronological
divisions
of the Vilnyanka cemetery into three groups.
The distinctive
characteristics
understood
from the following
burials
( sexing and ageing of
Surnina (1961)).
of the Vilnyanka burials

can be best
brief
description
of some individual
the skeletons
was performed by T. S.
No. 1. Burial of an adolescent

c. 16-17 years old. Head oriented to
the S, severely
contracted
at both sides.
The head was drawn in
slightly,
arms at sides close to the trunk, hands under pelvis,
legs
straight
and close together.
Ochre. This burial partly overlay No. 15.
No. 2. Burial of a 25 to
extended supine position.
arm was straight
along the
at the elbow with the hand
No. 3. Single
skull
30 year old female, head oriented to the S,,

Legs straight
and closed at knees. The left
trunk while the right arm was bent slightly
on the left part of the pelvis.
of a child
c. 8 to 14 years.
No. 4. Burial of a 50-60 year old female, head oriented to the N with
face directed
west toward the river.
Extended supine position,
legs and
feet straight
along the axis of the spine, arms at sides and close to
the trunk, hands under pelvis,
head drawn in slightly.
No. 5. Burial of
face to the river.
together.
The right
was bent slightly
pelvis.
a 45-50 year old female, head oriented

to N with
legs straight,
feet close
arm extended straight
along the trunk, the left arm
at the elbow with hand on the left
side of the
All five of the above described

skeletons
another and nearly on the same horizon.
were found close
No. 6. Burial of an adolescent,

c. 13-14 years old. Extended
position,
SW orientation,
ochre. Four fish teeth were recovered.
Nos. 7, 8, and 9. Triple burial.
latter
completely overlay No. 9.
No. 7 was close
to one
supine
to No. 8 while
the
No. 7. Burial of a
deceased was probably
Among the lower ribs
Three pendants of deer
10-12 year old child, head oriented to NNE. The

Heavily ochred.
lay a well-worked microlithic
blade (Fig. 17,8).
teeth were also found.
No. 8. Burial of a 25-30 year old male with head to the NE. Extended
supine position,
arms at side, hands in centre of pelvis,
legs straight
and drawn slightly
together at the knees. No trace of ochre. Near the
pelvis lay an Unio shell while in the area of the abdomen were three
deer tooth pendants.
No. 9. Burial of a 25-30 year old female. Extended supine position,
oriented
to the NE. Arms were slightly
bent at the elbows, hands in
centre of pelvis,
legs extended. The skeleton was damaged, most likely
by the digging of the grave pit for No. 19. Between the ribs on the
left
side a deer tooth pendant and a number of fish teeth were
recovered.
Nos. 10, 10-a, 11, 12, 12-a. These constituted
a group burial in the
rectangular
pit 63, which was partly destroyed by erosion.
Burial No.
10-a had been the first
deposited followed by Nos. 10, 11 and 12, and
over the latter was the infant burial No. 12-a. Skeletons 10, 11 and 12
were all oriented
with heads to the N. The other burials
were badly
damaged.
No. 10. Burial of a 20-25 year old male. Extended supine position,
hands in centre of pelvis,
legs straight
and drawn close at the knees,
feet close together,
heavily ochred.
Near the right half of the pelvis
a backed trapeze was found. On the right femur lay a fragment of a
knife-like
blade. Below the pelvis were 52 Cyprinidae teeth. Under No.
10 and near the right humerus were the remains of a 10-12 year old
child (No. 10-a).
No. 11. Burial
of a partly
preserved
adult,
ochred.
No. 12. Burial of a 12-13 year old child. Extended supine position,
arms at side and closely drawn against the trunk, hands on pelvis, legs
slightly
bent to the right and closed together,
ochred. Between the
femurs lay a pile of Cyprinidae teeth. Nearby were the poorly preserved
remains of a child (No. 12).
No.13. Burial of a 40 to 45-year female in the supine position
immediately below the bottom of the rectangular
grave pit 6 1. It was
probably related to the group grave in the oval pit A4. The head was
orientated
to the SW and faced the left side.
Arms straightened
and
pressed closely to the trunk, hands under the pelvis.
One Unio shell
was found.
No.13-a.
Burial
of a 13 to 17-year
old adolescent.
Badly damaged.
No.14. Burial of a child of about 10-12 years lying on the bottom of

the rectangular
grave pit
6 1.
Heavily ochred.
Extended supine
position
with head to the N, arms at side close to the trunk,
legs
straightened
and closed.
Near the right femur lay a knife-like
blade
(Fig.17,9)
and a roughly worked animal bone.
A number of pendants of
deer teeth were on the skull,
and two large pendants were in the eye
sockets.
A number of similar
pendants crossed the pelvis.
A few
1?
pendants
pendants
were found on the vertebrae.

along with a few fish teeth.
Altogether,
there
were
31
No.15. Burial of a 13 to 17-year old adolescent.

It lay under
skeleton
No.1.
SSW orientation,
arms at
side, legs straightened,
well ochred.
Near the femurs was a pile of
Cyprinidae teeth.
Nos. 16 and 29. These formed a single paired burial in grave pit A3.
Skeleton No.16 lay directly
on No.20. The outline of the grave pit was
barely seen.
Skeleton No.16 was of a 30 to 35-year old female, head
orientated
to the SSW, extended
supine
position,
contracted
at
shoulders,
arms at side close to the trunk, hands in the centre of the
pelvis,
legs straightened.
The left
foot overlay the right.
Well
ochred.
Near the left half of the pelvis lay 15 Cyprinidae teeth.
The
grave pit containing
skeleton
No.16 contained
many individual
human
bones.
No.17. Burial of a 40 to 45-year male. Extended supine position with
head oriented to NNE, arms at side, close to the trunk, hands near the
pelvis,
slightly
ochred.
An Unio shell and a deer tooth pendant were
found.
Nos. 18, 18-a, 18-6,
18-a,
18-r.
A collective
burial
in the
rectangular
grave pit
6 2.
Skeleton
No.18 was overlain
by the
individual
bones of other burials
(18 a-r).
Skeleton No.18 was of a
very massive male of about 35-40 years orientated
to the N. Extended
supine position,
arms at side, heavily coloured.
There were found
individual
fish teeth and a few pendants of deer teeth.
Of the various
skulls,
three were those of children
(No .18-a was of an 8-year old
child; No.18- a was 11 or 12 years old; No.18-r,
4-12 years) and one
skull belonged to a 20 to 30-year old male.
No.19. Burial of a 20 to 25-year female in an oval pit.
Extended
supine position,
oriented
NNE, hands in the centre of pelvis,
legs
straightened,
feet turned to the left.
Slightly
coloured.
Near the
left clavicle
lay a row of fish teeth.
Under the thoracic
vertebrae,
were a broken trapeze and a flake.
The grave pit of this burial cut
skeletons Nos.8 and 9.
Nos. 20 1 31 1 32 and 34. These lay in a single grave pit (A2) but pt
different
depths.
Nos. 32 and 34 were the lowest,
above them lay
No.31, and about 25-30 cm. higher was skeleton No.20.
No.20. Burial of a 20 to 25-year old male.
Orientated
NNE, extended
supine
position,
arms at side,
hands near the pelvis,
severely
contracted
at the shoulders.
A row of deer tooth pendants (31 pcs.)
lay on the skull.
Along the clavicles
lay Cyprinidae
teeth.
Individual
fish teeth were found near the femurs.
The fish teeth were
arranged in
two rows below the pelvis.
One and two deer tooth
pendants were at the ankles (Fig.17, 13-16, 20).
Ochre.
No. 21. Burial of an adult,
extended supine position,
oriented
arms at side, slightly
bent at the elbows, hands near the pelvis,
straightened.
SSE,
legs
Nos.22 and 22-a. Burial No.22 was of a 8 to 12-year old child lain in
a supine position
with head to the S.
Arms at side, hands on the
pelvis,
legs straightened.
Directly
on the skull of skeleton 22 lay
another skull (22-a) but with no other bones.
No. 23. Remains of a child skeleton
the S, arms at side, legs extended.
of about
No. 24. Burial of a 2 to 4-year old infant.

Extended supine position
with head to the
preserved.
four
S.
years
oriented
to
Very heavily coloured.

Leg bones were not
Nos. 25 and 26. Paired burial in a grave pit of irregular

outline.
Skeleton No.25 lay directly
on skeleton No.26. There was also found an
individual
skull (No.36a).
Burial No.25 was of an adolescent about 17
years old.
No.26 was of a 30 to 35-year old female.
Both skeletons
were extended in supine positions
with heads to the S, arms slightly
bent with hands on the pelvis,
legs straightened
and closed at the
knees, feet closed.
Both slightly
coloured.
Nos. 27 and 28. A part of the collective
burial
in a small pit
descending from the base of grave pit 61.
Near the skull of skeleton
No.27 lay a single skull (27-a).
Burial 27 was of an adolescent,
No.28
was of a 25 to 30-year male.
Both were extended in supine positions
with heads to the N, arms at sides, hands close to the pelvis,
legs
straightened
and closed at the knees, feet straightened.
Heavily
coloured.
The pit contained an Unio and an Anadonta shell, and also a
deer tooth pendant.
On both sides of skull 28 lay four deer tooth
pendants.
One of the pendants slipped into the left' eye socket.
Five
similar pendants were found below the pelvis.
Two pendants were on the
metatarso-phalangeal
bones of the left foot.
Under the left shoulder
of the dead lay a number of bones (a femur and a tibia)
from another
skeleton.
Between the tibial
bones of skeleton 28 lay a child's
skull
(No.27-a).
No.29.
Burial of a 30 to 35-year old female lying immediately under
skeleton No.16.
Extended supine position with head to the SSW facing
upwards.
Arms slightly
bent at the elbows, hands on the pelvis,
legs
straightened
and closed at the knees, feet straightened,
shoulders
contracted.
Coloured.
Between the femurs lay seven bones (5 femurs,
an ulna and a tibia)
from other burials.
The epiphyses of these bones
were broken, and some of the bones were splintered.
One of these bones
was overlain
by the hand of the dead.
In the area of the abdomen to
the right of the spinal column, a long bone point was found (Fig.17,
10).
There were also fish teeth.
Near the feet, two pendants of deer
teeth were found.
Between the femurs lay two trapezes and a flake with
wear marks (Fig. 17,5).
No. 30. Remains of an adult burial,
which were unearthed under the
bones lay a deer
bottom of grave pit 6 2. On the metatarso-phalangeal
tooth pendant.
Nos. 31 1 33 1 34. Adult burials in single grave pit A2 under skeleton
No.20. Extended supine position with heads to the S.
No. 31. Burial of a very massive 25 to 30-year old male. Arms at
side, legs straightened
and somewhat closed, shoulders contracted
(Fig.
34
16, 1). On the skull, a

It is likely
that they
Various fish teeth were
of the skeleton and near
great amount of fish teeth (79 pcs) was found.

were sewn on the head-dress
of the deceased.
also found between the ribs on the right side
the clavicle.
Coloured.
No 32. Burial of a 30 to 40-year old male lying near skeleton No. 34

and under skeleton
31. Arms at side,
legs
straightened,
feet closed. Coloured. Nearby lay a number of deer tooth
pendants.
They lay in a row on the skull and also along the spinal
column. When unearthing
the skull, there was found a small fragment of
a boar tusk artifact
and a fragment of a small flint
blade with
retouch.
Nos 33 and 38. occurred in a single grave pit (A6)
depths separated by a layer of fill about 40 cm. thick.
but at different
No. 33. Burial of a 10 to 12-year old child, extended in the supine

position
with head to the S, arms at side, hands on the pelvis,
legs
straightened.
Under the left clavicle
lay an Anadonta shell.
No 34. Burial of a 20 to 25-year old male. Arms at side, hands near
the pelvis,
legs straightened.
On the right foot lay three rows of deer
tooth pendants (of 4, 4 and 2 pcs). A great amount of fish teeth were
also collected
(84 pcs).
Nos. 35, 36, 37, 39, 40 and 41 occurred in two layers of three
skeletons
each within a single
grave pit (A4). The grave pit was
overlain
by the rectangular
grave pit 61. The number of skeletons
in
the single oval pit should probably include skeleton No. 13, which lay
immediately below the rectangular
pit and above burials 35-37 and 39-41
at a depth of about 0.6-0.7 m.
No. 35. Burial of a 20 to 25-year old female. Extended supine
position
with head to SSW, arms at side, hands near the pelvis,
legs
straightened.
Coloured. Around the skull lay the remains of fish teeth
(20 pcs).
No. 36. Burial of a 7 or 8-year old child lying alongside skeleton
No. 35 but oriented in the opposite direction,
i.e.,
NNE. Arms at side
close to the trunk, hands near the pelvis, legs straightened.
Coloured.
Two pendants were found on the feet,
and some fish teeth were found
near the vertebrae.
No. 37. Burial of a 6 or 7-year old child lying alongside skeleton
No. 36 and oriented
in the same direction.
arms closely pressed to the trunk, hands carefully
laid on the pelvis,
legs
straightened.
Very heavily
coloured.
There were found 81
Cyrprinidae
teeth. They lay at the elbows, below the pubis and pelvis,
and also on the feet.
In addition,
there were found two deer-tooth
pendants.
Near the left
femur lay a well worked awl (Fig. 17, 12).
There were two flint blades, one of which was microlithic
(it lay near
the left temple), and the other was of medium size (Fig. 17, 6, 7). The
latter
was near the awl.
No. 38. Burial of a 20 to 25-year old male lying under skeleton No.
33 and oriented
to the SSE. Extended supine position,
arms at side,
hands on pelvis,legs
straightened
(Fig. 16, 2). Very heavily coloured.
35
Near the right shoulder lay an Anadonta shell. Near the right elbow was
a small perforated
spiral shell. A pile of splintered
cattle and human
bones including
fragments of a human skull was found between the
femurs.
A considerable
portion
of cattle
bones showed traces
of
burning. A small scraper was also found (Fig. 17, 4).
No. 39. Burial of a 25 to 30-year old male lying on skeleton No. 40
and oriented to the SSW. Extended supine position,
arms at side, hands
near the pelvis, legs straightened,
shoulders slightly
contracted.
Near
the left
shoulder,
a bone awl was found (Fig. 17, 11). Slightly
coloured.
Nos. 40 and 41. Burial of a 40 to 45-year old male (No. 40) and of
an 8 to 10-year old child (No. 41). Burial No. 40 was under skeleton
No. 39. On the right arm of skeleton 40 lay the child's
skeleton. Both
were oriented to the S, extended supine position,
arms at side, hands
with palms down on the femurs, legs straightened
(Fig. 18, 2). Heavily
coloured. Along the spinal column of skeleton No. 40 lay pendants of
deer teeth (Fig. 17, 17) A row of fish teeth was found below the
pubis. At the bottom of the grave pit, near the feet of the skeleton,
lay a microlithic
scraper. Over the spinal column, on the right side of
the lumbar region, lay two trapezes (Fig. 17, 1,2).
It..
.,
~".
The Vasilyevka V Cemetery

Near the village
of Vasilyevka,
Sinelkovky district,
Dnepropetrovsk
region, five prehistoric
cemeteries were discovered among which three
(I, III, IV) were Mesolithic and two (II, V) were Neolithic.
Cemetery V
is situated
on the right
tip of the Belyaeva ravine,
which lies
somewhat south of cemetery II, excavated by A. D. Stolyar (see above).
The first
burials
were discovered by the authors in the bank of the
Lenin Lake. They occurred in loessic
soils at a depth of about 1. 2 2.2 m. with no traces of grave pits as a rule (Telegin 1968). It is
likely that the dead were deposited from a level about 1 metre below
the present surface.
In the loess were found various flint
artifacts
and a fire-place
which measured about 1.3 x 0.5 m.
.,
1
Fig.
18 Burials
2
from Vasilyevka
V (1) and Vilnyanka (2).
Judging by the number of skulls,

37 individuals
were unearthed (Fig.
19). They lay singly in individual
grave pits (Nos. 9, 10, 28-32, 34,
37) or in pairs (Nos. 7, 8, 35, 36) and in groups. The group grave pit
contained six skeletons
(Nos. 13-16, 19, 20) lying close together at
the same depth. All the skeletons were oriented strictly
to the east
with skulls arranged in one line. There were also found remains of five
skeletons
(Nos, 11, 12, 17, 18 and 21) lying 20-25 cm. below and
somewhat apart from the group grave.
The major portion of the skeletons
(20) seemed to have been damaged
in antiquity
probably because of the repetitive
use of the graves.
Among these damaged skeletons,
seven single
skulls
were found in
secondary position.
Ten skeletons were in anatomic order. The dead were
lain in the supine position
with legs straightened
and closed, arms
slightly
bent, hands placed on the lower part of the abdomen. All the
dead were oriented to the E or NE. While excavating this cemeter y , it
was not unusual to find skeletons overlying one another as a result of
repetitive
use of the graves. This fact assists
us in clarifying
the
relative
chronology of the burials.
37
1<124
~25
ka17
t<t18
There were three burials

accompanied by grave goo ds (Nos. 8, 10 , 29).
The most interesting
in this respect was burial No. 10 . It contained 17
small flint
implements including a flint knife on a massive bla de , six
scrapers
on small flakes,
four small en d-scrapers
on shortened bl ade s,
a trapeze blank with steep retouch on one side, a small denti culate d
tool made from a thin blade, and four flakes (Fig. 20, 1-17). Nearly all
of these finds lay under the back of the skull of the deceased, and
only two flin t artifacts
were found on its
left
side above the
shoulder.
Amon g the flint
finds
of the cemeter y should also be
mentioned a small heavily
patinated
trapeze with flak ing on the back
(Fig. 20, 18). and a fragme nt of a si mila r artifact
also beari ng s i gns
of heavy pati nation,
which was found under skeleto n No. 16. Besi des
these
small
finds
of
microlithic
appearance,
there
were two
comparatively
large artifacts
such as a fr agment of a knife made f r om a
well facetted
blade of medium size (skeleton
No. 29), and a scraper on
a large irregular
blade which was found in the group grave (Fig. 20,
19, 20). Eighteen skeletons
of the 37 bur ials in this cemetery were to
some extent s pr inkled with red ochre.
30
r,I ~~
,If,
~l
Description
of burials:
Nos. 1, 3, 5, 17, 18, 22, 24, 26. Individual

No. 2. Burial
of an adu l t,
extended
skul l s of adults.
in the supine
position.
No. 4. Remains of a 25 to 30- year old female in the supine position .

Only the upper part was preserved;
the lower part of the skeleton had
been washed away.
...
No Sa. Various
1<84,14.24
bones of an adult
ske l eton with no s kull,
No. 6. Bur ia l of an age d female destro yed by wate r erosion.

skull and some fragments of the left arm were recove red ,
50
Only t he
Nos, 7 and 8. Two ad ul t burials

probably f ro m a single grave pit .
Skeleton No. 7 was partly destroyed by skeleton No. 8 . Skeleton No . 7
had traces
of ochre. Skeleton No. 8 was in the su pine position,
legs
s traightened,
arms slight ly bent at the elbows, hands near the pelvi s.
Slightly
coloured.
A patinated
trapeze
with flaked back lay on the
rig ht side of t he pelvis (Fi g. 20, 8).
No. 9. Burial of a 45 t o 55-year old male exten ded in the
position,
legs closed, feet straightened,
supine
No 10. Burial of an adult i n the extended posit i on . Under an d near

Lhe sku ll lay 17 flint artifacts
describe d above (Fig. 20 , 1-17),
[QJI
Fig.
~II
~Ill
19 Vasilyevka V. Plan and diagrammatic sectional

view. Legend:
I - plough soil; II - black soil; III - loessic loa m IV remains of fire places; V - finds near skel etons ,
'
No. 11 . Buria l of an adult in the supine position

part of the skeleton
was preserved ; the lower part
eros ion. Eastern orientatio n . Heavi ly coloured.
. Only the upper

was destro yed by
No. 12. Burial of an adult ly i ng near and so mewhat below No. 11 .

the uppe r part of t he skeleton
(s kull and humeri) was preser ved;
the lower par t was destr oyed by erosion. Traces of ochre were not i ce d .
Only
Nos . 13-16, 19-20 . A group buri a l of adults.

The dead were lain i n a
as one compact group with heads to the E. All were extended in t he
1,1 w
,o
supine position
and well ochred. In most cases, the skeletons
in t he
lower part of the grave were destroyed by erosion.
Skeleton No. 16 lay
immediately on No. 14. Skeleton No. 16 overlay skeleton No. 19 which,
in turn, over lay burial No. 20.
No. 21. Burial of an adult extended in the supine
overlain by skeleton No. 20. Well coloured.
position
and part l y
No. 23. Burial of an adult in the supine position.

The lower part of
the skeleton was destroyed,
probably by burial No. 21. Skeleton No. 23
overlay buria l No. 33 at an angle.
No. 25. Burial of an ad ult . Only the upper part

preserved.
The lower part was destroye d by erosion.
of the skeleton was

Slightly
ochred.
'
11
10
-,
14
\ ~I
,, .
16
15
No. 31, Burial of an a dul t in the s upi ne posi tion . Only the
part of the skeleton and the left femur were preserved,
Coloured.
'
17
Fig.
No. 28. Burial of an adolescent

female in the supi ne position.
straightened,
Well coloured (Fig . 18, 1).
Legs
No. 30. Buria l of an adolescent

in the supine position.
Sl ight l y
colour ed . The outline
of an oval grave pit could be traced by i t s
colouration
at the same leve l as the ske leton itself.
position.
No, 29. Burial of an adult in the supine posi tion , The skull of
skeleton No, 29 overlay the feet of ske l etons Nos, 35 and 36. To the
l eft of the pel vis of No, 29 lay a fragment of a flint knife (Fig. 20 ,
19).
13
12
No, 27, Burial of a 20 to 30-year old female in the supine

Only the upper part (skull and humeral bones) was preserved,
20
Vasilyevka
No, 32. Burial

pos ition,
severely
18
V cemetery.
of a 25 to 30-year
old female,
Extended
contracted
at the sides, Well coloured.
uppe r
supine
19
Flint
artifacts.
No, 33. Buri al of an adult,

extended
sk eleton No, 33, slightly
coloured.
supine
No. 34.
position,
old
Burial
of
25 to
30-year
position.
female ,
Overlai n by
Extended
su pi ne
Nos, 35-36. Burial of ad ult s in a single grave pit. Extende d supine

positions.
Skeleton No. 35 l ay direct ly over No. 36. Near the cervical
vertebrae of skeleton No. 36 lay a flake.
No. 37, Burial of a 25 to 30-year old male. Extended supine posi ti on
with head to E, severely contracted
at sides. Slightly
coloured .
The distribution
of the skeletons and the differences
in buria l r i tes
s uggest that this cemetery was probab ly util ized over a period of ti me.
Its developme nt may be di vided into two stages:
the first
s t age
comprises the orientation
of the dead to t he NE mainl y in single grave
pits (Nos. 9 , 10, 28, 32, 33 , etc.) or in paired graves (Nos. 7, 8, 35,
36), and the second stage retains
the NE orientation
but now bur i a l is
made in group graves (Nos. 13-1 6 , 19-20). The fact that the burials of
t he
second
group
follow
those
of
the
first
is
confir med
stratigraphically.
Thus, skeleton
No. 23 of the second group was
directly
over skeleton No. 33 of the first
group and overlay the latter
at an angle. The skull of skeleton No. 29 oriented to the E overlay the
tibio-fibular
bones of skeletons
Nos. 35 and 36 oriented
to the NE.
Attention
should be drawn also to the differences
in grave goods found
in the burials of these two groups. The earlier
burials
contained only
microlithic
finds (Nos. 10, 8), while the burials
of the l ater period
were accompanied
by massive
flint
artifacts
(No.29) typologically
related
to a later time.
The Osipovka Cemetery
In 1970, as a result
of the 'Dnieper-Donbass'
expedition
under the
di rection of the author, a large multi-period
cemetery was found on the
left
bank of
the
Orel
river,
near
the
village
of Osipovka,
Magdalinovsky district.
The cemetery is situated
on a small elevation
(about 4-5 m. above the level of the flood plain)
between the river
bank and the Liman Lake, which lies to its south.
Here, next to the
river,
a Neolithic
settlement
was situated
evidenced
by a cultural
layer
containing
ceramics
of the
Dnieper-Donets
culture.
The
northernmost
burials
of the cemetery were found on the extreme edge of
this Neolithic
settlement.
As a result of excavations
in 1971-73, there was unearthed an area of
about 1000 sq .m. encompassing 6 7 burials.
Among these burials,
the
author excavated ten grave pits of Neolithic
date (Nos. 3, 8, 11, 20,
28, 31, 34, 35, 65, 66).
The other graves are mainly from the Late
Bronze Age to still
later times.
The Neolithic
burials
occupied a band more than 30 m. long and about
10-12 m. wide, wherein they were rather widely spaced (Fig.21).
Among
these burials,
the most interesting
were four single graves (Nos. 3, 8,
11 , 28), one paired burial of an adult with an infant (No.20), and five
c ollective
grave pits with many skeletons
in each; i.e.,
grave pit
No.31 - 7 skeletons;
No.65 6 skeletons;
and grave pit No.66 - 4 skeletons.
In total,
there were
37 burials
comprising 26 adults,
one adolescent
and 10 children.
Two
single burials
(Nos. 8 and 28) were of children.
One infant was buried
in the paired grave No. 20.
Remains of seven child
skeletons
were
recovered from the collective
grave pits; one in grave pit 31 and six
in grave pit 53.
In the last case, one of the skel e tons was of an
adolescent.
42
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All the burials

occurred
in the subsoil
of a sandy terrace
a pproximately at the same depth within the limits of 1.5 to 2.0 m. fr om
the present s urface.
The out l ine of a grave pit cou l d be traced only
in one case (No.3).
It was of an oval form (Fig.21,3).
The
orientation
of the dead was traced
only in the single
and paired
burials.
Here the dead were oriented
to the W (Nos. 20, 28), the NW
(j';
~ CJ)
>'rj
I-'
The positions
of the dead could be traced only in the single and
paired
burials,
wherein all were extended
in the supine position,
severely
contracted
at the shoulders,
arms at side, hands mainly on
pe l vie bones, legs straightened
and closed (Fig. 22, 3-5). Such an
arrangement of bones could only be feasible
if the dead were bound or
swaddled tightly.
The most indicative
in this respect was the paired
burial (No. 20) where the adult was swaddled together with a baby whose
bones were literally
'welded' against those of the adult (Fig. 22, 3).
,.
en
er
'1
I-'
Ill
I-'
(/)
-.,..
~: N
0
ro
&
~"
~
~.~
w
I .
~
w-
0,)
~t:If -
ii.~
'
C
.:k
W.
0:,
J.
!.
,.
(Nos. 3, 8) or the SW (No.11), i.e.,

generally
along the flow of the
river with heads pointing downstream.
As for the orientation
in the
collective
grave pits,
it was difficult
to come to any conclusion,
since none 9f these skeletons occurred in anatomical order.
The outlines
and dimensions of the collective
grave pits could not be
accurately
determined,
but in view of the arrangement of the bones it
was clear that they varied in form. Some of them were rounded (Nos. 31
and 34), measuring about 1.2 x 0.8 m. and 1.1 x 0.5 m. or elongated
(Nos. 53, 65, 66).
The dimensions of the latter
were somewhat greater:
up to 2 m. long and only 0.5-0.6 m. wide.
In these grave pits the
bones lay out of anatomical order.
Among them were skulls,
long bones
of arms and legs, and sometimes pelvic bones.
Small bones were scarce.
In all instances,
the skulls had no mandibles.
Grave goods were met only in two cases; near a single child burial
(No.38) lay about 200 Cyprinidae teeth,
and in collective
grave pit
No.53, among the human bones, lay a worked bone artifact
- probably an
ornament of pointed oval form with two perforations.
The object was
decorated
with nine rounded pit marks (Fig. 23,3).
Nothing similar to
this has ever been found in any other Neoltihic cemetery of the Dnieper
valley.
In addition to these finds, among the bones in each of the two grave
pits
(Nos. 3 and 34) lay a ceramic fragment of the Dnieper-Donets
culture,
whose relation
to these burials
was not quite clear,
since
similar
ceramic fragments were also met in some other places of the
cemetery. Poor traces of red ochre were noticed on bones in collective
grave pit No.65. Below is a detailed
description
of the grave pits of
this cemetery.
No.3. Burial of an adult in an oval grave pit at a depth of about 1.5
m. in extended supine position.
North-western
orientation,
contracted
at shoulders,
arms at side (Fig.22,5).
Near the skull lay a Neolithic
comb-decorated sherd.
No.8. Burial of a child very poorly preserved
with head to the W. at a depth of 1.58 m.
22
position
No.11. Burial of an adult at a depth of 1. 58 m. Extended supine

position
with head to W, contracted
at shoulders,
arms at side, hands
on the pelvis,
legs closed.
No.20. Paired burial of an adult and a child.
The adult was extended
in the supine position with head to the W, arms at side, the left hand
on the child's
bones, which were probably lain in the same position
(Fig. 22,3).
3
Fig.
in extended
Osipovka cemetery. Collective

grave pits 31 (1) and 34 (2),
paired burial of adult with child, No. 20 (3), and single
burials Nos. 28 (4) and 3 (5).
No.28. Burial of a child,

extended in the supine position,
head to
the W, arms at side, hands on pelvis.
Near the cervical
vertebrae and
the right arm, and also in some other places lay about 200 Cyprinidae
teeth (Figs. 22,4; 23,5).
No.31. Collective
burial of seven adults and probably one child, as
seen from the number of skulls.
All the bones lay out of anatomical
order in a grave pit 1 x 1.2 m. in size.
These were secondary burials,
since some of the bones of the eight individuals
were missing.
There
AA
were found 10 femurs,

22,1; 23,4).
10 tibias,
6 fibulas
and some other
bones (Figs.
No.34, Collective
secondary burial of three adults.
Bones (3 skulls,
6 femurs, 6 tibias,
6 ulnae , 6 radii)
l ay in a small grave pit (0 .5 x
0.8 m). Among the bones, a Neolithic
s herd was foun d (Fig. 22,2 ).
- ---- -~
~'\
''
-
- --
~---------
-------
- -- ---
No.53. Collective
secondary burial in an oval grave pi t measuring 1.9
x 0.6 m. in size with its long axis in a north-south
direction.
At
first,
there was found an accumulation
of small burnt stones and
remains of human bones which were considerably
burnt as well.
The
bones were out of any anatomical order.
In total,
there were 11 skulls
including
six of adults,
one of an adolescent,
and the rest of
children.
There were also found 11 femurs, 10 tibias,
12 humeri, 6
ulnae, 4 radi i , etc.
Among the pi l e of bones, there was found a bone
ornament of a pointed-oval
form decorated with pits on one side (Fig.
23,3).
No.65. Collective
secondary burial in an elongated grave pit of 0 .4 x
2.0 m. in size. Here lay the disordered
bones of six adults.
In total,
there were 6 skulls,
9 humeri, 7 radii,
11 ti bias, 4 f i bulas and 2
femurs.
Some of the bones had traces of ochre (Fig. 23,1).
-- - -2 ---
'
6
4
Fig.
23
Osipovka ~emetery~ Collective

graves 65 (1), 66 (2), 31 (4),
53 (6), single child burial 28 (5) and bone ornament from
grave pit No. 53 (3).
No. 66. Collective

secondary burial.
The number of skulls su ggests
that these belonged to four poorly preserved adults.
Three of the
skulls had no mandibles.
The fourt h was in a ver y poor state.
In
addition,
there were found 12 large human bones inc l uding 3 femurs, 4
tibias,
1 humerus, 2 ulnae, pelvic bones, and also a number of small
bones (Fig. 23,2).
The Osipov ka cemetery is of great importance to our understandi ng of
the distinguishing
features
of the Neolithic
cemeter ie s in the Dnieper
valley.
Though there
were no ceram ic finds
( except for th e two
fragments,
which were probably introduced
into the pits by accident),
the assignment of this cemetery to th e Dnieper-Donets culture is beyond
doubt.
This cemetery was probably used by the inhabitants
from the
adjacent
settlement
culture.
In spite of some
differences,
this cemetery, in general,
is undoubte dl y related
to the
group of the Mariupol-type
monuments.
This can be seen from the
extended supine positions
of the 'swaddled'
dead, the presence of
Cyprinidae teeth and traces of ochr e . However, here also we find the
repetitive
use of collec t ive grave pits
and secondary
buria l in
collective
pits.
These traits,
so clearly
seen in the Osipovka
cemetery, have not been observed in any other cemetery of the Dniepe r
valley.
The arrangement of the single graves in Osipovka was also of
an original
character.
They were spread nonsyste maticall y , while in
other cemeteries
of this t ype single gr aves were usua lly arrange d in
rows. Among the artifacts
from the other cemeteries,
no analog y can be
gi ven to the above mentioned pointed-oval
bone pendant fo und in the
Osipovka cemetery.
The only similar
arti fa ct was found by T, D.
Belanovskaya
at
Rakushechny
Yar,
where
a multilayer
Neolithic
settlement
was excavated.
Due to these particular
distinguishing
features
in the buria l rites
an d the rite of secondary burial,
in particular,
the Osipovka cemet ery
assumes a special
positio n among the other monuments of this kind in
the Dnieper valley.
This may be associated
with the local
distinctive
47
characteristics
culture.
In general,
this
cemetery is probably dated to the Earlier
and Middle stages of the
Dnieper-Donets
culture,
i.e. , it may be assigned to the end of th ,e 5th
or the beginning of the 4th millennium b.c.
The C-14 analysis
of bones
from grave pit No.53 indicates
an age in a range from 3990+ 420 to 4125
+ 125 years b.c.
Unfortunately,
the internal
chronology
of the
Osipovka grave pits
could not be discerned
due to the absence of
stratigraphic
evidence.
Within
the territory
of Eastern
Europe,
only a few reusable
collective
grave pits may be considered analogous to those of Osipovka.
In this
respect,
we know only a group grave in the Chernaya-Gora
cemetery north of Riazan.
Here were discovered
four horizons
each
containing
5-8 skeletons
lying in disorder
(Tsvetkova 1970, 127-128).
The Yasinovatka Cemetery
The Yasinovataka
cemetery is situated
near the Dnieper rapids on the
high left bank of the river,
where the latter
sharply bends to the west
and then no less sharply returns
to the south, its general trend of
of the village
of
flow. The cemetery is located
4 km. north-west
Yasinovatka,
Vilnyanka district,
Zaporozhe region,
on the left tip of
Skelyuvataya
( or Kamyanuvataya) ravine.
On the right
bank of the
Dnieper,
opposite
the cemetery,
is situated
the village
of Vovnigy,
Dnepropetrovsk
region,
where in 1952 M. Ya. Rudynsky excavated
the
Neolithic
cemetery of Vovnigy II.
'"lj
f-'
OQ
N
.i::--
>-<
OJ
01
C/l
I-'
::i
0
<
OJ
rt
;,;-
In the immediate vicinity

of the Yasinovatka cemetery, on a separate
elevation
about 30-35 m. to the north-east,
M.Ya.Rudynsky examined the
grave pits of the first
Vovnigy cemetery (the left-bank
cemetery) in
1949. Further to the east on the same left bank of the Dnieper, may be
observed traces of two other Neolithic
burials:
one on the right tip of
the Skelyuvataya
ravine,
and the other
on the right
tip of the
neighbouring Klaguza ravine.
OJ
()
(1)
13
(1)
rt
(1)
'i
..-:
0
'i
(\)
One of the Dnieper rapids (the Vovnigy rapids) was situated

opposite
the Klaguza ravine and somewhat to its east prior to the rise of the
water-level.
During the erection
of the Dneprogess hydropower station,
A. V. Dobrovolsky excavated two Neolithic
camp-sites
(the right and the
left-bank
sites)
at Vovnigy.
..-:
(1)
' <)
I'
t t
\JI
The level of the cemetery under discussion

is about 10 m. higher than
that of the present water level (the Lenin Lake).
The Dnieper runs
here to the west.
If we take into account the fact that, because of
the Dnieper dam, the water level is considerably
higher now than it was
in ancient times, the cemetery was originally
located on a high terrace
about 25-30 m. above the Dnieper.
The cemetery was discovered
by A.V. Bodyansky in 1964 as a result
of
excavations
of an Eneolithic
cairn.
Under this
cairn,
there
was
discovered
a red area which indicated
the presence
of a Neolithic
burial pit.
This grave pit was excavated by the author together with
A. V. Bodyansky and D. Yu. Nuzhny in 1978.
In total,
the cemetery
covered an area of about 84 sq.m.
Stratigraphically,
arranged as follows:
the deposits
in the vicinity
of the cemetery are
the steppe black soil up to 0.8 m. thick gradually
4A
49
changes to a brown subsoil up to 0.6 m. t hick, and th e latter

over l ays
a thick light-yellow
layer of loess.
The grave pits were initiat ed
from the middl e and lower parts of the subsoil,
i.e.,
from a depth of
about 1 m. from the present
surface.
On th is horizon,
bas i cally
against the background of t he light-co l oured subso il, there appeared a
large dark red spot of subrectangul ar shape.
On its
sur fac e and
nearby, there were uneart hed large sto nes (up to 0.8-1.0
m. acro ss)
which lay in heaps of three or four.
Then within the l imits of the red
area,
there was discovere d the main collective
grave pi t which we
numbered grave pit 6 (Fig.24).
Under this buria l pit and somewhat
apart,
there were discovered
seven comparatively
smal l grave pits (Al7) of an oval form (Fig.25 ) .
According to the number of skulls,
th e Yasinovat ka cemetery contain ed
burials
of 68 individuals
i ncluding,
a s I.D. Potek hina has dete rmined,
51 adults,
four adolescents
and ni ne children.
Among t he adul t
burials,
36 skeletons were of males an d 15 of fema les .
...."
@}) 1
+
J_
-111
m 1v
0 "
I~---1
[Ilij
VI
~ VII
The state of preservation

of the dea d varied.
There were abo ut 30
well and comparatively
wel l preserved skeletons
inc lu ding sku lls . In
most cases,
only the lower parts
of the skeleto ns were re cover ed.
About 40 bur i als were re presented
only by skul l s l ying in derived
positions.
In most cases, the buria ls in both the A-type gr ave pits
and in the red-coloured
(6) grave were destroyed.
Quite ofte n , th ere
were only heaps of human lo ng bones lying in disor der . In so me cases,
the bodies ha d been distur bed before they were completely decompose d .
The burial
rite,
as in all the ce meteries
of the Mariu pol t ype,
appeared to be rather unif orm.
In the grave pits,
all the dead were
extended in supine positio ns with legs cl osed and ar ms slightl y bent at
the elbows, hands on the pelvis.
Buria l s with ar ms s tr aightene d a t the
side with hands near the pelvis were rarer.
It is interesting
to note
that some of the skeleto ns , especial ly i n the re d- col oured gra ve pit,
were severely
bent at the pelvis,
while the skulls and feet were ab out
12-15 cm. higher than t he pelvic bones.
Some of the skelet ons were
severely
contracted
at the sides,
especially
at the shoulders,
with
legs straightened
and closed.
It is li kely that t he dead were bound or
swaddled, or squeezed into a very narro w pit (Fig. 26) .
The orientation
of the dead was traced in 44 ca ses.
It varied
according to group (Fig.27).
In the A-type gra ve pit s, all the dead,
with one exception (No.21), were oriented with heads to the south-east.
In the 6 grave, the orie nt ation of the dead was diff erent.
Here two
groups could be distinguished:
some were deposite d with heads to the
north-east,
others
to the north-nort h-west.
Deviat ions fro m the se
directions
were infrequent.
Fig.
25
Yasinovatka
stones; II,
V - subsoil;
cemetery. Plan and sectional

view. Legend: I III - outlines of grave pits; IV - black soil;
VI - pit fill;
VII - loess.
50
The three groups of buri als are a lso differenti

the grave pits.
ated
by the nature
of
Burials in oval grave pits of the A-type

As mentioned above, seven grave pits of this type were uncovere d . Six
of them (Al-6) were situ ate d south-wes t of the red-c olo ured spot of t he
Ei-g rave or were overlain
by the l atter . The se venth grave pit (A-7)
was at the north-eastern
margin of the cemeter y . The contou rs of the
grave pits were traced at diff erent dept hs from 1 . 2 t o 1. 6 m. i n the
base of the subsoil
(A-1, A-4, A-6, A-7) or at t he beginnin g of the
N~d 1/,"Q_
~,
c; 1 ,..;;,
II
3zl
~w..~
"'~
~~~
t~.
N
'
O 32~
0 21 l?Q
Jto
0 1?
'bO
i~.~ .
o.l\~
~.
?,;
~+~
d 6 o~ ~.~
o,5'
-i
-2
0-3
Fig. 27 Yasinovatka cemetery. Orientation

6-1 (1), 6-2 (2), and A (3).
\0
N
00
r-i
i:x..
,-
53
of three burial
groups:
loess.
The walls of the grave pits were more or less steep.
The
bottoms were oval (Fig.28).
The fill of these grave pits was of humic
loess
(from the subsoil).
In nearly
all
cases,
the skeletons
themselves were rather heavily sprinkled with red ochre, especially
in
the group graves.
In some of the A-group burials,
mainly at the
western margin (Nos. 17, , 18, 21, 43), ochre was barely visible.
Among the 68 burials
of ~he Yasinovatka cemetery, 21 skeletons
were
in small oval grave pits,
namely: six skeletons
(Nos.53, 54, 61-64)
were in grave pit A-1; seven skeletons (Nos.31, 55-58, 58a, 59) were in
A-2; four skeletons
(Nos.40-42, 65) were in A-4; and each of the A-3,
A-5, A-6 arid A-7 graves contained one skeleton,
respectively
Nos. 39,
60, 21, 5 (Fig.25, 28).
Skeletons in the group grave pits were of ten laid in a number of
layers,
one above the other, cutting
down and destroying
the earlier
burials,
when new grave pits were dug out.
Therefore,
the grave pits
contained well preserved skeletons and separate skulls as well as great
amounts of individual
bones heaped in disorder.
Grave pit A-1.
At the top, there were found three separate skulls
(Nos. 53, 61, 62).
There was also the upper part of skeleton No.54 and
a great number of long bones, probably of skeletons Nos. 53, 61 and 62.
Below were found two undamaged skeletons
lying one above the other:
No.63 was above No.64.
The whole mass of human bones was about 50 cm.
thick.
Near skeleton No.54 lay seven pendants of deer ~eeth (Fig.29,
bla~e of flint.
Near the
1-7) and a small fragment of a knife-like
chest of No.63 lay an Unio shell.
A poorly preserved bone awl was
found near the left ulna of skeleton No.64.
M-1 :20
o 20 40
It is quite probable that burial No.32 should also be related

to
grave pit A-1 as its orientation
was similar to all the other burials
though it lay 20 cm. higher.
Skeleton No.32 was damaged probably by
burial No. 32 which was oriented to the north.
Grave pit A-2. This pit yielded seven skeletons.
One of the badlydamaged skeletons
(No.31) lay at a comparatively
high level - about 4060 cm. higher than the others.
Below, there were found four single
skulls
(Nos. 55, 57, 58, 59) and many individual
human bones which
covered and surrounded
two comparatively
well preserved
sk~letons
(Nos.56 and 58-a).
The thickness
of this bone layer was about 80 cm.
Near the child skeleton No.56, a number of ornaments were recovered:
near the chest and the pelvis lay about 30 Cyprinidae teeth; three deer
tooth pendants were found near the feet.
Fig.
28
Yasinovatka
cemetery.
Burials
in grave pits
Grave pit A-3.

This held a badly preserved adult burial.
Only a
Cyprinidae tooth was found which lay near the skull.
The A-3 grave pit
appeared to cut the edge of the A-2 pit (Fig.25).
Grave pit
A-4.
There were four comparatively
well
skeletons
(Nos.40-42, 65), which lay in two layers (Fig.25).
feet of the child skeleton (No.40) lay a deer tooth pendant.
like blade was found near skull No. 65.
Here were also
pendants of deer teeth.
preserved
Near the
A knifefound 18
A-1, A-2 and A-4.
J!!la
.
'
io'ig. 29
Yasinovatka cemetery. Deer tooth pendant (1-6) and pharyngeal

Cyprinidae teeth (7-8) found near burials in the A-type oval
pits.
55
Grave pits A-5, A-6, A-7. As noted above, in each of the graves lay
one skeleton
(Nos. 60, 21 and 5 respectively).
There was no grave
goods in any of the burials.
Besides the burials
in grave pits Al-7, this group should probably
include
a collective
burial
of adults
Nos. 19, 20 and 20a, whose
outline
could not be traced completely,
and also an adult burial No.33
whose outline could not be found at all.
The relation
of these burials
to this particular
group in the cemetery,
in addition
to orientation,
is confirmed by the fact that skeleton No.33 was cut by skeleton No.34
from the red-coloured
grave pit 6.
Moreover, near skeletons
Nos. 19
and 20 were found two deer tooth pendants (Fig.29,15),
typical
for the
oval grave pits of the A-type.
Grave pit 6
The red area of this collective
grave was noticed at a depth of about
1.2-1.3 m. from the present
surface,
i.e.,
in the middle part of the
subsoil.
In the loess, this grave pit in its central
part descended to
a depth of 0.8 m.
Its bottom was somewhat higher at the sides,
especially
towards the south-west
where the mass of the red-coloured
f ill partly overlay the A-type graves (Figs.24;
25).
In plan,
this
red-coloured
grave pit
was of a sub-rectangular
In its northern
part,
the layers of
outline,
5. 2 x 5. 6 m. in size.
earth were cut through by an Eneolithic
Yamnaya burial
lying under a
mound which was previously
examined by A.V. Bodyansky.
The colouration
of the red fill
of this grave pit was not always the same.
In the
upper portion of the fill,
the colour was darker, while below it became
lighter.
At the bottom of the pit,
especially
in its north-eastern
part, were found accumulations
of bright red colour.
In some places,
they formed spots up to O. 5 m. in diameter penetrating
somewhat into
the light-yellow
loess at the bottom of the pit.
In total,
the 6 grave contained more than 30 skeletons
in different
states
of preservation,
which according to their orientation,
could be
divided into two groups 6-1 and 6-2.
Burials of the 6-1 group oriented
to the north-east.
All of these
Judging by
burials
occurred in the north-eastern
part of the 6 -grave.
the number of skulls,
there were 33 burials.
Only six of them lay in
anatomical
order and retained
their
skulls
(Nos. 3, 24, 35, 36, 45,
50).
The other burials
were represented
only by single skulls (Nos. 1,
la, 4, 6, 6, 7-12, 22-28, 34, 37, 44, 46-49, 51, 52).
In addition,
in
this part of the grave pit, there were found postcranial
bones of ten
skeletons,
which lay in anatomical
order.
The arrangement
of these
remains made it possible
to reconstruct
the orientation
of the dead.
Thus, in total,
this group included 16 NE-oriented burials.
There were
also many single human bones of different
destroyed
skeletons.
The
destruction
of these skeletons
resulted
from repeated
usage of the
grave pits which could be clearly
traced in a number of cases.
Thus,
for example, when digging out a pit for burial
No. 35, skeleton
No. 34
was badly damaged, while skeleton No.35, in turn, was cut by the grave
pit for burial
No.36 (Fig.26,3).
A number of skeletons
were also
destroyed
(Nos. 12 A, 47a, etc.) when digging out a pit for burial No.
45, which was the richest
in terms of finds.
In some places,
the
burials
occurred in two or three layers.
Three layers were found, for
example,
thickness
near skeletons
Nos. 12, 12a-A and skulls
of the bone layer exceeded 30 cm.
48-49,
where the
Near most of the skeletons

or individual
bones in the 6 grave pit,
which lay in the red-coloured
fill,
the outlines
of the individual
pits
could not be traced.
Only in two cases, where the burials
had been dug
to a considerable
depth, i.e.,
into the loessic
bottom of the grave
pit, were the outlines
of the individual
pits seen rather clearly
(Nos.
45 and 50). They were oval in shape and their dimensions corresponded
with the size of the dead (Fig. 26, 1) The fill
of these individual
pits was not always the same. For example, over skeleton
No. 45 the
soil was bright red in colour and the fill
contained
many individual
bones and three
skulls
(Nos. 44, 46, 47) belonging
to previously
destroyed
burials.
The pit fill
of skeleton No. 50 was a light yellow
loess with no bones from any other burials.
However, the skeleton had
been sprinkled
slightly
with red ochre.
Among the burials
of the 6-1 group, only No. 45 was accompanied by
grave goods. Eleven ornaments in the form of plates made from boar tusk
enamel, which were probably sewn onto clothing,
were found. They were
all recovered near the left humerus and the proximal ends of the left
radius and ulna. The plates
seemed to have been sewn on the sleeves
with the enamel outside.
These plates
were comparatively
large and
slightly
curved, up to 7.8 cm. long, and they varied both in shape and
decoration
(Fig. 30).
Three of these ornaments were made in the form of a 'fluttering
butterfly
with crown' having two incisions
and serrations
at the ends.
Two other plates had both incisions
and serrations
at the ends. There
was also found a decorated fragment which could not be assigned to any
of these types. The pit fill
of burial No. 45 also contained
a small
knife-like
blade and a fragment of a retouched blade (Fig. 31, 16, 41).
Burial No. 45 with ornaments made of boar tusk enamel was probably
not the only grave with such items in the 6 -grave,
since the redcoloured soil also contained four other fragments of such objects (Fig.
31, 44, 45).
Finally,
in the north-western
part of the 6-grave,
at various depths
in the red-coloured
fill,
there were found more than 30 small flint
implements and about 20 sherds of Neolithic
ceramics.
It is likely that
these finds,
from a cultural
and chronological
point of view, represent
a single
cultural
complex. The reliability
of the association
of the
flint
finds and ceramics with the graves may be based on the ideal
conditions
under which they occurred and became a closed complex. It
should also be noted that outside the red-coloured
fill
in the northwestern part of the 6 -grave,
including
the A-type grave pits,
there
were met only individual
finds of flint and no ceramic finds at all. In
the south-western
part of the 6 -grave,
only a few flint
pieces were
found.
The flint
artifacts
of the 6-grave comprised 13 knife-like
with retouch (Fig. 31, 15-19, 21), a scraper on a flake (Fig.
five trapezes
and blanks of the same (Fig.
31, 1-4, 11),
obtuse-backed
points and blades (Fig. 31, 5, 7-10).
57
blades
31, 13),
and six
,r
~
3
--..:.:..
,~~
~
.
8JK~
6
c:2~
23
24
~
~
30
d}
44
Fig.
30 Yasinovatka
near skeleton
cemetery. Mariupol-type
No. 45,
plates
of boar tusk found
4.0
Fig.
58
41
42
43
45
cemetery, Flint artifacts

(1-43) and fragments of
Pit 6 (1-11 ,13,15-1 9,21,24,26-32,36,37,
boar tusk (44-45).
40-45) and outside (12,14,20,22,23,25,33-35,
38-39).
31 Yasinovatka
59
The red coloured

fill
additionally
contained
about ten small flint
fragments
of blades and flakes
(Fig. 31, 28-35).
The ceramic remains
included
small sherds of Neolithic
pottery
(Fig. 32). All the ceramic
finds
were collected
in the red-coloured
fill
of the 6 -grave
at
different
depths,
mainly in the north-eastern
part between 1.0 and 1.5
m. Only three
sherds
were found in the washout of the bank. In one
case,
sherds
(rim fragments)
both from the excavation
area and the
washout belonged to the same vessel and made certain
joins.
There were
two rim sherds with an out-turned
collar
(Fig.
32, 1-2) and a flat
base.
The clay fabric
contained
woody and grass matter.
The comb
ornamentation
is barely
visible
and only on the inside
surface.
The
vessels
were decorated
with various
techniques:
double rows of strokes
running
in lines
produced
by a small stick
(Fig.
32, 1, 4); in two
cases,
the ornament consists
of comb marks of ten arranged
in a line
(Fig. 32,1).
One or two vessels
were decorated
with linear
ornaments:
In one case,
it is a 'herring-bone'
ornament
(Fig.
32, 3) ; in the
other,
the linear
ornament forms inscribed
triangles
(near the base;
Fig. 32,5,).
These flint
and ceramic artifacts
are similar
to the finds
settlements
near the Dnieper rapids as the Vovnigy camp-sites
the right
and left
banks),
Sobachky, Volchek, etc.,
which are
to the earlier
stage
of the Late Neolithic
in this
region
1968, 67-73).
in such
(both on
assigned
(Telegin
Burials
of the 6-2 group oriented
to the north and north-west.
All
of the burials
were found in the south-western
part of the 6-grave.
Judging
by the number of skulls,
ten individuals
were buried
here.
Among the burials
were five well or nearly
well preserved
skeletons
(Nos. 14, 15, 16, 17, 18) and five single
skulls
(Nos. 13, 29, 30, 38,
43).
In addition,
here were six instances
of human postcranial
bones
and a number of
lying
in anatomic
order
(Nos.
16a, 17a,
32 6-A)
individual
long bones.
The orientation
was observed
for 11 of the
skeletons.
No grave goods were found near the 6-2 burials.
In the
fill
of this part of the grave,
there were only found a fragment
of a
comparatively
broad blade of flint
(Fig. 31, 42) and a small flake.
The Stratigraphy
of the Burials
According to stratigraphic
observations,
the burials
in the oval grave
pits
of the A-type were earlier
than those in the large
rectangular
grave of the
6-type.
This is confirmed
by the fact that the redcoloured
fill
of the
6-type
in its south-western
part overlay
three
pits of the A-type (Fig.25).
The more recent age of the burials
in the
6-type graves compared to those in the A-type graves is also confirmed
by the fact that skeleton
No. 32 in the A-type grave was cut by burial
No. 32 of the 6-type.
Judging
by the number of skulls,
the burials
of the A-type group
consisted
of 25 skeletons
including
21 skeletons
in graves Al-7 and
four skeletons
(Nos. 19, 20, 20a, 33), whose grave pits could barely be
seen or could not be traced at all.
Fig.
32
Yasinovatka
knife-like
cemetery.
Ceramics from the 6-pit
(1-5)
blade (6) found near skeleton
No. 65.
If
the
earlier
date
of the
burials
in the A-type
graves,
in
comparison
with the burials
in the
6-type grave,
is undoubted,
it is
rather
difficult
to
resolve
the
problem
on the
chronological
relationship
between the grave pits of the 6 -1 and 6-2 types,
though
the existence
of these as separate
groups is also undoubted.
Both of
61
and a
them occupied separate

areas in the
5-grave
and were differently
oriented.
Judging by the number of skulls,
the 6 -1 group included 33
burials,
while the 6-2 group consisted
of only 10 skeletons.
No. 5.
position,
It is quite evident that the 6-1 grave was begun with the first
group
of burials
oriented
to the north-east
which occupied two thirds of the
area of burial.
The depth of the red-coloured
fill
was two times
It is likely that
greater here than that in the area of the 6-2 group.
and only
the
-grave was initially
intended for the 6-1 group burials
at a later
time was it extended towards the south-west
to accommodate
6-2 group.
burials
of the differently
oriented
coloured
Therefore,
in the development of the Yasinovatka cemetery it is quite
possible
to distinguish
two chronological
types of an earlier
and a
later
period.
The former is characterised
by small pits of an oval
form, which were filled
with subsoil and where skeletons
were deposited
in a south-eastern
orientation.
In these burials
were found such
ornaments as pendants of deer teeth,
and also fish teeth.
Sometimes,
such ornaments were recovered
by the dozens.
Flint
articles
were
scarce,
there were no ceramics at all.
The second stage of the cemetery was characterised
by a rectangular
grave pit entirely
saturated
with red ochre.
The dead were deposited
Near
here with heads to the NE (6-1 group) and to the NNW(6-2 group).
6-1 group, there were found such ornaments as
the burials
of the
In the fill
were found flint
Mariupol-type
plates
of boar tusk.
artifacts
and ceramic fragments
decorated
with comb-stroked
ornament.
Only in one case were met pendants of deer teeth.
The burials
in the
6-grave, which are undoubtedly of a later origin compared to the A-type
graves,
seem to be from different
periods as well.
Among them, the
to be the earliest
and
burials
of the 6-1 group should be considered
period.
However, the
the burials
of the 6-2 group to be of a later
chronological
interval
between these groups was probably not very long.
Judging by the composition
of the flint
finds and the typological
compost ion of ceramics,
the Yasinovatka
cemetery,
in general,
was
undoubtedly
earlier
than the latest
cemeteries
of this type in the
Dnieper valley,
especially
those offering
collective
graves such as
Nikolskoye, Lysaya Gora, etc.
Description
of Burials
No.1.
Single skull
lying in a secondary
fill of the 6-grave.
No.la.
A fragment
of a 25 to 30-year old female with no mandible,

position
in the upper part of the red-coloured
of a child
No.2.
A single skull
fill of the 6-grave.
No.3.
Extended
skull
of 6 or 7 years
of a 50 to 55-year
near No.1.
old male in the red-coloured
Burial of an adult in the red-coloured

supine position
in anatomic order.
No.4.
Single skull of an adult
the eastern edge of the 6-grave.
adult skeleton (4-a).
lying
fill
of the 6-grave.
lying in the red-coloured

fill
Adjacent to it lay the remains
62
under
of an
No.Sa.
Burials
of an aged male in
right hand near the pelvis.
the
A-7 grave.
Leg bones probably

in anatomical
order
fill at the eastern edge of the 6-grave.
Extended
lying
in
supine
the
red-
in
Nos. 6 and 7. Two single skulls with no mandibles lying together
secondary positions
among other human bones in the upper part of the
red fill
of the 6-grave.
No.6 was of a 20 to 30-year old female.
No.7
was of a 50 to 60-year old male.
Nos. 6a-6.
Damaged remains of a child burial
(6a) and of an adult
skeleton
(66) at the north-western
wall of the 6-grave.
Skulls were
missing.
Nearby were found deciduous teeth from burial No.66.
Nos. 8, 9, 10, 11, 12. Single skulls with no mandibles in secondary
position
in the middle part of the red-coloured
fill
of the 6-grave.
No.8 was a 40 to 45-year old female.
No.9 was a mature male.
No.10
was a 50 to 55-year old male.
No. 11 was a 30 to 35-year old male.
No.12 was an adolescent.
Five damaged adult burials
with no mandibles
Nos. 12a- A.
Among them were two single skulls (Nos. 48-49).
three layers.
lying
No.13.
Remains of a single
very poorly preserved
skull.
likely
that the skeleton
was destroyed
by an Eneolithic
burial
under a mound.
in
It is
lying
No.14.
Burial of an adult extended in the supine position
with head
to the NNWat the base of the red-coloured
fill
of the 6-grave.
Arms
bent at the elbows, hands on the pelvis.
No.15.
Burial of a male in the fill
of the 6-grave (at its western
edge).
oriented
NW, legs straightened,
arms
bent at the elbows: the right arm was nearly at a right angle, the left
arm was bent a little
less.
Hands placed near abdomen.
No.16.
Burial of a male lying close to skeleton
No.15.
Extended
supine position,
same orientation
(NW). The right
arm was slightly
bent at the elbow.
Hands placed near abdomen.
The skull lacked its
mandible.
No. 16a.
Remains of an adult
extended in the supine position.
with
no skull.
No. 17.
Burial of an adult in the red-coloured
oriented
to the NNW.
The deceased
fill
was
of the 6-grave.
No. 17a.
Burial of an adolescent
with no skull,
close
No.17.
The deceased was extended in the supine position,
the pelvis.
to skeleton
hands near
No. 18.
Burial of an aged male at the western edge of the grave.
The skeleton
lay partly
outside
the red-coloured
area in the yellow
clay.
legs and the right arm straightened,
NNWorientation.
Two deer tooth pendants were found.
Nos. 19, 20.

Two adult burials
overlain
by a red-coloured
fill.
Both were in the same position
with skulls
close together.
It is
probable that they were in an oval grave.
Skeleton No. 20 lay somewhat
lower than skeleton
19.
The long bones were very poorly preserved.
Both of the dead were extended in the supine position with heads to the
SE. A deer tooth pendant was found.
No. 20a.
Behind
remains of a skull
20.
the skulls
of skeletons
Nos. 19 and 20 lay the
and three long bones at the level of skulls 19 an d
No.21.
Burial of an adolescent
in grave pit A6. Extended supine
position,
head to the NW, legs straightened,
arm (only the right arm
was preserved)
slightly
bent.
East and north of the skull lay heaps of
large human bones.
No.22.
A single skull of an adult lying in the yel l ow fill
south-eastern
corner of the 6-grave.
No mandible.
Crushed.
at th e
No.23.
Single skull of a 40 to 45-year old male lying in the redcoloured fill
at the south-eastern
corner of the 6-grave.
Secondary
pos i tion.
Overla i n by long bones. No mandible.
No.24.
Burial of a 35 to 40-year old male in the red-coloured
fill
of the 6-grave.
with head to the NE, arms
slightly
bent at the elbows, hands on the pelvis.
No.34.
Si ngle skull of 5 or 6-year
red fill of the 6-grave.
old child
No. 35.
Burial of an ad ult in the 6 -grave.
head to the NE. Cut by No.36 (Fig. 26,3 ) .
with no mandib le in t he
Exten ded posi tion
with
No.36.
Adult buria l in a narro w oval pit in th e yellow clay at the
bottom of the 6-grave.
Wel l-preserved.
Exten ded supi ne position with
head to the NE facing upward. Legs stra i ghtened, a r ms sligh tly bent at
the elbows, hands on the pelvis (Fig. 26,3).
Nos. 37 an d 38.
Sing l e skulls of a f emale an d pro bably
(No. 38) in t he red fill of the 6-grave.
of a male
No.39.
Adult burial in a shallow oval grave pi t (A- 3) under the 6 grave.
Over l ain by the red-colour ed fill . Extended s upine positio n
with head to the SE. To the right of th e skul l lay a Cyprinida e too th.
Nos. 40, 41 , 42.
Group grave pit A-4 fil l ed wit h subso il.
The
skeletons
wer e lightly
sprinkled
with ochre and in extende d supine
positions
with heads to the SE (Fi g .33).
No.40 was a 7 or 8- year old
child;
No. 4 1 was a 6 or 7-yea r old chil d; No. 42 - burial of an age d
female.
Near the feet of No.40, a dee r t ooth pendant was f ound .
No.43.
Single skul l of a female among vario us human bones outsi de
the south- weste rn edge of t he 6 - grave .
Nos. 25 and 26.

Single skulls of adults at the botto m of the redcoloured fill in the 6-grave.
Nearby, in disorder,
lay l ong bones.
Nos. 44, 46 , 47. Sin gl e sku lls of adul ts in the gra ve fill of bur ia l
No.45. Mandibles were missin g . Nos . 44 and 47 were of male s .
Nos. 27, 28, 29. Single skulls of adults

the 6-grave under its south-eastern
wall
No.27 was of a 50 to SS-year old male.
No.45. An adult buria l

bottom of the 6-grave.
facing upward (Fig. 26,
Mariupol-t ype plates and
(Fig. 31, 16, 41).
No.30.
Single child skull
coloured fill i n 6 -grave.
in the red-coloured
fill of
among various human bones;
of 5 or 6 years at the bottom of the red-
No.31.
Burial of an adult.
Only the skull
bones were preserved lying i n the upper part
supine position with head to the SE.
and fragments of humera l

of grave A-2.
Extende d
The preserved parts of

No.32.
Buria l of a 40 to 45-y ea r old male.
some bones of the chest and the le ft
the skel eto n i nclude the skull,
with head to the SE,
arm, and the clavicles.
sprinkled with red ochre.
Nos. 32a- e .
Remai ns of six
bottom of the red-coloured
f ill
gra ve.
Nos. 32a and 32e were
direct ed to t he NWand N (No. 32
adult burials
with no skulls
at the
i n the south-eastern
part of the 6 orie nted to th e NE, the others were
).
No.33.
Burial of an adult extended in the supine position.
Among
the preserved parts were only the skull and fragments of humeral bones.
These remains were found outside the red area of the 6-grave.
The
skeleton was probably cut.
64
in an ova l elon gated gra ve pit in the yellow

Extended sup in e positio n wit h head to the NE
1) .
Heavil y coloured.
An orname nt of 11
t wo f rag ments of knife- like blades were fo und
No.47-a.
Remains of an adult burial lying
red-colo ured fi ll at the bottom of 6-grave.
in the lower part
of the
Nos. 48 and 49. Sin gle skulls of adul ts in the red -colo ur ed fi l l of
th e 6-grav e among the re mains of bur ials Nos. 12a- r .
No. SO.
An adult bur ial i n an oval el ongated pi t dug under the
northern wal l of the 6-grave in the ye ll ow s oil at its base.
The depth
of the pit fr om the bot tom of the 6 - gr ave was abou~ 35 cm. The ~ead
was in t he supine position
with head to the NE facing the r ight s ide.
Legs stra ighte ned, arms s l ightly
bent at the elbows , hands near th e
pelvis.
The feet and the skull were about 20-30 cm. higher than the
pelvi s .
Nos. 51 and 52. Si ngle skulls of a male (No.5 2) and a child of about
6 years (No.51) at the botto m of th e s outh ern slo pe of the 6-gr ave.
Nos. 53, 54, 61, 62, 63 1 64.
Six burials
in th e A-1 grave pit.
Skeleton No. 53 was at the top, then somewhat lower was No. 61 , and
still
lower were Nos. 54 , 62, 63 , 64 . Anatomical or der wa s obs er ved
only f or three skeletons
(Nos . 54 , 63 , 64)~ Nos. 63 and 64 were well
c c
preserved.
No. 54 was preserved only partly,
and only skulls were
preserved
for Nos. 53, 61 and 62.
The latter
were in secondary
positions.
The remains of skeleton No.54 and the single skulls were on
the pelvis and the chest of skeleton No.63 and lay in disorder.
The
lower part of skeleton No. 54 was cut away.
The pit fill
contained
seven deer tooth pendants (Fig. 29, 1-6) and two small bones probably
of a bird.
In addition,
there was found a small flint
flake.
Skeletons 54, 63 and 64 were sprinkled with ochre.
No.53 was a 20 to
35-year old female; No.54 was a male.
lO
I
<(
Nos. 54, 63 and 64. Adult burials in an oval grave pit (A-1).
The
dead were extended in supine positions
with heads to the SE (Fig.33).
Hands of Nos.63 and 64 were on pelvic bones. Near the feet of No.63, a
child's
mandible was found; on the chest lay an Unio shell.
A badly
preserved bone awl was found near the left ulna of No.64.
Nos. 55, 56, 57, 58, 58a and 59.
All the burials
occurred in the
oval grave pit A-2 under skeleton No.31 (Fig.33).
No.56 was a well
preserved
child.
No. 58a was mostly preserved,
but the skull was
missing.
Nos.55, 57, 58 and 59 were single skulls with no mandibles
lying in secondary positions
among a heap of large long bones.
The
heap of bones covered nearly the whole area of the grave.
No.SS was a
25 to 30-year male; No.58 was a male of about 20 years; No.59 was an
aged male.
'q"
I
<(
No.56. Burial of a child in the A-2 grave pit under a heap of bones
and skulls.
with head to the SE, arms
straightened
at sides,
The foot-bones
were
damaged.
The burial was close to the left side of skeleton No. 58a
(Fig.33).
On the humeral bones near the chest and near the pelvis lay
about 30 Cyprinidae teeth.
Three deer tooth pendants were found near
the feet.
All the burials in the grave pit were sprinkled with ochre.
C\I
I
<(
No.60. Burial of an adult in an oval grave pit (A-5), whose outline

could only partly be traced.
Extended supine position with head to the
SE facing upward and slightly
turned to the left
(Fig.33).
Legs
straightened
and closed at the feet, arms slightly
bent at the elbows,
T-
<(
00
rl
.,
No.65.
An adult burial in the A-4 grave under skeletons Nos. 40-43.
The grave outline could be traced only at the level of skeleton No.65.
The grave was of an oval shape narrowing towards the feet of the dead.
The dead was extended in the supine position with head to the SE. Arms
at side, hands under the pelvis.
The skeleton was contracted
at the
shoulders.
The skull was slightly
turned to the right (Fig. 26, 2).
Heavily coloured, but buried under the grey soil.
Near the mandible,
on the left hand side lay a medium sized knife-like
blade (Figs. 31,
38; 32,6).
Along the spinal
column, starting
from the thoracic
vertebrae,
lay 16 deer-tooth
pendants.
In addition,
two pendants were
found below the pelvic bones. There were 18 pendants in total.
On the
left and the right sides of the feet, at the same level within the
limits of the grave, lay two Cyprinidae teeth
Chapter
THE NIKOLSKOYE
CEMETERY
Opposite the former Nenasytets
rapids,
the largest
rapids
on the
Dnieper,
now covered by the Lenin Lake,
about a dozen ancient
monuments are known including
four Neolithic
cemeteries:
two on the
left bank near the village
of Vasilyevka
(II and V), and two on the
right bank near the village
of Nikolskoye.
The Vasilyevka cemeteries
and the so-called
Nenasytets
cemetery,
which is near the village
of
Nikolskoye,
have already
been described
above.
Below, a full
description
will be given of the second Nikolskoye cemetery which was
excavated by the author in 1959 and 1967.
The Nikolskoye cemetery is situated
on a high bank about 1 km. south
of the village
of Nikolskoye,
Solonensky
district,
Dnepropetrovsk
region,
and about 12 m. higher relative
to the present water level
(Fig. 34).
The Nenasytets
cemetery studied by A. V. Bodyansky in 1948
was opposite our excavation area and about 15-20 m. nearer the river.
Topographically,
the landscape in the vicinity
of our excavation
dotted nearly entirely
with small kurgans of various heights.
was
By the time of our investigation,

the Nikolskoye cemetery was partly
destroyed.
As viewed from the lake, the bank section exhibited
a soil
layer coloured
with red ochre over a length
of about ten metres
spreading from the surface to a depth of about 0.7-1.0 m.
On the terrace
in the vicinity
of the red-coloured
band, we excavated
an area about 180 sq. m. in 1959. Later in 1967 we excavated
an
additional
136 sq. m. Thus, in total,
there was unearthed an area of
more than 300 sq.m.
(Fig.
35).
Within the excavation
area,
we
uncovered a large burial hollow, which was filled
with ochre-coloured
soil, and a number of grave pits varying in shape.
At 0.3 m. from the
terrace,
the outline
of the red-coloured
hollow could be seen more
clearly
and it measured about 12-17 m. It was subrectangular
in shape
and oriented
along its axis from the south-east
to the north-west.
In
cross section,
the red-coloured
fill of the hollow was in the form of a
lens up to 0.6-0.7m.
thick
in the centre
tapering
to the sides.
Unfortunately,
in its
eastern
part the lens had been considerably
eroded.
Fig.
34
Nikolskoye
cemetery.
Beginning
The uneven bottom of the red-coloured

hollow was in the form of a
saucer and contained
four grave pits (A,6,B,r).
In addition,
a long
shallow hollow about 1.0-1.5 m. wide and 0.2 m. deep was discovered
in
the northern part of the red-coloured
hollow.
A similar shallow hollow
of a smaller size and of oval form was noticed west of the 6-pit.
The
depth of the pits from the bottom of the general burial hollow was up
to 1.0-1.2 m.
In addition
to these four grave pits found within the limits of the
red-coloured
hollow,
there were five other pits
(A , E ,}I( , 3, and l,1 )
located to its west.
All nine grave pits, except for the 6 and 3-pits,
were of an elongated
oval form.
The remaining two pits were nearly
rectangular
in shape.
All of these grave pits,
as a rule, contained
68
69
of excavation
in 1967.
+-
numbers of skeletons and only the A, )I{ and 1-1-pits each contained one
skeleton.
In addition,
in some other places of the cemetery, there
were examined three single burials with no traces of grave pits (Nos.
29, 30, 81) and a triple burial (Nos. 70-72).
+-
t-
+-
t--
In the following description

of the
their fill
will be described first.
..+
-n+
It should be noted that in some places within the limits of the

cemetery, at a depth of about 0.3-0.4 m., there were found stones
either
individually
or in piles.
Three of the largest
mounds were
marked as I, II and III.
The relationship
of these mounds to the grave
pits is not quite clear.
+-
!--
+-
+-
-+
++
Fig. 35 Nikolskoye cemetery. Plan and sectional view. Legend: I outline of pit; II - outline of hollow; III - limits of
erosion in 1949 and 1957; IV - fragmented vessels; V - tools;
VI - stones; VII - humus; VIII-IX - pit fills;
X - loess;
XI - layer of burnt remains.
70
cemetery,
the
grave
pits
and
Grave pit A
This was at the north-western
margin of the red~coloured hollow.
It
was oval in form and measured about 2 x 2.5 m. The walls of the pit
narrowed gradually towards the bottom, where it formed a regular circle
about 2 m. in diameter.
The outline of the pit was first encountered
at a depth of 0.9 m. from the present surface.
At about 1.75 m. the
pit tapered out and descended into the loessic loam. In section, this
pit appears to have started from the level of the middle or upper part
of the red-coloured fill.
This was obvious from the darker colouration
of soil above the pit compared to that in the nearest red-coloured
parts of the cemetery, and also from the presence of a stone cairn
(cairn II) right above the grave pit (Fig. 35). This mound was created
after the pit was filled
up.
Thus, in total,
the depth of the grave
pit was initially
about 1.5 m. The fill of the pit was generally grey
in colour, and only at the bottom it became slightly
reddish.
The main
finds were collected
at the very bottom level.
A single human skull
(No. 20) was found right under cairn II.
A little
lower, at a depth of
1.45 m., in the centre of the pit, there were found the following
articles:
a pelvic bone, the lower part of a large flat-bottomed
vessel
decorated with a linear double-toothed
ornament, a dog's mandible, a
tortoise
shell, a broken ornament made of boar-tusk (Fig. 36, 11) and
an Unio shell.
All the shells lay on a fire place among pieces of
charcoal.
Somewhat lower and apart from these finds lay the lower part
of a round-based
vessel
decorated
with a sub-triangular
stroked
ornament.
The upper part of this vessel was found well apart from the
A-pit, and one of its fragments was even in the 6-pit at a depth of
about 1.2-1.4 m. Around grave pit A, at a depth of about 0.5-0.6 m,
there were found about 200 Neolithic
pottery fragments belonging to
different
vessels.
Alongside these finds, there were unearthed many
single skulls (Nos. 4-16) and great amounts of human long bones. It is
probable that the pit area was intended for performing certain rituals.
Grave pit 6
This pit was situated in the centre of the red-coloured hollow.
It is
likely that this was the main grave pit of the cemetery.
The area of
the 6-pit first
appeared against the background of the red-coloured
fill
at a depth of 0.6 m. from the present surface,
where various
stones from cairn I were found. Initially,
the pit was irregular
in
form, though one could make out a poorly defined rectangle with a long
projection
in the form of a tongue at its eastern side directed towards
the river.
At this level the area measured 3 x 4 m. Somewhat lower,
at a depth of 1. 2 m. , the area measured considerably
less, and its
projection
towards the river petered away completely.
Here, the pit
71
6
I
L
I
I
11
11
.~
Fig. 36 Nikolskoye cemetery.
Ornaments of boar tusk enamel.
12
L
Fig. 37
72
Nikolskoye cemetery.
and mace (15).
Flint
artifacts
73
(1-13),
stone axe (14)
was sub-rectangular
and measured 2 x 2.4 m. The projection
towards the
river
represented
a gently
sloping
trench,
trough-like
in crosssection,
running into the pit from the river
side.
The pit was
separated from the entrance by a step about 0.5 m. high.
The 6 -pit
was excavated down into loam to a depth of 1.85 m. and was initiated
from the lower or middle level of the red-coloured
fill of the general
hollow of the cemetery (Fig.35).
3
2
11
10
12
9
Fig. 38
Nikolskoye
cemetery.
Flint
74
knives and knife-fragments.
The 6-pit had two levels differing

in character.
In its upper part,
the fill
was composed of a black burnt layer about 20-35 cm. thick
which contained remains of charcoal.
In some places, there were found
burnt pieces of wood up to 15 cm. long.
This charcoal rich fill with
various burnt articles
(pottery
sherds and fragments of a mace) was
spread over the entrance into the 6-pit.
At the very bottom, the 6-pit
was filled with a red-ochre material analogous to the fill of the whole
cemetery but more reddish in colour.
At a depth of 0.8-0.85 m. in the lower part of the burnt layer close
to the southern edge of the 6-pit,
there was unearthed a paired burial
(skeletons
Nos.22 and 23), and still
lower and northward of the latter
was found another paired burial (Nos. 25 and 26).
The deceased were
extended in supine positions
with heads to the west.
Under these
skeletons,
at different
depths in the red-coloured
fill,
there were
unearthed 15 human skulls
(Nos. 44-51, 60-66) lying predominantly on
the bottom of the pit.
In most cases, the skulls were badly damaged
and lacked mandibles.
They lay among separate human bones in various
positions.
Only in one case, under the wall at the southern margin of
the pit, were there found bones of a right arm lying in anatomical
order.
A badly damaged skeleton lying in anatomical order was also
found in the south-western
corner of the pit.
It is interesting
to
note that there were almost no bones near the entrance and that all the
heaps of bones were found far from the entrance.
It is probable that
the bones were periodically
raked-up from the entrance to the western
corner of the pit.
As noted above, there were only two paired burials
(Nos. 22, 23, 25, 26) undamaged.
In the 6-pit fill and at the entrance were collected
various tools,
ornaments and ceramics.
Due to the destruction
of most of the burials,
it was difficult,
however, to relate these finds to any skeleton.
The
most abundant finds, including the best articles,
were found near the
Nos. 25 and 26) and in the adjacent
second paired burial
(skeletons
area.
Near the feet of these skeletons
the fallowing articles
were
collected:
a fragment of a flint
spear-point
(Fig. 37, 6), two knifelike blades with retouch and three fragments of similar blades.
One of
the blades was in the form of a narrow scraper (Fig. 38,7).
Here was
also found a nearly intact
boar tusk ornament (Fig. 36,2) and three
beads.
One of the beads was made of limey matter and was in the form
of an elongated cylinder
(Fig. 39,13), and the other two were in the
form of flat circles with a perforation
through the centre (Fig. 39,6).
One of the latter
was made of gagate, the second was of a white stone.
In addition,
three Cyprinidae teeth were found.
At the entrance into the 6-pit,
at a depth of about 0.8-1.0 m. i.e.,
somewhat higher and about 1 m. apart from skeletons Nos. 25 and 26, the
following
articles
were collected:
a stone
mace in fragments
(Fig.37,15),
copper pendants with curled ends (Fig.39,15),
and a gold
pendant (Fig. 39, 16).
Some of the mace fragments found in the black
75
fill
were heavily
poorly burnt.
08
@0
08
(a)(J
11
@J]
@D
10
t::::::~@ ~
13
12
14
17
15
'
16
the others
found a little
lower were
The ceramics found under the black fill of the pit are represented by
fragments of two vessels,
whose forms have been partly or completely
reconstructed.
Here were also found sherds, decorated with stroked (20
pcs) and linear
(5 pcs) ornament, typical
for the Dnieper-Donets
culture.
The surface of one of the sherds is covered with a thick
layer of burnt scale probably as a result of cooking.
These pot like
vessels have rather thick (about 1.2 cm) walls, slightly
projecting
rims and flat bottoms.
They are decorated with stroked ornament (Fig.
40,1).
It is interesting
to note that some of these sherds were found
outside the 6-pit in the red-coloured
fill of the cemetery, where they
lay at various depths from 0.5 to 1. 1 m. while nearly half of the
fragments of one vessel (Fig. 40,5) lying outside the 6-pit were found
in the red-coloured
fill
at a depth of about 1.2-1.4 m. As noted
above, in the 6-pit there was also found a fragment of a round-based
vessel,
which was the only one of this type in the cemetery (Fig.
40,8).
.
@)B
tl
while
Somewhat lower in the red-coloured

fill
among the single skulls,
there were found: a small flint
knife (Fig. 38,6), two fragments of
similar knives but rather massive (Fig. 38,8), a fragment of a spearpoint subtriangular
in form with a projecting
base, two fragments of
small knife-like
blades with retouch (one was of flint,
the other was
of quartzite),
and also six flat rounded beads different
in size.
Four
of the beads are of gagate (Fig. 39,1), one is of green stone (Fig.
39,8) and one is of white stone (Fig, 39,9).
Besides, in different
places within the pit fill,
at a depth from 0.2 to 0.8 m. there were
collected about 100 Cyprinidae teeth.
00
burnt,
Fig. 39 Nikolskoye cemetery. Ornaments of stone (1-10,

teeth (11), copper (15, 17, 18) and gold (16).
12-14),
deer
Grave pit B
This was situated
in the immediate vicinity
of pit 6 and was partly
overlain by the black fill
of the latter.
The subrounded contour of
the pit was traced at the level of the lower margin of the red-coloured
lens of the cemetery at a depth of about 1 m. It measured 2.2 x 1.6 m.
and was dug into the loess to a depth of 35 cm. The total depth of the
pit from the present surface was about 1.35 m.
The pit fill
was
composed of powdered ochre with an insignificant
admixture of soil.
The B-pit contained six skeletons
(Nos. 31, 52-56):
Two of the
skeletons
(Nos. 53 and 55) lay on the bottom of the pit in close to
anatomical
order.
The skulls,
arm bones and fibulas
were well
preserved.
All the skeletons were extended in supine positions
with
heads to the W. Near the pelvis of No.53 lay a string of gagate beads
(67 pieces).
Similar beads were found near the left shoulder of No.55.
In addition,
near these skeletons lay four pendants of immature deer
teeth (Fig. 39,11) and 50 Cyprinidae teeth.
Immediately over the skulls of these well preserved skeletons
lay
three separate skulls and a heap of long bones.
One of the skulls
(No.31) and a number of bones lay somewhat higher and close to the
western edge of the pit.
Besides the finds directly
related to skeletons 53 and 55, the B-pit
contained about 20 Cyprinidae teeth,
four small flat beads of white
stone, and also two fragments of a mountain crystal.
In the B-pit
76
77
there were found only three ceramic fragments decorated with

ornament.
They were found in the fill at a depth of about 1 m.
these sherds belonged to the vessel, whose fragments were found
the pit in the red-coloured
soil of the main hollow at a depth
metres.
\
/
''
Fig.
40
Nikolskoye cemetery. Ceramics from the

red coloured fill (3-8).
Grave pit r
It was situated
near the southern edge of the red-coloured
soil of the
cemetery.
The scarcely visible
outline of this pit was first
noticed
at a depth of about O. 9-1.0 m.
It was easy to see that the pit
consisted of two unequal parts - southern and northern.
Judging by the
way the skeletons cut one another the northern part of the cemetery was
evidently earlier
than the southern part.
It is probable that the northern part of the pit was created prior to
the formation of the red fill
in the area of the cemetery.
It was
about 1. 7 m. deep and free of ochre.
In this part of the pit at
various
depths,
more than 10 individuals
were buried.
They were
deposited in three layers.
On the bottom of the pit, there were found
two superimposed skeletons (Nos. 57 and 58). The lower skeleton was in
anatomical order, while the upper one had no legs.
Here was also found
a single skull (No. 59).
A little
higher lay the remains of destroyed
skeletons
Nos. 38 and 39, and still
higher there was found skeleton
No.33 in close to anatomical position and also four single skulls Nos.
32, 34, 35, 35a and destroyed bones of their skeletons.
It is quite
probable that burial No. 27, which was unearthed at a still
higher
level, was also related to this grave pit.
It was clearly seen that
the right sides of skeletons Nos. 33 and 57 were cut away as a result
of digging out the southern part of the pit (Fig.41).
It might be well
to point out some features
which indicate
that the skeletons
were
displaced
in this
part
of the grave pit prior
to the complete
decomposition of the deceased.
For instance,
the upper part of the
lowermost burial (No.58) was displaced to the left, and skeleton No. 39
was turned over.
It is quite probable that prior to the decomposition
of the tendons, skeleton No.33 was also disturbed.
/~a
stroked
One of
outside
of 0.6
6-pit
(1,2)
and the
The southern part of the pit was probably dug from the upper or
middle part of the red-coloured
soil of the cemetery.
It was 1.8 m
deep, i.e.,
10 cm. deeper than the northern part.
At various depths in
the southern
part of the pit,
there were found remains of five
destroyed skeletons
(Nos. 36, 37, 40-42).
The upper part of skeleton
No.30 was also cut away as a result of digging out this grave pit at
its south-eastern
margin.
In its southern part, the burial soil was
reddish in colour.
The finds were collected
in the southern part of the grave pit.
Among them were three rounded copper beads (Fig. 39,17), an ornament of
boar tusk (Fig. 36,8) and a fragment of the same, and also five sherds
decorated with a stroked linear ornament.
The function
of the southern part of the pit is not quite clear,
since no undamaged skeletons were found there.
It was dug out in the
area of the cemetery considerably
later than the northern part.
It is
probable that this part of the pit was nearly contemporaneous with the6
-pit and it was created only for holding the material
dug out of the
latter when it was overfilled
with bones.
78
79
Grave pit/J.
It was situated
a few metres south-west
of the red-coloured
cemetery
hollow.
Its outline
was noticed near the subsoil-loam
interface
at a
depth of about 1 m. This pit was rounded in shape and measured 1.2 x
1.7 m. In its lower part, the pit tapered somewhat.
The total depth
of the pit from the present
surface was about 1~5 m. Judging by the
number of skulls,
the pit contained the remains of 12 individuals
(Nos.
115-119, 119a-s, 133-136) buried in two horizons.
In the upper part of
the pit,
in the red-ochre
fill,
there were unearthed
four skeletons
(Nos. 115-118) lying in anatomical
order and the remains of destroyed
skeletons
Nos. 119, 119a-B. All the dead with but one exception were
extended in the supine position
with heads pointing W. The position
of
skeleton
No. 119a, which was only partly
preserved,
was somewhat
different:
the legs seemed to .be initially
flexed at the knees and then
fell into a rhombic position
(Fig. 42,1).
In these burials
the following
artifacts
were found: a small flint
knife , a scraper,
a flint
spear-point,
a fragment of a flint
axe (Fig.
37, 1, 10), and fragments of knife-like
blades (Fig. 38,1-3,12).
Some
of the skeletons
were accompanied by sherds typical
for the Nikolskoye
cemetery.
Near skeleton 117 lay a beaver's mandible and an Unio shell.
About 5-10 cm. below, directly
under the upper bone horizon,
lay the
remains of four destroyed adult skeletons
(Nos. 133-136) accumulated in
a heap.
In the lower portion
of the pile the bones were uncoloured.
There were no finds.
Grave pit E
This pit was of an oval form with irregular
walls and measured 1.2 x
2.0 m. The pit outline was revealed at a depth of 1.05 m. Under its
northern edge, there was noticed a niche filled
up with clay which had
probably intruded from the top.
About 0.8 m. west of the pit at a depth of O. 7 m. fragments
typical Neolithic
burial vessel were recovered.
On the whole, the E-pit contained the remains
79a, 120-125) lain in two horizons (Figs. 42,2).
Fig.
41
Nikolskoye cemetery. Skeletons

r
in the lower layer of pit
Nos. 57 and 58 and skull
No. 59
of a
of 11 dead (Nos. 76-79,
When the first

level of this pit was excavated,
four skulls (Nos. 7679, 79-a) and a number of separate human bones were found.
The skulls
were small in size and heavily
coloured
with ochre.
They lay in
disorder
and had no mandibles.
It was clear that the skulls were in
secondary positions.
Only at the northern wall of the pit was there
found a skeleton
(No.79a) lying in close to anatomical position
though
its
skull
was missing.
The deceased was extended
in the supine
position
with head to the W. Under skulls Nos. 78, 79, a little
lower
and west thereof lay a flint
knife (Fig. 38,9).
There were also found
a few Cyprinidae teeth and a Neolithic
sherd.
After further
excavation,
six additional
skeletons
(Nos. 120-125)
were unearthed, lying about 30 cm. below the previous layer.
Four of
the skeletons
(Nos. 120-124) were extended in supine positions.
The
legs of skeleton No.125 were in a rhombic position.
This 'contracted'
skeleton
overlay the other four extended skeletons
(Fig. 42,2) and it
is probable
that this was the last
burial
in the E-pit.
All the
deceased were heavily sprinkled
with ochre.
There were no finds.
80
81
Grave pit JK
This pit was situated
at the boundary between squares 64 and 79.
It
was rounded in shape and about 1. 2 m. in diameter.
Its outline was
first noticed at a depth of about 0.1-0.3 m. from the present surface.
The upper part of the pit was completely filled with ochre.
A little
lower, at a depth of 0.4 m., the ochre-rich
soil occurred in spots
about 30-40 cm. in diameter.
At a depth of 0.2 m., there were
collected
various human bones.
More individual
bones and fragments of
a mandible were met a little
lower. Here was found a broken knife-like
blade (Fig. 38,10) and a number (about 10 pieces) of Cyprinidae teeth.
ilo.7
-+
5?
CK/2/
et</22
CK !2J
CH.IJ6
~
Grave pit 3
This was the largest
grave pit of the cemetery (Fig. 43).
Its
subrectangular
outline was noticed at a depth of about 1 m. from the
surface.
The pit measured 2.4 x 3.0 m. and was 0.6 m. deep from the
upper edge. The walls of the pit were irregular
in form and contained
On the
niches.
The pit was completely filled with red-coloured
soil.
bottom at the north-western
corner of the pit lay fragments of a flatbased stroke-ornamented
vessel.
The pit encompassed the remains of 41
skeletons (Nos. 82-114, 126-132, 137, 137-a) including two skeletons in
anatomical order (Nos. 89 and 90).
Initially,
there were unearthed 26
deceased lying at a depth of 0.2-0.3 m. These were generally skulls
mixed with separate bones.
However, in the centre of the pit, on a
relatively
flat
surface,
lay two coloured skeletons
- of an adult
(No. 82) and of a child (No. 90).
Both were extended in the supine
position and close to anatomical order with heads to the W. Under the
skeletons there was seen a lens of grey clayey soil about 1 cm. thick,
and then again there appeared skulls
and separate
bones.
After
skeletons Nos. 89 and 90 were removed, we observed in the middle of the
pit and somewhat nearer to its north-western
margin a comparatively
large fire-place.
Therefore,
all the adjacent skulls and bones were
burnt, though the traces of fire were generally seen in the centre of
the hearth.
Among the pile of bones lay a few sherds typical for the
Nikolskoye cemetery, and a number of Cyprinidae teeth.
CHJJ4---+Hl,,C/~~
CH.13J
Fig. 42
Burials
A and E
in pits
CH.//0
-+
Clf.109
In the second level of this pit there were found the remains of nine
additional
skeletons
(Nos. 109-114, 126-129) mostly in the form of
separate and burnt bones.
A number of poorly preserved skeletons lying
in close to anatomical order were met only near the walls of the pit.
They seemed to be the remains of displaced semi-decomposed bodies.
1/3
;w,i-'--:i::K
I
:'
The third and fourth levels of the pit yielded the remains of another
five skeletons
(Nos. 129-132, 137), a number of human mandibles and
individual
bones.
At the eastern wall of the pit lay skeleton No.99a
with no mandible.
It was extended in the supine position and oriented
to the N. In similar extended positions
lay the remains of skeletons
Nos. 137a and 131 at the southern wall.
The skull of the latter
was
preserved but the right half and the lower part of the skeleton were
missing.
"\
l<.9/
UK'J~'l-r-l ._ - CK.//4
CK 130
......., ... ,
_:'p;98
Ctr./32
~~Wll....../,1..,~-Ctr.!3/
Fig. 43
Nikolskoye
bones.
cemetery.
Pit
3. The black spots indicate
82
burnt
The red-coloured
fill of the pit contained individual
pot
the Nikolskoye type and numbers of Cyprinidae teeth.
As a
sieving the excavated soil, there was found a plate of boar
36, 5)
A broken burnt scraper was found on the bottom
southern edge of the pit (Fig. 38,4).
83
sherds of
result of
tusk (Fig.
near the
Grave pit 1,1

This grave was oval in form and small in size.
It was located northeast of the 3 -pit.
It measured 1.8 x 0.9 m. and was about 30 cm. deep.
The red-coloured
outline of the grave pit was noticed at a depth of 0.8
m. from the surface.
In the red-coloured
fill
there was unearthed a
single skull of an adult with no mandible (No.80).
There were also
bones of an arm in anatomical order, the skull lying near the hand. No
finds were recovered.
1-,
Q)
.
lH
(1j
,-;
,-;
'M
lH
"C
Q)
1-,
;:I
0
,-;
0
.;
CJ
"C
In total,
outside the grave pits and especially
in the red-coloured
soil of the hollow there were found more than 20 single skulls (Nos. 116, 16a, 17, 19, 21, . 24, 31, 69, 75).
During the two years of
excavation
in the Nikolskoye cemetery 137 burials were recovered.
In
most cases, these burials were of adults (80 skeletons),
namely: males
- 30, females - 21, adolescents
- 13 and children
- 9 (Table 1, 9).
Therefore,
judging by the number of the burials,
this cemetery is the
largest
in the area of the Dnieper rapids.
Q)
1-,
Q)
..c::
.
El
0
"
.J
1-,
lH
Cl.l
,-;
Q)
Cl.l
Cl.l
Q)
>
>,
1-,
Q)
Q)
El
Q)
CJ
Q)
Near the grave pits,

especially
in the red-coloured
soil of the
hollow and in the cavities,
there were found great amounts of single
bones including
skulls
all lying in secondary positions.
In some
places the bones were raked up in heaps.
Especially
great amounts of
bones were found in the vicinity
_of the A-pit - in its long hollow, where in its western end more than ten human skulls had been heaped
together.
Six skulls
were also found among various
bones in the
eastern end of the hollow, where they occurred at a depth of 0.6-0.9 m.
These two accumulations
of human bones were heavily
coloured
and
accompanied with various
finds such as beads, flint artifacts
and
ceramics including a number of vessels in fragments.
>,
'M
(1j
0 .
Inventory
Besides the above mentioned finds collected
directly
in grave pits,
many finds were collected
between them and especially
in the redcoloured soil of the hollow.
In particular,
there were found eight
large
and middle-sized
flint
knives
(Fig.
38,5),
six
scrapers
(Fig.37,5,
7-9),
two flint
spear-points
(Fig. 37,2),
17 knife-like
blades,
a bevelled
point,
a trapeze
(Fig. 37, 11-13), and about 20
flint flakes.
Cl.l 1-,
,-; 0
0 .
~
'M
""
""
.
00
'M
i:z..
Cl.l
Q)
1-,
The stone tools found in the cemetery comprise a polished axe or adze
(Fig. 37,14) and a fragment of a perforated
implement.
In addition,
in
various
squares
of the excavated
area there
were collected
four
ornaments,
both broken and intact,
of boar tusk (Fig. 36,1,4,6,9),
about ten flat-sectioned
rounded beads of gagate and green stone, and a
copper bead (Fig. 39, 3-5, 18).
In the red-coloured
soil there were
also found fragments of a stone mortar and a pestle.
Pot sherds were
numerous and included more than ten vessels in fragments.
As already
mentioned above, the number of sherds in one place alone near the A-pit
was about 200 pieces.
Sherds and fragments of vessels lay at a depth
ranging from 0.4 to 1.0 m. Some of them were found in the grave pits,
especially
in the 6 -grave,
where we collected
more than two dozen
fragments,
including
fragments
of vessels,
whose forms have been
restored
(Fig.44).
All the vessels
found in the cemetery were broken in antiquity.
Therefore,
in some places the sherds lay as accumulations
of fragments
and, in some cases, nearly all the fragments of one vessel could be
84
85
Table I
GRAVE
GOODS
Table 1
GRAVEPITS
A
GRAVES
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
)I(
1
1
Inside
Red Fill
Outside
Red Fill
Surface
Total
Flint
Knives
Knife-like blades
Scrapers
Spear-points
Flakes
Ceramics
Broken vessels
Sherds
Ornaments
Unio shell
Deer teeth
Fish teeth
Annular beads (total)
gagate
green stone
limestone
carnelian
Cylindrical beads
Boar tusk plates
Copper artifacts
Other finds:
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
2
25
1
0
0
0
103
0
4
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
7
0
2
2
2
1
1
1
0
dog
mandible,
tortoise
shell
70
184
179
11
7
0
4
0
0
0
0
mace,
gold
pendant,
86
mountain
crystal
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
2
3
1
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
axe,
beaver
mandible
0
0
0
0
0
8
17
6
2
20
0
1
0
2
1
0
3
0
0
0
26
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
10
0
0
0
22
10
0
0
0
2
0
2
2
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
20
0
0
0
0
0
0
13
0
1
3
0
2
0
6
0
2
0
13
36
8
9
20
0
0
19
37
0
0
Trapeze
Adze,
Mace,
Mortar,
Pestle,
Bevelled Point
87
251
207
187
4
8
2
3
12
Trapeze
collected
fragments
within an area of about one sq m B t

u 1.dnmost cases, the
of a particular
vessel were w1.del
y separate.
The overwhelming majority of th f d
west of the grave
.
e ins were collected west and northT~ey were mainly collected in the vicinity
of
the hollow among t?1.t:
In the area south of the 6grave tools
d
e ~ap o human skulls.
,
an ceramics were very scarce.
Outside the red-coloured
hollow O f h
th
b
t e ?emetery, in the vicinity
of
grave pits ,a, E, }I{ and 3
about 0.8-1.0 m i e at' the lnumler fof finds collected at a depth of
1
.,

e eve o the grav
t
ess.
Altogether,
there were found 1
e Pl. , ":as considerably
three vessels in fragments
Th 1
ess than 10 art1.facts
and only
0 7
T
.
e atter were found at

d h
m.
he finds collected within th
a ept of 0.6soil also included two brok
e ~quares outside the red-coloured
like blades including one wi:~ sp;ar-hpo1.nts, fragments of three knifere ouc, and a number of flakes.
Some of the finds
includi
c?lle?ted
in the eroct'ed side o~g t;:es
of part.icular
interest'
were
distribution
of the finds within th b:~kk loppos1.te the cemetery.
The
e 1. 0 skoye cemetery is shown in
Table 1.
The finds collected
in the Nikol k
consider the whole inventory
of t~. oye cemetery make it possible to
complex generally
dated to the end l.~ c~metNery.as. a single cultural
0
t e eoh th1.c/beginning of the
Eneoli thic.
!n tota~' within the area of the cemeter
;?1.! and. in the .grave pits there have bee! both in its red-coloured
collected
more than 3000
ins mainly consisting of ceramics.
There are only 70 flint artifacts
are represented
by knives (13)
and about 30 flint flakes.
Tools
knife-like
blades (36).
' scrapers
(8), spear-points
(10) and
The kn~ves ar~ both large and medium in size
on massive knife-like
blades
(Fig.38).
They are made
shallow bifacial
retouch.
The ends of some k.
and have all~round
are ~armed 11.ke a scraping tool with
a pointed 'tip'.
The size
length.
Some of the knives weree~:a~:: ~nrang?s fro~ 6 to 12-14 cm. in
The scrapers
are comparatively
large in s.
Th
ancient times.
1.ze. (F. ree37 of them ar e made on massive
bl a des' t he rest are on flakes
f . 1
ig.
'5-9).
The spear-points
or
large
javelins
have b1.
ac1.a of retouch
(Fig 37 , 1- 4 , 6) and are
su brectangular
in shape.
Two
th
Most of the
spear-points
were broken in anci t e~ are convex-based.
In most cases, the knifelike blades are of medium size (F~n times.
There were only two large
sized (about 12 cm.) blad
d ig. 37,13?
es an no small m1.crolithic blades.
oF~v;s
The flint artifacts

of the Nikol k
assemblages found on Late Ne 1. th .s oye cemetery are similar to other
Ukraine, such as the Mariu 1 o l. ic - Early Eneolithic
sites of the
po cemetery
.
ar, an d the cemetery
an d sett 1ement near the villa
f Al, in particul
the vicinity
of the Dnie er ;: ?
e~a~dr1.a on the Oskol river.
In
camp sites of the second s~age oil.!~ Ds1.~1.lar tools were found at the
e n1.eper-Donets culture.
. The stone artifacts
are represented
It goes
without saying that the fragments of a by a few specimens.
mace found in the 6-pit and in
88
the area of the entrance is quite unique.

It is globular,
slightly
ablated in shape with a deep annular groove in its lower part (Fig.
37, 15).
The groove is decorated with five lines engraved around the
circumference.
The mace is provided with a perforation
tapered in the
upper part to fit a handle.
It is made of grey-greenish
serpentine
with spots of a lighter colour, and well polished.
We do not know any
other mace to be analogous to that from the Nikolskoye II cemetery.
Artifacts
of this general type found in the Mariupol cemetery are quite
different
in form.
The axe of shale, the granite mortar and the pestle found in the redcoloured fill of the Nikolskoye cemetery are less well made. The axe
is similar
to some of the artifacts
found in the local Neolithic
settlements.
However, there
are no parallels
for the mortar
(unfortunately,
half preserved) and the pestle.
The ornaments found in the cemetery are diverse and numerous.
They
consist of deer tooth artifacts,
Cyprinidae teeth, annular beads, boar
tusk plates
and metal artifacts
(Fig.39).
The finds include four
pendants made of immature deer teeth (Fig. 39, 11).
They were found
near the skeletons
arranged
in the lowest layer
of the B-pit.
Cyprinidae teeth were found in the 6 -and B-pits and also near child
burials Nos. 70-72 (22 pieces).
In addition,
small quantities
of fish
such finds
teeth were found in grave pits E, lK and 3 In total,
number more than 250.
The number of beads exceeds 200. A string of beads was found in the
B-pit near skeletons Nos. 53 and 55 (173 pieces).
A lesser quantity
was collected
in the fill of the 6-pit.
The rest were collected in the
red-coloured
soil of the cemetery and also in the eroded side of the
bank.
The overwhelming majority of the beads are in the form of flat
circles
with cylindrical
and most often tapered holes in the centre
(Fig. 39,1-10).
The diameter of the beads ranges from 3-4 mm. to 15
mm. The beads also differ
in thickness
ranging from 3 mm. to 9 mm.
The overwhelming majority of the beads are made of gagate, but there
are also some beads made of green stone and white limey material
probably of an organic origin.
Two beads of this
type are of
carnelian.
Beads of green stone were found only in pit 6 and in the
red-coloured
soil of the cemetery.
In the B-pit, beads were lacking.
One of the carnelian
beads was found in the red fill
(sq. No.2), the
other was in the eroded side of the bank.
The annular beads of the
Nikolskoye cemetery are quite analogous to the finds from the Mariupol
cemetery where, however, such artifacts
of carnelian
and green stone
were absent.
In addition to the flat annular beads, there were found
two cylindrical
beads (grave pit 6). One of these beads is of gagate,
and the other is of white stone (Fig. 39,12,13).
In the Nikolskoye cemetery, there were found 12 ornaments of boar
tusk including four intact artifacts
(Fig.36).
Attention is drawn to
the presence of some ornaments which are very much like the plates from
the Mariupol cemetery, especially
its latest
burials (No.24).
On the
other hand, some of the plates from the Nikolskoye cemetery have no
analogy.
One of these plates
resembles a stylised
anthropomorphic
image (Fig. 36,4),
the other is made in the form of a fluttering
butterfly
(Fig. 36,3).
89
The boar tusk plates

may be assigned
to the late period of the
cemetery.
They were found in the A-pit, near the upper burials of the 6
-pit,
in the southern part of the r-pit,
and also in the red-coloured
soil of the cemetery, near burial No. 70 and in the eroded area in
particular.
The ornaments of metal such as copper and gold were also buried
during the final period of the cemetery.
They were all found in the
grave pits of the latest
period, for instance,
in the southern part of
near the upper burial (No. 23) of the
6 -pit
and at its
the r -pit,
entrance.
One small cylindrical
bead was found in the upper part of
the red-coloured
fill at a depth of 0.3 m. The beads found in
pit
r
are nearly globular in form and have holes in the centre (Fig. 39,17).
It is quite probable that a bead, badly damaged by fire,
which was
found on the skull of skeleton No.23 was of similar form.
Besides these beads, within the area of the entrance into the central
grave pit of the cemetery, there were found two metal pendants.
One of
them is of hammered copper in the form of a ring with curled ends (Fig.
39, 15) ; the other is a piece of rolled up thin gold plate.
It is
probable that this plate derived from a larger object provided with a
small hole, since traces of cutting at one of the ends of the plate are
clearly seen.
The copper artifacts
from the Nikolskoye cemetery were subjected to
spectral
analysis
by E.N. Chernykh.
In all cases, the analyses were
based either
on the contents
of copper or the admixtures of other
metals present in hundreds of one percent.
E.N. Chernykh (1966) has
shown a genetic
relationship
between the copper finds
from the
Nikolskoye cemetery and the metal finds of the Early Tripolye culture,
particularly
from the Karbuna hoard.
The copper artifacts
from the Nikolskoye cemetery have little
if any
analogy to the finds
from any other Eneolithic
monuments of the
Ukraine.
Only one cylindrical
bead found near burial No. 24 in the
Mariupol cemetery may be taken as analogous to this copper find in the
The gold pendant is one of the most ancient gold
artifacts
found in the territory
of the Ukraine.
In addition
to these ornaments, the inhabitants
of Nikolskoye as in
Mariupol used mountain crystal.
Thus, in the pit fill of the cemetery
there were found two ornaments made of this mineral.
In the redcoloured soil as well as in the grave pits,
there were also found
remains of Unio shells.
One of the characteristic
features of the Nikolskoye cemetery is the
presence of ceramics directly
related
to the whole complex of the
monument. Judging by the restored and reconstructed
forms and also by
the presence of rims, the ceramic assemblage of the cemetery includes
no less than 60 vessels.
Of great importance is the homogeneity of the
assemblage itself,
which is free from imports with the exception of
three obviously foreign vessels
such as a Tripolye-type
vessel,
an
amphora-like
and a round-based
vessel.
In general the assemblage
includes only one form - flat-bottomed
pots, - though all the vessels
are different
in height ranging from 10 to 50 cm. In nearly all cases,
the rim of the pot is clearly defined, thickened and made in the form
90
of a peculiar external
collar.
In most cases, it is bevelled inside,
and only in some cases is the collar edge flat (Fig. 40,6).
The body
of such pots is usually globular in form, but sometimes the form may be
somewhat carinated
(Fig. 40,6).
The maximum diameter of the vessel is
usually
in its upper third,
but in some cases it is in the upper
quarter or in the middle of the body (Fig. 40, 3).
Half the vessels
would have been very unsteady because of the small diameters of their
bases.
This especially
applies
to the large sized pots.
In most
cases, the bases are slightly
concave.
It is interesting
to note that
the large-sized
vessels are thin-walled,
in some cases less than 1 cm.
thick.
The fabric
includes
sand and grog
sometimes coarse
grained
particles.
There are also traces of vegetable
temper.
Two of the
sherds include graphite.
It is not improbable that chamotte was also
used as an admixture.
Thus, for instance,
one of the sherds includes a
small ceramic fragment decorated with stroked ornament.
It is obvious
that the walls of the vessels are constructed
of coil strips.
All the
vessels have rather smoothed surfaces.
Only in rare cases on the inner
surface are comb traces observed.
The vessels are usually decorated from the rim to the very bottom,
and nearly in all cases the ornament is spread inside the rim and to
the outer surface of the base.
Among the decorative
motifs the most
frequent
are stroked
grooves,
next are linear
and short
incised
ornaments, and also comb and two-or three-toothed
patterns.
In some
cases the ornament is in the form of circles.
As a rule, the vessels
are covered by only one ornamental element, though combinations are
also known such as strokes and lines, lines and comb-marks and strokes,
etc. (Fig. 44,8).
In most cases, the pottery from Nikolskoye cemetery is decorated with
stroked ornaments (45 vessels).
The stroked ornamentation
usually
takes the form of so-called stroke-lines,
where stroke chains differing
in length are joined by single grooves.
In some cases, however, the
rows of strokes are executed with no grooves or vice versa.
The form
of strokes is most commonly sub-triangular.
In some cases, the strokes
are elongated without any definite
contour.
The stroked ornaments are
usually shallow and sometimes barely visible.
Ten vessels
are decorated
with scratched
ornament.
Some of the
vessels
are
decorated
with
smoothed and stroked
ornaments
in
combination.
The main ornamental motif is in the form of a herringbone pattern
(Fig.
44,3,8).
The ornament on two vessels is in the
form of an oblique lattice
(Fig. 45,1).
The upper part of one vessel
is entirely
covered with horizontal
lines (Fig. 40,3).
The ornamental
lines
may be narrow and deep or slightly
broadened and smoothed.
Sometimes, the ornamental lines are very shallow.
There are only four vessels
decorated with comb or tooth-stabbed
ornaments.
Among them, one vessel is decorated with fine-toothed
comb
impressions arranged in vertical
lines (Fig. 45,4).
The base of this
vessel is also covered with similar ornament, while the ornament on the
rim is an oblique net pattern.
The rim of another vessel is decorated
with comb ornament, which is combined with chains of strokes.
In the
lower part, the vessel is decorated with diagonal comb lines.
Two of
the vessels
are entirely
covered with horizontal
lines of a three91
toothed
pattern.
The upper part of one of these vessels
is also
decorated with twin zigzag comb ornament running around the body (Fig.
45,4).
In addition,
the assemblage includes
a few sherds decorated
w.ith a two-toothed
linear pattern
(Fig. 45,5).
As a rule, the ornament covers the entire
surface of the vessel,
and
only in some cases
is the vessel
only lightly
ornamented.
The
ornamental
compositions
vary.
Sometimes, they are very complicated,
but in general the composition is subordinated
to horizontal
zoning.
All the ornaments of the Nikolskoye

cemetery may be divided
into
three main motifs:
1. Horizontal
lines such as scratched
lines or stroked grooves
running round the body of the pot.
In some cases,
such lines may be
broken or wavy (Fig. 40,2,3; 44,1,4,6).
2.
Diagonal 'herring
bone 1 , when oblique
(diagonal)
lines or
grooves arranged
in rows at an angle together
form a 'herring
bone 1
pattern
(Figs. 40,4,6; 44,8).
3. Hatched geometrical
figures such as triangles,
rectangles
and
rhombs (Figs. 45,2,6-8,10).
Among these motifs,

the second motif predominates,
while the last is
represented
to a lesser extent.
As a rule, the geometrical
figures
on
the vessels
form an integral
part of a common composition
including
a
simple linear or herring-bone
ornament, and only in rare cases are they
predominant in the ornamental system (Fig. 45,10).
Some of the vesse l s
are decorated with very complic .ated ornaments including
all or almost
all
the above-mentioned
motifs
(Fig.
45,2,6,10).
However, t he
principle
of horizontal
zonings in the ornamental
patterns
of such
vessels is usually disturbed.
It is interesting
to note a great variety
of ornaments on the bases
of some vessels.
These ornaments include oblique lattice
compositions,
hatched
patterns
of parallel
lines,
concentric
circles,
etc.
(Fig .
40,2,6,7).
In some cases,
the base is decorated
with an ornament in
the form of a hexagonal
star
on which rectangles
are inscribed.
Unornamented bases are absent from our collection.
On the whole, the Nikolskoye ceramics have a direct analogy with the
Late Neolithic
assemblages
culture
in the
vicin i ty of the Dnieper rapids and the Azov region (Sredny Stog).
Due
to the
secure
provenence,
homogeneity
and number,
the
ceramic
assemblage of the Nikolskoye cemetery may be taken as a standard for
the stage II-B of the Dnieper-Donets
culture
in the vicinity
of the
Dnieper rapids and the Azov region as a whole.
As has been noted above,
in addition
to the pottery
fragments
ordinarily
found in the stage II-B
complex of the Dnieper-Donets
culture,
the red-coloured
soil of this cemetery also contained
three
vessels which cannot be typologically
related
to them.
They include a
round based vessel,
a narrow necked amphora-like
vessel and a Tripolyetype pot.
Fig.
45
Nikolskoye cemetery. Ceramics

stroked and comb ornament.
decorated
with channeling,
The round-based
vessel is small in size (about 16 cm, high, the neck
is 13 cm. wide).
The form of the vessel has been reconstructed
(Fig.
40,6).
The rim is scarcely
defined and its edge is bevelled inside.
The body is globular in form.
The maximum diameter of the vessel is at
93
92
its middle part.

Ornament in the form of parallel
lines and composed
of sub-triangular
strokes covers the vessel from the rim to the base.
In form, the vessel resembles the pottery of the Early Yamnaya culture,
though its stroked ornament and some other features
are related
to the
Neolithic
ceramics of the cemetery.
As mentioned above, the base of
the vessel was found on the bottom of the A-grave, while its upper part
was in square 48 at the depth of 0.8 m., and one of its fragments was
in the red-coloured
fill
of the 5-pit.
Thus, according
to its find
situation,
this vessel differs
considerably
in form from the rest of
the main ceramic assemblage,
though the subtriangular
stroked linear
ornament,
which entirely
covers
the whole surface
of the vessel,
associates
this vessel with the typical
late Neolithic
ceramics.
What
could be the source for such an unusual round-based
vessel
in the
Dnieper-Donets
culture?
It is probable that the prototype
for such a
vessel
could be taken from the Sredny Stog ceramics
of the early
stages, which are characterized
by the presence of pointed-based
pots.
The amphora-like
vessel is comparatively
large.
It is narrow-necked
and flat-based.
Its maximum diameter is in the middle part of the body
(Fig. 46,2).
On the neck of the vessel,
there are seen two pairs of
holes made before firing.
The fabric includes a small amount of sand.
The vessel is well fired and glossy.
The surface
of the vessel is
entirely
covered with a smoothed linear
ornament, the composition
of
which is rather
complex.
The neck is encircled
with four horizontal
lines.
Next is a series of rhombs enclosing a vertically
arranged long
rectangle,
which is covered with zigzag ornament.
The space in the
upper part of the vessel with six such rhombs is decorated with lines
meeting at an angle.
The composition in the lower part of the vessel,
which is separated
from the upper part by three rows of delicate
stro kes running round the body, is in full accord with the decoration
on the upper part.
The base of the vessel is decorated with rows of
elongated flat strokes.
The rows of strokes meet at an angle and form
a cross-like
figure.
The vessel was found south-west of pit A (0.7 m.)
at a depth of 0.8 m. Some of the sherds were found in other squares at
the same depth.
This amphora-like
vessel offers
few analogies.
In
form and system of ornamentation,
it may only be compared with the
amphora from the second burial
of mound-4 near the village
of
Vladimirovka on the South Bug river.
However, that vessel is decorated
with an ornament applied in paint.
The amphora was found in the main
burial of the mound, wherein the dead was lain in the supine position
with legs flexed upward at the knees (Zbenovich 1974, fig. 45,5).
The
amphora and the vessel from Vladimirovka both utilized
zigzag ornament.
Beyond this,
the vessel from the Nikolskoye cemetery may be compared
with
some more distant
objects,
for
instance,
from Asia Minor
(Hacilar).
For a better understanding
of the origin of the globular vessel from
the Nikolskoye cemetery, it is first
necessary to bear in mind that in
fabric,
this vessel
is no different
from the other ceramics of the
cemetery.
Second, its surface including
the outer surface of the base
is entirely
covered with decoration.
Among the decorative
elements,
in
addition
to the incized lines, we find the motif of strokes arranged in
lines
which is most typical
for the local
Dnieper-Donets
ceramics.
However, the ornamental system decorating
this vessel,
which is rather
original
and more complicated
than any other motif of the cemetery's
ceramics,
shows a number of distinctive
features,
which resemble the
pattern
on other vessels
typical
for the site.
This is true,
for
94
2
Fig.
46
vessel (2).
A Tripolye
95
pot (1) and an amphora-like
example,
inscribed
for the hatched

into a rectangle,
triangles,
etc.
the
vertical
zigzag
ornament
It is believed
that this vessel was made by the Dnieper-Donets
occupants of the site,
but the prototype of its form was introduced
from somewhere outside,
probably from the Neolithic
cultures
of the
North Caucasus or Tripolye.
A small Tripolye pot (9.8 cm. high) was found nearly intact
(Fig.
46,1).
It was recovered near the amphora in the red-coloured fill of
the cemetery at a depth of about 0.6 m. One of the fragments of this
thin-walled
pot was found in the adjacent square at a depth of 0.6 m.
The clay of which it was made is free of visible admixtures.
The neck
of the pot is comparatively high.
The rim is not thickened but extends
slightly
outwards.
The bottom is flat and small in diameter.
The neck
is decorated with horizontal
flutes.
Similar flutes
run over the
vessel's
body at acute
angles
to each other
whose apexes are
alternatively
directed
up and down. A row of delicate
comb strokes
runs along the ridges between the flutes.
A similar row of strokes
underlining
the rim separates
the body from the neck and defines the
lower margin of the ornament nearly reaching the bottom. An analogy to
this vessel may be seen only in the Early Tripolye settlements
of the
right-bank Ukraine, especially
in the assemblages of Borisovka and the
lower layer in Pechora on the South Bug river.
It goes without saying
that this vessel was imported into the Nikolskoye cemetery.
Therefore,
its presence is of great importance in resolving
the chronological
stages of the cemetery and in synchronizing Nikolskoye with Tripolye.
Description
of burials
No.1. Single skull

at a depth of 0.2 m.
No.2.
coloured
(age and sex determined
of a 20 to 25-year old female lying above pit
Single skull
A and 6.
of an adult
were single
Nos. 22 and 23. Paired burial of a 35 to 45-year female (No.22) and

a male of 40-45 years (No.23) lying immediately under the fire place,
which covered the 6 -pit.
The skeletons were found at the same depth
(0.8-0.85
m.).
The bones of the left arm of skeleton No.22 partly
overlay the right side of skeleton No.23. Both skeletons were extended
in supine positions
with heads to the W facing each other.
Arms at
side.
Both skeletons
had been cut away obliquely so that the right
tibia and all bones of the left leg of skeleton No.22, and the whole
lower part including the left hand of skeleton No.23 were missing.
The
skeletons were slightly
burnt.
A small copper bead was found on the
skull of skeleton No.23.
No.24.
Single
pits A and 6.
child
skull
lying
at a depth of 0.9 m. between grave
Nos. 25 and 26. The second paired burial of adults (Nos. 26 was of a
50 to 60-year old female) was found under the black charcoal layer in
pit 6 at depths of 1.1 and 1. 15 m. Extended supine positions
with
heads to the W. The right arm bones of skeleton No.26 overlay the left
part of skeleton No. 25.
There were many Neolithic
sherds sometimes
with traces of secondary burning about the skeletons.
Near the right
foot of No. 25 lay a fragment of a flint
spear-point,
an ornament of
boar tusk and four fragments of flint blades with retouch.
At the same level on the right side of skull

single skull of an adult (No.28).
No.29, there
was found a
lying at a depth of 0.6 m. above the
No. 18/67.
Burial of an adult lying at a depth of 0.65 m. under
cairn III.
with head to the E and legs
slightly
bent upward at the knees.
The arm bones were heavily
sprinkled with ochre.
No.19.
grave-pits
The rest
Nos. 28 and 29. Burial No.29 was of a 50 to 60-year old male. It was
found in anatomical order at a depth of 0.8 m. on the southern margin
of the red-coloured
cemetery soil.
arms at
side, legs straight,
oriented
to the NW. The burial was sprinkled
lightly with ochre.
Under the pelvis of burial No.29 lay a fragment of
a spear-point.
Single skull of a 35 to 45-year old male lying in the redsoil west of the pit 6 at a depth of 0.25 m.

fire place of pit 6,
order.
No. 27.
Remains of an adult burial lying over the northern part of
pit r at a depth of 0.9 m. Extended supine position.
The upper part
of the skeleton was missing.
The tibia together with the feet were cut
off by the southern part of the r-pit.
by G. P. Zinevich)
Nos. 3-16, 16a. Individual skulls of adults lying in an accumulation

of human bones north-east
of pit A (No.3 - a 20 to 25-year old male
Nos. 4-6, 8, 14 - 35 to 45-year males; Nos. 7, 9-13, 15, 16, 16a - '
adults).
No.17.
blackened
(22 and 23; 25 and 26) lying in anatomical

skulls.
lying
at a depth of 0.6 m. between
No.20.
Separate skull of an adult lying under cairn
at a depth of 0.6 m. Broken, with no mandible.
III
over pit
Nos. 22, 23, 25, 26, 44-51, 60-66.

These 19 burials were found in
depths.
Among them, there were two paired burials
pit 6 at different
96
No.30. Burial of an adult slightly

coloured lying at a depth of 0.9
m. The upper part was cut off to the pelvis by the southern part of
pit r.
No.31.
pit Bat a depth of 1 m.
lying
at the very western
edge of
Nos. 32-35, 35a, 38, 39, 57-59.

These ten burials
lay in the
northern part of pit r Among them five burials were in anatomical
order and partly or well preserved.
The rest (Nos. 32, 34, 35, 35a,
38, 59) were single skulls,
sometimes with no mandibles (Nos. 32, 38).
They were gathered up in a heap at a depth ranging from 1.2 to 1.55 m.
No.32 was a 35 to 45-year old male. No.34 was an adolescent.
Nos. 35,
35a and 38 were adult burials.
No. 59 was a 12 or 13-year old child.
97
No. 33. Burial of an adult

depth of 1.25 m. overlain by
the left half of the skeleton
away by the southern part of
arms at side.
male in the northern part of pit rat

a
a number of skulls.
Only the skull and
were preserved.
The other part was cut
the grave pit.
Nos. 36, 37, 40-42.

Five skulls of adults in the southern part of
pit r among a great number of individual
human bones at a depth of
about 1.3-1.5 m. The fill
of the grave pit was slightly
reddish in
colour.
No. 36 was an 18 to 20-year old female; No. 41 was a 50 to 60year old male; No.42 was a 35 to 45-year old male; Nos. 36, 41, 42 had
no mandibles.
Near skull No. 40 lay a fragment of a boar tusk ornament
and two copper beads.
A gagate annular bead was found near skull No.
41.
Burial No.39. Burial of 20 to 25-year old female lying
No. 33 in the northern part of pit r.
It is likely that
was destroyed
by burial
No. 33.
Only the skull and
vertebrae
and ribs were preserved.
The dead was found
side with head to the Wat a depth of 1.3 m.
near skeleton
this skeleton
a number of
on her right
Nos. 44-51.
Eight single skulls of adults were found among various
human bones in the upper part of the red-coloured
fill of pit 6 under
the black charcoal layer, about and mainly under the paired burial of
Nos. 25 and 26, at a depth ranging from 1.39 to 1.67 m. In most cases,
the skulls were badly damaged and nearly all lacked mandibles.
Nos.
44, 47 and 48 were of 35 to 45-year old females; No. 49 was a 20 to 25year old female; No. 46 was a male of the same age.
Here were found
the following articles:
a fragment of a spear-point
near skull No. 45,
two knives of flint in fragments (No. 50) and a Neolithic sherd.
Nos. 52-56.
Five burials in pit
Two of them (Nos. 53 and 55)
were in anatomic order; the rest were damaged.
Single skulls of an
adolescent (No. 52) and of an adult (No. 54) with no mandibles.
These
skulls and that of a single child (No. 56) were among various human
bones at a depth of 1.09-1.18 m.
No. 53. Burial of a 20 to 25-year old female lying on the bottom of
pit B near skeleton
No. 55 at a depth of 1.2 m.
Extended supine
position oriented
to the W. Arms at side, legs straight.
Near the
pelvic bones lay a string of gagate beads.
No.SS.
Burial of a 35 to 45-year old male in pit B
1.26 m. The dead was in the supine position with head to
upward.
Arms at side.
A great number of Cyprinidae
pendants of immature deer teeth were found near the right
at a depth of
the W. facing
teeth and six
shoulder.
No. 57. Burial of a 35 to 45-year old male, extended in the supine

position,
oriented to the W., arms at side.
The right leg was missing.
It is probable that the leg bones were cut off by the southern part of
pit r,
The skeleton was slightly
coloured and somewhat contracted at
the shoulders.
It was close to one side and over skeleton No. 58 in
the northern part of pit rat a depth of 1.45 m.
No.58.
1.48 m.
was slightly
bent at the elbow, the hand being near
left arm was at the side, the legs and feet straight.
Nos. 60-66.
Seven single
(Nos. 60, 61, 62, 64, 65) and
layer of pit 6 at a depth of
old male. No. 64 was a 13 to
The
skulls with no mandibles of adolescents

adults (Nos. 63 and 66) in the lower bone
1.65-1.81 m. No. 63 was a 35 to 45-year
18-year old adolescent.
No. 70-72.
Group burial of a child skeleton (No. 70) and two single
child skulls under the southern part of cairn III at a depth of 0.8 m.
No. 70. Burial of a 7 to 10-year old child, extended in the supine
position,
head to the NW. A string of white annular beads was found
near the right shoulder.
Below the pel vie bones lay a number of
Cyprinidae teeth.
Nos. 73-74.
The remains of a number of skeletons
destroyed
by
erosion at a depth of 0.3 m. in the northern part of the area excavated
in 1967.
No. 75.
Single broken skull of a 20 to 25-year
mandible at a depth of 0.7 m. west of pit E.
old female with no
Nos. 76-79, 79-a, 120-125.

Eleven burials in pit E. When the first
level of this area was excavated, there were found five skeletons lying
at a depth of 1.1-1.3 m. with four single skulls of adults among a
great number of individual
human bones. Here was also found burial 79a
lying in the supine position close to anatomical order at the northern
wall of the pit.
Legs straight,
oriented to the W. All the bones and
skulls were heavily coloured.
A number of Cyprinidae teeth were found
near skulls Nos. 78 and 79. Under these skulls and to their west lay a
fragment of a flint knife (Fig. 38,9).
Nos. 76, 79 and 79a were 20 to
25-year old females; No. 77 was a young female, No. 78 was a mature
male. The single skulls with no mandibles were badly damaged.
No.SO. Single crushed skull
and facing east in pit 11
with no mandible lying
on its
left
side
No. 81. Burial of an adult lying at a depth of 1.0 m. north of the

3-pit.
head to the N., legs straight,
arms
at side.
Uncoloured.
No traces of a grave pit.
Nos. 82-114.
Burials found in pit 3 in the first and second levels.
Two skeletons (Nos. 89, 90) lay in close to anatomical order.
The rest
of the burials were single skulls lying among separate human bones at a
depth of 1.0-1,3 m. Skull No. 100 was accompanied by a number of bones
probably of the same individual.
Some of the skulls had mandibles
(Nos. 83, 85, 88).
Some of the skulls were burnt (Nos. 87, 104) and
even very heavily (Nos. 100, 111, 112).
In most cases, these were the
skulls
of adults.
Skulls Nos. 93, 101, 102, 105, 113 were of
adolescents.
Two skulls (Nos. 95 and 100) were of children.
The sex
and age could be determined only in seven cases: Nos. 84, 88, 106 were
mature males; Nos. 91, 96, 107 - young females; No. 94 - a 50 to 60year old female.
Burial of a 35 to 45-year old male in pit r at a depth of

Extended supine position with head to the W. The right arm
98
the chest,
99
Nos. 89, 90.

Paired burial of a female (?) and a child of four or
five years lying side by side.
The child skeleton was at the left of
the female.
No. 89. Burial of an adult, extended in the supine position close to
anatomical order with head to the W. Arms at side close to the trunk,
legs straight,
no feet.
No. 90.
Burial of a child lying to the left
the same level in supine position,
slightly
skeleton.
Very poorly preserved.
Nos. 115-119,
level.
119a.
These skeletons
No. 115. Burial of a

straight,
arm at side.
was turned over with its
were overlain by the leg
a contracted position.
of skeleton
turned to
No. 89 at
the adult
were found in pit A in the first
male(?)
extended in the supine position,
legs
The skull had fallen off to the west side and
base up. The tibial
bones of skeleton No. 115
bones of skeleton No. 119a. The latter was in
No. 116.
Burial of a 50 to 60-year old female lying immediately
under skeleton No. 115 and on skeleton No. 117. The right shoulder was
slightly
raised, legs straight,
arms at side.
The skull was turned to
its left.
Between the femurs there was found a sherd of the Nikolskoye
type.
A fragment of a knife-like
blade was below the skull.
No. 117. Burial of a female with head to E. Legs straight,
arms at
side.
A spear-point
(Fig. 37,1) was found under the pelvis.
Near the
skull lay a fragment of an axe (Fig. 37, 10), mandible of beaver and
Unio shells.
The femoral bones of skeletons Nos. 116 and 117 overlay
the skull of skeleton No. 133.
arms on the
position at the northern wall of pit A Legs straight,
pelvic bones.
Legs and hands were overlain by skeleton No. 119a lying
in the contracted position.
No. 119. Single skull of an adult
found in the chest of skeleton 118.
in secondary
position.
It
was
No. 119a. Burial of an adult lying in the middle part of pit A. All
the bones were in anatomical order, but there was no skull.
It is
probable that the bones belonged to skull No. 119.
Burial No. 119a
overlay all the skeletons of pit A. Legs were in a rhombic position.
Nos. 120-125.
Burial of a male about 35-45 years lying in a
complicated position
near the southern wall.
The skull was on its
right side.
The chest was in the supine position,
while the femoral
bones were crosswise, and the tibial
bones were parallel.
Arms bent at
the elbows, hands near the cervical vertebrae.
It is probable that the
skeleton was disturbed in ancient times.
The pelvis was broken and its
left half was turned over.
position facing up, but the mandible was broken and lay nearby.
Legs
straight,
arms at side.
The right shoulder overlay skeleton No. 120.
100
The femoral bones of skeleton

skeleton No. 125.
No. 121 were overlain
by a femur of
No. 122. Burial of a male of about 50 years, extended in the supine

position and overlain by skeletons Nos. 121 and 123.
No. 123. Burial of a 50 to 60-year old male in the supine position
heavily contracted at the shoulders.
Legs straight,
arms at side.
No. 124. Burial of an adolescent in the supine position at a depth
of 2.19 m. The burial was overlain by skeletons Nos. 123 and 125. The
skull was on its right side.
No. 125. Burial of a mature male overlying all the burials in pit A
The skeleton was in the supine position,
though its pose was very
complicated.
The skull was on its left side.
The left arm was bent at
the elbow.
The right arm bones were disturbed.
The legs lay in the
rhombic position.
Nos. 126-132. These seven single skulls were found in pit 3 in level
3 at a depth of 1.4-1.6 m. All the skulls were badly damaged. There
were no mandibles.
Some of the skulls were burnt (Nos. 131 and 132).
The skulls of adults predominated.
No. 132 was an adolescent,
and No.
126 was a child.
Nos. 133-136. Four single skulls and individual human bones found on
the bottom of pit A In all cases, the mandibles were missing.
On
Nos. 134 and 135, there were noticed traces of ochre.
All were adults,
except for No. 136 which was an adolescent.
No. 135 was a 25 to 35year old male.
No. 137. It is likely that this
found at the northern wall on the
position
in the anatomical
order.
missing), arms at side, hands under
such as long bones of arms and legs,
burial was of a young male. It was

bottom of pit 3 Extended supine
Legs straight
(the right
was
the pelvis.
A heap of human bones
and vertebrae lay near the feet.
No. 137a.
Burial of an adult.
The skull and the left half of the
skeleton were missing.
It was found along the southern wall of pit
3 in the supine position.
Hands near the pelvis.
Slightly coloured.
Comments on the Stratigraphy
and Chronology
The evidence suggests that the red soil of the cemetery, which was
composed of a mixture of black soil and powdered ochre introduced in
unequal amounts, accumulated
gradually
and concurrently
with the
construction
of the grave pits, at least of the latest
period.
It is
quite
probable
that
initially
the place of the future
cemetery
comprised a natural hollow in the form of a shallow saucer.
A gradual
accumulation of the red-coloured
fill of the cemetery is evident from
the distribution
of the grave goods spread in the fill as if they were
suspended.
In this respect,
an illustrative
example is furnished by
the distribution
of the fragments of particular
vessels.
Though these
fragments could be found in various
squares,
in most cases they
occurred at the same basic level.
Sometimes, these fragments were
discovered at a considerable
distance (about 5-7 m.) from the rest of
the vessel.
101
This cemetery functioned

for a comparatively
long time.
This is
evidenced by an accumulation of a great number of burials as well as by
numerous finds and the cutting of the grave pits by one another.
However, the stratigraphy
of the grave pits has been traced only
within the limits
of the red-coloured
fill
of the cemetery.
The
relative
chronology of the grave pits outside the red-coloured
lens may
be discussed only on the basis of the contents of the graves and the
character of the burials themselves.
Among the grave pits of the cemetery,
the most ancient
was the
northern part of pit r which was circular
and constructed,
as confirmed
by the grey-coloured
soil,
prior to the accumulation
of the redcoloured layer.
At a later time, immediately adjacent to this grave
pit, there was dug another grave pit (grave pit B) which partly cut the
The fill
of this grave pit, which was more
upper part of pit r .
subrectangular
in shape, was of an intensively
red colour.
At a still
later
time, there was constructed
a sub-rectangular
grave pit (6),
whose burnt fill
overlay to a great extent the fill
of pit B.
A
somewhat younger age for grave pit B with respect to grave pit 6 is
also confirmed by the presence of deer tooth pendants in the former
which is the distinguishing
feature
of the earliest
burials
as seen
from the materials
collected
in some other cemeteries,
e.g. Vilnyanka.
in the period when
The southern part of pit r was probably constructed
6 was already
in use, which is shown by the presence of similar
pit
copper beads and boar tusk ornaments in both cases.
However, the
period of construction
of the ritual
grave pit (A) is not quite clear.
It is believed that it is related to the final stage of the cemetery,
i.e. , it may be considered
to be concurrent
with pit 6
This is
evidenced by the presence of fragments of one and the same vessel and
boar tusk ornament both in grave pit A and in grave pit 6.
It is rather difficult
to determine the time at which the other grave
outside the red-coloured
area.
It
pits (A, E, m,3, M) were constructed
is probable, as evident from the character
of the burials,
that grave
pit 3 was contemporary with pit 6 In both cases, there were found
ornaments of boar tusk and vessels in fragments typical for the whole
cemetery.
It is also difficult
to resolve
the problem of the
A and E, which seem to be contemporary.
chronology of grave pits
Judging by the regular rounded oval forms of these grave pits and the
presence of the group burials
as well as the absence of boar tusk
ornaments, which usually appeared in the burials
of a later
period,
grave pits A and E of the Nikolskoye cemetery should be assigned to an
earlier
period.
In any case, it is probable that they were constructed
prior to pits 6 and 3. However, it should be noted that each of these
two grave pits
contained
a burial
with legs in rhombic position
overlying
the undisturbed
skeletons,
and this fact contradicts
the
above conclusion
since rhombic burials
are only assigned
to the
Eneolithic.
It is
of the
was of
triple
assigned
also difficult
to come to a proper conclusion on the chronology
single burials.
It is only possible to say that grave No. 30
The
an earlier
age compared to the southern part of pit r.
burial
(Nos.70-72),
wherein a boar tusk object was found, is
to the final stage of the cemetery.
Therefore,
in the development of the Nikolskoye cemetery, which is
generally viewed as a single unit in terms of its cultural
remains, we
may distinguish
the following two successive stages.
The first,
i.e.,
the early stage, includes the initial
period of the
cemetery.
It is represented
by burials found in the northern part of
up with grey-coloured
soil free of ochre.
These burials
pit r filled
(Nos. 57, 58 etc.) contained no artifacts,
and the pit fill contained
no sherds.
It is believed that this pit was constructed
prior to the
creation of the red-coloured
lens.
A little
later there were dug three
by the presence of
grave pits
(B, A, E), which are characterized
similar nearly undamaged burials accompanied by flat annular beads and
pendants of deer teeth.
The second, i.e.,
the latest
stage of the cemetery, is characterised
by the construction
of large grave pits,
such as 6 and 3 It
probable that during the final functional
stage of the cemetery pit
was also dug out.
At the same time, heaps of skulls were gathered
the hollow near pit 6. It is quite probable that the southern part
pit r was also dug out in this period.
The last functional

stage of the cemetery is responsible
for the
occurrence of great amounts of ceramics, large flint tools including a
stone mace, and numerous ornaments of boar tusk, copper and gold.
But
at the same time, such ornaments as pendants of immature deer teeth
were missing.
Here it should be noted that all the copper artifacts
were found near the upper burials of pit 6 (skeleton No. 23) and in the
southern part of pit r, which was the latest among all the grave pits
of the cemetery.
They were also found in the upper soil layer (at a
depth of about 0.3 m.) of the red coloured fill of the cemetery.
It should be noted that
Nikolskoye cemetery follow
of changes in burial rite
other cemeteries
in the
Vilnyanka, Yasinovatka, etc.
the above stages in the development of the

to a considerable
extent the same sequence
that we already observed from the study of
vicinity
of the Dnieper rapids
such as
Although we distinguish
two successive
stages in the
the Nikolskoye cemetery, we, however, tend to consider
of the second stage
to reflect
a single
cultural
experienced
only a few changes through the whole
cemetery's life.
Thus, the early stage of the cemetery
small number of flint
artifacts,
such as fragments
microliths
(Fig. 37, 11-13).
development of
the grave goods
complex which
period of the
includes only a
of blades and
The character
of finds from the Nikolskoye cemetery indicates
that
the final stage exceeds the limits of the Neolithic and may be assigned
to the Eneolithic.
Data bearing on the absolute age of the Nikolskoye cemetery are very
scarce.
We have only two radiocarbon dates obtained from human bones
by the Kiev radiocarbon
laboratory:
3690+400 and 2670+120 years b.c.
In the first case, the bones were collected
in the lower part of pit E.
In the second, they were collected
in pit 3 during the first season's
excavation.
The interval
between the two dates is approximately
1000
years.
Proceeding from a typological
comparison of the materials,
the
first
date may be considered to be more reasonable.
This conclusion
103
102
is
A
in
of
follows from the fact that the red-coloured

fill
of the cemetery
contained a Tripolye vessel of the early stage (Borisovka type).
On
the basis of many radiocarbon and archaeomagnetic dates, this vessel is
assigned to the end of the first half/middle of the 4th millennium b.c.
(Telegin 1985, 1986).
Chapter 4
GENERAL
CHARACTERISTICS
OF THE BURIALRITES
All the cemeteries of the Mariupol type in the Dnieper valley are flatgrave cemeteries.
These monuments were generally
discovered in the
eroded banks of the Dnieper.
All of them, with one exception
(Sobachky),
were outside
the settlements.
These were collective
cemeteries
including tens and even more than a hundred burials each.
Altogether,
in 14 cemeteries of this type in the Dnieper valley there
were uncovered about 800 burials:
Derei vka - 173; Nikolskoye - 137;
Vovnigy II - 130; Yasinovatka - 68; Lysaya Gora - 50; Vilnyanka - 50;
Vovnigy I - 31; Kapulovka - 25; Vasilyevka V - 37; Sobachky - 14;
Osipovka - 10; Chaply - 16; Maryevka - 15; and Nenasytets - 9. In
addition,
a few Neolithic
burials were also uncovered on Vinogradny
island, Igren peninsula, Kamenolomnya island, etc.
Despite some differences
in the burial rites,
all the cemeteries of
this type have a number of distinguishing
features:
(1) extended
position of the dead; (2) group burial;
(3) the presence of ochre in
the graves;
( 4) a specific
set of grave goods in the absence of
pottery.
Position of the Deceased
All the burials
of the Mariupol type reflect
a specific
method of
positioning
the dead. Only in some cases, there were noticed traces of
fire accompanying the burial rite,
and this will be discussed later.
But cremation itself
as a burial rite was never used here.
With few exceptions,
all the deceased were in the extended supine
position.
Legs were straight
and usually closed, arms at sides, hands
near or on the pelvis.
Usually, the deadwere laid facing up and only
in a few cases were the heads turned to the left or to the right.
This
may suggest that deviant positions
of bones and skulls are accidental
by nature and cannot bear ritual interpretation.
Attention is drawn to the fact that in most cases, the skeletons are
heavily contracted at their sides: arms are close to the trunk and the
skulls are in such positions
as if the heads were drawn into the
shoulders,
while the feet are straight
with toes pointed and also
closed (Figs. 16,1; 22,3; 47). Such a position indicates
that the dead
were either tightly
bound or wrapped.
In some cases, they seemed to
have been squeezed into a narrow pit.
Among the whole mass of burials,
only a few deviate from the general
norm. Thus, for instance,
in some of the group graves the skeletons
placed at the ends of a row did not lie in the supine position
but
nearly on their sides (Dereivka, Vilnyanka).
As has been mentioned
above, the uppermost burials in two of the group grave pits ( A and E)
of the Nikolskoye cemetery (one skeleton per each grave) seemed to have
been deposited in the contracted position,
so when excavated, the long
bones of the legs were found in a 'rhombic' position
(Fig.48).
It is
probable that the burial under the mound No. 18/68 of the Nikolskoye
cemetery was also in the contracted
supine position.
Besides, it is
interesting
to note that one of the deceased in this cemetery (skeleton
No. 59) had its right hand on the chest.
It is probable that both this
104
105
;,
Fig.
47
Skeletons with sides

and Sobachky (2).
heavily
contracted
from Vasilyevka
V (1)
2
Fig.
106
48
Nikolskoye
cemetery.
Burials
107
in pit
,a (1) and pit E (2).
wide, i.e.,
they corresponded to the number of the dead. The number of
skeletons
contained
in such a pit-hollow
ranged from 2-3 to 10-13
individuals
deposited in two or three layers.
Grave pits of this type
were best represented at Vilnyanka and Yasinovatka (type A), Nikolskoye
(grave pits B, r, /l, E ) , and also Sobachky and some other cemeteries
(Figs. 1,2; 15; 28; 48).
Though the grave pits were used repeatedly,
the previously
buried dead were not usually destroyed.
However, in
some cases among the skeletons
lying in anatomical order, there were
also found accumulations of individual
human bones.
The fill of these
pits was usually grey in colour, which resulted from mixing loess with
soil and subsoil.
Besides the group burials in such pit-hollows
whose
outlines
could be clearly
traced,
there were frequently
coliective
burials
(2-4 skeletons)
where the pit contours were not seen at all.
Such collective
burials
were found, for example, in the Maryevka,
Nenasytets, Sobachky and some other cemeteries.
case and those instances in the Nikolskoye cemetery where the dead were
buried in the extended position
lying on their
side should all be
considered accidental.
As for those buried in a contracted
supine
position,
these may be ancestral
to the type of burial that was widespread in the Eneolithic-Bronze
Age. A slightly
contracted
position
was also observed for burial No. 53 in the main grave pit of the
Mariupol cemetery (Makarenko 1933, 86) and there was a single sitting
burial in the Dereivka cemetery (No.41).
Orientation
of the Dead
This was rather stable, i.e.,
all the dead were oriented with heads in
the same direction
in either
all the burials
or individual
burial
groups of a particular
cemetery.
Thus, for instance,
in the Vovnigy I
(left bank) cemetery all the burials were oriented with heads nearly
precisely to the S while in Vovnigy II they were oriented to the NWand
in Maryevka - to the NE.
In Nikolskoye cemetery nearly all the
deceased were oriented in the same W direction,
and only a few single
burials lay in a SE-NWdirection.
One skeleton was oriented to the N
(Fig .35).
In some other cases, the orientation
of individual
burial
groups in a cemetery could differ.
Thus, for instance,
in the Dereivka
cemetery the dead were oriented to the W, SW and more rarely NE and N.
In the Vilnyanka cemetery, all the deceased in the red-coloured
grave
pits lay in a N-S line,
while the rest were at an angle to this
direction
(Fig.
13).
The main burial
groups of the Yasinovatka
cemetery were also oriented differently
(Fig.27).
In some of the cemeteries

(Vovnigy, Kapulovka, Dereivka),
the
separate
pit-hollows
situated
side by side were joined in one or a
number of common trenches (Figs.4;
11). The fill of such row-trenches
was usually coloured with red-ochre,
and the skeletons of the previous
burials were destroyed because of their repetitive
use, more often here
than in the pit-hollows.
As is known, such a row-trench was also found
in the Mariupol cemetery, and taking this cemetery as the model, A.D.
Stolyar advanced the idea that all the cemeteries of this type should
be called 'trench'
cemeteries.
At the later stages, the development of the Mariupol-type cemeteries
was characterized
by the occurrence
of large
collective
graves
subrectangular
in form.
Grave pits of this type were found in such
cemeteries as Nikolskoye, Yasinovatka,
Derievka and Vovnigy I.
They
ranged in size from 1.6 x 2.4 m. in Nikolskoye to 5.2 x 5.6 m. in
Yasinovatka and were intended for repetitive
use. In some, or possibly
in all instances,
each of the grave pits was covered with a shelter
probably made in the form of a cabin.
The remains of such a burnt
shelter
were noticed in the Nikolskoye cemetery over pit 6.
It is
probable that this pit and its entrance were covered by a woodwork
construction,
whose roofing was additionally
weighed down with largesized stones.
The stones were mainly found at the entrance into the
pit, where they were laid in the form of a triangle
with its apex
towards the river.
It is also quite probable that the position of the
stones was determined by the character
of the shelter,
which was made
in the form of a tent, and which fell to the ground as a result
of
fire.
As a rule, the burials in such differently

oriented groups may also
be distinguished
by some other ritual
features.
In some of the
cemeteries
(Sobachky, Nenasytets,
Vilnyanka)
there was noticed
an
antithesis
principle
in orienting
the dead, i.e.,
where the dead were
oriented in opposite directions.
As is known, such a fact was also
observed in the Mariupol cemetery.
It is difficult
to give any
satisfactory
explanation
of such a wide difference
in the manner of
orienting
the dead in the Mariupol-type
cemeteries.
It is only
possible to note that the burial rite was not related to the position
of the heavenly bodies (such as the sun, the moon or stars) in the sky.
It is also wrong to proceed from the assumption that the dead were
oriented in accordance with the direction
of the river flow, since the
orientation
of skeletons
was both parallel
and perpendicular
to the
river
flow (Telegin
1968; fig.54).
However, in most cases the
orientation
of the dead was primarily related to the direction
of the
terrace slope, when the dead were oriented with their heads towards the
terrace elevation and their feet towards the river or ravine (Vovnigy I
and II, Nikolskoye,
Lysaya Gora, Chaply, etc.)
There were also
exceptions (Vilnyanka).
From all these facts it follows that the ritual of orienting the dead
according to the position of the sun or other heavenly bodies was not
in practice among the Neolithic people of the Dnieper valley.
The Group Character of the Graves
The Mariupol-type
cemeteries
were collective
in character,
and the
group burial rite played a leading role.
This rite originated as early
as the Late Mesolithic
period (Vasilyevka III) and continued through
the whole of the Neolithic,
though the structure
of the grave pits was
subjected to considerable
changes.
In the earlier
period, the grave
pits were oval in form, about 2.2-2.5 m. long and about 1.0-1.5 m.
108
As is known, a complicated woodwork construction

over the Mariupol
cemetery was reconstructed
by A.D. Stolyar (1955).
The burials in such
grave pits were usually badly damaged because of repetitive
use of the
pits.
In some cases (Nikolskoye,
Lysaya Gora) such grave pits were
substantially
converted
into
accumulations
of skulls,
since
the
skeletons themselves were, as a rule, very poorly preserved.
Since the burials sprinkled with ochre were systematically
disturbed
in the collective
grave pits, the fill of such graves changed to a red
colour.
Should a grave pit be overfilled
with skeletons,
it was
emptied as need arose, and its contents together with human bones were
buried near the cemetery.
As a result,
the Nikolskoye cemetery
included a number of accumulations
of individual
bones which were
109
mainly deposited about pit 6 and, as mentioned above, contained the

remains of about 20 skeletons.
All this contributed
to the formation
of a red-ochre layer within the cemetery.
The collective
grave pit in the Lysaya Gora cemetery was somewhat
unique in shape.
One of its halves was elongated, while the other was
rounded and deeper (Fig. 49,1).
It is probable that this grave pit
functioned as follows:
The elongated part of the grave pit was used
for burying the dead in the extended position,
and as soon as this part
was filled,
the skeletons
were moved aside or thrown out, and the
skulls
'moved down' into the rounded and deepened part of the grave.
Thus, in the elongated part of this grave pit there were unearthed five
destroyed adult burials
and one well-preserved
skeleton.
The long
bones of the destroyed
skeletons
lay in a number of layers.
The
rounded part of the pit contained only skulls,
which formed two layers:
an upper layer of three skulls and a lower layer of 18 skulls.
The
author of the excavation
noted that some of the skulls were found
together
with their cervical
vertebrae,
which was indicative
of the
fact that the heads of the deceased were separated
from the trunks
prior to decomposition of the muscular tissues.
It is interesting
to
note that this grave pit was used only for burying adult individuals,
while children were buried in grave pits I-III.
The Osipovka cemetery on the Orel river yielded five grave pits,
which contained the remains of three to 11 skeletons
each (Figs. 2123). All the skeletons in these grave pits were out of anatomical order
to say from where
and in secondary positions.
But it is difficult
they were transported.
We can only note
that all the skeletons and
skulls were badly damaged and as a rule the mandibles were missing.
Analysis of bones from certain
grave pits showed that the number of
long bones did not correspond to that of the skulls, while small bones
were missing nearly altogether.
The grave pits with secondary burials
in the Osipovka cemetery represent
a special type of collective
grave
pit of the Dnieper-Donets culture.
,, 8
\,Jt/>p
I--:
In addition
to group burials
in the pit-hollows
and burials
in the
row-trenches
and the collective
graves, the cemeteries
often included
single burials.
Such single burials
were noticed in nearly all the
cemeteries.
Many of them were found, for instance,
in Vasilyevka V,
Sobachky, Chaply, Vovnigy II, Vilnyanka, Dereivka and in some other
cemeteries.
The outlines
of such single burials could not usually be
traced.
But if the contour was visible,
it was usually suboval in
shape.
All the skeletons
were in positions
typical
for their
particular
cemetery.
The evolution
of the burial
rite
in the Mariupol-type
cemeteries
generally
followed the following sequence: first,
burials in the pithollows of the A-type then in row-trenches
followed by collective
graves of the B-type.
This process culminated in an expansion of
single burials.
However, single burials were sporadically
deposited at
a much earlier
time.
Here we have considered only the principal
outline of the development
of the Mariupol-type
cemeteries,
which until
now could not be so
clearly
and directly
traced.
In some of the cemeteries
such as
Vasilyevka V, single burials seemed to predominate prior to the period
of the trench-graves.
However, the collective
graves were not always
110
,'-~.
4..L.f
l ':;
l- "'
: C?'.
'
.,
_'l'
'-" .
'_';,,.j
: -"? !
.-.,.
'
'__:' J
/'
I,
2CM
.........
'
\
0
1'
\_
4
3
F
Fig. 49
Lysaya Gora cemetery: plan and sectional

view (1). Nikolskoye
cemetery: mortar and pestle for grinding ochre (2-3).
Yasinovatka cemetery: the arrangement of pendant-buttons
on
burial No. 64.
111
similar in shape and among the subrectangular

grave pits of the B-type
graves (Mariupol).
typical for this' period there were also met 'trench'
As mentioned above, the Lysaya Gora cemetery was also characterized
by
the peculiar character
of its grave structure.
It is probable that
there was no sharp transition
from the pit-hollows
of the A-type to the
collective
graves of the B-type. In the Nikolskoye cemetery, the fact
that the pit-hollows
(A and E) contained contracted skeletons in supine
positions
as well as a large-sized
spear-point
with bifacial
retouch
(pit A) indicates
that in some cases the pit-hollow type graves were in
use as long as the period of the B-type subrectangular
graves.
At the latest
stage
in the development of the Mariupol-type
cemeteries,
however, the burial rite included the use of real fire.
This fact is evident from finds such as heavily burnt skeletons in the
Nikolskoye, Lysaya Gora and Osipovka cemeteries.
Such burnt skeletons
were unearthed in grave pits
and
in the Nikolskoye cemetery, and
also in three accumulations of human bones in the Lysaya Gora cemetery
and in burial No.53 of Osipovka.
The Nikolskoye cemetery may be taken as an example to illustrate
the
way of employing fire in the burial rite.
It is probable that prior to
carrying
the dead body into the burial
hut, a flat
surface was
prepared.
Therefore,
the remains of the previously
buried dead were
moved apart or even thrown out of the pit.
Then, on the prepared
surface,
there was made a purification
fire comparatively
large in
size.
When the fire burnt down, the surface was covered with a layer
of clay about 2-5 cm. thick to suit the size of the dead body. After
the body was positioned
on the surface,
it was entirely
covered with
powdered red ochre.
As mentioned above, the paired burial of an adult
and child was the last burial in the 3-pit of the Nikolskoye cemetery.
Red Ochre and Ritual Fire

Red ochre was of great importance in the burial rite of the Neolithic
population of the Dnieper valley.
It is probable that this mineral,
which was ground into a powder, was used in various degrees for
sprinkling
over all the dead.
However, the paint was not everywhere
preserved.
Thus, in sandy soils
such as at Dereivka, Chaply and
Osipovka, the retention
of the colour was particularly
poor.
Otherwise, when the graves were filled
up with loam, the paint was
more abundant and sometimes met in great amounts.
As mentioned above,
paint was somewhat scarce in the A-type oval and single grave pits.
In
the collective
graves of the B-type, ochre occurred in great amounts,
and the coloured layers were up to 0.5-1.0 m. thick as a result
of
sprinkling
the dead with powdered ochre.
When there was no room for
burying the next body, the bones of the preceeding deceased were pushed
aside or into a distant corner.
Thus, the bones were mixed up with the
ochre and as a result a solid layer was formed composed of ochre and
remains of bones.
It is probable that fire also played a certain role in the burial

rites
of other cemeteries,
where traces of fire (Vasilyevka V) were
observed.
One of the pits of the Vilnyanka cemetery (No. 38) also
contained bones of a bull with traces of fire.
Inventory
Among the burials
cemeteries,
especially
the
earlier
ones, only a few burials are known accompanied by grave goods.
However, the monuments of this
period
have been studied
rather
thoroughly and, therefore,
the inventory
collected
is comparatively
abundant.
In the area of some cemeteries,
such as Nikolskoye and
Lysaya Gora, most of the finds were of great importance,
including
numbers of ceramic remains.
In general, all the cemeteries yielded a
certain amount of grave goods and the only cemetery without any grave
goods was that in the settlement of Sobachky.
In Nikolskoye and Lysaya Gora, the area about the grave pits was
intensely coloured in red.
However, the degree of colouration
was not
always the same. The colouration
was most intense near and over the
grave pits in the centre of the cemetery. In the Nikolskoye cemetery, a
high concentration
of ochre was also noticed in the hollows.
In some
places,
there were also noticed small accumulations
of ochre in the
form of diffused
blobs.
Towards the margins of the cemetery, the
intensity
of the colour declined sharply.
All the grave goods found in the cemeteries may be divided into the
following categories:
ornaments, tools and weapons, and ceramics.
The
complete enumeration of these finds from each of the cemeteries has
been given above with the descriptions
and in the accompanying tables.
It is probable that red ochre was pulverized directly

in the area of
the cemetery as evidenced by such finds as a stone mortar and a stone
pestle from Nikolskoye (Fig. 49,2,3).
The mortar is made of granite.
It is small in size and was round in form. The upper part is provided
with a rounded saucer-like
hollow, which is well ground and about 1 cm.
deep. Unfortunately,
only one half the mortar has been preserved.
The
pestle is elongated in shape.
It is also well ground and its working
surface is very worn. The pestle is made of a hard shale and is bluegreenish in colour.
As is well known from ethnography,
in the burial
rites
of many
primitive peoples red ochre symbolized fire or blood, or heat of a home
hearth.
It is interesting
to note that the
6-pit
fill
of the
Yasinovatka cemetery included a number of round spots 50-80 cm. in size
of a bright red colour.
It is probable that in the eyes of ancient
peoples, these red coloured blobs actually represented fire places.
112
Ornaments.
The following types of ornaments have been recovered:
Cyprinidae teeth, pendants of immature deer teeth (Figs. 29.; 50,2) and
numerous flat annular beads (Figs. 39, 1-10; 50,1).
Plates of boar
tusk enamel of the so-called
Mariupol type (Figs. 30; 36) were much
less common. In some of the burials,
there were found cylindrical
beads made of limestone or gagate (Fig. 39, 12-14).
A globular pendant of bone with a V-shaped perforation

(Fig. 2,22)
was found in the Vovnigy I cemetery.
It is analogous to the beads from
the Mariupol cemetery where they occurred in great numbers (Makarenko
1933).
In two cases,
the burials
in the Dnieper cemeteries
were
accompanied with pendants made from the canine teeth
of animals
(Chaply) and deer incisors
(Vasilyevka II).
A few miniature copper
beads, a copper pendant and a gold pendant were found in the Nikolskoye
cemetery (Fig. 39, 15-18).
The Vasilyevka II cemetery yielded quite
unique bracelets
of bone (Fig. 7).
Of some interest
is the rhombic
113
bone pendant from Osipovka (Fig. 23,3).

There is no analogy for this
artifact
in any other cemetery.
It is probable that shells of Unio and
other molluscs found in most of the cemeteries were used as ornaments.
Tools. These are found in the burials

and in the area of the
cemeteries and are numerous and vary in type.
They include artifacts
of flint,
stone, bone and antler.
It is also probable that fish teeth, deer tooth pendants, beads and
plates of the Mariupol type were used either as applications
on clothes
and foot-wear or as components of necklaces.
Examples of this may be
seen in burial Nos. 20, 29, 32, 34, 35, etc. of the Vilnyanka cemetery,
where such ornaments occurred in two's or three's,
or lay in rows as a
head dress for the deceased, or on the chest or above the knees.
In
one case, there were two rows of fish teeth sewn on the hem of a dress.
In a few cases, pendants of deer teeth were found on the feet of the
deceased and seemed to be ornaments for foot-wear.
The decorative
effect of some of the deer tooth pendants was improved by transversal
incisions
(Fig. 2,23).
It is also probable that in some cases such
pendants were used as buttons.
This is evident from the Yasinovatka
cemetery, where they lay in a row along the vertebral
column and all
had their widest end to the same side (Fig. 49,4).
Pendants of deer
teeth seemed to be valuable decorations
since in some cases they were
simulated in bone (Fig. 17, 18).
The flint
artifacts
are represented
by knives and knife-like
blades
ranging from microlithic
to comparatively large in size (Figs. 9; 38),
and also various scrapers such as rounded scrapers on both small and
large flakes (Fig. 37, 5-9). There are comparatively large amounts of
microlithic
artifacts
such as trapezes mainly of medium size and in
some cases with flaked backs ( Figs 2 , 8 ; 31 , 1-4) The latter
were
found in Vovnigy II (five pieces), Maryevka (one), Vasilyevka V (one),
Vilnyanka (three) and Yasinovatka (four).
In Yasinovatka,
there were
also found various points and blades (Fig. 35, 5-10).
In the Nikolskoye cemetery, there were found seven large-sized
spearpoints varying in shape and having bifacial
retouch (Fig. 37, 1-4, 6).
A similar spear-point
was found in one of the Dereivka burials.
Among
the single flint artifacts,
only a nucleus (Kapulovka) and a fragment
of a stone axe from Nikolskoye cemetery (Fig. 37, 10) are worthy of
notice.
The flat annular beads are made of different

materials,
such as Unio
shells,
a green rock, gagate, carnelian
(Nikolskoye) and bone (Lysaya
Gora).
Generally,
they are small in size (0.5 - O. 7 cm. in crosssection),
and only in some cases are they about 3.5 cm. in diameter
(Lysaya Gora).
Ornaments of this
type are well represented
at
Mariupol.
In addition to such ornaments, there were also found similar
ornaments with marked edges (Makarenko 1933).
It is interesting
to note that the flint inventory
earlier
cemeteries
differs
significantly
from that
cemeteries of the later period.
The life time of stone maces was very long. Among some groups of
people in the Old World, such an article
as the mace, used both as a
weapon and a symbol of authority,
appeared rather
early ( the 4th
millennium BC) and was used through the whole of antiquity
(Telegin
1968, 149-151). Proceeding from this statement and taking into account
that there is no close analogy to the mace from Nikolskoye II, it may
be concluded that the significance
of this find as a chronological
indicator
is rather limited.
It should be noted that the number of ornaments found in the

different
cemeteries varied.
The burials differing
in type very often
also differed
in composition of ornament.
This is of importance in
resolving problems of the relative
chronology and the division of the
cemeteries into periods.
The Mariupol-type
artifacts
of bone collected
in the Dnieper valley
are also few in number. They were only found in small amounts in such
cemeteries as Vilnyanka (two awls and a spear-point
in Fig. 17, 10-12)
and Dereivka (a harpoon and a 'spoon-bait'
in Fig. 12, 4, 12). Besides,
a few bone pieces with marks of working were collected
in the Vovnigy
II and Yasinovatka cemeteries.
A spear-point,
probably made of antler
(Fig. 12, 6), was found between the ribs of a skeleton in Kapulovka. As
mentioned above, a few bracelets
made of bone were found in Vasilyevka
II.
114
in the
in the
Stone tools
are few in number and were recovered
only in the
Nikolskoye cemetery (Fig. 37, 14). The description
of these tools,
including a mace, a mortar-grindstone,
axes and adzes has already been
given above. The mace (Fig. 37, 15) is, of course, the most interesting
and important find. It plays an important role in understanding
the
cultural
relations
between the population of the Azov steppe at the end
of the Neolithic
and the beginning of the Eneoli thic, which extended
far to the south-east,
i.e. in the Don valley and the North Caucasus.
It is probable, as N. Makarenko (1933, 33) suggested,
that cross-like
maces primarily
penetrated
into the North Caucasus and the steppe
regions of Eastern Europe from Mesopotamia.
In the Dnieper valley

the plates
of the Mariupol
type are
characterized
by a pronounced variability.
The number of forms of
these plates is much greater than in Mariupol.
A.D. Stolyar (1955) has
distinguished
the main types.
Accordingly,
only plates having one or
two transversal
incisions
at the ends are common for the Dnieper
valley.
The plates of other types from the Dnieper cemeteries have
only distant
analogies
to those from the Mariupol.
Here were found
plates of rather complicated forms, for example, those in the shape of
a butterfly
or a butterfly
with a 'crown', plates with two holes in the
middle, and long plates with incisions
at the ends (Figs. 30, 1, 4, 6;
36,3,4).
It is probable that such a variety of forms from the Dnieper
sites indicates
that they are of a later age than Mariupol.
It may be concluded that the copper ornaments and the gold pendant
found in the latest
burials
of the Nikolskoye cemetery point to
contacts
between the people living
in the
Neolithic
time and the Eneolithic
Tripolye culture of the Right-Bank
Ukraine.
This makes it possible
to synchronize the monuments under
study with the early period of the Tripolye culture.
collected
collected
115
The overwhelming
(axe, spear-points,
the local Neolithic
the Dnieper valley.
majority
of the flint,
stone and bone artifacts
knives, etc.) have analogies among the inventory of
settlements
of the Comb-Stroked Pottery culture of
Chapter 5
CHRONOLOGY,
BELIEFS ANDSOCIALRELATIONSHIPS
ijikolskoye
Ceramics.
These were mainly collected
in two cemeteries:
and Lysaya Gora. Sherds of about 200 vessels have been found (Fi_gs. 9;
40; 44). Two large-sized
vessels in fragments were also found in ~he
Dereivka cemetery (Fig. 12, 11), sherds were recovered from the Vovnigy
I and Yasinovatka cemeteries,
two sherds were found in the fill
of a
grave pit in Kapulovka and one sherd was found at Vovnigy II.
Periodization
of the Cemeteries
On the basis of the facts reviewed so far, it is reasonable to suggest
that
some of
the
Mariupol-type
cemeteries
functioned
for
a
comparatively
long time. It is probable that in some cases there were
short
interruptions
in their
use but the total
length of their
functioning
period was rather extensive.
These burial monuments were
far from being contemporaneous.
This has also been observed by A. V.
Dobrovolsky and A. D. Stolyar (1955).
The most complete periodization
of the Neolithic
cemeteries
in the area of the Dnieper rapids was
advanced by A. D. Stolyar
(1955).
Despite a limited
amount of
information
(six cemeteries),
he was generally
correct in determining
the chronological
sequence of the cemeteries.
Thus, recent studies
have provided
support
for relating
the Nenasytets
and Maryevka
cemeteries
to the early period and also for associating
the single
burials
in Chaply, Igren-8 and some other places to the last period.
The chronological
relationship
between Vovnigy I and Vovnigy II does
require some refinement.
Because of the limited stratigraphic
data,
A.D. Stolyar placed each of the cemeteries in the area of the Dnieper
rapids on a single chronological
plane which is not quite correct as is
evident from more recent studies.
A complete typological
analysis
of the ceramics from each of ~he
sites
has been given above. It should only be noted that ceramics
collected
within the limits of the cemeteries and in the fill
of the
grave pits,
i.e.,
chronologically
confined
to a single
cultural
complex, are not uniform. If the main mass of the vessels from ~he
Nikolskoye and Lysaya Gora cemeteries and also fragments from Vovnigy
are related
in all respects
to the Sredny Stag I type, the fragments
from Yasinovatka II are ty.pologically
related
to a greater extent to
the ceramics typical
of the Sobachky and Vovnigy settlements.
This
difference
should be considered as chronological.
Only the fragments of
vessels from Dereivka which are analogous to the pottery of the Middle
Dnieper (Buzky, Mutykhy, Pishchiky, etc.) are typologically
related to
another (Cherkassy) type of the Dnieper-Donets culture.
Analyses of the burial
rite and grave goods of the Mariupol-type
cemeteries is of considerable
importance in elucidating
the chronology
and the cultural
relationship
of the sites.
These will be discussed in
the next chapter.
Our analysis
of the
considerably
upon both
their absolute age.
cemeteries
has made it possible
to improve
this periodization
and the determination
of
As we have seen above there is a general sequence in the development

of these cemeteries:
from burial
pit-hollows
of the A-type to rowtrenches and collective
graves of the B-type.
In the final stage in
the development of the cemeteries,
single burial was predominant.
This
sequence has been evidence by a number of stratigraphic
observations,
and correlates
well with changes in the contents of grave-goods found
near the deceased, e.g. flint tools and ornaments (Fig.51).
According to typological
characteristics,
the flint artifacts
may be
divided into two general groups 'a' and 'b'.
The first
or earlier
group 'a' includes only small-sized
pieces, such as medium and smallsized blades, knives on similar blanks, small subrounded scrapers on
flakes and also microlithic
artifacts
such as trapezes,
blunt-backed
and truncated
points,
etc.
Trapezes with retouched backs~ that is
trapezes
of the latest
type, were also common among the finds.
The
flint
artifacts
of this group were mainly represented
in the pithollows of the A-type (Fig.20) and the row-trenches
(Fig. 2, 8, 9, 1517).
In one case, small microlithic
flint fragments were collected
in
the fill of a pit of the B-type (Fig.31).
Flint artifacts
of the second group 'b' are massive.
They include
large-sized
blades of the 'Eneolithic'
type, knives and scrapers on
blanks and spear-points
with bifacial
retouch.
The flint artifacts
of
the second group were best represented
in the Nikolskoye and the Lysaya
Gora cemeteries,
where they were associated
with burials
in graves of
the B-type and the red-coloured
soil within these cemeteries
(Figs. 9,
37, 38).
116
117
It should be noted that in some of the cemeteries,

some large sized
artifacts
typologically
related
to the 'b' group have been found with
small-sized
flint
artifacts.
Such assemblages,
discovered
in the
Vovnigy I and the Nenasytets cemeteries,
have been distinguished
as the
'a-b' group (Fig. 2, 9,13,14).
The ornaments recovered
from the cemeteries
are also different
in
age.
Thus, fish teeth and pendants of deer teeth were met in the
earliest
burials
of the A-type pits where they appeared in the form of
necklaces
(Fig.SO).
In the later
burials,
such finds as pendants of
deer teeth
were few in number.
Flat
annular
beads,
the most
predominant in the burial monuments under discussion,
occurred somewhat
later,
mainly in the stage of the row-trenches
(Vovnigy II),
though
they were already met in some of the latest
pit hollows (the 6-pit
in
Nikolskoye and Nenasytets).
Subsequently,
this type of ornament was
widely represented
in the B-type pits.
_ The Mariupol-type
plates,
which were found only during the period of
the B-type collective
graves,
are assigned
to the latest
type of
ornaments.
In these
latest
burials,
there were also found metal
orna ments.
..
Fig.
50
Ceramics,
which appear here only in the latest
development of the cemeteries,
are of great importance
the chronology of the Mariupol-type
cemeteries.
Annular beads and deertooth pendants:

1 - Nikolskoye;
2 -Yasinovatka.
stages
in the
in establishing
Taking into account all the aforesaid,

we consider
it possible
to
distinguish
three main stages in the development of the Mariupol-type
cemeteries:
the early stage (A), the later
stage (B) and the final
stage (C).
The stages A and B, in turn, are each subdivided
into two
(phases):
A 1-2 and B 1-2.
The Early Stage (A)
This stage in the development of the Mariupol type cemeteries
included
the earliest
part of ten cemeteries
(Fig.51).
The main type of burial
structure
for this stage of development was represented
by the A-type
pit-hollows
which were transformed
into
(or combined with)
rowtrenches.
The pit-hollows
were small in size and each contained
from
one to 10-11 skeletons
which in most cases were slightly
coloured.
The
pit fill
over the burials
was usually dark grey in colour and free of
ochre.
The flint
inventory was represented
by small sized microlithic
artifacts
of the 'a' group and more rarely
of the 'a-b'
group.
The
type of ornaments was rather uniform: fish teeth and pendants of deer
teeth sometimes in great amounts.
At a later
period of this stage
there occurred the first
annular beads of shells
and gagate (Figs. 51;
52A).
118
The graves of the A-stage contained no ceramics.

The earlier
age of
the A-stage burials
in comparison with the later B-stage was confirmed
by stratigraphic
observations
in Vilnyanka, Yasinovatka and Nikolskoye.
In the Vilnyanka cemetery, there were found two burials
in the A-type
oval
pits
overlain
by the
red-coloured
soil
of
the
B-type
subrectangular
graves
(see above).
The sam~ was also observed at
Yasinovatka,
where under the bottom of the 'red-coloured'
grave (pit 6)
there
was unearthed
a number of oval pits
of the A-type.
In
Nikolskoye,
the burnt layer covering pit
6 overlay the edge of pit B,
In this
and the latter,
in turn, partly cut into the edge of pit r.
)
119
cemetery,
type.
CEMETERY
STAGE
C
- ..
Ml.be
Early
Mill.be
Vilnyanka
Oereivka
Chaply
Sobachky
Nikolskoye, pit 6.JI
2 Mariupol
Lysaya Gora, pits
1-V
Oereivka, pit I
Vovnigy I
Yasinovatka; pit 6
1 Osipovka
Vilnyanka, pit 6
Vovnigy 2
Kapulovka
2 Nikolskoye, pits &.r
Nenasytets
Vilnyanka, pit A
Yasinovatka, pit A
Vasilyevka 5
1 Maryevka
Vasilyevka 2
Sobachky, pits 1,2
~ gf
2
@
4
- --
~ tl ~ 8e
!ii
ti
10
- -- -- --- ~---- --
Band
the southern
part
!3
,,
are assigned
to the A-
The Later Stage (B)

This was the time of the flowering and perfection
of the burial rite
associated
with the cemeteries
of the Mariupol-type.
At this time,
there
appeared
large collective
graves and the cult
of ancestor
veneration which was expressed by the preservation
of their skulls.
In
addition,
there came into practice
a sort of funeral feast for the
dead.
In the B-stage, the burial constructions
were mainly represented
by large grave pits subrectangular
in shape, which were, as a rule,
filled
up with the remains of skeletons
and covered entirely
with
powdered ochre.
Because of the repetitive
use of the grave pits, the
skeletons of the previously
buried dead were usually destroyed and the
skulls were moved somewhere into a distant corner of the pit or, as was
the case in Osipovka, they were reburied in a separate group pit.
At
this time (probably by the end of the B-stage),
the burial ritual was
accompanied by the use of fire (pits
6 and 3 in Nikolskoye and Lysaya
Gora).
Fig. 51 Main stages in the development of the Mariupol-type cemeteries

(A BC) and the finds collected from the burials.
1 - rounded
pi~-hollows;
2 - deer tooth ornaments; 3 - microlith~c
.
artifacts;
4 - annular beads; 5 - subrectangular
burial pits;
6 - Mariupol-type
plates; 7 - large-sized
flint tools; 8 - pot
sherds; 9 - fragmented vessels;
10 - copper objects;
11 Cyprinidae teeth.
The grave goods found near the burials,

especially
in the latest
grave pits
of this
stage,
were numerous and varied.
The flint
artifacts,
if any, are assigned to group 'b' (Nikolskoye, Lysaya Gora)
or group 'a-b' (Vovnigy I).
They consist of knives, scrapers on largesized 'Eneolithic'
blades,
backed blades,
spear-points
with bifacial
retouch, etc.
Only in one case (pit 6 of the Yasinovatka cemetery) the
flint inventory was small-sized.
In stage B, ornaments changed greatly
as well.
Fish teeth and pendants of deer teeth, if any, were few in
number. Thus pendants of deer teeth
were absent
in both grave pits
6 and 3 of the Nikolskoye cemetery.
They were also scarce in the pit
of this
type in Dereivka.
However, annular
beads become rather
numerous. They differ in size and are made of different
materials such
as stone, bone and shells.
The distinguishing
feature of the second
stage burials
is the abundance of such ornaments as the Mariupol-type
plates made of boar tusk.
The latter
were not found in every cemetery
of the B-type,
which may also be considered
as a chronological
indicator
(Figs. 51B; 52B). (
121
120
of pit
As the evidence indicates

the burials
of the A-stage were not all
contemporaneous with one another.
Such a conclusion
is primarily
supported by the evolution
of the burial structures
where, as noted
above, the group pit-hollows
of the A-type developed into row-trenches.
Therefore,
it is probable that the row-trenches were constructed
at a
later time than the individual
pit hollows.
This is also evident from
the fact
that the burials
in the row-trenches
(Vovnigy II) were
accompanied by annular beads.
With few exceptions (pit r in Nikolskoye
and the Nenasytets
cemetery),
annular
beads were absent from the
earlier
pit-hollows
of the A-type.
All this makes it possible
to
assign the burials in the pit-hollows
lacking annular beads (Sobachky,
Maryevka, the A-pit in Yasinovatka, the A-pit in Vilnyanka, Vasilyevka
II and V) to a somewhat earlier
date than the burials
in the rowtrenches
(Vovnigy 2, Kapulovka, pit-rows
III-IV
in Dereivka).
We
propose that the former should be set to phase A-1 and the latter
to
phase A-2. Though the chronological
margin between these two phases is
not clearly marked, it is well substantiated.
-- --- - .
---------- - - -- - --- - - - - -- --- - - -:
-- - - -
--
~th
4th
~,
pit
Ceramic artifacts
were not present in all the cemeteries
of this
stage.
They were not found in such cemeteries
as Vilnyanka (B-type
pits) and Osipovka and they were only present in a few fragments in
Yasinovatka and Vovnigy I. The cemeteries of a later period exhibiting
collective
grave pits were accompanied with vessels in fragments, e.g.
Dereivka (pit I), Nikolskoye, Lysaya Gora. As mentioned above, in the
last two cemeteries remains of about 200 vessels were collected.
From all of this we can
stage, may be subdivided into
see that stage

two phases.
B, as with
the
previous
It is probable that phase B-1 should include collective

graves where
Mariupol-type
plates were absent: Vilnyanka (grave pit B) and Vovnigy
I.
It is probable that grave pit 6 in Yasinovatka should also be
assigned to the same phase.
Though a few plates of the Mariupol type
were found the character
of the flint finds was microlithic,
i.e.,
of
the early stage.
Ceramics were represented
here only by individual
sherds; whole vessels were absent.
g
6
Phase B-2 includes such cemeteries as Nikolskoye (grave pits 5and 3),
Lysaya Gora and Dereivka (grave pit I), where there were found plates
of the Mariupol type of various forms, and a number of Neolithic
vessels in fragments.
In two cases (Nikolskoye and Lysaya Gora), the
burial ritual
was accompanied by the use of fire.
This suggests that
the group burials
of skulls
in Osipovka also belong to the latest
cemeteries
of the B-stage.
This cemetery as well as the Mariupol
cemetery itself
were the furthest
from the basic region of our
investigations
and
they
may be characterized
by some local
distinguishing
features.
As far as the Mariupol cemetery is concerned,
in general it may be assigned to the second phase of the late B-stage
of such cemeteries,
probably to its very end.
12
11
18
17
1
13
~8
21
19
The Final Stage (C)

This stage marked the degradation and evident decline of the Mariupoltype cemeteries.
Thus, the use of collective
grave pits was vanishing,
though there are some group and paired graves.
The amount of ochre is
less.
Single burials
sporadically
met in the previous stages A and B
become predominant in stage C. Grave goods are met very rarely and are
few in number. Some of the burials of this stage were only accompanied
by some fish teeth and only one deer tooth pendant.
Near the single
burials in Dereivka the following objects were found: in one case - a
string of annular beads; in another - a plate of the Mariupol type.
The last burial was in a sitting
position (Figs. 51,C; 52,C).
122
~9
To complete our characterization

of the final phase of the late stage
of the cemeteries,
we refer to the emergence of such grave goods made
of stone as maces, axes, etc.
and ornaments of copper and gold
(Nikolskoye, Mariupol).
The chronological
relationships
between the single burials
in the
cemeteries of the Mariupol type and the burials of stages A and B may
also be determined on the basis of stratigraphic
observations,
for
example, in such cemeteries as Sobachky, Dereivka, Vilnyanka, etc.
In
Sobachky one of the single burials
(No.4) completely overlay a group
grave (No.1), as seen in Fig. 1, 1.
In Derei vka, a single burial
(No.134) cut a number of differently
oriented
burials
in the VI row
(Fig. 13).
But the clearest
demonstration
of the latest
age of the
~ 30
Fig.
52
23
22
24
The
and
19,
17,
and
25
26
27
8
28
0
OD
31
32
29
mo~t typical grave goods from the first

(A), second (B)
third (C) stages of development: flint (4, 5, 10, 13-15,
24-27), boar tusk, deer and fish teeth (1-3, 6, 11-12, 16,
20-22, 28-31), stone (8,9), copper (7) ceramics (18-23)
shell (32).
'
'
<
123
single burials
can be found in the Vilnyanka . cem?tery, where eight
single graves lay in the upper part of the subsoil,
i.e._, above all the
other burials.
Two of the burials
(Nos. 4 and 5) di~ec~ly over~ay
grave pits A-2 and 6-2 of an earlier
age (Fig. 15). It is i~teresting
to note that among the upper burials
in the main grave pit of the
Mariupol cemetery, a tendency towards individualization
may be clearly
traced.
In concluding
this
discussion
of the problem of dividing
the
Mariupol-type
cemeteries
into periods,
it shoul? be noted _tha_t the
development of the burial ritual was rather complicated,
and it is not
always possible
to interpret
it
satisfactorily
in all
respec~s.
Therefore
account must be taken of the burials
in contracted
supine
positions'found
in the pit hollows A and E of the Niko~skoye c~meter!,
and of a spear-point
found in one of these
pits,
which ~s
chronologically
inconsistent
with the burial ritual
typical
for this
pit and is better associated
with the B-type p~ts.
If these facts are
not accidental,
it is possible to assume that in some cases, con~urrent
with the B-type grave pits,
individual
round pits were also in use.
The collective
grave in the Lysaya Gora cemetery and als~ the g~ave
pits in Osipovka were very complicated in shape, and their outlines
were far from rectangular.
The Mariupol-type
grave pit is also distinguished
by a certain
peculiarity
and resembles a row-trench.
All this once more poin~s ~o
the complexity of development of the burial rites among the Neolithic
population in the Dnieper valley and the Azov region.
_It is probable
that local distinctive
characteristics
also played an important part,
and for understanding
them an accumulation
of additional
facts is
required.
. .
.
Cultural Identity
One of the problems in studying the history of the Neolithic population
of the Dnieper valley
is the problem of determining
the cultural
identity
of the Mariupol-type cemeteries and their correlation
with the
Neolithic
population
of this
region
in a single
cultural
and
chronological
complex.
As is known, N. Makarenko (1933),
the pioneer in studying
the
cemeteries of the Mariupol type, attributed
the cemetery he studied to
the Neolithic
period as a whole, since at that time. studi~s ?f. ~he
Neolithic
burial monuments in the Ukraine were only in their initial
stage and the problems of cultural
relationships
were not even
considered.
Moreover, the problem of the cultural
identity
of the
Mariupol-type
cemeteries
could not be solved without ceramics which
could be correlated
with the burials.
The problem of the cultural
identity
of the Mariupol-type cemeteries
was first
raised by A.D. Stolyar (1955) who based his studies on the
many burial monuments known in the area of the Dnieper rapids starting
from the lower horizons of the Igren-8 (horizons E, El) to the upper
(second layer) of Sredny Stog. All these buria~ monumen~s were grou~ed
by him into a single cultural
unit named the Dnieper rapids/Azov-region
Neolithic.
Besides the Vovnigy sites,
Sobachy, Volchek, Sredny Stog I,
etc.,
this group also included such monuments as ~gr~n-8 _(now ~learly
seen to be Mesolithic)
and Sredny Stog II, an Eneolithic
site which has
little
in common with the Mariupol-type
cemeteries
from the classical
point of view.
M. Ya. Rudynsky (1956) was more careful
when he
determined the cultural
identity
of the Vovnigy I cemetery.
He took
into account the analysis
of the comb-stroked ceramics and compared
this cemetery with the other Neolithic Vovnigy cemeteries.
With regard
to the Neolithic
monuments of the Lower Dnieper and the Azov region,
point
of view and
V.N. Danilenko
held
a somewhat different
distinguished
two separate cultures:
the Azov-region culture and the
Azov-Dnieper culture (Danilenko 1969,9-18; 1974, 36-40).
On the basis
of the published work, it is difficult
to give any credence to the
first of these two definitions.
As far as the second cultural
group is
concerned,
it is one of the variants
culture
(Telegin 1968; 1969) or the Dnieper-Donets ethno-cultural
region (E.N.
Titova 1985).
Taking into account the above-mentioned terminological
discordances
and the fact
that
the cemeteries
under investigation
have been
discovered
in the territory
of three local Neolithic
entities
(or
cultures
according
to E.N. Titova)
represented
by comb-stroked
ceramics,
the solution
to the problem of the cultural
assignment of
these Ukrainian burial monuments cannot be unambiguous.
First of all,
the wide-spread opinion that all the Mariupol-type cemeteries belong to
the Dnieper rapids
or the Azov-Dnieper variant
(culture)
of the
Neolithic
is groundless.
This conclusion follows both from the fact
that cemeteries of this type were situated
in the territory
of three
Dnieper-Donets
Neolithic
variants
(the Dnieper rapids,
Cherkassy and
Donets) and from a comparative analysis
of the ceramics found in the
cemeteries and local Neolithic
settlements
near the Dnieper rapids, in
the region of Cherkassy and the North Donets.
In the vicinity
of the Dnieper rapids,
there are four cemeteries
accompanied by sherds
(Vovnigy I, Yasinovatka)
or broken v~ssels
(Nikolskoye, Lysaya Gora).
A detailed description
of these finds (from
Yasinovatka and Nikolskoye, in particular)
has already been provided.
Here we only wish to emphasize that the whole mass of pottery found in
the cemeteries
is related
to the comb-stroked pottery typical for the
local Dnieper-rapids/Azov
region variant of the Dnieper-Donets culture.
It is probable that the pottery from the different
cemeteries is not
quite contemporaneous.
Thus, the finds from Yasinovatka and Vovnigy I,
in terms of cultural
and chronological
relationships,
are more closely
related
to such burial monuments as Sobachky, while the vessels from
Lysaya Gora and Nikolskoye are directly
comparable to the ceramics from
Sredny Stog I.
According to our periodization,
these two types of
ceramics are related
to stages Ila and IIb of the Dnieper-Donets
culture.
Thus, stage B of the cemeteries may by generally related to
the
Dnieper-Donets
Neolithic
period.
It
is
probable
that
chronologically
and in terms of the cultural
development, the B-1 stage
to the subperiod Ila of the settlements
of the cemeteries co~sponds
and stage B-2 of the cemeteries corresponds to the subperiod IIb of the
settlements
(Table 2).
The Derei vka cemetery and the local settlements
of the Cherkassy
group are also related by common ceramic finds.
The vessels found in
Dereivka may be typologically
compared with finds from such settlements
in the Cherkassy region as Buzky and Mutykhy, which, along with such
settlements
as Sobachky and Sredny Stog I in the area of the Dnieper
rapids, are related to the second stage of the Dnieper-Donets Neolithic
period.
We might add that recently
I. F. Kovaleva has unearthed a
125
124
H
H
H
,..0
H
H
H
H
Mariupol-type cemetery at Gospitalny Kholm on the Orel river which lies

outside the area of the Dnieper rapids.
The ceramic finds from this
site are also related to those of the Cherkassy variant of the DnieperDonets culture.
It is much more difficult
to solve the problem of the cultural
relationships
between the burials
in Alexandria on the Oskol, where
ceramics were lacking.
However, the presence of the large-sized
knifelike blades in the graves indicates
that these burials should belong to
the end of the Neolithic/early
Eneolithic
period.
At this time on the
Orel and the North Donets, there were settlements
of both the Sredny
Stog culture and the recently distinguished
Zasukha type.
Ceramics of
the Zasukha type were abundant in the settlement
of Alexandria where a
group grave was uncovered.
It is quite possible
that these ceramic
finds are directly
related to the group grave.
In addition,
a single
in extended
grave (No. 9) 'and a paired grave (No. 5) with burials
supine position
were examined by our expedition
directly
in the
settlement
of Zasukha on the Orel river (Fig.53).
The settlements
of
the Zasukha type are genetically
related
directly
to the burial
monuments of the second stage of the Dnieper-Donets
culture
on the
Middle Dnieper and represent
the third period of this culture in the
Left-Bank Ukraine.
Consequently,
this presents
a solid basis for
attributing
the group burial
in Alexandria and the paired grave in
Zasukha to the burial monuments of the Zasukha type and dating them to
the third period of the Dnieper-Donets culture.
l
.i.:
>
0
Q..
,..;
rt.l
In conclusion,
the Mariupol-type
cemeteries
in the Dnieper rapidsAzov, Cherkassy and the Donets regions should be attributed
to three
regional
variants
culture
the Dnieperrapids/Azov region, the Cherkassy and the Donets variants.
N
Q)
,-I
,..0
H
rt.l
.
i::
00
0
.
>-.
Cf.l
Q)
.i.: .i.:
>-.
Q)
u~
i::
"Cl
,..0 ,-I
Q)
0 0
1-4
Cf.l
Cf.l
>
co
>-. 8
00
,..;
Q)
,-I
i::
i:: .
> .
0
>
Q)
1-4
00
H
Q)
rt.l
>
LO
H
H
H
H
H
i::
l
The early stage of the Tripolye culture (stage A, Pre-Cucuteni III),

on the basis of the radiocarbon
and archaeomagnetic
data, belongs to
the second quarter of tpe 4th millennium b.c. (Telegin 1985, 1986).
The Tripolye vessel in t,he Nikolskoye cemetery is related to the latest
phases of its function,
while the cemetery itself,
as mentioned above,
is the latest among the monuments of this type.
>-.
i::
,..;
,-I
>
<
,..;
i::
i::
Q)
Q)
,-I
,-I
,..0
--t
~
,..;
,..;
i::
i::
.
.
Absolute Chronology
The problem of the cultural
attribution
of the Mariupol-type cemeteries
is connected with the problem of determining their absolute age. Among
these cemeteries the age of the B-2 type monuments is best dated.
We
have in mind the Tripolye vessel of the Borisovka type found in the
The latter
belongs to the transition
period from
Tripolye A to stage B-1. The synchronization
of the latest burials in
the Nikolskoye cemetery with the early stage of the Tripolye culture is
also confirmed by an analysis of the copper artifacts
(Chernykh 1966).
Q)
,-I
,-I
...;
8
This 'reference'
point enables us to attribute
the cemeteries of the
B-2 stage to the first half of the 4th millennium b.c.
This conclusion
is in good agreement with the radiocarbon dates obtained at the Kiev
laboratory
for the following cemeteries:
Nikolskoye cemetery (pit 3) 3690400; Yasinovatka (pit B) - 3850 300; Osipovka (burial No. 53) 3990 . 420, 4125 400 years b.c.
The unusual bone ornament (Fig.
23,3), which was found in the collective
grave of the Osipovka cemetery
and is analgous to the finds from the layers of the first half of the
,..0
127
126
4th millennium b.c. in Rakushechny

agreement with this conclusion.
Yar on the Lower Don, is
also
in
The cultural
and chronological
placement of the B-2 stage cemeteries
makes it possible
to determine approximately
the chronology of the
other two stages.
If we take into account a direct
relationship
between the three stages of the cemeteries,
one may conclude that, in
terms of culture
and chronology,
the cemeteries
of stages A and B-1
should to some extent correspond to the first
period of stage II-a of
the Dnieper-Donets culture in the area of the Dnieper rapids, while the
single burials
of stage C follow the latest
monuments of the Sredny
Stog II type (Telegin
1968).
It is probable that they should be
understood as a relic phenomenon of the Dnieper-Donets culture relating
to the Early Eneolithic
period.
Therefore,
the cemeteries of the A-Bl
stage may be chronologically
assigned to the end of the 5th millennium
- the first
quarter of the 4th millennium b.c., and the latest
stage C
should be assigned to the beginning of the second half of the 4th
millennium b.c.
On the whole, the cemeteries of the Mariupol type are
dated to the end of the 5th - beginning of the second half of the 4th
millennium b.c.
0
Beliefs and Social Relationships

The Mariupol-type
cemeteries,
associated
with rather
stable
burial
rites
over a number of centuries,
indicate
some specific
norms of
religious
behaviour.
In contrast
to many other cultures
of that time
the dead were buried in the extended supine position and sprinkled with
ochre.
The dead could be deposited in numbers in one single grave pit
and, a little
later,
collective
graves came into use.
The dead were
laid facing up with legs straight
and closed,
arms at the side and
close to the trunk,
hands at the side or on the pelvis.
Such a
position
of arms and hands seems to have been constant in the burial
rite for a long time and was followed, almost without exception,
even
in such cases, for instance,
when an adult was buried together with a
baby.
An illustrative
example is furnished at Osipovka and Vilnyanka,
when a female (likely to have been a mother) does not hold the baby in
the usual manner but only embraces it at the side with one straightened
arm.
Fig.
53 Mariupol-type
burials from the latest stage (C) from the
cemeteries of Alexandria (1) and Zasukha (2).
One of the distinguishing

features of the burial rite is that in most
cases the skeletons were heavily contracted
at the sides.
This may be
indicative
of the fact that prior to burial the dead were tightly bound
or swaddled.
It is probable that in the Dnieper valley and in some
other territories
(Zveia!ieky, Vedbek, Serovo), where a similar burial
ritual
is also known, the people lived in fear of the dead.
The dead, as mentioned above, were buried in single pits, group and
co~ctive
graves.
Over the centuries
some details
of the burial
ritual
could not remain invariable.
At the earliest
stage, when it was
the custom to bury the dead in repeatedly
used group graves,
the
skeletons
of the previous burials were treated with care and, usually,
they remained undisturbed.
A quite
different
custom arose when
collective
graves came into practice.
At this time the remains of the
previous burials were destroyed,
and the bones, except for the skulls,
were removed or thrown out of the graves.
The ref ore, as mentioned
above, in some of the graves only skulls were found.
Sometimes, they
were in amounts of two or four dozens (Nikolskoye and Lysaya Gora) and
usually
lay in a distant
corner from the entrance
into the burial
128
129
vault.
It is probable that the skulls were held sacred and venerated.
It should be noted that in most cases the skulls had no mandibles
(Osipovka).
All this points to the formation of the cult of the skull,
which was widely spread,
according
to ethnographic
data,
among
primitive people.
Thus, for example, the Golds (a small nationality
in
Siberia)
save skulls
of their
fathers
and grandfathers,
while the
Yukagirs
and the Nenetz people
save shaman's
heads or skulls
(Vedetskaya 1980).
Therefore,
it is interesting
to note that in the
most ancient (first)
burial of the Vovnigy I cemetery the skull was
missing, while the other bones of the skeleton were well preserved
(Rudynsky 1956, fig.8).
Burials of separate skulls are also known in
the cultures of the Near East such as Mureybit and Abu-Hureyra (Merpert
and Munchayev 1984, 311).
The Neolithic
people of the Dnieper valley believed deeply in the
magical power of fire.
In addition,
they believed in red ochre as a
substitute
for fire
and powdered the dead with it.
A detailed
description
of red ochre as a symbol of the hearth, blood or fire has
been given in literature
(Okladnikov 1950, 407-409), therefore,
it will
be omitted from our description.
As far as real fire is concerned,
where traces have been noticed in the burials of the latest
stages of
the cemeteries,
its role may be interpreted
in two ways.
On the one
hand, fire was used primarily
for clearing
the grave pit out of foul
odours and, hence, to perform a sort of disinfection.
On the other
hand, the magical power attributed
to fire played the part of a cleaner
and defender of man. The use of fire for such a purpose in the burial
rite of primitive people is widely known from ethnographic sources.
The information obtained from the burials can throw some light on the
world view of the Neolithic
population
in the territory
under
investigation,
in particular,
their understanding
of the soul in the
other world.
The presence of tools in the graves points to the belief
that the dead will continue to live in the next world in the same way
as they lived before death, that is, they will continue to occupy
themselves in hunting or fishing,
make tools and need the ornaments
they used to wear in this world.
It is probable
that
by the final
period of the Mariupol-type
cemeteries,
the people began celebrating
something of a funeral feast.
This may be evidenced by a great number of vessels found in the area of
such cemeteries
as Nikolskoye and Lysaya Gora.
It is probable that
these vessels were used for transporting
food and drink.
In addition,
the red-coloured
soil of the Nikolskoye cemetery contained indiyidual
bones and teeth of a bull and a horse, whose flesh was eaten during the
feast.
According to the custom of that time, the vessels were ritually
wasted by being broken and this is evident
from the presence
of
regularly
rounded holes in the bottoms of the vessels probably made by
a solid object.
Such holes may be formed only when the blow is
delivered intentionally
and heavily.
It is probable that, as mentioned
above, this custom was adopted from the Near Eastern cultures.
It is
interesting
to note that the custom of breaking vessels at the grave
has also been noticed in some other cultures of the Bronze Age, such as
the Tshinets culture.
The material
from the cemeteries suggests only the initial
forms of
social
differentiation
among the Neolithic
society
in the Dnieper
valley.
The equality
of all the members of the tribal
community was
130
evident from the group graves.

Among them, there was no burial which
could
be distinguished
by rich
grave
goods or by specific
characteristics
of the burial ritual.
However, the presence of stone
maces in some of the cemeteries was an indication
of an institution
of
chiefs or leaders.
It is probable that among the members of the tribal
association
there were individuals
differing
from the others by their
proficiency
in making some categories
of artifacts.
Thus, the finds
from one of the burials in the Mariupol cemetery prompted N. Makarenko
to distinguish
the burial of a craftsman skillfull
in making ornaments
of bone and teeth, who was likely to have been the maker of numerous
Mariupol-type plates found there near the skeletons.
It goes without
saying that
the information
obtained
from the
Mariupol-type
cemeteries
is of great importance in evaluating
the
social and family structure
of the society.
This problem has already
been specificaly
addressed by M. D. Khlobystina (1979).
In analysing
the material
from the Vilnyanka cemetery, Khlobystina concluded that
the burial rite of the Dnieper-Donets population represented
a series
of complexes that were mixed both sexually and across generations which
supplanted
the more ancient
complex of single
sex and single
generational
Mesolithic
graves in the same area of the Dnieper rapids.
On the whole, the conclusion of M.D. Khlobystina that the Mariupol-type
cemeteries were the commonly used places for burying males and females
different
in age, as well as adolescents
and children,
has been
supported by all the available
evidence. A relatively
low proportion of
child and particularly
infant skeletons,
as compared to other burials,
may be explained by the poor preservation
of their remains.
However,
the possibility
of separate
children's
cemeteries
is not excluded.
Thus, for instance,
at the Lysaya Gora cemetery, three of the five
grave pits contained only the remains of children.
There are two other problems requiring
some comment: the functional
duration
of some of the cemeteries
as places periodically
used for
burying the dead; and the reasons
for the concentration
of the
Mariupol-type
cemeteries in certain territories,
in particular,
in the
area of the Dnieper rapids.
t)iat
in most cases
the Mariupol-type
The evidence
indicates
cemeteries functioned
for a tomparatively
long time.
From this point
of view, we will consider two of them in more detail:
the Nikolskoye
cemetery as the largest
in the area of the Dnieper rapids,
and the
Yasinovatka as the best preserved cemetery.
In the Nikolskoye cemetery, on the whole, 137 burials were studied.
Unfortunately,
some of the graves (about 20-30) were washed away prior
to excavation.
Therefore,
we can consider the overall total to have
b~
about 160-170 burials.
According to the demographic information
obtained from the cemeteries,
the mean length of life for the DnieperDonets people was approximately 30 years.
If we assume that the number
of a tribal
association
which yielded a cemetery was about 20-30
persons,
it means that the cemetery functioned
for about 200 years.
The Yasinovatka cemetery, where 68 graves were excavated,
functioned
for about 100 years.
It is not at all improbable that this cemetery
functioned
continuously
as is indicated
by the changes in the burial
ritual.
131
, The reasons for the concentration

of the overwhelming majority (more
than 80 per cent) of the Mariupol-type
cemeteries
in the vicinity
of
the Dnieper rapids
should be attributed
to the character
of the
particular
climatic
and geographical
conditions
in this area of the
Dnieper valley.
It is probable that the huge fish resources
and
comparatively
simple fishing methods used at the rapids, especially
in
the period of spawning, contributed
greatly
to a settled
way of life
among the Neolithic tribes.
It is natural that such a concentration
of
people in the vicinity
of the Dnieper rapids was followed by the
construction
of large cemeteries near the settlements.
In other sites
of the Dnieper valley where people had a more mobile way of life,
the
conditions
for developing such burial monuments were less favourable.
For example,
because of a cascade of man-made ponds on the Middle
Dnieper,
the possibilities
of locating
substantial
Mariupol-type
cemeteries
in this region are no less than in the area of the Dnieper
rapids.
Just as with the area of the Dnieper rapids,
the process of
intense erosion of the loessic
bank sides here is still
very much in
progress.
If Neolithic
cemeteries
had been constructed
on the river
terraces
of the Middle Dnieper,
they would inevitably
have been
discovered by now.
In emphasizing the favourable conditions
for inhabiting
the area of
the Dnieper rapids
by the Neolithic
people,
one should take into
account the fact that a settled
way of life was also established
here
during the Mesolithic.
This is evidenced by the presence both of
permanent Mesolithic
settlements
(Igren-8,
Osokorovka)
and large
Mesolithic cemeteries.
It is probable that the habitation
sites in the
area of the Dnieper rapids during the Mesolithic
and Neolithic
were
very valuable.
It is not improbable that this led to armed conflicts
between the resident groups.
Evidence for warfare is seen from burials
(Vasilyevka,
Voloshskoye) where warriors
had been killed
by arrows
(Telegin 1982, 220-221).
It is interesting
to note that the area of
the Dnieper rapids was not the only place in the Meso-Neolithic period,
where armed conflicts
developed for control
of advantageous
fishing
sites.
Burials with arrows between the bones of the deceased were
discovered,
for instance,
in such cemeteries
as Schela Cladovei in
Romania (Boroneant 1973) and Jebel Sahaba in Sudanese Nubia (Clark
1977, 153). These two cemeteries as well as the cemeteries in the area
of the Dnieper rapids were situated
in locations
most suitable
for
fishing:
near the so-called
Iron Gates on the Danube and in the
vicinity
of the rapids and rifts on the Upper Nile.
Chapter 6
THE CULTURAL
ANDHISTORICALPOSITION OF THE MARIUPOL-TYPE
CEMETERIES
The Mariupol-type
cemeteries
have been repeatedly
discussed
by many
investigators.
In his own time, N. Makarenko (1933) assigned Mariupol
to the Neolithic.
He was absolutely
right when he distinguished
two
parts: the first
(main) group included all the burials in the main pittrench, and the second group was represented
by burials
in contracted
positions
(Nos. 21, 24, etc.).
The association
of the latter
with a
specific
chronological
group has become obvious only recently
as a
result
of distinguishing
the Novodanilovka-type
Eneolithic
cemeteries
in the south of the Ukraine (Telegin 1985).
In the 1950's the Mariupol cemetery and the other known cemeteries of
this type in the area of the Dnieper rapids were studied by A.D.
Stolyar (1955) who was the first
to divide these burial monuments into
periods and determine their cultural
relationship.
The question of the
place
occupied
by
the
Mariupol-type
cemeteries
among other
contemporaneous monuments in Eurasia has been discussed in two studies
by the author (Telegin 1966; 1968, 185-189).
The Mariupol cemetery has drawn the attention
of many foreign
investigators
as well.
Thus, M. Garasanin pointed to the relationship
between this
burial
monument and the evidence
for ancient
steppe
influence
on the Balkans which is best represented
in the cemetery of
Decea Muresului.
The cultural
and chronological
agreement between the
Mariupol cemetery and the Decia cemetery was also remarked by A.
Hausler (1962, 1067).
At present,
the question of the Mariupol-type
cemeteries
has come
into importance because of the problem of the relationship
between the
Dnieper-Donets
culture
in the Dnieper valley and the TRB culture
in
northern Europe (Lichardus 1976; ijausler 1981; Dolukhanov and Tretyakov
1974).
However, these relationski.ips
were discussed
on the basis of
relatively
limited information
both because of the lack of published
data on the Mariupol-type
cemeteries of the Ukraine and because of the
limited number of burial monuments in the adjacent territories.
For the last
10-15 years,
the situation
in this field
has been
consider~
improved.
In addition
to the well-known Mesolithic
and
Neolithic
cemeteries,
numbers of monuments of similar
age have been
discovered
in various places of Eurasia.
Here should be mentioned
first
of all the excavations
of a Neolithic
cemetery near the village
of S 'ezzheye on the Lower Volga and a number of cemeteries
in the
forest zone of the European part of the U.S.S.R.,
in the east of the
Bal tic Sea areas and Karelia:
Popovo, Vladychino,
Zveinieky,
Abora,
Kratuonas, Syamozero, etc.
Of particular
interest
are the MesolithicNeolithic
cemeteries
with burials
in extended positions
found in
Denmark (Vedbaek), Lower Saxony (Peversdorf),
on the Middle Danube
(Schela Cladovei) and in some other places of Europe.
A great body of
information
has been obtained
on the character
of the Mesolithic,
Neolithic and Chalcolithic
burials in the lands of the Near East.
As far back as the 1960 's, the author advanced a model for the
cultural
and historical
place of the Mariupol-type
Dnieper-Donets
culture cemeteries
(Telegin 1966).
At that time we proposed the idea
132
133
of two large regions or zones in Eurasia differing

in burial ritual:
the northern zone associated
with burials
in extended supine position
including the Mariupol-type cemeteries,
and the southern zone where the
ritual
for burying the dead in contracted
position
was predominant.
The cemeteries
of these
zones are also different
in some other
characteristics.
This point of view was subsequently
supported by G.
N. Matyushin (1970).
The recent studies of the cemeteries of the 5th-3rd millennium b.c.
have generally
provided support for these conclusions
and introduced
some corrections
into our understanding
of this problem.
The discussion
of the problem of the cultural
and historical
place of
the Mariupol-type
cemeteries
should be commenced with a comparative
analysis
of the main characteristics
of the cemeteries and the burial
monuments in adjacent territories.
First of all, we refer to burial in
the extended supine position,
the group character
of graves,
the
covering of the deceased with red ochre, and grave goods specific
to
the Dnieper-Donets culture in the absence of ceramics.
A number of cemeteries
of the Neolithic-Early
Metal period with
extended burials,
often sprinkled
with ochre, were excavated in the
area of Lake Baikal: Isakovka, Serovo, Ki toy, etc. ( Okladnikov 1950,
67-93).
Similar
in ritual
character
was the recently
excavated
cemetery of Chuchur-Muran on the Lena river
(Fedoseeva 1980, 81-86).
The inventory
found in these Neolithic
burials
was typical
for the
local hunting and fishing cultures.
In comparing the finds from the
Mariupol-type
cemeteries
it is only possible to point out some common
farms of ornaments,
such as annular beads, both in the Ukraine and
Siberia.
The other forms of the inventory
are different.
It is
interesting
to note that the graves in Chuchur-Muran were often of a
group character
and contained from two to five skeletons each.
In this
respect,
they resemble the A-type graves of the cemeteries
in the
Ukraine.
No ceramics were found either
in the burials
of the Chuchur-Muran
cemetery and the Early Khin-type burials
in the Baikal area or in the
cemeteries of the Ukraine.
It is probable that in the burials of the
Baikal area pottery
first
appeared in Premetal times ( the Isakovka
group), but the main body of ceramics was found in the burials of the
Early Metal stage,
when there appeared burials
in the contracted
position
(the Serovo stage).
Among the more recently
investigated
burial
monuments of the
Neolithic
in the European part of the USSR, the excavations
of a
cemetery near the village
of S'ezzheye,
Kuibyshev region,
is of
particular
importance
for understanding
the cultural
and historical
place of the Mariupol-type
cemeteries
(Vasiliev
and Matveeva 1976).
All nine of the Neolithic
burials were in extended supine positions,
sprinkled with ochre and accompanied with numerous grave goods.
The
burials were in separate grave pits.
A great amount of ceramics, such
as vessels in fragments (in most cases their forms have been restored),
was found near the ritual
ground within the limits
of the cemetery.
The vessels,
in contrast
to the other articles
of the inventory,
could
not be related to any of these nine burials.
It is probable that they
appeared in the area of the cemetery, as in the case of the Dniepervalley cemeteries,
as a result of a funeral feast.
The finds from the
134
S'ezzheye cemetery will be described

the material from the Dnieper valley
in detail below in comparison with

cemeteries.
In the forest zone of Eastern Europe, the ritual

of burying the dead
in the extended
position
predominated
during
the Mesolithic
and
Neolithic
periods,
for instance,
in the cemeteries
of Kubenino (Foss
1952, 215), Panfilovo
(Bader 1936), Karavaikha (Bryusov 1941, 5-12),
Volodary (Tsvetkova
1948), and Sakhtysh-1,
2, 8 (Gadzyatskaya and
Krainov 1973).
As a rule, they were single burials.
Paired or group
graves occurred much more rarely and contained three or_ four skeletons
each (Sakhtysh-2)
except for one grave (No. 6) in the Chernaya Gora
cemetery where four accumulations
of human bones (20 skeletons
in
total)
lying out of anatomical order were discovered
(Tsvetkova 1970,
127-131).
One of the peculiar
features
of the burial ritual
in the
forest zone was the presence of the deceased laid in the prone position
(Karavaikha, Sakhtysh-2).
Traces of ochre were noticed in the majority
of the cemeteries in this region (Karavaikha, Kubenino, Chernaya Gora
etc.).
In some cases, for example, in Yazykovo and Ilovets (Urban and
Ivanovskaya
1970, 30, 35), Navolok (Sidorov
1979, 70), Konchansk
(Zimina 1980, 8, 9) , etc. , the burials
were only in the form of
elongated pits with a few spots of ochre.
Ceramics were absent and
ornaments were few in number.
Therefore,
the cultural
affinity
of
these burials
presents
difficulties.
As a rule, they are related
to
the Pit-Comb Ware culture
or the Volosovo culture,
which is evident
from the composition of tilOls and decorations
found near the skeletal
remains.
Among these crfnaments, pendants of wild-animal
teeth were
predominant.
The Volosovo cemeteries contained ornaments of amber. As
seen from the above description,
amber ornaments were absent from the
Mariupol-type
cemeteries;
the deer tooth pendants were also of a
different
type.
The burial
rites
associated
with the Neolithic
cemeteries
in the
forest zone were in many respects
similar to those of the Neolithic
cemeteries
in the areas of the Bal tic Sea, Lake Ladoga and Karelia.
The extended supine pos::{tion of the deceased prevailed
through the
whole of this territory.
In most cases, the skeletons
were covered
with red ochre.
Similar rituals
were noticed,
for instance,
in the
cemeteries
of Oleny Ostrov
(Gurina 1956), Kreichy and Zveinieky
(Zagorsky 1962, 1974), Abora (Loze 1968, 37), Krautuonas (Butrimas and
Girininkas
1980) and Donkalnis (Butrimas and Girinkas
1983) in the
territory
of Latvia
and Lithuania
and also in burials
near the
settlements
of Narva, Tamula and Valma in Estonia (Yanits 1959, 92,
101, 105) and in the cemeteries
of Chernaya Guba and Syamozero in
Karelia (Pankrushev 1978, 67, 69).
Burials with different
positions of
the deceased were exceptional
in these cemeteries and probably belonged
to later periods.
Thus, for instance,
there were only five skeletons
in contracted
positions
in the Oleny island cemetery (3.6 percent),
about 10 similar burials (from a total of 61) were found in Abora and a
few contracted
skeletons were in Kreichy.
As is Mell known there were
five vertical
burials in the Oleny island cemetery.
A few individuals
in the prone position were noticed in Kreichy and Zveinieky.
As usual,
the graves were single,
and less common were paired and triple
graves.
Thus, the Oleny Ostrov cemetery included only three group graves.
Two
such graves were also encountered
in Abora. Some of the graves in
Zveinieky included as many as five burials per pit.
135
The extended supine position

in the burial rite was adopted by the
tribes
of the Ertebolle
culture
(Bergounioux and Glory 1943).
The
above burial rite was continued in this region of Europe even in the
late Neolithic and Copper Age including the Comb Ware culture of Poland
and Finland (Glosik 1969; Edgren 1965).
It may be traced in the
Haveland (Ostdorf,
Westerbiere),
the TRB (Jazdzewski
1936, 301;
Gajewski 1949; Hausler 1981) and the Walternienburg-Bernburg
culture,
such as Peversdorf,
etc. (Hausler 1981).
The Neolithic
and Copper Age cultures
in the more southerly
territories
of Europe (the Sth-4th millennium b.c.) were significantly
different
from the above burial rites.
In the Danube and the BalkanStarcevo-Cri~ cultures,
the Bandkeramik culture,
Vinca, Lengyel, TiszaPolgar, Gumelnitsa, etc., the burial rituals
were distinguished
by the
prevalence of the contracted
position of the dead laid on side usually
in an adoration pose (Garasanin 1959; Fischer 1956; Kalke 1954; Siska
1968).
A great body of information
on the Neolithic
cemeteries
in
Romania has been published by E. Comsa (1974) where he records the same
character
of contracted-on-side
burials
in the cultures
of Dudesti,
Vadastra, Cucuteni, etc.
In all these cultures,
cemeteries were met both in the settlements
and outside
their
limits.
In some cases,
these cemeteries
were
comparatively large (Ruse, Kubrat in Bulgaria; Botos in Yugoslavia) and
included
dozens of single
burials.
Red ochre was very rarely
associated
with these burials
(Zonderhausen, Ruse).
In any case, it
was met more rarely than in the cemeteries
of the northern parts of
Europe and Asia.
It is interesting
to note that alongside the burials
sprinkled
with red ochre, here were also traces of the use of blue
paint (Comsa 1974, 118). The early burials of this region were usually
(Cri~),
but the graves of such cultures
as the
poor in inventory
Lengyel (Zengovarkony) and
Bandkeramik, Vinca, Gumelnitsa, especially
Tisza-Polgar
were characterised
by the presence of considerable
amounts
of grave goods including ceramics.
It should be mentioned that in the Neolithic and Early Eneolithic
in
Central Europe and the Balkans, besides burials
flexed on their side,
burials
are also encountered.
Thus,
for example, the latter
were noticed in the Rossen culture
and the
Stroked-Ware culture in the area of the Middle Elbe and Saale (Behrens
1973, 47, SS), in the cultures
of Hamangia, Boian, Bolintineanu,
Cernavoda, Mangalia,
Limanu, Cernica in the territory
of Romania
(Berciu 1955, 10-12; Fedorov and Polevoy 1973, 45; Cantacuzino and
Morintz 1963; Comsa 1974,12-124),
in the cemeteries of Bulgaria,
such
as Varna (Ivanov 1982), Durankulak (excavations
by H. Todorova), etc.
In contrast
to the cemeteries in the more northerly
zones of Eastern
Europe and Asia, the burial ritual was free of ochre in this territory,
while the grave inventory was rather rich and included clay vessels,
figurines,
tools and ornaments.
The composition of the decorations
(pendants
of
Spondylus
shells,
marble
bracelets,
etc.)
was
substantially
different
from that in the cemeteries of Eastern Europe.
In addition,
great quantities
of gold ornaments were found near the
extended burials in the Varna cemetery (Ivanov 1982).
In the territory
of Anatolia,
the Near East, Mesopotamia and Iran,
the burial monuments of the Late Pottery Neolithic
and Chalcolithic
136
periods
(5000-3500 years b.c.)
partly
precede
or chronologically
correspond to the Mariupol-type cemeteries of the Ukraine.
At present,
we know of
dozens of such burial monuments which usually represent
small
cemeteries.
Many burials
have also
been unearthed
in
settlements.
The first
monographic study on the monuments of this
period in Anatolia was conducted by T. Ozgiic (1948) at the end of the
1940's.
The investigator
pointed to the fact that the Chalcolithic
cemeteries
(Tilki
Tepe, Alatlible,
Kaledorug, Mashat, etc) usually
consisted
of single burials
in a contracted
position
lying on their
sides.
The position
of the deceased' s hands was not always defined,
but in most cases they were near the face.
In Anatolia, the cemeteries
of Tetekoy and Kum-tepe, for example, ~pntained only 2 percent of the
deceased in extended supine positions
(Ozgiic 1948, 84).
Here the dead
were laid simply in grave pits or in special vessels,
or cists.
The
most abundant were the burials
in vessels.
Thus, for example, in
Alishar,
among 46 Copper-Age burials
25 were in vessels
(Osten 1938
'
135).
As a rule, all the burials
were single,
and only in six or seven
cases were paired burials
encountered.
No collective
grave, which ..
could be assigned to the Neolithic-Copper
Age, is known in Anatolia.
Red ochre was very rarely used (Mersin, Tilki Tepe, Catal-Hiiyuk, etc.).
In Anatoli.?t-, .. one-third
of the burials
was accompanied with grave
goods.
T. Ozguc divides all the finds collected
near the skeletons
into three
main groups:
1) ordinary
inventory
of every-day
life
(pottery,
weapons, ornaments);
2) inventory of a religious
character
(idols);
3) finds associated
with sacrifices
or a funeral feast.
The
inventory of the first group was usually predominant.
The recent excavations of the late Neolithic and Chalcolithic
layers
of Catal-Hiiyiik, Can Hasan) have shown that, in
in Anatolia (settlementit
addition to the above de\scribed mode of burying the dead, they employed
a quite peculiar burial rite,
which involved burying the dead's bones
after their soft tissues had been cleaned by birds (Mellart 1975, 104).
In the Neolithic
and Copper Age ( the Sth-4th millennia
b .c.) among
the people of the Near East (Palestine,
Syria, Mesopotamia) and Iran,
the contracted
burial rite was predominant.
The dead were buried in
grave pits,
sepulchres
or large-sized
vessels.
The degree of
contraction
varied from slight to heavy. Contracted burial was adopted
by the people of Hassuna and Tel Halaf.
It was also employed in the
Ubaid period in the cemeteries of Ras Shamra III (Dussant 1937, 17), in
the Chalcolithic
layer of Byblos where about 500 graves were unearthed
(Contenau 1947), Yarim-Tepe (Munchayev and Merpert 1981), in the upper
layers of Tepe Gawra (Tobler 1950, 90), Sialk (Ghirshman 1938), etc.
In Mesopotamia, Syria and Palestine,
burials
of this period were
discovered in the areas of settlements.
They were often found under
the floors of dwellings or under the walls of buildings.
Therefore,
such burials may be considered to be 'foundation sacrifices'.
However,
separate cemeteries were formed here comparatively early (Samarra).
Care for the dead was demonstrated by their provisioning
with grave
goods including food in clay vessels.
The latter
were discovered in a
number of cemeteries,
such as Tepe Gawra, Tel Halaf, Susa (Morgan
1927), etc.
These were single,
very rarely paired and triple burials.
137
However recently
there was discovered a cemetery of the Early Ubaid
period~
the Hakalan cemetery in Luristan - with a number of grave pits
showing repetitive
use.
In some cases, it was clearly
seen that the
remains of the earlier
burials were destroyed as a result of subsequent
burial.
Here, as in the grave pits of the Mariupol type, the dead's
bones, except for the skulls,
were moved aside or thrown out of the
graves.
Near the skeletons,
there were found vessels,
stone maces,
axes, and button-seals
(Mellart 1975, 178-179).
Concurrent
with the prevailing
rite
of burying the dead in the
contracted
position
on its
side,
burials
~n the extende~ sup~ne
position were also met among the Ubaid cemeteries of the 4th millennium
B.C. Thus, such burials were found in Ur (Woolley 1935), Susa (Morgan
1927, 51), etc.
However, it is interesting
to note that in the later
Post-Ubaid time in the lands of Mesopotamia including its south-eastern
part (Sumer), burials
in contracted-on-side
positions
again became
predominant.
Thus, in the Early Dynastic period,
in Ur there were
discovered thousands of contracted
burials.
In many cases, there was a
clay pot in the dead's hands placed near the head.
It should be noted that in Palestine
as well as in the territory
of
Anatolia in the Chalcolithic,
for instance in the Birsheba-Ghassulian
culture,
secondary burial was also practiced.
J. Mellaart associated
this with an intrusion
of immigrants.
In the lands of the Near East,
Mesopotamia and Iran, burials
sprinkled with red ochre occurred more
of ten than in Anatolia,
but in any case, they were rather
scarce.
Individual
coloured skeletons
were found only in Sialk,
Tepe-Gawra,
Hakalan, etc.
In Tepe Gawra seven of the graves were covered with
green and blue paint (Tobler 1950, 78).
The Neolithic burial rites in the North Caucasus, Caucasus and in the
areas of the Caspian Sea and in Central Asia are still
not clearly
understood.
Here have been discovered
only single burials
of that
period such as in the areas of the Lower Don and Central Asia.
In the
first
case, there were unearthed six burials
including two burials
in
and four burials in contracted positions.
In
most cases,
these burials
were uncoloured
and without grave good.s
(Belanovskaya 1972).
The Neolithic burials
found in the settlement
of
Tutkaul in Central Asia were in a heavily contracted
position lying on
their side with no traces of ochre (Korobkova and Ranov 1968, 18-21).
It is probable
that during the Eneolithic,
in the Caucasus and
Central
Asia, burial
rites
were developing
under the influence
of
beliefs
coming from the Ancient East.
This is evident
from the
prevalence of burying the dead in a contracted
position on their side.
In most cases, these burials were accompanied with pottery.
Dozens of
such burials were unearthed,
for example, in the lower layer of KulTepe.
Burials
in contracted
positions
were also found in the
settlement
of Alikemek-Tepesy (Munchaev 1975, 106, 117).
A group of
early burials exhibiting
the same rite in the Nalchik cemetery was also
dated by R.M. Munchaev (1975, 138-139) to the Eneolithic.
In contrast
to the lands of the Near East, one of the distinguishing
features
of
the Eneolithic
burials
in the North Caucusus was that most of the
burials were covered with red ochre.
In some cases, there were burials
in the extended supine position,
for instance in the Lugovoye cemetery
(Krupnov 1954).
138
The rite
side, of
with red
and also
Kara-Tepe,
of burying the dead in a contracted

position
lying on their
placing clay pots somewhere nearby and sprinkling
the dead
ochre was spread both in the Maikop and Kuro-Araxes cultures
in the Eneolithic
cultures
of Central Asia: Namazga-Tepe,
Geoksyur, etc. (Masson 1957; Sarianidi
1965).
From the above description

of the burial monuments of the 5th-4th
millennium b.c..
it is evident that the burial
rituals
differ
to a
comparatively
great extent from one another in the various territories
of Europe and Asia, though there are some common characteristics
in the
burial rites
both of the northern territories
of Eurasia and of the
more southerly
regions.
According to a number of distinguishing
features,
such as positions
of the deceased in graves, use of ochre,
presence
or absence of pottery,
the burials
of the Neolithic
and
Chalcoli thic period ( the 5th-4th millennia
b. c ) in Eurasia may be
divided
into
two main zones or regions
termed the northern
or
Eurosiberian
and the southern or Danube-Near Eastern zones.
The first
zone includes
Siberia,
the areas of Lake Baikal and the
Volga, the forest and forest-steppe
zones of the European part of the
USSR where it runs along the Dnieper as far as the Azov region and the
northern part of the Crimea, ~ areas of the Baltic Sea, the northern
part of central Europe and Scandinavia (Fig.54).
In the Neolithic,
the
extended supine position
of the dead prevailed
in the burial ritual
here.
As a rule, the burials were sprinkled with powdered red ochre,
sometimes in great amounts.
In most cases, these burials were without
goods, though there were some rather rich graves (Isakovo, S'ezzheye,
Mariupol, Oleny Ostrov, Zveinieky).
With few exceptions
(Kitoy),
clay vessels were not used as grave
goods.
One of the interesting
characteristics
of the burial ritual
in
this region was the rite of binding or swaddling the dead.
This rite
was noticed
in cemeteries
of the Mariupol type, Zveinieky,
Vedbaek
(Denmark) and Serovo in the Baikal area (Phillips
1980, 142, fig.42B;
Okladnikov 1950, 191).
In the cemeteries
of the Eurosiberian
region,
the rite of burying the dead in a contracted
position
lying on their
side
should be considered
as exceptional
(Serovo,
Oleny Ostrov,
Zveinieky).
This rite was spread only at the beginning of the Copper
Age.
The features
associated
with the cemeteries
of the Eurosiberian
region are generally
typical
for the hunting and fishing
cultures
prevailing
in the forest
and forest-steppe
zones of Siberia and the
Baikal area, and the Pit-Comb Ware, Comb-Stroked Ware and Comb Ware
cultures
of Eastern Europe.
In the more southerly
regions of the
European part of the USSR, the rite of burying the dead in extended
supine positions
also penetrated
into the steppe zone (S'ezzheye,
Mariupol) where the people were acquainted
with productive
forms of
economy.
The cemeteries
of the second or the Danube-Near Eastern
region
include Central Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia (Fig.54).
The
main distinguishing
features
of the burial rite in the Neolithic
and
Chalcolithic
periods were represented
by contracted
positions
of the
dead lying on their side with hands predominantly
near the face, the
use of red ochre in limited amounts and the use of paints of some other
colours
(for instance,
blue or green).
As a rule,
the burials
139
(
contained
grave goods, mainly in the form of clay vessels.
As
mentioned
above,
in
the
southern
regions,
the
Neolithic
and
Chalcolithic
burials
were much more rarely
in the extended position
than in the northern zone.
The cemeteries
of the southern or DanubeNear Eastern
region
were constructed
by agricultural
and cattlebreeding tribes.
110
_~
:)14
, ..
0
1----------_-_-_-_-_-_-_--_--__------~
0-~
e-
Ill
61
:~:'(}iv
tUJ
......
/
-
Fig. 54 Neolithic-Eneolithic
cemeteries
of t~e Euro~i~erian
and.
II Danube-Near Eastern regions.
I - extended supine position;
pos~tion without
contracted
position
with pottery;
III - contracted
pottery;
IV - ochred burials.
1. Ertebolle;
2. VesterbJers;
3. ?storf;
4-8. Tamula, Krautonas, Kreichy, Zveinieky,
Abora; 9-10. Oleny island;
11. Kubenino, Karavikha; 12. Popovo; 13. Sakhtysh; 14. Yazykovo; 15-18.
Gavrilovka,
Panphily, Volodary, Chernaya Gora; 19. Chu-Chur-Muransky;
20-21. Baikal cemeteries;
22. Buzky; 23. Dereivka; 24. Osipovk~,
Zasukha; 25-28. Dnieper rapids cemeteries;
29. Lysaya Gora, Kairy; 30.
Dolinka; 31. Mariupol; 32. Alexandria;
33. Rakushechny Yar; 34.
S'ezzheye;
35. Entsheim; 36. Kotsenheim, Flomborn; 38. Zonderhausen;
39. Klein-Hadersdorf;
40. Zabrouvitsy;
41. Podokhov; 42. Zengov~rkony;
43. Nezviska; 44. Troian; 45. Botos; 46. Cernica; 47-48. Hamangia,
Varna Durankulak; 49. Vinca; 50. Ruse; 51. Kubrat; 52. Karanovo; 53.
Zygouries;
54. Babakoy; 55. Alatlibel;
56. Kaledorug; 57. ~etekoy; 58.
Alishar;
59. Kasura; 60. Mersin; 61. Ras-Shamra; 62. Nalchik; 63.
Lugovoye; 64. Mingichaur; 65. Alikmektepesi;
66. Stepanake~t;
67.
Tilki-Tepe;
68. Hasuna; 69. Halaf; 70. Tepe Gawra; 71. Yarim Tep:; 72.
Samarra, Arpachiya; 73. Hakalan; 74. Sialk; 75. Susa; 76. El-Ubaid; 77.
Hissar; 78-80. Kara-tepe,
Namazga-tepe, Tutkal.
140
The two types of cemeteries

of the 5th-4th
millennia
b.c.
were
situated
in different
territories.
They were constructed
by tribes
generally
different
in economies and culture.
In the Eurosiberian
zone, the bearers of such cultures
were the tribes
of the late CroMagnon and Mongoloid races.
In the Danube-Near Eastern region they
were represented
by different
groups of Mediterranean
peoples. However,
it should be noted that there is no sharp border between these two
regions
of burial
monuments in Eurasia.
Along the borders of these
cultures,
there may be traced an intermediate
zone where the burial
ritual
included characteristics
of both regions.
Thus, for example, in
the cemeteries
of the southern zone in Central Europe, there are rather
frequent
cases of skeletons
coloured in ochre,
The same may be said
about the burials
in the North Caucusus.
In Central Europe and the
Balkans,
there are various
cemeteries
with burials
in the extended
supine position
(Rossen, Hamangia, Cernica,
etc).
At the same time,
some of the burials
in the northern
zones have been unearthed
in
contracted
positions
on their
side.
Here it should be recalled
that
extended burials
in the area of the Saale and Hamangia and Cernica in
the Balkans were accompanied by clay vessels,
which also represents
a
compromise between the characteristics
of the Northern
( the rite
of
extended position)
and the southern (the presence of pottery)
regions.
It is interesting
to note that sometimes the same culture
included
different
burial
rites
depending on the region of distribution
of its
variants.
For example, according to U. Fischer,
in the WalternienburgBernburg culture
the rite of extended burial was typical
for the more
northerly
territories,
while in the south the dead were buried in a
contracted
position
(Fischer 1956, 98).
The cemeteries
of the Mariupol type may be assigned,
according to the
characteristics
of the burial
rite,
to the northern
or Eurosiberian
region where they form a separate
local group.
Among other burial
monuments of the northern
region,
they are distinguished
by the
considerable
predominance of group burial
subsequently
converted into
collective
burial
vaults.
In other territories
of this region, where
the single
burial
rite was predominant,
group graves occur much more
rarely
(S'ezzheye,
Sakhtysh-2,
Volodary, Zveinieky,
etc), and there is
no burial
chamber similar
to Nikolskoye,
Lysaya Gora or other
cemeteries.
However, in the forest zone of Eastern Europe burials
are
known in the prone position
(Chernaya Gora, Zveinieky,
Kreichy).
which
are nowhere to be seen in the Mariupol-type
cemeteries.
The grave
goods from the Mariupol-type
cemeteries
are characterized
by their
particular
and unique composition.
First of all, we mean the ornaments
such as pendants of immature deer teeth,
fish teeth,
annular beads of
stone and shells,
which are absent from the Neolithic
burials
of the
forest zone of the European part of the USSR, from the Baltic Sea areas
and other territories
of this region.
On the whole, the Mariupol-type
cemeteries
as a local cultural
and
historical
entity were distributed
over a comparatively
small area: the
southern part of the Middle Dnieper,
the area of the Dnieper rapids,
141
the Azov region and the northern Steppe Crimea.

It is probable that
this region should also include the Lower Don valley, where a similar
cemetery with collective
graves was discovered on the Chir river.
In
terms of culture,
the latter
seems to be close to the Ukrainian
cemeteries.
As far as the cemetery near the village
of S'ezzheye on
the Volga is concerned, the prevalence of single burials suggests only
more distant
analogies
with the Mariupol type cemeteries
of the
adjacent
territories,
for example, in the North Caucusus (Nalchik
Maikop), despite
some resemblance to Mariupol in some of the forms of
ornaments (flat annular beads of gagate, serpentine(?),
carnelian
and
shells,
pendants of deer teeth,
etc,),
they differ
considerably
from
the M~riupol-type cemeteries
(Kruglov, Piatrovsky,
and Podgaetsky 1941,
118) in many respects
such as the rite
of burying the dead in a
contracted
position and the composition of grave goods. Besides, these
burials are dated to the post-Mariupol
time.
zoomorphic
figures,
ceramics,
etc.
The forms of vessels,
the
decorative
elements and motifs and the fabric of the pottery from the
S'ezzheye and Nikolskoye cemeteries
exhibit many more differences
than
similarities
(in most cases, different
decorative
elements and motifs,
different
tempers, the presence of beads under the rim of the vessel
from the S'ezzheye cemetery which is not found on the ceramics from the
cemeteries in the area of the Dnieper rapids).
It is doubtful
that
I. B. Vasiliev
is correct
in separating
cemeteries
of the region from the other variants
culture
(the North Donets, the Middle Dnieper, etc.).
Nor is it likely
that
these monuments taken together
should be separated
from the
Neolithic
culture
of the Don basin, when they actually
form a broad
zone of related cultures.
In any case, in ceramics, there is much more
in common between the Neolithic
cemeteries
of the Dnieper and the
Middle Don basins than between the Dnieper and the Volga basins.
The cultural
relationships
between the Mariupol-type
cemeteries is of
prime importance in establishing
their historical
place.
It will be
recalled
that grave goods, pottery in particular,
collected
in the area
of the cemeteries
are fully
analogous
to the material
from three
variants
of the Neolithic
Dnieper-Donets
Comb-Stroked Ware culture
which points
to the fact
that
all
these
settlements
and buriai
monuments belonged to one and the same population.
The monuments of
the Dnieper-Donets
culture
(region)
have close
analogies
to the
mat~ria~s from th~ Middle and Lower Don basin and partly of the Volga
basin (in the region of Volgograd), where we find the monuments of the
Voronezh group (the Middle-Don culture
after
A. T. Sinyuk) and the
Orlovka type (Levenok 1973; Tretyakov 1982; Telegin 1981).
The Mariupol-type
cemeteries
culture
were a
component of the vast Eurosiberian
zone of burial monuments, together
with the related
culture
of the Don valley.
They formed a single
cultural
zone,
wherein
developed
various
regional
variants
and
relationships
(Fig.SS).
In the west, the monuments of this type were
adjacent to the Tripolye culture;
in the south and south-east
they were
adjacent to the cultures
of the Rakushechny-Yar type on the Lower Don,
the Seroglazovo type in the Pre-Caspian region and the Samara type on
the Lower Volga.
The northern and north-western
neighbours of this
cultural
region were the various tribes
of the Pit-Comb Ware and the
Niemen/Nemunas Neolithic cultures.
Some archaeologists
point to a broader range of analogies,
which are
close to the Dnieper-Donets
Neolithic
culture.
Thus, for example,
according to N. N. Gurina (1973, fig.4),
the area of the 'Comb-Stroked
and Channel Ware Cultures of the Dnieper-Donets
type' (the end of the
5th beginning of the 3rd millennium b.c.)
includes
not only the Don
bas~n but also a considerable
part of the Middle Volga basin and the
basin of the Lower and Middle Kama. According to V.P. Levenok (1973,
2), the northern boundary of the Dnieper-Donets culture runs also along
the Volga valley in the area of Kazan.
On the Evolution of the Burial Ritual

Among the main characteristics
burial ritual,
the
rite of burying the dead in the extended position
and the presence of
group graves subsequently
converted into collective
burial vaults seem
to be the most important.
The extended position,
as mentioned above,
was also typical
for Neolithic
cemeteries
of the whole Eurosiberian
region.
There is reason to believe that this burial ritual,
one of the
most stable manifestations
of beliefs
held by an ancient people, was
not formed at once but had a long history.
In studying
the question
on the position
cemeteries_, _it is necessary to ~ay attention
to the conclusions made by
I. B. Vasiliev
(1981).
According to him, in the Neolithic-Eneolithic
period in the south of the European part of the USSR there should be
distinguished
a separate
cultural
region of the Mariupol type
which
basically
incl'i1?tes three cultures:
the Samara (S 'ezzheye),
the PreCaspian and the Dnieper-rapids
versions
culture
(Mariupol).
If we take into consideration

the local Mesolithic
cemeteries in the
Dnieper valley,
one discerns
a sharp difference
in the burial rituals
between the Mesolithic
Voloshskoye-Vasilyevka
type cemeteries,
where
the main burial
rite
was a contracted-on-side
position
of the dead
(Telegin 1982, 202-214), and the Mariupol-type
cemeteries characterized
by burials
in extended supine positions,
Thus, it would be difficult
to trace the genetic
sources of the Mariupol-type
cemeteries
to the
local Mesolithic
burial monuments. Besides, it should be recalled
that
in their anthropological
composition the burials
in the cemeteries
of
these two types were different.
There is really
much in common between the Mariupol-type
and
S'ezzheye cemeteries:
flat graves, burial in the extended position and
some co~on types of ornaments such as plates of boar tusk.
However,
as mentioned above, these three characteristics
are common for the
w~o~e northern
zone of burial monuments.
As far as the presence of
similar forms of boar tusk plates is concerned, this is an indication
of some close contacts
between the Late Neolithic
population
in the
Volga and Dni~per ba~ins.
Other finds from S'ezzheye and the Mariupoltype
cemeteries
disclose
considerable
differences,
for
instance,
No genetic
relationships
can be traced
between the Mariupol-type
cemeteries and the Mesolithic
burials in the more southerly territories
of Europe and Asia where the ritual
for burying the dead in the flexed
position
prevailed.
Flexed burials on their sides, for instance,
were
found in the Frankhthi cemetery in the Balkans (Boev 1969, 30-33), the
Natufian
cemeteries
of Wadi Fallah,
Amar, etc) in the Near East
(Mellart
1975, 37).
Similar burials
are also known in the Mesolithic
143
142
layer of Harykaramb and in the Pre-Caspian area (Munchayev 1975, 112).

In addition,
burials in contracted
positions were in pre-ceramic layers
of Tepe Hural in Luristan
(Meldgaard, Mortensen and Thrane 1963) , in
Shanidar cave, etc.
However, quite different

characteristics
of burial ritual
have been
observed on the Middle Danube in Central Europe and in the area of the
Baltic Sea.
Here, during the Mesolithic,
the extended supine position
prevailed
over the sitting
position.
The burials
in the recently
excavated cemetery of Schela Cladovei and in the cemeteries of Vlasac
near the Iron Gates on the Middle Danube (Boroneant 1973; Phillips
1980, 144) and also the burials
in the well known settlement
of
Lepenski Vir in the same area (Srejovic
1969, 49) were in extended
positions.
'
'
The rite
of single
burial
in the
sprinkled
with ochre was typical
for
northern Central Europe and Scandinavia.
for instance,
in the Mesolithic cemetery
graves were studied
(Albrethsen
and
Mesolithic
burials
in the cemetery of
same position (Zagorsky 1962).
extended position
and usually
the Early Holocene burials
in
This rite was well recorded,
of Vedbek in Denmark, where 22
Brinch Petersen
1976).
The
Zveinieky,
Latvia,
lay in the
About a dozen single burials

dated to the Mesolithic
are known in
Central
Europe,
in the territory
of the DDR (Plan,
Botendorf,
Duren berg, etc.)
and Poland ( Janislawicka).
Unfortunately,
most of
these burials
were discovered as a result
of earth moving works, and
hence the position of skeletons
could not be traced in all instances.
However, it is known that some of the burials
(Botendorf,
Duren berg,
Janislawicka,
Perkunov) seemed to be in a sitting
position
(Gramsch
1973, 16-17; Chmielewska 1954; Glosik 1969).
Fig.
55
The Dn~per-Donets
community in the 5th-3rd millennia be
(I a-e) and its neighbours. The Comb-Stroked cultures of the
Dnieper-Volga region: Middle Don (2), Rakushechny Yar (3),
Seroglazovo (4), Volga-Ural (5) and Samara (6). The Baltic
cultures:
Narva (7) and Nieman (8). The Carpathian cultures:
LBK (9), Tripolye (10), Bug-Dniester (11). The Azov-Caspian
cultures:
Sursky (12), Mountain Crimea (13), ElshankaKoshelaka (14). Pit-Comb pottery cultures
(15).
It is probable that the rite

of burying the dead in extended and
sitting
positions
associated
with the Mesolithic
burials
in Central
Europe and in the areas of the Baltic
Sea derived from the Late
Palaeolithic
time.
Within
Eastern
Europe about
a dozen Late
Palaeolithic
burials
have been discovered,
two of which were in a
contracted
position
(Markina Gora and Kostenky-18),
the others being
either
in extended (Sungir) or in sitting
(Kostenky-2,
15) positions
(Rogachev 1955; Bader 1967).
The rite
of burying the dead in the extended
supine position,
alongside burial in the contracted
position was wide-spread in Western
Europe during the Late Palaeolithic:
Cro-Magnon, Combe-Capelle, Barma
Grande, Arene Candide, etc.
(Breuil and Lantier 1959, 308-311).
All this evidence suggests that the rite of burying the dead in the
extended position,
such as we find in the Mariupol-type
cemeteries,
derived from the Late Palaeolithic
and Mesolithic practices
in the most
northerly
regions of Europe, primarily in its eastern part and probably
in the area of the Baltic Sea.
The genetic relationship
cemeteries
with this
very circle
of the Late Palaeolithic-Mesolithic
monuments may also be
confirmed by the use of red ochre in the burial ritual
both during the
Palaeolithic-Mesolithic
and the Neolithic periods.
145
144
We would be wrong to regard the Mariupol-type

cemeteries
as wholly
derived from the Late Palaeolithic-Mesolithic
burial ritual
practised
by the people in the northern
regions of Eastern Europe and in the
vicinity
of the Baltic Sea.
There is no doubt that the formation of
the burial
ritual
associated
with the Dnieper region cemeteries
was
more complicated.
In their development these burial monuments in the
southern
areas of the vast Eurosiberian
cultural
region were also
subjected
to the influence
of the Danube-Near Eastern zone.
This
influence
was primarily
reflected
in the composition of some grave
goods, for instance,
in ornaments such as flat annular beads of gagate
or other materials,
which are considered
to be the result
of direct
contacts of the Dnieper-Donets tribes with the Caucasus population.
It
is probable that the stone maces found in the Nikolskoye and Mariupol
cemeteries are also related
to the cultures
of the Near East.
It is
interesting
to note that pendants of deer teeth were also known in the
Mesolithic
burials
of the Natufian culture
(Garrod and Bate 1937, 1420). It is probable that the ritual
breaking of pottery in the area of
a cemetery, which was noticed for instance at Nikolskoye, was a distant
echo of the rite of deliberately
breaking large stone vessels during
the burial ritual
in the Natufian culture (Brenties 1976, 36).
the Aral Sea, and assigned

to the Kelteminar
culture.
Twenty-six
Neolithic
burials
were uncovered.
They were buried in single grave
pits; they lay in the extended supine position,
heads oriented to the
NE or E, and covered with ochre. Grave goods included flint
blades,
beads,
shell
ornaments,
bones of birds
and fish,
animal teeth,
fragments of boar tusk, bone tools,
a clay spindle-whorl,
and some
sherds. Adult males and females as well as children were found in the
cemetery which, on typological
grounds, is dated by the authors to the
5th/4th
millennium.
Similarities
with the Mariupol
'ethno-cultural
region' are remarked upon by the authors.
From the point of view of genesis, the fact that at the latest stage
cemeteries
the group graves were converted into
collective
burial vaults may be evaluated in two ways: either it was a
process of internal
development of the burial rite,
or this custom was
adopted from somewhere outside.
Nothing is known about such burial
vaults in the northern part of the Eurosiberian
region, but they are
met in the Trans-Caucasian
and Near Eastern cultures.
A close analogy
to the Mariupol and Nikolskoye burial vaults is found, for example, in
the cemetery of Hakalan of the Mehmeh culture in Khuzistan dated to the
second half of the 5th and the beginning of the 4th millennium b.c.
The grave pits in these cemeteries
covered with stone blocks were
intended for repetitive
use, the bones of the previously
buried dead
being discourte0"1Wly moved aside or thrown out, but the skulls were
left in place (Mellaart
1975, 178).
Analogous situations
where the
remains of the dead previously buried in a collective
grave were moved
aside,
have also been noticed in some other cemeteries
(Catal Hiiyiik,
Byblos, etc.).
Therefore,
the primary source for the burial rite (extended position
of skeletons and use of ochre) in the Mariupol-type
cemeteries is to be
found in the ritual
of the Late Palaeolithic-Mesolithic
populations
in
the more northerly
territories
of Eastern Europe and in the Baltic Sea
region.
However,
in
their
development
the
cemeteries
were
substantially
subjected to the influence of cultures emanating from the
Caucasus and the Near East, which resulted
in the spread of some forms
of the burial
inventory.
It is also possible
that these foreign
influences
were responsible
for the adoption
of collective
burial
vaults.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Editor's
Note:
After the authors'
completion of the original
Russian
text
to this
book, an important
new series
of burials
has been
published
by A. V. Vinogradov et al. (Drevneyshee Naselenie Nizovy
Amudari, Moscow, 1986). Vinogradov describes
the excavation
of a
Neolithic cemetery at Tumek-Kichidzhik on the lower Amu Darya, south of
146
147
of Neolithic
skeletal
remains from the Ukraine is one of
Europe. These remains originate
from the Mariupol-type
the Dnieper-Donets
culture
in the Dnieper valley.
material
from the burial monuments of other Neolithic
territory
of the Ukraine are practically
unknown.
combination between a great massiveness and a great height of skulls of

a dolichoor mesocranic form, and a moderate or very great facial
breadth and the tendency of a number of skulls to a flatness
of the
horizontal
profile
with a moderate orbital
height,
a medium nasal
breadth and sharply projecting
nasal bones.
V. P. Alexeev notes (1984)
that this complex of features
'typical
for the ancient population of
Eurasia has become the subject of discussion
for many years, engendered
various shades of opinion and determined the main directions
in the
study of the dynamics of the anthropological
structure
of Eastern
Europe for a long time'.
At the present
time, craniological
series
from a great number of
Mariupol-type
cemeteries
have been studied - about 300 skulls in all.
They include 119 skulls from the Derei vka I cemetery, 30 skulls from
Nikolskoye I, 74 from the two Vovnigy cemeteries,
33 skulls
from
Vilnyanka, 16 from Vasilyevka II and 15 from Kapulovka.
In addition,
some data are available
on individual
skulls found on the islands
of
Vinogradny and Sursky, in the sites
of Skelya Kamenolmnya, Igren,
Maryevka, Chaply, Zmeevka, etc.
All the investigators

of skulls from the Mariupol-type
cemeteries of
the Ukraine (along with other ancient craniological
series from Eastern
Europe) classify
their anthropological
type as proto-European.
Both
the size and the considerable
length of its duration
(from the Upper
Palaeolithic
in western Europe to the Eneolithic
Afanasievo culture in
the Altay region) led G. F. Debets (1948) to conclude that this t~pe
was an undifferentiated
and common prototype
of the European racial
stem.
Unfortunately,
some sites
have
not
been
the
subject
of
anthropological
study.
Hence,
there
is
no information
on the
anthropology
of such cemeteries
as Lysaya Gora, Dolinka (the Crimea),
Sobachky and Nenasytets.
Nothing is known about the skulls from these
cemeteries.
Besides, no anthropological
studies have been conducted on
the materials
from the main grave pit of the Mariupol cemetery. Two
skulls preserved in the paired burial
(No. 21) and studied by I. I.
Gokhman (1959) are dated to a later time (the early Eneolithic).
Among
the skeletal
remains from burial No. 50, which is attributed
to the socalled 'main-complex' of tlrMariupol
cemetery, only one male skull has
been studied
(I.
I. Gokhman 1959).
Because of the unfavourable
conditions
for preservation
such as sandy soil,
as in Chaply, the
skulls were in a state unsuitable
for study.
In the structure
of skulls
from the Neolithic
cemeteries
in the
Ukraine, G. F. Debets (1961) saw a compromise between the features
typical for Europoids of the northern zone and believed that this type
did not differ essentially
from the Cro-Magnon type in the broad sense
of this term.
As an original
human race ancestral
to the present day
species
the Cro-Magnons were widely spread in the Late Palaeolithic
of
Europe but are nowhere represented
today.
In the territory
delimited
by Lake Onega on the north and the Middle Dnieper (Vovnigy and some
skulls
from Vasilyevka
II),
they survived to the Neolithic
(Debets
1960).
Chapter 7
THE NEOLITHICPOPULATION
OF THE DNIEPERBASIN
The collection
the largest
in
cemeteries
of
Anthropological
cultures in the
Much of the available

anthropological
material
from the Neolithic
cemeteries has already been published.
Thus, complete information
on
the skulls is available
from the following cemeteries:
Vasilyevka II
(Gokhman 1966), Vovnigy (Konduktorova 1956; Gokhman 1966), Vilnyanka
(Surnina 1961), Dereivka (Zinevich 1967; Potekhina 1978) and Kapulovka
(Zinevich and Kruts 1968).
Though the investigators
pay attention
to the postcranial
parts of
the skeletons
much more rarely,
a number of interesting
studies have
been conducted in this field (Gokhman 1960; Surina 1961; Konduktorova
1956,1960).
These studies
of the Neolithic
burials
have, as G. F.
Debets noted (1966), attracted
scientists
to the idea of investigating
the physical
development of ancient populations
as a whole, and the
specific
features
of the physical
structure
people in particular.
As the materials
from the large cemeteries
accumulated and the programmes of studies
broadened, anthropologists
have compiled a more complete notion about the physical appearance of
the population
under investigation.
The interest
of scientists
drawn
to these
skeletons,
which exhibit
a unique complex of features
classified
as proto-morphic
(after V.V. Bunak) or hypermorphic (after
R. Ya. Denisova), has not diminished.
This complex is expressed in a
148
Investigators
have also tried to determine more specifically
the type
of Neolithic population in the Dnieper valley and the Azov area.
Thus,
in pointing
to the large sizes of these skulls and a certain
facial
flatness,
V. V. Bunak (1959), for example, distinguishes
a separate
Vovnigy type.
There is also another
type which is substantially
different
from the above - the so-called
Voloshskoye type which has
been distinguished
by this investigator
on the basis of the materials
from the Mesolithic
cemeteries
( Voloshskoye,
Vasilyevka I, III).
A special
place in the classification
of the chronological
series
from the Neolithic
cemeteries
of the Ukraine has been given by I. I.
Gokhman (1966).
He noticed that such distinguishing
features
of the
. proto-European
type as massiveness
and great
facial
breadth
are
considerably
pronounced in the Neolithic
people in the areas of. t~e
Dnieper rapids and Azov even in comparison with the Upper Palaeolithic
skulls.
Proceeding
from
this
conclusion,
the
investigator
distinguished
a specific
Dnieper rapids-Azov
variant
of the protoEuropean type.
The assignment of these skulls from the Dnieper-Donets cemeteries to
the proto-European
type has been supported by other anthropologists
(Gerasimov
1955; Konduktorova
1956; Surnina
1961; Zinevich
19?7;
Potekhina 1978, etc).
However, it should be noted that the population
responsible
for
the Mariupol-typ~
cemeteries
was not
entirely
homogeneous,
a view which has been supported
by a number of
149
anthropologists.
On the basis of materials
from the cemeteries
of
Vasilyevka
(Gokhman 1958), Nikolskoye and Kapulovka (Zinevich
1967,
1968), and Dereivka (Zinevich 1967; Potekhina 1978) many distinguish
two craniological
variants:
dolichocranic
and mesobrachy-or mesocranic.
The main differences
in their
structures
are in the size of their
longitudinal
and transversal
diameters,
facial
breadth and horizontal
profile.
However, other investigators
(Surnina 1961; Alexeeva 1968)
consider that the evidence for the anthropological
subdivision
of the
Neolithic population in the Ukraine is insufficient.
T. S. Konduktorova (1956) leaves this problem open though she assumes
(1973) that these craniological
variants correspond to some extent with
the differences
between the separate local groups of the Dnieper-Donets
culture.
'"1'..
This lack of agreement regarding the homogeneity of the population
has resulted
in different
solutions
to another important question - the
problem of the origin
of the population
under discussion.
The
flattened
form of a number of skulls from the Vasilyevka II cemetery
led G. F. Debets (1960) to point to a relationship
between the
Neolithic
population
in the Ukraine and the people of the forest zone
in Eastern
Europe,
i.e.,
Cro-Magnons subjected
to a negligible
Mongoloid influence.
T. S. Konduktorova (1973) follows a point of view
close to this opinion when she supposes that the population
of the
Dnieper rapids and Azov regions originated
from the forest-steppe
or
forest territories
of Eastern Europe.
The origin of this population
from the more northerly
territories
of Eastern Europe is supported by
archaeological
data (Telegin 1968).
anthropological
remains into periods.
The further
improvement of our
knowledge on the Mesolithic
and Neolithic
population
structure
in the
adjacent
territories,
such as the areas of the Baltic Sea (Denisova
1975), the northern European part of the USSR (Gokhman 1975), the Lower
Volga Basin (Shevchenko 1980), etc.,
is also one of the important
factors
contributing
to a deeper understanding
of the anthropology
of
the Neolithic population in the Dnieper valley.
These provide the foundation for our analysis
of the anthropological
materials
of the Neolithic
We begin our study
with an analysis of the previously unpublished anthropological
material
from these cemeteries.
Yasinovatka
Among the anthropological
materials
from the Dnieper-Donets
culture,
the skeletal
remains from the Yasinovatka
cemetery are of great
importance.
They are comparatively
well preserved and, in general,
represent
a closed
complex,
since
this
cemetery
was completely
excavated.
Here, due to distinct
stratigraphic
observations,
it has
become possible to distinguish
separate chronological
burial groups.
As noted above in Chapter 2, among the burials
cemetery, two main groups can be distinguished:
Type A - oval grave pits of about 2 sq. m. filled

humused loess.
Seven such pits were examined.
about
A somewhat different
point of view has been expressed
by I. I.
Gokhman, who believes that the population in the south Ukraine resulted
from the mixing of the local
Mesolithic
population
and foreign
elements.
The former are represented
by a number of skulls
from
Vasilyevka I and III, and the latter,
according to him, are represented
by the meso-brachycranic
type from the Neolithic cemetery of Vasilyevka
II.
That is the general
course of research
on the anthropological
materials
from the Neolithic cemeteries in the Dnieper basin.
As seen
from the above description,
specialists
in this
region
primarily
believe that the area was occupied by a late Cro-Magnon type of protoEuropean population.
A number of craniological
features
indicate
that
these_people
were evidently
heterogeneous,
and this fact considerably
c?mphcates
the . pr~blem both of their origin and their relationships
with the Mesolithic
and Neolithic
tribes
within
their
historical
environment.
Recently, an accumulation of new data offers strong possibilities
for
resolving
a number of problems concerning
the anthropology
of the
Neolithic
population.
First
of all,
we refer
to the increase
in
information
due to the excavations
of a number of new Mariupol-type
cemeteries such as Yasinovatka,
Vasilyevka V, Osipovka and more recent
excavations
of burials
in the Nikolskoye,
Dereivka and some other
cemeteries.
It should be especially
noted that in the Yasinovatka
cemetery there was traced a distinct
stratigraphic
sequence of burials
from diff:r:n~
periods.
Th~s has provided a basis for constructing
a
cemeteries
together with
their
general division
150
of the Yasinovatka
with weakly-
Type 6 - a single large burial vault, subrectangular

in form,
30 sq. m.
Powdered red ochre was sprinkled through the entire
pit.
The number of burials

encountered
by the investigators
of this
cemetery totals 68. The majority of these burials were found in the Atype oval pits.
The red-coloured
vault (type 6) contained about 30
individuals.
The skeletons
of the
deceased
were in different
states
of
preservation.
Twenty-nine burials
were represented
by skeletons
and
skulls;
in 22 cases, only the lower parts of postcranial
skeletons were
preserved with no skulls,
and 39 burials
were represented
by single
skulls lying in secondary positions
as a result of reburial.
Sex and age analysis
indicates
that
the Yasinovatka
cemetery
contained 36 male, 15 female and four adolescent
burials.
In addition,
there were nine burials of children from the age of four to nine years.
In four cases,
the age could not be determined.
The demographic
structure
of the deceased in the Yasinovatka cemetery is shown in the
population pyramid (Fig. 56).
In the 'male' part of the diagram (Fig.
56,I) one clearly sees the tendency toward increased mortality
from 20
to 50 years.
Then there
is seen a decrease
in the number of
individuals
living
till
60 years.
A narrow apex of the pyramid
indicates
that males very rarely lived up to an advanced age.
The right
part of the pyramid (Fig. 56, II) reflects
a peculiar
character
in the dynamics of female mortality.
The female half has a
very broad base, which means that 42 per cent of females died at the
age of 20-29 years.
The next age group of 30-39 years reflects
the
151
lowest female mortality.

With the exception of the 20-29 year old
female group ( the most active
period in terms of fertility)
, the
mortality
peak of the population was at the age of 40-49 years.
Thus,
this period includes 33 per cent of males and 25 per cent of females or
26 per cent of all the deceased (Fig. 56, III).
cJ
The average life expectancy of males from the Yasinovatka cemetery

was 42. 8 years, that of females was 38. 7 years and that of all the
deceased together with children was 33.7 years, i.e.,
it was very high.
This may primarily be explained by the absence of child burials younger
than four years and also by the absence of the 10-14 year age group.
In general,
the data obtained from the materials
of the Yasinovatka
cemetery on the life expectancy and mortality
are in good agreement
with the information available
on the paleodemography of the Neolithic
tribes
in the Dnieper valley (V. P. Alexeev 1972; I. D. Potekhina
1981).
36
15
60-69
50-59
40-49
30-39
20-29
34
30 26 22
18 14
10
10 14 18 2
26
30 34
42
II
50-59
40-49
30-39
20-29
15-19
10-14
5-9
0-4
III.
Fig. 56
10 14
18 22
26 30
The state of preservation

of the facial
skeletons
was considerably
worse.
Therefore,
we were only able to obtain
the necessary
measurements of seven facial
regions.
The mandibles
were well
preserved except for their heads.
The teeth were also well represented
and exhibited considerable
abrasion; no dental pathology was observed.
60-69
As a result of restoration,
we have a series of 27 skulls,
i.e.,
40
per cent
of the deceased.
In most cases,
the skulls
were
satisfactorily
preserved but their bases were often lacking.
The bases
were preserved only in three cases (skull Nos. 36, 44, 45).
In 11
cases, the lower parts of the occipital
bones were preserved,
and this
made it possible to measure the sagittal
arches as well as the arches
and chords of the occiput.
Population pyramid of the Yasinovatka cemetery.

II - females; and III - total population.
I - males;
The series
consists
of 17 male and 10 female skulls.
The
determination
of sex caused no difficulties.
The male skulls
are
rather
sharply distinguished
for their
large sizes of cranial
and
facial
regions,
thick
vault
bones and heavily
developed
relief
(supraorbital
arches, glabellae,
mastoid processes,
temporal lines, in
particular).
The degree of male glabella development is on average 4.4
units (after Martin).
In some cases, the degree of development of this
characteristic
is as great as 6. The length of the supraorbital
arches
is rather
substantial
(2.2 units),
though they do not run into the
region of the supraorbital
triangle.
The mastoid processes are very
large, and in the case of male skulls their index is, on average, 2.9
units.
The relief
of the occipital
bone is characterised
by a number of
distinctive
features.
Two modifications
of male skulls
have been
observed.
One of them represents
a developed transversal
occipital
torus formed in the inion region by the converging nuchal lines (skull
No. 18).
In the--other case (skull No. 44), the superior nuchal lines
were also strongly
developed and formed two tori
projecting
more
sharply in the lateral
areas and deepened in the middle part, i.e.,
in
the vicinity
of the external occipital
tuber.
In both cases, the tori
are in the form of sharply
projecting
ledges
or lips.
These
distinguishing
features
point to a marked relief
of the occipital
bone
and its increased massiveness,
though the series also includes a number
of skulls
with rather
weak relief
of the occiput.
An analogous
152
153
Table 3
Individual
measurements and mean sizes of male skulls
Definitions
Characteristics
(after Martin)
1
8
9
20
8: 1
,-,.
(.Jl
,i:,.
45
48
54
52
77
48:45
52:51
54:55
Greatest length from glabella

Greatest parietal breadth
Least breadth of forehead
Height of skull from porion
Cranial index
Bi-zygomatic breadth
Upper facial height
Nasal breadth
Orbital height
Naso-malar angle
Zygomaxillar angle
Upper facial index
Orbital index
Nasal index
from Yasinovatka
10
11
15
18
23a
24
27
195
148
188
146
122
75.9
196
143
101
113
77. 7
199
131
96
122
65.8
187
136
97
119
72. 7
198
133
103
122
67.2
182
148
107
109
81.3
191
146
106
121
76.4
144
77
30.6?
32.2
142
138
53.5
74.9
54.7
72.9
t'
Table 3
(Continued)
Definitions
,-,.
(.Jl
(.Jl
1
8
9
20
8: 1
45
48
54
52
77
48:45
52:51
54:55
35
36
44
45
47
55
57
60
63
198
150
104
192
152
107
124
79.2
156
76
25.5
33.0
199
143
108
127
71.9
146
72
28.1
28.0
147
127
49.3
60.7
54.6
193
139
95
1,20
72.0
193
154
107
124
79.8
189
135
101
115
71.4
150?
70
27.2
32.1
139
132
46.7
74.3
52.8
199
145
103
210
141
108
75.8
150
77
27.9
32.1
142
135
51.3
74.0
47.7
48.7
73.8
44.6
72.9
145
30.0
134
127.7
60.2
67.1
196?
64
M(n)
196
194.5
143.1
103.1
119.8
73.8
148.5
74.5
27.9
31.2
140.8
132.2
49.9
69.7
50.9
a-
(18)
(16)
(14)
(12)
(16)
(6)
(5)
(5)
(6)
(5)
(5)
(5)
(6)
(5)
6.4
6.83
4.51
5.03
3.87
4.46
3.21
1.84
1.87
4.76
4.62
2.60
7.14
4.42
osteogenesis
has been described by I.
from the Vovnigy right-bank cemetery.
I.
Gokhman (1966) on two skulls
Three of the skulls had damages worthy of notice.

On the left
parietal
region of skull No. 18 there is a large hole measuring 52 x 32
mm. The character
of its edges and fractures
suggests that this hole
was cut out of the skull shortly before or after death.
Among the
fragments of this skull, there has been found an oval amulet (?) made
of bone and measuring 21 x 27 mm.
NOONI-'
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On skull No. 46, nearly in the middle of its sagittal

suture, there
is an oval hole of 16 x 6 mm., ancient in origin.
Since no traces of
bone regeneration
are seen, it is possible to believe that this hole
was made not long before death and was responsible
for it.
It is also
possible that this hole was made after death or represents
an example
of an artificial
trepanation,
though its position
is not typical.
Trepanation holes in skulls from the Mesolithic Vasilyevka III and the
Neolithic Vasilyevka II cemeteries are described by I. I. Gokhman.
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Skull No. 64, on its right parietal

bone, bears traces of a blow in
the form of a fracture
delivered
by a heavy and obtuse object.
The
fracture
is oval in form and measures 51 x 21 mm. Inside were found
bone fragments pressed in and slightly
accreted between each other.
I-'
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The greatest
parietal
breadth of the skulls ranges within broader
limits,
especially
in the male group.
In one case, the greatest
parietal
breadth is very small and measures 131 mm. The maximum value
of the greatest
parietal
breadth reaches a very high magnitude and is
as great as 156 mm. On the average, the series is characterized
by a
moderately broad cranium ( 143. 9 mm.).
The size range of the female
group is within the limits of 133 to 148 mm. (140.4 mm. on average),
which indicates
a great width for female skulls.
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The female skulls are of the following cranial

forms: three skulls
are dolichocranic,
four are mesocranic and one skull is brachycranic.
Therefore,
the female group is much less dolichocranic,
and the mean
value of the cranial index of this group is 73.4.
The height of skull from porion for males is 109-127 mm. and that for
females is 116-120 mm. On average, the female series is distinguished
by higher skulls.
156
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The skull index in the male series ranges from 65. 8 to 81. 3, i.e. ,
the series includes all three forms of brain cases: nine dolichocranic,
six mesocranic and one brachycranic.
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The Yasinovatka skulls are distinguished

by very large dimensions of
the cranium.
The greatest
length from glabella
of the male skulls
ranges within the limits of high and very high (Table 3).
Thus, only
its minimum value (182 mm.) belongs to the medium range.
Its maximum
value (221 mm.) exceeds the limits
of the world maximum. The mean
value for 18 skulls is very high - 194.5 mm. The female series is also
characterized
by very high values for the greatest length from glabella
(the mean value is 183.4 mm.). The minimum value (174 mm.) belongs to
the medium size index (Table 4).
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=
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The large sizes of the Yasinovatka skulls are demonstrated by such

characteristics
as the length of the cranium base, the least and the
greatest breadths of forehead, the breadth of cranium base, the breadth
of occiput.
All these characteristics
are of dimensions assignable to
a high or a very high index.
The sizes of the horizontal
circumference
through the ofrion,
and the transversal
and sagittal
arches on male
skulls reach very significant
values.
of the greatest
(198.5 mm.), and mean values of
the greatest
parietal
breadth (140.3 mm.) and height of skull from
porion (115 mm.). The brain case is sharply dolichocranic
(70.5).
The
face is very broad (bi-zygomatic
breadth is 147 .S mm.). It is of a
medium height and sharply profiled in the horizontal
plane (the angles
of the horizontal
profiling
could be measured only on one skull).
The
orbits are very low, the nose is broad.
Characteristics
of the facial
region of the Yasinovatka skulls are
limited to the male group, since the faces on the female skulls could
not be measured, except for a few characteristics,
due to their
fragmentation.
The bi-zygomatic
breadth on the male skulls ranges
within the limits of only very high values and the variation
is not
very great: the greatest breadth is 156 mm. (Skull No.36) and the least
breadth is 144 mm. The mean facial breadth varies in a broader range:
from a mean of 96 mm. to very high (110 mm.). The cranio-facial
index
points to a great breadth of the facial region relative
to the cranial
breadth: on the average, it exceeds 100 and varies between 98.6 and
111.1 mm. The upper facial breadth is also characterized
by very great
size.
This characteristic
varies insignificantly
(from 110 mm. to 115
mm.) and in all cases differs
from the mean value by not more than 2
mm. The facial
height measurements vary within the limits
of the
medium and high classes.
According to facial indices,
the skulls are
brachycranic.
The orbital
breadth from the maxilo-frontale
is, on
average, very great (45.0 mm.), while the orbital height (from 28.0 mm.
to 33.0 mm. is, on average, very low (31.2 mm.). Naturally,
according
to the index (69. 7), the skulls are very low-orbital.
The nasal
breadth as well as the nasal height is, on average, high.
According to
the nasal index, the skulls are mesorhinic, though the series includes
one stenorhinic
and three brachyrhinic
skulls.
The facial
vertical
profiling
is weak or moderate.
Of the four studied facial skeletons,
one is mesognathic and three are orthognathic.
The naso-malar angle
varies from 134 to 147 (140.8, on average) and approximates modern
Europoid groups (140).
In three out of five cases, the value of this
angle exceeds the above limits,
which points to a tendency towards
flattening
of the face in its upper part.
On the average,
the
zygomaxilar angle equals 132.2.
In two out of five cases, it measures
135 and 138, which points to a rather weak horizontal
profiling
of
the facial region in its middle part.
On the average,
the skulls
from the 'red-coloured'
burial
vault
(Table 5, pit 6 ) are less massive than those of pit A and are
characterized
by a broader and higher mesocranic brain case.
According
to absolute
values,
the face is also broad,
high and somewhat
flattened.
However, these differences
are not sharply pronounced, and
when tested statistically,
they seem to be doubtful.
Since the pits of
chronological
phases of the
the A and B (6) types belong to different
cemetery, and the differences
between the associated
skull groups tend
towards an increase
in the cranial
index and are accompanied by a
decrease
(on average)
of massiveness
in the later
group, these
differences
may be explained by a process of temporal change. However,
this is inconsistent
with the fact that only the 'red-coloured'
grave
contained
skulls
(Nos. 15, 18, 44) with very massive bones of the
cranial vault, crest-like
upper nuchal lines (toruli)
on the occipital
bones, and a pronounced dolichocranic
character.
An analysis
for
homogeneity of 13 male skulls
from the 'red'
grave reveals
two
morphological
components of this group (Table 5, pit 6 , types I and
On the whole, the Yasinovatka skulls exhibit a complex of features

characteristic
for the proto-European type.
These skulls,
as well as
the skulls from other Neolithic cemeteries in the Dnieper basin, may be
assigned to the Dnieper rapids-Azov version of this type distinguished
by I. I. Gokhman. An analysis of the Yasinovatka series has shown that
the population responsible
for the construction
of this cemetery was
heterogeneous.
According to 30 features
in the male series and 16
features in the female series,
the mean-square deviation substantially
exceeds the standard values.
Therefore,
the male series
has been
divided
into
two groups according
to the two types of burial
constructions:
the oval grave pits (type-A) and the collective
'redcoloured' burial vault (Type B).
The skulls (Nos. SS, 57, 60, 64 (No. 63 also belongs to this group
but because of its posthumous deformation it is not included in the
calculation
of mean values)) from the oval pits (Table 5, Pit A) are
characterized
by a great massiveness and large size: a very high value
158
II).
The first
component includes skull Nos. 11, 15, 18, 23, 44 and 45.
They exhibit a complex of features
similar to that from the oval pits.
These features
are a very pronounced degree of development of
glabellae,
supraorbital
arches and especially
upper nuchal lines.
The
brain case is very long (195.3 mm.), narrow (137.5 mm.) and high.
The
cranial
index is 70.4.
The face is broad (146 mm.), the orbits are
very low and the nose is very broad.
The angle of the horizontal
profile
measured only on one facial
region points to a considerable
flatness
of the face at the orbital
level (naso-malar angle is 147).
By this characteristic
the dolichocranic
skulls from the 'red-coloured'
grave are distinguished
from the skulls found in the oval pits.
If
this characteristic
is ignored, the skulls from the oval pits (type A)
and the dolichocranic
skulls from the 'red' grave (type B) should be
assigned to a single craniological
type (I).
The validity
of such a 1
grouping is demonstrated statistically.
When tested by means of the X
method, the degree of coincidence according to 10 characteristics
is
0.99, which indicates
a high degree of similarity
of the groups being
compared.
The other craniological
type (type II, Table 5), distinguished
in the
red-coloured
grave,
exhibits
a
quite
different
complex
of
characteristics.
It includes
a number of mesocranic skulls and one
brachycranic
skull (Nos. 9, 10, 24, 27, 35, 36, 37).
The medium
cranial index is 78.0.
Each of these skulls has a high brain case and
a very broad forehead.
The face is very broad (150 mm.) and somewhat
flattened
at both planes.
The orbits
are low, the nose is of a
moderate breadth. In this case (except for skull No. 47), the degree of
development
of glabellae,
supraorbital
arches,
external
occipital
tubers and mastoid processes
is somewhat less than in type I.
The
1
comparison of these two types by means of the X method, according to
159
Table 5
Comparison of Yasinovatka craniological
Definitions
1
8
20
8: 1
9
10
11
12
23a
45
46
48
48:45
45:8
55
54
54:55
52
52:51
SC
SS
SS:SC
77
Characteristics
Pit A
(Type I)

Cranial index
Greatest breadth of forehead
Bi-auricular
breadth
Breadth of occiput
Horizontal circum. thro. ofrion
By-zygomatic breadth
Middle facial breadth
Upper facial height
Upper facial index
Transverse facial-cranial
index
Nasal height
Nasal breadth
Nasal index
Orbital height
Orbital index
Simotical chord
Simotical subtense
Simotical index
Nasomalar angle
Zygomaxillar angle
160
Table 5
(Continued)
types (Males).
198.5(4)
140.3(3)
115.0(1)
70.5(3)
104.0(3)
117.7(3)
131.5(2)
111.5(2)
532.0(1)
147.5(2)
98.5(2)
70.0(1)
46.7(1)
105.6(2)
52.0(2)
27.2(1)
52.8(1)
31.1(2)
67.3(2)
8.1(3)
4.8(1)
59.3(1)
134.0(1)
128.7(1)
Pit
Pit
6.
193.6(13)
143.8(13)
120.3(11)
74.64(13)
102.8(11)
122.2(13)
131.8(10)
112.8(13)
543.1(11)
149.0(4)
103.3(3)
75.5(4)
50.7(4)
100.8(4)
55.8(4)
28.0(4)
50.4(4)
31.3(4)
70.9(4)
9.5(7)
4.0(6)
45.3(6)
142.0(4)
133.0(4)
1
8
20
8: 1
9
10
11
12
23a
45
46
48
48:45
45:8
55
54
54:55
52
52:51
SC
SS
SS:SC
77
Type I
Type II
195.3(6)
137.5(6)
122.0(5)
70.4(6)
100.0(6)
116.5(6)
127.0(3)
110. 7(6)
538.0(5)
146.0(1)
110. 7(6)
72.0(1)
49.3(1)
102.1(1)
51.5(1)
28.1(1)
54.6(1)
28.0(1)
60.7(1)
8.25(2)
3.2(2)
38.8(2)
147.0(1)
127.0(1)
191.3(7)
149.1(7)
118.8(6)
78.0(7)
106.2(5)
127.0(7)
133.9(7)
114.6(7)
547.3(6)
150.0(3)
100.0(2)
76.7(3)
51.7(3)
100.4(3)
57.2(3)
28.0(3)
49.0(3)
32.4(3)
74.2(3)
9.9(5)
4.4(4)
48.2(4)
141.0(3)
135.0(3)
161
Pits A and
Type I
196.1(10)
138.4(9)
120.8(6)
70.4(9)
101.3(9)
116.9(9)
128.8(5)
110.9(8)
537.0(6)
147.0(3)
102.3(3)
71.0(2)
48.0(2)
104.4(3)
51.8(3)
27.7(2)
53.7(2)
30.0(3)
65.1(3)
8.2(5)
3.7(3)
54.6(3)
140.5(2)
127.9(2)
the complex of characteristics,

has revealed that there is very little
in common (the degree of coincidence
i.e.,
the
p = 0.05-0.1),
differences
between type I and type II are statistically
valid.
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The female series consists

of 10 brain cases (two of them are only
represented
by facial
fragments).
The values of the mean-square
deviation,
according
to
the
majority
of
the
cranial
vault
characteristics,
exceed the standard
values.
Therefore,
there is
reason to examine individual
skulls originating
from the two types of
burial construction.
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Table 7
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4-l ,-I
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r-f
Male and Correlated
4-l
Female Skulls
from Yasinovatka
Pit A
I-,
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Two female brain cases (Nos. 19 and 65) derive from the A-type pit
One of them is brachycranic
( cranial
index is 81. 6).
The other is
nearly mesocranic (index is 74.9).
Thus, in the oval pits, along with
males of the dolichocranic
type (I), there were buried females having
higher
cranial
indices
(Table
6).
In order
to elucidate
the
differences
between the anthropological
types of the male and the
female skulls,
we have calculated
ratios of sexual dimorphism on the
basis of the principal
characteristics
of the brain region.
It has
been stated
that
all
of them, with one exception
(horizontal
circumference
through ofrion),
exceed the limits of the mean standard
values (Alexeev and Debets 1964). By counting the sizes of two female
skulls
on the basis
of the sexual-dimorphism
ratios,
we obtain
correlated
mean values of the main characteristics
of 'pseudo-male'
brain cases (Table 7).
Compared to the male skulls from the A-pit, the
correlated
female skulls
are characterized
by a much shorter
and
broader brain region, and by a pronounced mesocrania (the cranial index
of the correlated
skulls is 77 .3, that of the male skulls is 70.5).
The correlated
skulls
have much greater
breadth
of forehead,
biauricular
breadth and breadth of occiput.
Therefore,
the results
of
correlation
between the male and 'pseudo-male'
series,
though they are
based only on the data associated
with the brain regions of the skulls,
point to the fact that different
anthropological
types were buried in
the A-pit.
In this case, the male skulls belong to type I, while the
female skulls should be assigned to the same mesocranic type (II) as
the male mesocranic skulls from the 5-pit.
Characteristics
c..?c..?::t::U....:lc..?~~::t::
1
8
8: 1
9

Greatest parietal
breadth
Cranial index
10 Greatest breadth of forehead
11 Bi-auricular
breadth
12 Breadth of occiput
Males
Type I.
Pseudo-males
Type II
198.5
140.3
70.5
104.0
117. 7
131.5
111.5
185.1
143.1
77.3
98.0
125.3
137.8
121.4
(4)
(3)
(3)
(3)
(3)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(7)
(2)
r,)
i::
0
r-f
.
r-f
i::
r-f
4-l
,-1
c.o0
,-!
0\
NOO
0
r-1
r-1
r-1
N
r-1
There were eight female skulls (Nos. 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 28, 46, 50) in

the 5-pit.
Two of the skulls were sharply dolichocranic
(Nos. 28, 46).
They have very high values of the greatest
and
mean parietal
breadth.
In addition,
they have a very broad forehead
ctl
C")
162
163
and, undoubtedly,
represent
the same chronological
type (I) as
dolichocranic
male skulls with broad and well profiled
faces.
other female skulls (Nos. 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 50) from the 'red g7ave'
distinguished
by different
proportions
of brain cases.
They
characterized
by a pronounced mesocrania with very high values for
greatest
length
from glabella,
the greatest
parietal
breadth
height.
the
The
are
are
the
and
Judging from the facial skeleton at our disposal (No.SO), this group
of skulls is characterized
by very low (or medium height, according to
index) orbits and broad faces flattened
in the upper part.
Seven male
skulls
(craniological
type II) from the same pit and the two female
skulls
described
above from the A-pit have a similar
complex of
characteristics.
Thus, among the female series of skulls from the red
burial vault,
there have been distinguished
two craniological
types
corresponding to craniological
types I and II in the male series.
The distribution
of the craniological
types of male and female skulls
of their cranial indices is given in
in pits A and 6 and the definition
Table 8.
Table 8
Type I
Pit A
Males
70.5
Pit 6
Males
Females
70.4
71. 7
Type II
Pit A
Females
78.3
Pit 6
Males 78.0
Females 78.2
In order to obtain an additional

basis for dividing the Yasinovatka
series
into the above types, we have calculated
ratios
of sexual
dimorphism for the main characteristics
for the whole series and for
the skulls from the pits of both types, as well as the ratios of sexual
dimorphism
of
the
male and female
skulls
of
the
excavated
anthropological
types.
In all these instances,
the sexual dimorphism
is
transgressed,
which provides
support
for
the
morphological
heterogeneity
of these groups.
The analysis
of the Yasinovatka
craniological
series
makes it
possible then to ascertain
the presence of two anthropological
types.
The first
anthropological
type
is
characterized
by a sharp
dolichocrania,
by high values for the greatest
length from glabella and
the height of skull from basion,
by low or medium values of the
greatest
parietal
breadth and also by a very broad face of medium
height, which is well profiled
in the horizontal
plane.
The nose is
broad, the orbits are very low. The second (mesocranic) type has very
high values for the greatest
and the greatest
parietal
breadth
with a somewhat smaller
height
of the skull,
a
broader, higher and somewhat flattened
face.
The nose is narrower and
the orbits are higher.
In the early phase of the cemetery, when the dead were buried in oval
pits of the A-type, the dolichocranic
type is well evidenced (I).
It
is entirely
represented
by male skulls.
The mesocranic type (II)
associated
at this stage only with female skulls was not so abundantly
attested.
At a later stage when the dead were buried
in the red164
I
I
coloured burial vault (6), the skulls of craniological

types I and II
were more numerous. In this phase, both types were equally represented
by males and females.
For such a comparatively
long period of function (not less than 500
years) and probably because of coexistence,
the anthropological
types
could not remain invariable.
Thus, in the later stage of the cemetery,
type I acquired some new features
such as the facial
flatness
(skull
No.44) - the most characteristic
feature for all the skulls of type II.
It is probable
that the appearance
of the morphological
elements
characteristic
for the type I skulls (for example, the occipital
torus
on skull No.47) among the representatives
of the type II resulted from
a cross-breeding
of these two types.
Nikolskoye cemetery
The Nikolskoye cemetery has yielded rich anthropological
material.
The
series
of skulls
from burials
Nos. 1-71 (excavations
of 1959) were
analyzed by G. P. Zinevich (1967).
On the basis of data obtained from
15 male and 10 female skulls,
she concluded that this series consists
of two components: dolichocranic
and mesocranic (prognatic).
When excavations
of the Nikolskoye cemetery were continued in 1967,
anthropological
materials
were obtained from an additional
40 burials
(Nos. 72-137).
This material was studied by the author. In most cases,
the skulls and long bones of the extremities
were poorly preserved.
As
a result
of restoration,
it was possible to obtain a short series of
brain cases even with facial
fragments and to obtain all possible
measurements and determine the sex and age.
Consequently, we are able
to determine that this part of the cemetery included 11 female and 23
male burials
and also one adolescent
burial
and one child burial
(infantilis
II).
In four cases, the sex of the deceased could not be
determined.
As a whole, G. P. Zinevich and the author determined the
sex and age of 90 skeletons
from the Nikolskoye cemetery.
These
materials
have provided very interesting
material
for demographic
studies,
since here all age groups are well represented.
The mean age
of the population
associated
with this cemetery is 31.2 years: 44.4
years for males and 38.5 years for females (Potekhina 1981).
In order to obtain a more or less complete idea of the physical
appearance of the deceased on the basis of rather fragmentary material,
we have generalized
from the whole body of individual
data and, on the
basis of information on individual
features,
tried as far as possible
to determine the anthropological
type of the deceased in the part of
the Nikolskoye cemetery excavated in 1967.
The male skulls are rather massive.
They have thick bones of the
cranial
vault and large mastoid processes
(2.6 on average).
In nine
cases, the degree of development of glabella
is 4.6 and in one case it
is even 6 units.
The occipital
bones exhibit a well pronounced relief
of the upper nuchal lines
converting
into a developed
external
occipital
tuber
of about 3 units
(Table 9).
Dolichocrania
and
mesocrania are almost equally represented
in the series (five and six
skulls
respectively)
and distributed
as
follows:
two sharply
dolichocranic
skulls
( cranial
index:
70. 2;
70. 8)
three
subdolichocranic
(70.0; 74.0; 76.2), four mesocranic (76.7; 77.4; 79.1;
In two cases, the
79.2), two of the latter
tending to ftrachycrania.
165
Table 9
Individual
Characteristics
1
8
9
20
8:1
45
48
54
52
77
48:54
52:51
54:55
Table 9
(Continued)
measurements and mean sizes of male skulls.

Nikolskoye (new series)
77
84
88 106 118

Cranial index
Upper facial height
Nasal breadth
Orbital height
Nasol-malar angle
Zygomaxillar angle
Upper facial index
Orbital index I
Nasal index
166
172
. 132
95
76.7
194
142
104
177 200
137 148
94
113
77 .4 74.0
138
69
21.5 31. 7 138
127
50.0 74.9 45.3 -
Definition
1
8
9
20
8: 1
45
48
54
52
77
119
Nikolskoye (new series)

122 123 125 129 135
189
144
97
183
145
103
76.2
79.2
192
136
101
70.8
191
134
99
200
148
70.2
48:45
52:51
54:55
167
191
151
110
118
74.0 79.1
M(n)
188.9
141.7
100.4
115.5
75.3
138.0
69.0
21.5
31. 7
138
127
50.0
74.9
45.3
(10)
(10)
(8)
(2)
(9)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
Table 9
(Continued)
Definition
1
8
9
20
8:1
45
48
54
52
77
Vasilyevka
9
26
183
37
201
136
Osipovka
16
M(n)
192 (2)
136 (1)
24.3
131.8
48:45
52:51
54:55
176
138?
96
119
78.4
140
75
25.5
31.0
137.6
130.2
53.6
74.7
45.4
dolichocrania
and mesocrania have been determined visually.
The mean
value of the cranial index (75.3) points to a certain predominance of
mesocranic (or sub-dolichocranic)
skulls in the series.
According to
the absolute
values and cranial
index, the male skulls have broad
foreheads.
Only in one case (skull No. 106) according to the three
main diameters is the forehead of medium breadth (the least breadth is
107 mm.). The breadth of occiput varies more widely from very narrow
to very broad.
In most cases, the height of the vault falls in the
middle range.
The characteristics
of the facial region will be given mainly on the
basis of skull No. 106. The face is broad, according to the absolute
values, and it is moderately broad, according to the index (mesen and
mesoprosopic).
The nose is leptorinic.
In the other case (skull No.
135), the nose is of medium breadth and of considerable
simothic
height.
The bridge
of the nose is high.
The orbits
are
chameconchnic.
The horizontal
profiling
of the face is well pronounced
at both levels.
The naso-malar angle is 138, and the zygomaxillar
angle is 126 .
The angles of the vertical
profiling
point to a
mesognatic nature both at the middle and alveolar portions.
The lower
part is moderately massive and often coarse at the angles.
The body
and symphysis are high, and the thickness is moderate.
The massiveness
of the body is rarely met. The angle of the ascending ramus is medium,
the chin is moderately projecting.
The female skulls
(Table 4) from the Nikolskoye cemetery are
distinguished
from the male skulls primarily by a pronounced gracility,
a pronounced projection
of frontal and parietal
tubers, and by the weak
relief
of the occiput.
According to the index, the forehead is broad.
In two cases, when the state of preservation
made it possible to obtain
the necessary measurements, the skulls were dolichocranic.
The facial
skeletons on the female skulls are not preserved, except for fragmented
mandibles.
In all cases,
one may observe less massive
skulls,
according to the index, with a great height of the body and symphysis
and with a thin body.
A similar
structure
of the mandible is
observable in case of the deceased from the Vasilyevka V cemetery.
When comparing the above-described
group of skulls with the series
from the same cemetery which was formerly studied by G. P. Zinevich, it
becomes evident that they both represent a single population associated
with the Nikolskoye cemetery.
The resemblance is primarily observed in
the massiveness of the skulls and their large sizes.
The new series
only broadens to some extent the range of variation
of some of the
characteristics.
Thus, for example, the minimum value for the greatest
in the new series
(172 mm.) reduces the least
limit of this characteristic
by 15 mm. which is also responsible
for a
lower mean value (188.9 mm.) for the greatest
length from glabella.
This is also responsible
for the higher cranial index in the new series
compared to the series
studied
by G. P. Zinevich ( 75. 3 and 73 .1
respectively).
However, these differences
do not exceed the intergroup
limits
and make it quite possible
to integrate
the two groups of
skulls, which substantially
enlarges the size of the series.
The mean
values of the main characteristics
of the integrated
series
of the
Nikolskoye skulls are given in Table 10. These values are calculated
on the basis of those compiled by G. P. Zinevich (1967, table 31) and
in accordance with our own data.
168
169
Table 10
Mean sizes of Nikolskoye male skulls
(integrated
series after I. D. Potekhina)
1
8
8: 1
20
9
12
45
48
45:8
48:45
54
54:55
52
52:51
72
74
77
71a

Greatest parietal
breadth
Cranial index
Breadth of occiput
Upper facial height
Transverse facio-cranial
index
Upper facial index
Nasal breadth
Nasal index
Orbital height
Orbital index
Total facial angle
Alveolar angle
Naso-malar angle
Zygomaxillar angle
Least breadth of mandibular ramus
193.0
142.3
74.0
121.0
101.8
(24)
(25)
(23)
114.3
(7)
(7)
(11)
(21)
115.9 (18)
74.1
97.4 (7)
51.4 (7)
25.4 (7)
47.3 (7)
32.0 (7)
71. 7 (7)
82.1 (7)
74.1 (7)
140.0 (5)
124.0 (7)
36.1 (13)
The Nikolskoye male skulls are characterized

by high values for the
greatest
length (longitudinal
dimaeter) and height of the brain case
(vertical
diameter) and a medium value for the
breadth (transversal
diameter):
the forehead and occiput are broad; the face is very broad,
high according to absolute value (low according to the facial
index)
and ortho-or mesognathic; in the horizontal
plane the face is weakly
profiled
in its upper part, and it is strongly profiled
in its lower
part; the orbits are not high (very low, according to the index); the
nose is of medium breadth and markedly protruding.
G. P. Zinevich (1967) suggested that,
according
to a number of
characteristics,
the series she studied was heterogeneous and consisted
of two components: a) dolichocranic,
which was predominant,
and b)
prognatic,
mesocranic (skulls Nos. 77 and 164).
The first of them is
characterised
by the large size of the skulls and their massiveness, by
a high brain case with markedly developed supraorbital
arches and a
moderately sloping forehead.
The face is ortho-mesognathic,
broad and
high with low or moderately high orbits.
The mesocranic (prognathic)
variant has a brain case of a medium height and a broad and sloping
forehead;
the face is broad with somewhat flattened
horizontal
profiling
in the region of the orbits.
The nose is strongly protruding
and has a high bridge.
Unfortunately,
the definition
of these
components has not been established
statistically.
The first
of the components, as noted by G. P. Zinevich, is the socalled Cro-Magnon (in the broad sense) proto-European anthropological
type.
The reality
of its existence
in the Dnieper valley during the
Neolithic has been stated by a number of investigators
(Gerasimov 1965;
Konduktorova
1960; Gokhman 1966; Surnina
1961).
However, the
separation of the second component in the composition of the Nikolskoye
series
requires
more weighty
arguments.
In actual
fact,
the
enlargement of the materials
in this series made it possible to reveal
14 dolichocranic,
10 mesocranic and one brachycranic
skulls.
However,
the single mesocranic skull with a preserved face (No. 106) f ram the
new series reveals a complex of features different
from the mesocranic
complex distinguished
by G. P. Zinevich.
This skull has a rather
profiled
face in the horizontal
plane at both levels and is free of
prognathism.
However, the appearance of the original mesocranic skulls
from the Nikolskoye
cemetery
should not be attributed
only to
individual
variation.
It is probable that the reason for this should
be sought in the difference
of burial constructions
(collective
and
single graves) of the Nikolskoye cemetery.
Vasilyevka V
Studies were based on the remains of 21 adult burials.
Here should be
noted that there were no child burials,
and this fact is unusual for a
cemetery of this type.
Of 37 burials,
only one burial contained the
remains of an adolescent
(?) skeleton.
Since the anthropological
material is very poorly preserved, there are many doubts concerning the
age and sex of the deceased.
The sex was determined in 16 cases (nine
males and seven females).
The age was determined in 21 cases - 40.8
years for males, 39.6 years for females.
The maximum mortality
falls
in the age group of 34-45 years.
On the whole, the skeletons
are poorly preserved.
Even after a
thorough restoration
none of the skulls could be measured in full.
However, on the basis of such scarce data related to individual
skulls
170
171
Table 11
Mean Size of Male Burials
from Mariupol-type
Cemeteries
Vasilyevka II
Gokhman1966
Characteristics

Height of skull from basion
Cranial index
Height-length index II
Height-breadth index II
Upper facial breadth
Orbital height
Orbital breadth from m/f
Nasal breadth
Nasal height
Total facial angle
Alveolar angle
Angle of nasal profile
Naso-malar angle
Zygo-maxillar angle
47:45 Total facial index
49:45 Upper facial index
52:51 Orbital index I
54:55 Nasal index
index
48: 17 Vertical facio-cranial
45.8 Transverse facio-cranial
index
1
8
17
20
9
8:1
20:1
20:8
45
48
52
51
54
55
72
74
75(1)
77
172
189.5
145.6
144.3
122.4
106.8
76.7
65.1
84.1
153.5
75.3
32.0
47.63
26.8
55.57
85.3
73.6
31. 7
144.0
129.5
77 .3
49.1
67.3
48.2
51.8
105.8
(10)
(10)
(3)
(9)
(11)
(10)
(9)
(9)
(9)
(7)
(8)
(8)
(8)
(7)
(7)
(7)
(3)
(8)
(6)
(5)
(7)
(8)
(7)
(3)
(9)
Table 11
(Continued)
Vovnigy I
Konduktorova
191.8
142.2
143.7
123.5
102.7
74.1
64.4
87.0
144.8
78.5
33.25
43.60
27.4
57.35
83.0
81.0
30.0
140.2
123.3
87.0
54.0
76.6
47.6
54.0
102.7
(6)
(6)
(3)
(6)
(7)
(6)
(6)
(6)
(4)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(5)
(1)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(4)
Def.
Mariupol N.50 Kapulovka Nikolskoye

Vilnyanka
Vovnigy II
Zinevich
Konduktorova Surnina 1961 Gokhman1966 Zinevich,
Kruts 1968 Potekhina
Gokhman1966
1
8
17
20
9
8: 1
20:1
20:8
45
48
52
51
54
55
72
74
75(1)
77
193.2
145.8
145.8
122.2
101.2
74.9
63.6
84.9
146.3
72.2
32.5
44.8
26.5
53.42
83.5
78.8
29.6
138.7
126.9
81.9
49.4
72.8
49.4
49.9
100.9
47:45
49:45
52:51
54:55
48: 17
45:8
(35) 194.8
(37) 146.1
(19) 149.1
(37) 122.6
(37) 101.9
75.1
(34)
62.9
(34)
84.0
(35)
147.5
(36)
75.8
(31)
33.6
(35)
45.98
(35)
25.9
(30)
54.25
(31)
84.5
(26)
80.6
(24)
31.6
(19)
(32) 138.3
(26) 126.9
85.9
(25)
51.4
(31)
73.1
(34)
47.7
(29)
50.9
(17)
(36) 101.0
(12)
(12)
(12)
(12)
(12)
(12)
(12)
(12)
(12)
(12)
(12)
(12)
(12)
(12)
(12)
(12)
(10)
(11)
(12)
(12)
(12)
(12)
(12)
(12)
(12)
193.0
142.7
(3)
(3)
122.0
97.9
74.0
(3)
(3)
(3)
150.0
71.5
34.0
(2)
(2)
(2)
27.0
(2)
81.0
72.0
33.0
143.0
135.0
(2)
(1)
(2)
(3)
(2)
46.4
73.1
49.6
(2)
(2)
(2)
173
189.4
145.5
152.0
127.0
100.1
77 .1
67.0
87.4
139.0
74.0
31.8
44.4
28.2
54.2
80.0
(8)
(8)
(4)
32.0
141.0
123.0
83.5
48.8
71.8
52.2
45.3
(1)
(4)
(1)
(1)
(2)
(5)
(4)
(1)
(7)
(8)
(8)
(7)
(7)
(2)
(4)
(5)
(5)
(5)
(4)
(1)
193.0
142.3
143.0
121.0
101.8
74.0
63.12
83.2
144.3
74.1
32.0
45.3
25.4
53.9
82.1
74.1
31.5
140.0
124.0
83.4
51.4
71. 7
47.3
50.9
97.4
(24)
(25)
(3)
(11)
(21)
(23)
(10)
(11)
(7)
(7)
(7)
(7)
(7)
(7)
(7)
(7)
(4)
(5)
(7)
(4)
(7)
(7)
(7)
(2)
(7)
Table 11
(Continued)
Dereivka
Zinevich 1967;
Potekhina 1978
1
8
17
20
9
8: 1
20: 1
20:8
45
48
52
51
54
55
72
74
75(1)
77
47:45
49:45
52:51
54:55
48:17
45:8
193.4
144.8
145.4
124.0
101.3
74.8
64.4
85.6
143.7
73.2
32.15
44.0
26.4
53.9
84.8
74.5
27.5
139.2
125.0
85.2
51.3
72.9
50.3
49.7
98.7
(48)
(57)
(21)
(50)
(43)
(48)
(40)
(47)
(14)
(18)
(22)
(20)
(19)
(19)
(15)
(14)
(12)
(13)
(8)
(8)
(12)
(20)
(16)
(12)
(13)
Yasinovatka
Potekhina
194.5
143.9
149.3
119.8
104.1
73.8
63.0
84.8
148.5
74.4
31.2
45.0
27.9
54.5
86.3
80.5
(18)
(17)
(3)
(12)
(15)
(15)
(11)
(11)
(6)
(5)
(6)
(6)
(5)
(6)
(4)
(4)
140.8
132.2
80.3
49.9
69.7
50.9
49.4
102.4
(5)
(5)
(4)
(5)
(6)
(5)
(2)
(6)
Vasilyevka
Potekhina
192.0
136.0
35.6
24.3
131.8
(2)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
V Osipovka, No. 18
Potekhina
176.0
138.0
132.0
119.0
96.0
78.4
67.6
86.2
140.0
75.0
31.0
41.5
25.5
56.2
90.0
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
137.6
130.2
(1)
53.6
74.7
45.4
56.8
101.4
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
it was quite possible to formulate a general characterization

(though
incomplete) of the craniological
material.
It is believed that such an
approach to this problem is not at variance with the principle
of
random sampling.
The male skulls generally have m&ssive and thick (up to 15 mm.) bones
of the vault, a markedly pronounced relief of the occiput (of the upper
nuchal lines,
in particular),
a large external
occipital
tuber (3-5
units),
extremely large mastoid processes
(3 units)
and a convex
glabella.
Some of the male skulls are free of so markedly pronounced
characteristics
and may be classified
as moderately developed.
It is likely that with respect to the form of the brain cases, the
group of male skulls is heterogeneous
(Table 11).
The skull from
burial No.8 has a considerable
value for the greatest
parietal
breadth
(152) and this is probably responsible
for its meso- or brachycrania.
The skull from burial No. 9 also seems to be mesocranic because of a
low value for the greatest
(183 mm.). Along with
such skulls,
the collection
also includes sharply dolichocranic
brain
cases (for instance,
burial No. 26) having a very high value for the
greatest
(201 mm.), and dolichocranic
moderately
broad skulls (burial No. 37) with a low value for the greatest parietal
breadth (136 mm.).
Here again we find the presence
of both meso-brachycrania
and
dolichocrania,
which is also typical of other Neolithic cemeteries of
the Dnieper valley.
The facial part is preserved in the case of skull
No. 37.
It is probable that the face was not broad, judging by the
value of its mean breadth (89 mm.). The breadth of the alveolar arch
is low (58 mm.). The nasal aperture is narrow (24.3 mm.). The orbit
is also narrow in the horizontal
plane, which is demonstrated by the
zygo-maxillar angle (131.8 ). The mandible is moderately massive.
The female skulls
are comparatively
more gracile
and generally
characterized
by poorly
developed
cranial
relief,
small mastoid
processes
( 1 unit),
a small external
occipital
tuber and a smoothed
glabella
(1-2 units).
The cranial
indices calculated
in two cases
point to the presence both of meso-crania
(76.5) and brachycrania
(80.6) in burials Nos. 10 and 32 respectively.
The forehead is of a
moderate breadth.
In one case (burial No. 32), the forehead and the
occiput
are very broad.
The considerable
facial
breadth may be
indirectly
demonstrated by a very high value of the condyle breadth
(121 mm.) of mandible (burial No. 32). The facial region of this skull
is characterized
by a narrow nose with an anthropic form of the lower
edge of the piriform opening.
The mandibles are generally gracile,
though one of them has a rather
developed muscular relief
and torus (burial No. 34).
There are also
combinations between high values of the breadth of ramus (34 mm.) and
the front breadth (46 mm.), and also between a very high symphysis (35
mm.), a high (36 mm.) and comparatively thin body as in the case of the
mandible from burial No. 28.
This combination is specific
to female
mandibles from the Nikolskoye cemetery.
Of the postcranial
skeleton,
only an incomplete foot from female
burial No. 4 and the right femur from male burial No. 18 were studied.
The maximum length of the latter
( 483 mm.) considerably
exceeds the
174
175
mean value of that of modern populations.

The circumference
of its
diaphysis (in the middle part) is of a very high value (99 mm.). The
pilaster
is strongly developed (the pilaster
index is 123.3).
The form
of the diaphysis in cross-section
in its upper part is distinguished
by
a moderately pronounced platymeria
(83.9).
The height of the deceased
calculated
from the femur is 175.2 cm., i.e.,
above the medium human
height.
These characteristics
are very close to those of male femurs
from the Neolithic Vasilyevka II cemetery (Gokhman 1966).
In conclusion
it should be noted that though the craniological
material
from Vasilyevka V is scanty and fragmentary,
it provides a
certain basis for distinguishing
the anthropological
composition of the
deceased through the different
chronological
stages of the cemetery.
As the first
chronological
stage is represented
by mesocranic and
brachycranic
male (Nos. 8 and 9) and female (Nos. 10 and 32) skulls,
the two male skulls (Nos. 26 and 37) in the burials of the second stage
are dolichocranic.
This fact is in agreement with the hypothesis that
the population
associated
with the early cemeteries
of the DnieperDonets culture
in the area of the Dnieper rapids was not quite
homogeneous.
Osipovka cemetery
The skulls
and bones of the postcranial
skeletons
are very poorly
preserved and it was impossible to take all the necessary measurements
even after a thoroughly performed restoration.
Despite
the very poor state
of preservation,
we were able to
determine the sex, since the features
of sexual demorphism are quite
well developed in the series
of Neolithic
skulls
from the Dnieper
basin.
The male skulls are distinguished
by a distinct
massiveness,
large mastoid processes,
thick vault bones, convex supraorbital
arches,
a strong
muscular relief
of the occiput
(often
the transversal
occipital
torus) and by a large external occipital
tuber.
Doubts arose
only in determining the sex of skull No. 18 from the settlement
near
the site of Plyazh, which will be treated below.
Of the 26 burials examined, 11 were males, seven burials were of children.
In three cases, the sex
could not be determined.
In two cases, only the
determined.
The mean age of the deceased from this
high.
It is 42.6 years for males and 35.6 years for
females, and three

and age of adults
age of adults was
cemetery is rather
females.
Among the deceased, only a few were children:

two infants (not older
than two years) and a child of about six or seven years.
There were no
graves of adolescents
at all. Therefore,
the mean life expectancy for
the population associated with the Osipovka cemetery, when allowance is
made for a high children's
mortality,
was 35.2 years.
As mentioned above, the Osipovka male skulls are characterized
by
convex supraorbital
arches,
whose degree
of development
may be
estimated
at 4 or 5 units,
by large external
occipital
tubers (3-5
units) and large mastoid processes (3 units).
The forehead, as a rule,
is broad (102 mm.). In both cases accessible
for study, the brain case
has been found to be mesocranic (burials Nos. 18 and 53 A; Table 11).
The well preserved
skull from burial No. 18 will be described in
detail.
The brain case of this skull is meso-cranic (cranial
index is
176
78.4) and is of medium height.

Its cranial capacity corresponds to the
mean value of this characteristic
and, according to Pearson's formula,
is 1377 cu. cm. According to Manouvrier's formula, it is 1414 cu. cm.
Judging by the state of sutures,
tooth deterioration
and the presence
of certain
age changes on bones of the upper extremeties,
one may
conclude that the deceased was about 45-55 years old.
The assignment
of this skull to the male sex is evident from such characteristics
as a
sloping
forehead,
a developed sagittal
torus,
low orbits,
moderate
relief
of the glabella
and the occiput,
a strongly developed muscular
relief
and massiveness of arm bones.
However, in determining the sex
some doubts arose because of the size of the skull, especially
of its
brain region,
and because of the very short
bones of the upper
extremities.
The face, according to the index, is of medium height and,
according to the absolute values, is high and broad in zygomata (140).
It is well profiled
in the horizontal
plane.
The orbits
are
chameconchnic, the nose is leptorinic
with a narrow and high glabella.
The mandible of this skull is missing.
There were mandible fragments of two males (burials
Nos. 21 and 34B),
two females (Nos. 34a and 53 6) and one child (No. 31).
The male
mandibles are distinguished
by a very high symphysis and by a thick
body. The ramus is moderately broad, the front breadth is small.
The
index of massiveness was calculated
for one case (No. 21) and indicates
a thin mandible.
The female skulls are also heavily fragmented.
The bones of the
vault are comparatively
thick.
Some of the skulls
exhibit
a well
developed occipital
relief.
The supraorbital
arches, mastoid process:s
and external occipital
tuber are weakly developed, as usual, and their
estimated values are low. The form of the brain case of skull No. 31
was determined visually as mesocranic.
Unfortunately,
the standard measurements could be taken only on the
forehead of skull No. 34a.
This forehead is even, the least and
greatest
breadths are assigned to the medium range (93 mm. and 111 mm.
respectively).
The female mandibles are more gracile than those of the
males and have a lower symphysis and a lower body.
The ramus is
narrower.
No measurements could be taken because of the fragmented
state of the material.
Postcranial
remains were obtained from burials Nos. 18 and 206. The
bones of an upper limb of No. 18 are characterized
by a high
massiveness and a highly developed muscular relief.
However, their
length is small in comparison with the similar bone sizes of other
Neolithic
series from the territory
of the Ukraine.
The deceased was
not of a large stature.
Its height, calculated
according to formulas
of different
authors, was about 160 cm.
In case of male skeleton No.206, the epiphyses on the right femur and
tibia were destroyed.
The femoral bones are considerably
bent and have
a weak muscular relief.
The diameters
of the diaphysis
in crosssection in the middle part are not great,
According to the index, the
pilaster
is moderately developed (100.0).
The diaphysis circumference
is not great (88 mm.).
The diaphysis
form in cross-section
in the
upper part is characterized
by a moderate platymeria
(84.8).
The
177
diaphysis diameter of the tibia is small in cross-section.

circumference thereof is also small (75 mm.).
The least
A Neolithic Burial from Igren-8

In 1975, when excavating a multi-layer
settlement
and cemetery on the
Igren peninsula
(on the Dnieper), a Neolithic
burial
(No. 4) of the
Dnieper-Donets culture was uncovered (Telegin and Zaliznyak 1974).
.The skull is satisfactorily
preserved.
The right zygomatic arch, the
n~h~ ramus of the mandible and the region of the large occipital
or1f1ce are destroyed.
The coronal suture is completely obliterated.
All the rest exhibit traces of obliteration.
The degree of tooth wear
is small (2 units).
The supraorbital
arches and occipital
bones are
poorly developed. The mastoid processes are small (1 unit).
The degree
of glabella
development is no greater than 1 unit.
Taking into account
~hese features and the minor age changes observable on the long bones,
1t may be supposed that this burial was of a female about 40 years old.
The skull is large and its horizontal
circumference,
transversal
and
sagittal
arches range into very high values (Table 4).
The brain case
is of mesocranic form (the cranial
index is 76.8) with a very high
value for the greatest
parietal
breadth (149) and a high value for the
greatest
( 181 mm.).
The height of the brain
region measured at the level of porions
is great
(115 mm.), but
according to the index, the skull is moderately high.
Judging by the
restored
zygomatic arch (130 mm.), the face is broad and mesen-and
leptoprosopic,
according to the indices.
The orbits are spherical and
mesocranic.
The piriform opening is leptorhinic
and its lower edge is
of an infantile
form. The facial horizontal
profile is somewhat poorly
pronounced at both levels
(the naso-malar
angle is 145.8;
the
zygomaxillar
angle is 130.4").
The angles of the facial
vertical
profile point to an orthognathia
of the face in its middle part and to
mesognathia in its alveolar
region.
The degree of projection
of the
nose is medium. Judging by the available
fragments, the mandible was
large.
The least
breadth of the branch, the fore breadth and the
symphysis height are in the range of very high values.
The thickness
of the mandible body is also very great (14 mm.), but its exceptional
height (37 .5 mm!) is responsible
for a minor massiveness of the body
according to the index.
The.postcranial
skeleton is in a much worse state and includes only
The
the right humerus, ulna, femur and tibia - all without epiphyses.
humerus is rather massive as evident from the sectional
diameter in the
middle of the diaphysis and its circumference
value.
The form of the
diaphysis in cross-section
tends to platybrachia
with an index of 72.7.
The ulna is also rather massive as evident from the value of the least
circumference
(36 mm.). The difference
between the sectional
diameters
both at the place of maximum development of the crista
interossea
and
the upper diameters
is rather
great.
This results
in a certain
platolenia.
The femur is massive.
The diaphysis circumference
is as
great as 8.5 mm. The pilaster
is moderately developed (112.0)
and
this is quite in agreement with a rather substantial
platymeria (78.6).
The least circumference
of the tibia is rather great (69 mm.). By the
form of diaphysis
at the level of foramen nutrition,
the tibia
is
distinguished
by a high index of platycnemia (80.8).
Typology of the Neolithic Population in the Dnieper Basin

The studies
of the anthropological
materials
on the Yasinovatka,
Nikolskoye, Vasilyevka V, Osipovka and Igren cemeteries have shown that
the bearers of the Dnieper-Donets culture buried there as well as the
deceased from other cemeteries
of the same culture
(Vasilyevka
II,
Vovnigy I and II, Vilnyanka, Dereivka, etc.)
belonged to the protoEuropean Cro-Magnon type.
They were people of good stature with large,
massive skulls
predominantly
dolichocranic
and with faces that were
very broadly or well-profiled
or somewhat flattened
(Fig. 57).
As
noted above, the distinguishing
features of the skeletal
structure
made
it possible
for investigators
to give this anthropological
type a
specific
name. Thus, V. V. Bunak assigns it to the Vovnigy type.
I.
I. Gokhman calls
it the Dnieper rapids-Azov
proto-European
type.
However, this population was not homogeneous, as noted above by I. I.
Gokhman, G. P. Zinevich,
etc.
Thus, from the materials
of the
Vasilyevka cemetery, for example, I. I. Gokhman has distinguished
two
craniological
types: dolichocranic
and meso-brachycranic.
The presence of similar types has been observed in the craniological
series
from Yasinovatka,
Vasilyevka
and Nikolskoye.
The first
anthropological
type is characterised
by sharp dolichocrania,
high
values for the greatest
length from glabella and the vertical
diameter
of the skull,
and by a very broad, moderately high and horizontally
profiled
face.
The nose is broad, the orbits are low.
The second,
mesocranic type has very high values for the greatest
length from
glabella
and the greatest
parietal
breadth with somewhat lower height
for the skull.
The face is broader, higher and a little
flattened.
The nose is narrower, the orbits a little
higher.
Within the limits of
the cemeteries under study, the difference
between these types exceeds
the range of individual
deviations
and these differences
are verified
by statistical
analysis.
It should be noted that, as evident from the
materials
we studied,
the
reality
of the existence
of these
anthropological
types
has been further
confirmed
because skulls
assigned to the different
craniological
types originate
from burial
constructions
also different
in type (oval pits and collective
burial
vaults).
Previously,
it was impossible to determine the chronological
position of these various anthropological
types.
As a result of recent
archaeological
studies,
the Mariupol-type
cemeteries have been divided
into three stages:
early A, late B and final C (see above).
The
proportional
change of these types has been determined on the basis of
the Yasinovatka materials.
In stage A the dolichocranic
type accounts
for 66 per cent, while in stage B it falls
to 42 per cent.
The
mesocranic type, on the other hand, increases
from 34 per cent to 58
per cent.
In stage A of the Vasilyevka V cemetery, the mesocranic
component corresponds to its earlier
phase, while the dolichocranic
is
assigned to a much later phase.
At present,
it is difficult
to judge
the reasons for such changes in the anthropological
composition of the
populations.
Whether these
changes can be associated
with the
appearance of a new population requires more evidence than the presence
of burials
different
in type at different
chronological
stages.
It is
probable
that
these
changes
should be associated
with internal
processes of the ancient population under study.
The solution to this
problem will require more extensive investigations
of the entire body
of Neolithic skeletons from the Mariupol-type cemeteries.
Therefore,
the recent studies indicate
conclusively
the presence of
two anthropological
variants in the composition of the Neolithic tribes
178
179
culture:
(1) dolichocranic
and (2) mesobrachy- or
mesocranic.
The first
of them has been recorded on the materials
from
Vasilyevka
II,
Vovnigy I and II,
Vilnyanka,
Nikolskoye,
Dereivka,
Kapulovka, Yasinovatka,
Vasilyevka V, Osipovka and Igren.
It is probable
that
the dolichocranic
component was genetically
related
to the local Mesolithic
tribes
(Vasilyevka I, III).
We support
those investigators
who consider the second, mesobrachycranic
component
with a broad and somewhat flattened
face to be related
to the most
ancient
north-European
race
(Gokhman 1986; Denisova
1983),
which
migrated to the south.
It should be especially
noted that the observable
flatness
of the
facial
skeleton
under study,
especially
at its upper range,
is not
related
to Mongoloid admixtures.
The feeble horizontal
profiling
was
typical
for most of the ancient
north-Europoid
groups (Yakimov 1960;
Gokhman 1966, Denisova 1975).
A new proof suggesting
migration
of
people having broad and somewhat flattened
faces in Europe has become
available
as a result
of the study of the skulls
from the recently
discovered Mesolithic
cemeteries
of Vedbek and Skateholm in Denmark and
south Sweden, respectively
(Persson,
O. and Persson,
E. 1984; Gokhman
1986).
Skulls with heavily
flattened
faces are noted (Alexeev 1978;
Gokhman 1983) among the Neolithic
population
of Yugoslavia
and
Czechoslovakia
( the cemeteries
of Vlasac,
Bilkov,
near the town of
Nitra).
The area of propagation
of these features
was not confined to North
and Central Europe but ran, as we have assured ourselves,
as far as the
Dnieper rapids-Azov region, where this complex of features
was inherent
in the Neolithic
(Vasilyevka
II,
Yasinovatka,
etc) and Sredny Stag
populations
(Potekhina 1983).
Fig.
57
Reconstruction
of the Neolithic-Early
Eneolithic
physical
from the Dnieper rapids region (Vilnyanka -cemetery).
180
type
The segregation
of two craniological
versions within the composition
of the Neolithic
population
in the Dnieper valley and the elucidation
of the north-European
origin
of the one which tended toward the
flatten ed features,
obviates any need to attribute
this distinguishing
feature
to a Mongoloid component.
181
Chapter 8
THE LATECRO-MAGNON
POPULATION
OF THE DNIEPERBASIN
IN THE HISTORYOF EASTERNEUROPE
The bearers of the Dnieper-Donets culture,
whose skeletal
remains have
in the Mariupol-type
cemeteries,
were northern
been ~iscovered
Europ?ids, . descended from the Palaeolithic
Cro-Magnons (Debets 1966;
Gerasimov 1955; Konduktorova 1956; Gokhman 1966; Zinevich 1967). These
size
people ~ere of~ l~rge stature with brain cases of a considerable
in form, with broad, well profiled but often somewhat
and dolichocranic
flatte~e~
faces
e~pecially
at the upper orbital
level.
In the
composition
of this
population
there
have been distinguished
two
cra~iological
variants
(see chapter
7), but in general
they are
assignable
to a single late Cro-Magnon type.
Besi~es ~he Dnieper-Donets tribes,
the group of massive broad-faced
population of Denmark
Europoids in Europe includes the Meso-Neolithic
and Sweden - the cemeteries of Vedbaek and Skateholm of the Erteb~lle
cult~re.
A pronounced Europoid complex of features
has also been
attributed
by I. I. Gokhman to skeletons from the cemetery of Popovo in
the area of Lake Ladoga which are distinguished
by large stature
(not
less than 170 cm.) and the massive structure
of their skulls (Oshibkina
1983, 201).
The skulls of the Dnieper-Donets culture and the VedbaekErte?ol~e
serie~ comprise a number of taxonomic features,
which, as
specialists
b~li~ve .CDenisova 1975, 51), are the most race-diagnostic
for the Neoh~hic in Europe.
These are primarily
the bi-zygomatic
bread~h, the diameters of the brain case, the upper facial height, etc.
The difference
between the zygomatic breadths of the ErtebjDlle male
skulls (~50 ~-)
and the male skulls from the Neolithic cemeteries of
the Ukraine is. only 3 or 4 mm. (Denisova 1975; Konduktorova 1960;
Gokhman.1966; Zinevich 1967; Surnina 1961).
Still
less difference
in
the brain cases of these series has been noticed with regard to the
gre~test .parietal
breadths (2.3 mm.), upper facial
heights (3.2 mm.),
orbit _heights (1.6 mm.), etc.
They are also close to each other
according to the greatest
length from glabella.
The height of males of
the la~e Cro-Magnon type of Eastern Europe was 169.7 cm. It has been
det~rmined by means of measurements of skeletal
remains from the
Mari~pol-type
cemeteries
of Vovnigy, Vilnyanka,
Vasilyevka
II and
Dereivka calculated
by G. F. Debets (1966).
R. Y~. Den~sova (1983) believes
that
during the Mesolithic
Neolithic.
period_ in
periglacial
Europe
there
was a separate
morphol?gical
variant
related
by its origin to the Upper Paleolithic
population of the same territory.
She calls it the most ancient northEuro~ean _or hype:morphic
late
Cro-Magnon race which includes
the
series
fr?m Scandinavia
(Vedbaek, Ert:eb9'J.le) as well as
craniological
the skulls from the Mariupol-type
cemeteries in the Dnieper valley and
the Murzak-Koba burials in the Crimea.
The people of the West-Mediterranean
race represented
by the burials
of the Danube-Near Eastern mortuary tradition
differ basically
from the
~ate Cro-Magnon Vedbaek - Erteb~lle and Vovnigy population.
Among them
~n Europe, the most abundant were the tribes of the Linear-Ware culture
in the _Danube basin and Central Europe as well as the Neo-Eneolithic
population of the Dude~ti, Vadastra, Gumelnitsa, Tripolye cultures and
182
other
cultures
of the Balkans and the Carpathians
(Grimm 1954;
Velikanova 1975, 11-31).
In general,
they were short people with
narrow,
gracile
faces
primarily
with
dolichocranic
or
hyperdolichocranic
brain cases of a small size.
According to H. GriDiIIl,
the bi-zygomatic
breadth of the male skeletons
from the Zonderhausen
cemetery of the Linear Ware culture is 134 mm., i.e.,
10-15 mm. less
than the late Cro-Magnon population.
The Mediterranean skulls are also
distinguished
by some other parameters such as the cranial breadth, the
upper facial height, etc.,
though in substantially
smaller values.
In
addition,
M. S. Velikanova
(1975, 30, table. 2) notes that
the
population of the Mediterranean
and late Cro-Magnon types is markedly
distinguished
by the upper facial
index.
The
mean height of the
Mediterranean
people was 10-14 mm. less than that of the Cro-Magnon
type (Velikanova,1975,
table 13).
In a number of features,
among the
Mesolithic
tribes
of Europe, those buried in the Voloshskoye cemetery
on the Dnieper were the nearest people to the Mediterranean population.
They had hyperdolichocranic
skulls
and narrow faces
(bi-zygomatic
breadth is 129.2 mm.) (Debets 1955).
Besides these two extreme Europoid types of Meso-Neolithic
people,
characterized
by an increased
massiveness
of skeletons,
there were
numerous tribes
in Eastern Europe, which, by their
anthropological
indices,
occupied
an intermediate
position
between
the
pure
Mediterraneans
and the hypermorphic Cro-Magnons of the Vedbaek-Vovnigy
type.
This type has been distinguished
on the basis of materials
from
a large series
of skulls from Vasilyevka I, III on the Dnieper and
Zveinieky in Latvia (Gokhman 1966; Denisova 1975).
This intermediate
Vasilyevka-Zveinieky
type, according to some anthropologists,
arose in
the process of centuries
of mixing of the Mediterranean and Cro-Magnon
races as far back as the Mesolithic
(Gokhman 1966; Denisova 1983, 97).
According to the anthropological
features,
this type is closer to the
late Cro-Magnon than the Mediterranean
type, though there are some
differences
between them.
Unlike the broad faced Vedbaek-Vovnigy
population and the narrow faced Mediterranean type, this hybrid type is
moderately broad faced (Denisova 1983).
In addition to the Mesolithic
series from Zveinieky and Vasilyevka I, III, the moderately broad faced
type is represented
by burials
on Oleny island
and in the Narva
culture,
and also by the Copper-Age burials in Alexandria on the Oskol
river and the TRB culture (Denisova 1975).
It may be observed that the Mediterranean
population
buried their
dead, as a rule,
in the contracted
position
lying on their
side
primarily in the pose of adoration,
while the burials of the late CroMagnon population
(Vedbaek, Erteb9Slle, Vovnigy, etc.) were mainly in
the extended supine position.
As far as the people of the Zveinieky
and Vasilyevka (moderately broad faced) are concerned, they used both
types of burials:
contracted
in Vasilyevka
I, II,
Alexandria
and
in Zveinieky, Oleny island, TRB, etc).
Therefore,
in the Mesolithic-Neolithic,
the south-western
territories
of the European part of the USSR and the region of the Baltic Sea may
be distinguished
as a contact zone populated by people of the three
above mentioned anthropological
types: the tall and broad-faced VedbekVovnigy type, the moderately broad-faced Zveinieky-Vasilyevka
type, and
the short and narrow faced west-Mediterranean
type.
183
Out of these complicated

ethno-cultural
conditions
in the 6th-4th
millennium b.c.,
there arose the Neolithic
tribes of the Dnieper-Donets
culture
responsible
for the Mariupol-type
cemeteries.
Their direct
genetic forerunners
probably included the early north-European
race who
lived in the basin of the Middle and Upper Dnieper and on the North
cultures
of
Donets as far back as the Mesolithic
since the Mesolithi~
this territory
(the Dnieper-Pripet,
Donets cultures)
provided the main
genetic
foundation
for the Dnieper-Donets
Neolithic
(Telegin
1982,
234).
Approximately in the middle of the 5th millennium b.c., the late CroMagnon population
of the Vovnigy type
began moving southwards,
penetrating
into the areas of the Dnieper rapids ~nd Azov. The fact
that this population came to the Dnieper rapids from the north (and not
from the south, for instance)
is confirmed by their burials in extended
positions,
a burial rite which was known in Eastern Europe and in the
area of the Baltic
Sea as early as the Paleolithic
and Mesolithic.
Moreover,
deer tooth
ornaments
typical
of the cemeteries
of the
northern
zone, were found in one of the earliest
(Vasilyevka
II)
cemeteries of the Mariupol type.
Analogies to the bone bracelets
found
in the same cemetery are met only in the north-western
region of Poland
(Cofta-Broniewska
and Koska 1982, fig.80).
The northern origin of the deceased in the Mariupol-type
cemeteries
is confirmed by the anthropological
evidence.
Thus, for instance,
V.
V. Bunak (1959, 181) concluded
that the nearest
analogies
to the
Vovnigy skulls should be searched among the Magdalenian-type
series in
Central Europe.
I. I. Gokhman (1966, 173) sees the analogies
to the
and Oberkassel.
G. F.
Vovnigy type among the finds from Kosdmok-II
Debets (1966) considered
the bearers of the Dnieper-Donets
culture
to
be migrants
directly
from the northern
areas
or their
immediate
descendants.
What could make the bearers of the Dnieper-Donets
culture inhabiting
the forest
areas of Eastern Europe migrate
to the steppe regions?
There is reason to believe
that this took place as a result
of an
overpopulation
or a dislodgement from their territories
by other tribes
at the beginning
of the Neolithic.
Here we recall
an interesting
conclusion
made by R. Ya. Denisova (1983) that in the Mesa-Neolithic
I
ancient
north-European
race I was split
by a wave of
the massive
moderately broad-faced
people (Zveinieky)
who advanced into the Baltic
Sea region from the southwest.
The penetration
of this type into the
areas of the Baltic Sea, according to her, gave rise to the formation
and
of two hypermorphic late Cro-Magnon groups - western (Ertebj6lle)
eastern
(Vovnigy).
It
is probable
that
this
migration
of the
moderately broad faced Zveinieky population
into the Baltic Sea region
was the very reason for the migration
of the Vovnigy-type
tribes
towards the south.
Having populated the south of the Ukraine, the intrusive
Vovnigy-type
tribes
completely
dislodged
the local
inhabitants
of the Surskaya
culture in the area of the Dnieper rapids.
At the beginning of the 4th
millennium b.c.,
the Rakushechny Yar culture
was also under DnieperDonets influence
and this resulted,
as noted above, in their burials
approximating
to the Vovnigy type.
Therefore,
the broad Cro-Magnon wedge of the Dnieper-Donets Neolithic
as's:imilated
the local
cultures
of the south.
The point of this
powerful wedge advanced as far as the northern
steppe areas of the
Crimea (Dolinka)
and the lower Don (Chir,
Rakushechny Yar).
The
intruding
tribes
created an original
Dnieper-Donets
Comb-Stroked Ware
culture
with a uniform burial
rite.
These tribes
differed
markedly
from the surrounding
population
by a number of other features
of
material
culture
such as tools,
ornaments,
etc.
Under optimum
conditions
for fishing,
especially
in the vicinity
of the Dnieper
rapids,
both the population
and their
life
expectancy
increased
significantly.
The prime historical
importance of the late Cro-Magnon advance into
the southern Ukraine is that it produced a fundamental change in the
ethnic
composition
of the population.
The prevailing
narrow-faced
(Voloshskoye)
and
moderately
broad-faced
(Vasilyevka
I,
III)
inhabitants
of the region were completely dislodged.
The influence
of
the late Cro-Magnon population
in the steppe zone may be traced,
as
indicated
below, in the next millennia.
In the Dnieper basin and the Left-Bank Ukraine, the dominance of the
late Vovnigy-type Cro-Magnons continued
for about one thousand years,
i.e.,
up to the middle of the second half of the 4th millennium b.c.
To this very period (the end of the 5th/beginning
of the 4th millennium
b.c.) we observe a noticeable
influence
of the Neolithic
Dnieper-Basin
culture on more westerly and south-westerly
territories.
On the South
Bug in the Dniester
Valley,
this resulted
in the appearance
of the
Samchinsky-type
Comb-Decorated Ware culture.
The occurrence
of such
burial monuments signified
an interruption
in the development of the
Bug-Dniester
culture
which had previously
developed under the steady
(Cri~-Starcevo).
influence
of the Balkan Neolithic
During the 5th-4th
millennia
b.c. burials
in the extended supine
position
began to appear on the Lower Danube and in the Balkans where
burial in the contracted
position
on the side had been typical.
This
new burial rite can be seen in such cemeteries as Hamangia, Durankulak,
Cernica,
and its origin probably lies in the Dnieper basin.
The new
features
of the burial rite appeared contemporary with Late Cro-Magnon
type individuals
among the local Mediterranean
population
(Necrasova
1960).
Therefore,it
should be recalled
that among the ceramics dated
to the end of the 5th/the
beginning of the 4th millennium b.c. in
Romania (Hamangia, Boian-Bolintineanu)
there appeared a punch-stroked
ornamentation
typical
for those places.
It is likely
that in many
respects
these features
were the relics
of more southerly
influence
from the Cardial Ware culture.
However, it is not improbable that the
idea for such ornamentation
was evoked by some more northerly
StrokedWare cultures.
D. Berciu (1955, 43) believed that the origin of this
decoration
in the Hamangia culture
lay in Central
Europe and south
Poland, but we suggest it would be wrong not to take into account the
Dnieper area of the Stroked-Ware culture.
It is also probable that the
Tripolye tribes,
which appeared at the beginning of the 4th millennium
B.C. when channelling
was combined with stroked patterns
on ceramics,
were also subjected
for some time to the influence
of the Dnieper
region (Chernysh 1956).
However, in the 4th millennium b.c., the historical
conditions
Dnieper basin changed sharply,
and this change was not in favour
184
185
in the
of the
late Cro-Magnon population.

At that time, the whole territory
of the
steppe Left-Bank region was absorbed by the bearers of the Stedny Stog
culture,
while
the Right-Bank
region
was settled
by the Lower
Mikhailovka tribes.
The Middle Dnieper in the vicinity
of Kiev-Kanev
was also invaded by Tripolye tribes.
The anthropological
structure
of
this
Eneolithic
population
was quite
different
from that
of the
Neolithic.
The bearers of the Sredny Stog culture were generally less
broad-faced
compared
with
the
Dnieper-Donets
Neolithic
people
(Potekhina 1983), and the Tripolye people, as evident from Vykhvatinsy
cemetery, were of a narrow-faced Mediterranean
type (Velikanova 1975).
The anthropological
type of the Lower Mikhailovka
tribes
may be
reconstructed
only from indirect
data.
Thus, taking into account the
substantial
resemblance of this culture to the Kemi-Oba culture,
it is
possible to suppose that the Lower Mikhailovka people like the Kemi-Oba
people were rather
narrow faced,
i.e.,
genetically
they are also
related to the south.
With the advent of the Eneolithic,
the Mariupol-type
cemeteries
ceased functioning
around the middle of the 4th millennium b.c.
They
were replaced by cemeteries of single burials usually in the contracted
supine position.
During the late stages of the Dnieper-Donets culture,
the late CroMagnon population
survived only north of Kiev (Pustynka, Rogachev), on
the river Pripet (Litvin)
and in some localities
of the forest-steppe
Left-Bank Ukraine (Zashuka).
Here, especially
in the more northern
territories
of Polesye,
this culture
remained unaltered
up to the
beginning of the second half of the 3rd millennium.
Th,erefore, the
fortunes
population
in the more southern and
northern areas of the Dnieper basin were different.
In the first case,
this population was to a considerable
extent assimilated
by the Sredny
Stog tribes
and probably by the Lower Mikhailovka people.
In the
second case, the population in the more northerly
areas of the Dnieper
basin survived
into the Bronze Age, i.e.,
the middle of the 3rd
millennium b.c.,
and even to a later
period in areas of the Upper
Dnieper and Pripet,
In both cases, this population contributed
greatly
to the majority of the post-Neolithic
cultures
in the south-west of the
USSR and adjacent territories,
Anthropologists
point to the considerable
amounts of remains left by
the people
of the Sredny Stog,
Yamnaya and Catacomb cultures.
According to T. S, Surnina (1963) and I. D. Potekhina
(1983), the
genesis of the Sredny Stog people should be partly associated
with the
tribes of the Dnieper-Donets culture inhabiting
the Dnieper rapids-Azov
region during the Neolithic.
The same may also be said for the bearers
of the Novodanilovka culture.
Among the Yamnaya and Catacomb cultures,
S. A. Kruts ( 1972, 144) ' distinguishes
a massive anthropological
type
/ and assigns its origin to the Neolithic population associated
with the
Mariupol-type
cemeteries.
The presence of late Cro-Magnon features
until Scythian times has been noted by T. S. Konduktorova,
The anthropological
data are to a considerable
extent consistent
with
the observations
of archaeologists.
The rites of burying the dead both
in the contracted
and extended positions
were by far the most common
tradition
in the south of the Ukraine during the Copper-Bronze Age, I.
F, Kovaleva (1980) assigns the kurgan burials
exhibiting
both burial
positions
even to a single
'post-Mariupol'
186
culture.
However, these burials
seem to be culturally
mixed.
Among
them, for example, are burials
of the late
Sredny Stog, Lower
Mikhailovka
and Yamnaya cultures
(Telegin
1984).
Burials
in the
extended position
are known to a considerable
extent in the Catacomb
culture as well.
The occurrence of burials in the extended supine position,
which was
introduced
into
the south of the Ukraine by the late Cro-Magnon
Neolithic population,
left a substantial
mark on the beliefs and burial
rituals
of all subsequent cultures
of the Copper-Bronze Age in the
southern steppe areas of Eastern Europe. The transition
from this rite
to that of burying the dead in the contracted
position
on their side,
which became widespread in the Bronze Age, was rather long and went
through a number of stages (Telegin 1976).
During the Sredny StogYamnaya culture
period, for example, the rite of burying the dead in
the extended position was still
in progress but with legs bent up. The
Catacomb culture
was characterized
by the presence of contracted-onside burials,
though the dead were laid only in slightly
contracted
positions
with hands near the knees or the pelvis (in the so-called
riding pose).
And only during the Srubnaya (Timber-grave)
period did
burials
appear in a heavily contracted
position
on their
side with
hands near the face (the adoration
pose), i.e.,
the rite which was
adopted in the south of Eastern Europe during the Mesolithic
prior to
the expansion of the Mariupol-type cemeteries.
The influence
of the Dnieper-Donets burial rite was spread not only
among the primarily pastoral
steppe cultures but was also noticeable
in
some adjacent cultures,
such as the Tripolye culture.
This is how V.
A. Kruts (1977, 75) explains
the occurrence
of the late Tripolye
cemetery with extended burials
near the village
of Chapaevka, Kiev
region,
Some archaeologists
do not reject
a
direct physical penetration
of a part of the Dnieper-Donets population
into the Tripolye environment.
It is possible that this is true, since
among the skulls associated
with this culture
in its more' westerly
territories
(Nezvisko,
Soloncheny,
Usatovo)
there
are
typical
representatives
Neolithic
population
(Kruts,
S.M., 1972, 134).
It is interesting
to note that among the graves of
the Usatovo culture,
extended supine burials are also known.
Among other
factors
supporting
the continuation
of Neolithic
traditions
in the Eneolithic-Bronze
Age cultures,
we may include some
forms of ornaments specific
to the Mariupol-type cemeteries.
Thus, for
instance,
both burials in the contracted
supine position of the latest
phase at Mariupol (the Novodanilovka type) and also
a sitting
burial
probably of the Sredny Stog type (No.41) in Dereivka were accompanied
by ornaments in the form of Mariupol-type
plates,
In burials
of the
Copper Age, there were also found annular
beads and pendants of
immature deer teeth typical of the Mariupol-type
cemeteries.
Annular
beads of gagate, carnelian
and green stone are present,
for instance,
among the
ornaments
from the
cemeteries
of
Nalchik,
Maikop,
Novosvobodnaya, etc. (Lemleyn 1947; Kruglov, Piatrovsky
and Podgaetsky
1941, figs, 8, 3; 32,4; IAK, 1897, fig, 7; IAK, 1898, 34). Pendants of
deer teeth are very often among the Copper-Age finds from the south of
the European part of the USSR such as Nalchik (Kruglov, Piatrovsky and
Podgaetsky 1941, 118), from Yamnaya burials
(Artsykh, Polgrad) in the
Pontic region
(Alexeeva 1976; Subbotin and Shmagly 1970, 118-119),
Manych (Erdiniev 1982, 24), the Kemi-Oba culture burials
excavated by
187
.....Fi
A. A. Schepinsky (Zolnoye, kurgan-I),
the burial of Krivoluchye,
etc.
The importance of the deer tooth ornaments for the Tripolye culture has
been noted by V. I. Markevich (1981, 181) in association
with the finds
from Karbuna, Habase~ti, Tsviklovitsev,
etc.
He believes that pendants
of deer teeth were used by the Tripolye people for exchange.
Further evidence for the propagation of cultural
influences
from the
Dnieper-Azov region into the agricultural
zone of the more westerly and
south-westerly
territories
can be seen in the occurrence
of ochre
graves in the region of the Lower Danube, the presence of Eneolithic
knives
(Decea Muresului,
Csongrad) and hoards of flint
artifacts
(Schela Cladovei).
These should all be ass!gned to precisely
the same
time, the middle of the 4th millennium b.c.
For a long time, the
occurrence of these burial monuments along the Danube were related,
as
a whole, to the Mariupol period (Garasanin 1959; Merpert 1964, H'ausler
1962).
Now it has become evident,
however, that this relationship
is
true not for the Mariupol cemetery as a whole, but only for the latest
single graves in contracted
supine positions
(Nos. 21, 24, etc).
The
latter
are related to a considerable
extent to the Mariupol culture but
they belong to a separate group of burial monuments of the so-called
Novodanilovka type (Telegin
1984) of the early Eneolithic
in the
southern Ukraine.
Specialists
in the Eneolithic
of the Danube valley
(Ecsedy 1979, 11-12; Tati~ 1983, 19) have come to similar conclusions.
No matter how significant
the role of the late Cro-Magnon population
of the Dnieper-Donets community in the history of the southern Ukraine
it is probable that this population was completely assimilated
by th;
tribes of the Copper-Bronze Age, mainly by the Sredny Stog and Yamnaya
cultures,
as far back as the end of the 4th millennium b.c.
Most
archaeologists
consider
the steppe tribes
of these cultures
to be
Iranian-speaking
people partly
including
the southern Dnieper-Donets
population.
The fortunes
of the Dnieper-Donets tribes
and the related
Comb and
Comb-Stroked Ware cultures
(Niemen, Narva) in the more northerly
territories
of the Dnieper basin were quite different.
It is probable
that in the Dnieper-Dvina region and in the area of the Baltic Sea
these cultures
developed through the whole third millennium in the
neighbourhood
of the Pit-Comb Ware culture
in the east,
the late
Tripolye culture
in the south, and the TRB and then Globular Amphora
culture
in the west.
Ethnically,
the bearers of these cultures
were
different
and therefore
we cannot agree with those investigators
who
believe that these cultures
developed one into other, for example, that
the ~nieper-Donets
culture evolved into the TRB culture as proposed by
J. Lichardus
( 196 7).
An unconvincing argument for the south-eastern
origin of the TRB culture has also been proposed by other investigators
(Kowalczyk 1970; Hausler 1981).
In contrast
P.M. Dolukhanov and V.P.
Tretyakov (1979) believe that the Dnieper-Donets
culture
was formed
under the influence
of_ the TRB culture.
It is probable that such
conclusions
are the result
of a narrow interpretation
of some general
features
of these cultures
such as the extended burial rite in both
cultures,
and some adoptions from the TRB culture in the ornamentation
and forms of vessels by the latest stage of the Dnieper-Donets culture.
. As far as the common fate of the Dnieper-Donets Neolithic population
is concerned,
the latter,
as most scholars
believe,
survived to the
188
Bronze Age (Sveshnikov

197).
1974,
180-181;
Bandar 1975; Berizanskaya
1982,
Among other things, archaeologists

point to the definite
role of the
Comb-Stroked Ware Neolithic
population in the formation of the BronzeAge cultures.
As far back as the end of the 1940' s M. V. Voevodsky
(1949) pointed to the fact that the ceramics found in the Neolithic
settlements
on the Desna and approximating
the Middle-Dnieper pottery
in form were decorated in accordance with Neolithic
motifs.
A number
of interesting
observations
in this respect have been made by N. N.
Bandar (1975) who sees the genetic source of the Middle-Dnieper collar
rimmed pottery
only in the late Neolithic
burial
monuments of the
Dnieper-Donets
culture.
I. K. Sveshnikov states
that
the Stzhizhov
culture
also exhibits
features
of the previous
Neolithic
cultures
including the Comb-Stroked Ware culture.
Some scholars
observe that during the Corded Ware culture
(Middle
Dnieper and Stzhizhov variants)
there was a widespread rite to bury the
dead in the extended position,
and this rite,
as mentioned above, was
predominant among the Dnieper-Donets Neolithic
population.
Therefore,
it is interesting
to note that even when passing to the rite
of
cremation,
the
bearers
culture
continued
constructing
elongated grave pits to correspond to extended inhumation.
All this may support the contention
that the Dnieper-Donets population
in the north Ukraine and in Byelorussia
together
with other tribes
(Sredny Stog, early Yamnaya, etc.)
played a definite
role in the
formation of the Middle-Dnieper and probably Stzhizhov cultures.
The Corded Ware cultures
Middle Bronze Age cultures
which most believe
played
Slavic-speaking
peoples.
provided the genetic foundation

and, in particular,
the Tshinets
a major part in the ethnogenesis
for the
culture,
of the
Taking into account the conclusions

of the specialists,
it may be
supposed that the Comb- and Comb-Stroked Ware Neolithic
tribes in the
Dnieper-Vistula
region were also part of the initial
formation of the
pre-Slavic
ethnos.
According to D. Ya. Telegin (1968, 238), the Comband Comb-Stroked Ware late Neolithic
tribes
of the Dnieper-Vistula
region were already Inda-Europeans
and belonged to the Balto-Slavic
linguistic
family.
Such a conclusion could be made from a correlation
of data on the archaeological
cultures
of the 6th-3rd millennia
b.c.
with linguistic
maps of the same time (Georgiev 1958, 275).
Recently,
S. S. Berezanskaya
(1982, 196-97) has come to the same conclusion.
According to I. K. Loze (1979, 131), the bearers of the Comb-Stroked
Ware culture in Latvia were already Inda-Europeans.
The above facts
illustrate
quite clearly
the significance
of the
Dnieper-Donets
tribes
in the history
of the Dnieper basin and the
adjacent territories
of Eastern Europe in the 5th-3rd millennia
b.c.,
though the fate of these tribes
varied.
The tribes
in the southern
steppe region were dislodged early and assimilated
by the bearers of
the Copper-Bronze Age cultures,
which, in turn, were subjected
to a
noticeable
Dnieper-Donets
influence.
In the northern areas of the
Dnieper basin,
the Dnieper-Donets
population
together
with other
related cultures
formed the genetic foundation of the cultures
of the
Bronze Age and seemed to play an important role in the formation of the
Balto-Slavic
ethnos.
189
Chapter 9
1-rj
I-'
()Q
CHRONOLOGY
ANDCULTURAL
RELATIONS
During the Neolithic and Eneolithic
periods, the paths of cultural
and
historical
development in the steppe Pontic and Lower Danube regions
were closely interconnected.
However, the character of these relations
was far from the same at different
stages.
Thus, at the end of the
developmen!, of the North Pontic
6th-4th millennia
b.c. the cultural
region was under significant
influence
from the Balkan agricultural
Gumelnitsa, and other cultures.
cultures such as the Cri~, Precucuteni,
However, in the middle of the 4th-3rd millennia
b .c.,
the cattlebreeding cultures
of the North Pontic region became predominant, i.e.,
the Sredny Stog, Kemi-Oba, Yamnaya, etc.
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of cultures
in
Lower Danube in
:
I
C:
In the development of the Neolithic

and Copper Age cultures,
we
distinguish
three main periods:
the Neolithic
(I), and Early (II) and
Late (III) periods of the Copper Age (Fig. 58). This division is based
on the substantial
changes in the development of material and spiritual
culture,
which took place in the region under study, and, in some
cases, on the changes in the ethnic composition of the inhabitants
in
this region.
Thus, for example, the first
period is characterized
by
the presence of only Neolithic
cultures.
The second period is marked
by the occurrence of the initial
cultures of the Copper Age (Tripolye,
Gumelnitsa, etc.).
This period, which might be labeled the 'CucuteniTripolye'
period,
is characterized
in the Ukraine by burial in the
contracted
position
in flat
grave cemeteries.
The third
'Yamnayaculture'
period of the Late Eneolithic
is associated
with the Yamnaya
tribes
who were predominant in the vast territories
of the southern
Ukraine.
This period was coincident
with the spread of the kurgan
burial rite.
190
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a.
PERIOD
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The Neolithic period

(the end of the 6th-the 5th millennia b.c.)
The Neolithic
period on the lower Danube included
the following
Cri~-Starc.evo-Kremikovci-Karanovo
I, Vinca, Dude~ti, Boian
cultures:
(the early stages),
Vadastra,
Hamangia, etc.
In the north Pontic
s
Yamnaya
C:
(")
....I.__
er
ENEOLITHIC
Cucuteni-Tripolye
Lengyel
I
We shall now attempt to follow the synchronization

the south-western
regions of the USSR and on the
accordance with these chronological
stages.
N
0
0
0
NEO-ENEOLITHIC
NEOLITHIC
To examine the particular

contacts between the North Pontic steppe
and Balkan peoples,
it
is necessary
to resolve
the problem of
synchronizing
the cultures of these regions.
This problem is not new,
and it has been the subject
of discussion
for many years,
e.g.
(Garasanin 1961; Passek 1962; Merpert 1965; Danilenko 1969; Gimbutas
1977; Mallory 1977, Todorova 1980; Comsa 1980; Ta~ic 1983, etc).
The recent
accumulation
of data makes it
possible
to place
discussion
of the synchronization
between the cultures
of the North
Pontic and Balkan regions on a sound footing.
Over the past decade,
more than 150 new radiocarbon
and archaeomagnetic
dates have been
obtained in the Ukraine.
Basically,
these involve burials
of the
to
Tripolye
and Yamnaya cultures.
These dates make it possibe
synchronize
and divide the Neolithic
and Eneolithic
cultures
in the
southwest of the USSR into periods (Telegin, 1977, 1985. 1986).
W
C71
0
0
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.,..
I'
er
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.,..
0)
(71
(71
191
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r
region this period included the Bug-Dniester,

the Surski-Dnieper,
the
Dnieper-Donets
(early
stages)
cultures,
etc.
In the Carpathians
(Romania), Moldavia and the Ukraine there was also the Linear Ware
culture with 'music-note'
decorated ceramics.
Recently a number of Neolithic
cultures
has been distinguished
by
the Romanian scientists
such as the Ciumesti culture which 'is known in
Hungary as the Szakalhat (Comsa 1974, 7) or Szatmar (Dumitrescu 1983,
67) culture
and also the Early Neolithic
cultures
such as the Gura
Baciului and Circea with decorated ceramics.
The Gura Baciului culture
is synchronized with the Proto-Sesklo
(Greece).
The synchronization
of the North Pontic and the Lower Danube
Neolithic
cultures
is best traced with the use of the materials
associated
with the Cris and the Bug-Dniester
culture
which were
territorially
in contact
in the vicinity
of the Prut river.
In
accordance with
radiocarbon dates, the Cris culture is dated to the
first
half of the 5th millennium b.c. - about 5000-4300 years b.c.
(Dolukhanov and Timofeev 1972). The burial monuments of the Karanovo I
and Startevo groups appeared as early as the end of the 6th millennium
in Moldavia, E. Comsa
b. c.
In the development of the Cri~ culture
distinguishes
two stages - Glavanesti Veci and Valea Lupului.
The Berlin radiocarbon
laboratory
has also provided two dates for
the Bug-Dniester culture:
4880150 b.c.; 4545100 b.c. (Markevich 1974,
118) which are quite in agreement with the dates for the Cri~ culture.
V. N. Danilenko (1969) distinguishes
six phases in the development of
four
the Bug-Dniester
culture,
while V. I. Markevich distinguishes
phases (1974).
We believe
that
only three main stages
may be
determined: the early pre-Samchin or 'Cri~' stage, the middle Samchin
and the late Savran stages (Telegin 1977). E. Comsa considers the preSaminchin
stage of the Bug-Dniester culture
(Sokoltsy,
Pechera) to
be concurrent with the Valea Lupului and Glavanesti Veci stages of the
Cris culture
in Romania (Comsa 1982).
V. I. Markevich (1974, 140)
points
to the dominance of Starcevo
elements in the Bug-Dniester
culture
of the pre-Samchin period.
Therefore,
we may point to a
complete synchronism of the Criij culture in the Danube basin and the
stage of the Bug-Dniester culture which are
early pre-Samchin ('Cri~')
dated to the first half of the 5th millennium b.c.
The next two stages
of the Bug-Dniester culture (Samchin and Savran stages) were after the
Cri~ (Koros) culture in the Danube basin.
A similar conclusion has also been drawn from the analysis
of the
and Linear
chronological
correlation
between the Cri~, Bug-Dniester
Ware cultures.
The absolute age of the Linear Ware culture has been
calculated
on the basis of more than 50 dates.
In the Ukraine,
Moldavia and Romania there are known late monuments of the Linear Ware
culture decorated with music note ornament.
The latter
are dated by H.
Quitta (1971) within the range of 4400-3900 years b.c.
In Romania there are known stratigraphic
situations
(Perieni,
Cipau)
where Cri~ layers are overlain by a layer of the Linear Ware culture
with music-note decoration.
Therefore, the Linear Ware culture followed
the Crifj culture in the Danube basin and this is quite in agreement
with the radiocarbon dates.
A somewhat different
scene is observed in
the Ukraine and Moldavia.
Here as well as in Romania the Linear-Ware
culture replaces the Bug-Dniester culture but not entirely and only the
192
monuments of the early pre-Samchin (Cri13) stage.

Hence, the Linear
Ware culture was coexistent
here with the Samchin and Savran stages of
the Bug-Dniester
culture.
This conclusion may be confirmed by the
presence of the imported 'music note' decorated ceramics in the layers
of the Bug-Dniester
culture
assigned
to this time (Bazkov Island,
Soroki V) and, conversely,
by the presence of Bug-Dniester
pottery
fragments in the Linear Ware layer of Ruse~ti I (Danilenko 1969, 66;
Markevich 1974, 116).
Therefore,
the Bug-Dniester sites in the Ukraine and Moldavia were
in the process of development for a longer period than the Cri~ culture
on the Danube.
They, along with the Linear Ware culture,
existed
through the whole second half of the 5th millennium b.c. and probably
the beginning of the 4th millennium b.c.
The synchronization
of other
Neolithic
cultures
in the 5th
millennium b.c. in the North Pontic and Lower Danube regions may be
outlined
only approximately,
mainly taking into account the above
analysis of the Cri~, Bug-Dniester and Linear Ware cultures.
Judging by the radiocarbon dates (4500-4000 years b.c.),
the VincaTurdas culture
in the Balkans was synchronous with the Linear Ware
culture.
Later on, it continued developing
(Vinca-Plocnik)
in the
first
quarter
of the 4th millennium b.c. (Dumitrescu 1974).
As E.
Comsa states
(1962), the Dudesti culture replaces the Cri culture and
precedes the Boian and Gumelnitsa cultures.
Thus, for example, at the settlement
of Gradistea Ulmilor the l~yer
containing
Dude~ti material
with individual
finds
of _the BoianBolintineanu
culture was overlain by a layer of the Gumelnitsa culture
about 1 metre thick.
V. Dumitrescu assigns the Dude~ti culture to the
beginning
of the second half
of the 4th millenni~m
b:c:
a~d
chronologically
places it prior to the Boian culture.
This opinion 1~
supported by E. Comsa, who synchronizes the second stage of the Dude~1
culture with the late stages of the Linear Ware culture.
On the basis
of a variety of evidence, E. Comsa considers the Dudesti culture to be
synchronous with the Karanovo III (Veselinovo)
in Bul_garia and ~he
Samchin and Savran stages of the Bug-Dniester culture in the Ukraine
(Comsa 1974, 10).
According to data reported by E. Comsa (1962), the Vadastra culture
in parallel
was related
to the Dude~ti culture and developed first
with and then beyond the latter.
The Vadastra culture was replaced by
the Gumelnitsa culture.
V. Dumitrescu has proposed the following
period: Dudel;jti
sequence of synchronization
for the Dude~ti-Vadastra
III-Vinca
Bl-Karanovo
III-IV
and Vadastra
III-IV
Vinca C2-C3
(Dumitrescu 1983).
The Romanian archaeologists
assign the three phases (I-III)
of the
Giule~ti,
Vidra cultures
to the s~con.d h~lf _of the
Boian-Bolintineanu,
5th millennium
b.c.
(Dumitrescu
1974, 1983).
This is indirectly
supported by the radiocarbon
dates: according to C-:-14 analysis,
the
latest
stage of the Boian culture
(Spantsov type), is dated to 39003600 years b.c.
However, it is
Separate radiocarbon
still
dates
difficult
to date the Hamangia culture.
place this culture in the beginning of the
193
4th millennium b.c. D. Berciu notes that the pottery of the Hamangia
culture is similar to that of the Cri~ and Bug-Dniester cultures
and
assigns it to the 5th millennium b.c.
Moreover, he assumes.that
the
Hamangia culture
is related
to the Linear Ware culture
(Berciu 1966
14).
V. Dumitrescu and E. Comsa position Hamangia after the Romania;
(Dumitrescu 1983, 70; Comsa 1962), which, as we suppose,
~ris culture
is more correct.
At the beginning of the 4th millennium b.c.,
the
territory
of Dobrugia was under the influence
of the Varna and
Gumelnitsa cultures.
Here attention
should be drawn to the fact that
the Hamangia and Varna (Varna,
Durankulak)
cultures
contain
a
considerable
number of late Cro-Magnon burials
in extended supine
pos~tions.
Direct analogies
to these may be found only in the
Mariupol-type
cemeteries
in the Ukraine dated to the end of the
5th/first
half of the 4th millennium b.c.
~e can now turn_ to the burial monuments of the North Pontic region.
Besides the Bug-Dniester culture and the Linear Ware culture
two other
Neolithic cultures are known: the Surski-Dnieper
ana the Dni;per-Donets
cultures.
The first
of them occupied the area of the Dnieper rapids
~nd the steppe Left Bank Ukraine.
Unfortunately,
it has been studied
rncompl~tely (see Danilenko 1950, Archaeology, 1985). According to the
typologica~ data, two phases of development may be distinguished:
the
early
period
(Gorodok, Shulaev)
and the late
period
(Strilchaya
Skelya).
The Dnieper-Donets culture covered large territories
of the Ukraine
~nd south-eastern
Byelorussia.
Three periods may be distinguished
in
its. development: the early (I),
the middle (II) and the late (III)
periods.
The early period is dated to the second half of the 5th
millenium b.c.;
the middle period from the beginning of the 4th
millennium
b.c to the end of the third
quarter
of the same
millenni~.
This_period is divided into three stages: II-a (Sobachky),
II-b (Mariupol, Nikolskoye) and II-c (Griny).
On the Lower and Middle
Dnieper, the Dnieper-Donets culture terminates
in the stage II-b with
the expan~ion of the Sredny Stog culture (about 3600-3500 years b.c.).
However, in the more northern areas of the Ukraine the Dnieper-Donets
culture
continued into the II-c stage.
In this region, the culture
dev~loped settlements
of the Pustynka and Zashukha types which are
assigned to the third period of the Dnieper-Donets
culture
(Telegin
1968, ~9~-204; Archaeology of the Ukr-SSR, v.I, Kiev, 1985, 156-172).
In_ addition,
there has been distinguished
a fourth period of the
Dnieper-Donets culture in Byelorussia (Isaenko 1976).
The burial
monuments of the early period of the Dnieper-Donets
culture were similar in their inventory from the cultural
point of view
through?ut
the whole territory
of their
occupation.
The typical
on. the pottery
of that period are comb and channeling
decorations
During the second period of the development of the Dnieperpatterns.
Donets culture,
the monuments may be divided into local variants
w~ic~, as E. N. Ti tova ( 1985) believes,
represent
separate culture;
ethnocultural
community.
within the framework of the Dnieper-Donets
Here should be taken into account two other cultures
of the same
community: the Dnieper rapids culture
(Dnieper rapids-Azov
variant
after A. D. Stolyar and D. Ya. Telegin or the Azov-Dnieper culture
afte~ V. N. Danilenko) ~nd the Kiev-Cherkassy culture.
According to E.
N. Titova, the latter
includes the Cherkassy and Kiev variants
of the
Dnieper-Donets
culture
(after
D. Ya. Telegin).
Linear-stroked
194
ornamentation
prevailed
both in the Dnieper rapids
and the
Cherkassy cultures.
The collared rim ceramics were also in use.
Kiev-
At the final (III) stage of the Dnieper-Donets monuments there arose

separate types such as Pustynka in the north and Zasukha in the LeftBank forest steppe.
An attempt to synchronize these Neolithic
cultures
of the Dnieper
valley and the Bug-Dniester
culture
was made earlier
(Telegin 1969,
191-192).
Now it will~
recalled
that the early period of the
Dnieper-Donets culture
corresponds in time to the early stage of the
Surski culture.
In turn, they both are synchronous with the Samchin
stage of the Bug-Dniester culture.
Therefore,
the whole group of the
North Pontic cultures
- the Bug-Dniester culture
(the Samchin stage),
the early stage of the Dnieper-Donets culture
and the Surski-Dnieper
culture
(the first
stage) - is dated to the second half of the 5th
millennium b.c.
Hence, these cultures
developed concurrently
with the
above group of the lower Danube cultures
- Dudelti - Vinca-Plocnik,
Boian I-III,
Hamangia and, probably Vadastra (I-III),
etc.
The Linear
Ware culture
provides
the best
reference
horizon
indicating
the synchronization
of the above-mentioned cultures
in the
North Pontic and Lower Danube regions.
It was spread in both regions
and has been well dated by the radiocarbon method. The ceramic imports
of the Linear Ware culture
have been noticed in the Bug-Dniester,
Vadastra, etc. cultures.
A chronological
correlation
between the Neolithic
cultures
North Pontic and Lower Danube regions is provided in Fig. 58.
of the
The Early Copper Age

(4th - first quarter of the 3rd millennium b.c.)
In discussing
the synchronization
of the cultures of the regions und~r
discussion
during this period, the burial monuments of the CucuteniTripolye culture are of key importance.
They are known both in the
North Pontic region and in the Pre-Carpathians
including
the Lower
Danube areas.
The Tripolye culture
in the Ukraine and Moldavia is
comparatively
well
dated
by means
of
the
radiocarbon
and
archaeomagnetic
methods.
On the whole, this
culture
(including
Usatovo Gorodok and Sofievka) is dated to the range of 3800-2500 b.c.
(Telegi~ 1985).
However, the lower date of the pre-Cucuteni
culture
reaches the limit of the 5th-4th millennia b.c.
in Romania and the Tripolye
The sites
of the Cucuteni culture
culture in the Ukraine have been synchronized by V. Dumitrescu and E.
K. Chernysh (1982).
Their system of comparison has been done on the
basis
of five cultural
and chronological
stages
which are dated
(Telegin 1982, 1985; Telegin 1986) within the following limits:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
The Pre-Cucuteni II, III stage which corresponds in time

and culture to the Tripolye-A stage (4000-3500 b.c.);
Cucuteni Al-4 - Tripolye Bl (3500-3300 b.c.)
Cucuteni ABl,2 - Tripolye B2 (3300-3000/2900 b.c.)
Cucuteni Bl-3 - Tripolye Cl (3000/29000-27000 b.c.)
Stage C2 of Tripolye corresponds to Foltesti-Cernavoda
2 in
Romania (2700-2500/2400 b.c.).
195
E. K. Chernysh (1982) and T. G. Movsha (1984) also come to similar

conclusions in dating the above chronological
stages of the CucuteniTripolye culture.
division
of the Cucuteni-Tripolye
On th~ basis _of a ~hr~nolo~ical
culture into periods,
it is quite possible to provide a comparatively
fundamental synchronization
of all the early Eneolithic
cultures of the
Balkans and the North Pontic region.
In the Balkans at the beginning of this period, the Boian-Slantsevo
culture developed into the Gumelnitsa culture.
_The latter
then spread
in parallel
with the
over substantial
territories
and coexisted
Cucuteni-!ripolye
culture
probably to the end of its middle stages.
The coexistence
of the latest
stages of the Boian and Gumelnitsa
cultures
has been confirmed by numbers of Pre-Cucuteni
(stages II and
III) ceramic imports in the layers of these cultures
(Dumitrescu 1983
102). At the settlements
of Casciorele and Brailita
in the transitio;
between the Gumeln~tsa A and B layers, there were fo~nd Tripolye sherds
According to the radiocarbon dates
the
of the_ Bl stage (Titov 1971).
G~melnitsa culture
is assigned
to 3800-3300 b.c.
(Dolukhanov' and
Timofeev 1972).
The Gumelnitsa monuments were also spread in Dobrugia
fo~lowing the Hamangia culture.
They (Karanovo VI - Kodjadermen) also
existed s?uth~ard of the Danube in Bulgaria and, as H. Todorova (1980,
they continued until 3300 b.c.
66-68) maintains,
Synchronous with the Gumelnitsa culture,
as a whole, there were such
related
cultures
as Salcuta (Romania), Krivodol (Bulgaria)
and Bubanj
in Yugoslavia (Dumitrescu 1974, 1983, 120).
The ~urials of the Decea Muresului, Csongrad and Casimcea types were
a particular
phenomenon in the Early Eneolithic
on the Lower Danube
The. most c_ha_racteristic features
of these cultures
are the contracted
su~ine po~itions of :he deceased, the presence of ochre and large-sized
flint
artif~cts.
(knives, axes, spear-points).
The cemetery in Decea
and the burial ~n Cs~ngrad were without kurgans.
It is probable that
small kurgans did exist at
Casimcea.
Here was found a horse-head
sce~tre.
These burial
monuments were undoubtedly
from different
periods,
however, they are considered to be on one line of cultural
development (see Dodd-Opritescu 1978, 95).
. As_far as the_ Decea cemetery is concerned, Gara~anin (1961) compared
wit~ the Mariupol cemetery in the Ukraine.
However, this comparison
is _va_lid only for the_ latest
Mariupol burials
in contracted
supine
positions.
We now assign them to the Novodanilovka type (Archaeology
of the Ukr.SSR, 1985, 311-320).
In cultural
and chronological
terms
burial
is
related
by Ecsedy ( 1979, 11) to th;
the Cs?ngrad
Novodanilovka-t!pe
cemeteries
(Petro-Svistunovo,
Yama, Voroshilovgrad,
etc).
The burial of Casimcea is analogous to the burial in Suvorovo
(Danilenko and Shmagly 1972).
7t
In the burials of the Novodanilovka-type

in the Ukraine, there have
pendants),
highbeen. found. number~ of copper ornaments (bracelets,
flint
artifacts
(large sized knives, spear-points,
axes) and
quality
large annu~ar beads of shell.
In the Novodanilovka grave, there was
f?und /1 thi~-walled
amphora-like vessel with pointed base and decorated
with
beads
around the rims.
The early Novodanilovka burials
were
196
non-kurgan (Chaply, Yama, etc).

Later on, there appeared_ s~all kurga~s
(Suvorovo).
The dead were buried in the contracted
pos~tion on t~eir
side and sprinkled heavily with ochre.
Near the Novodanilovka burials
(Mariupol) there was found a four-lobed mace. A horse-head sceptre was
found in the Suvorovo burial.
Analogous to the Decea-Casimcea and Novodanilovka-type
monuments, in
the composition of flint finds, are the hoards of the Goncharovka type
in the Ukraine and the Schela Cladovei type on the Danube.
The chronology of the Decea-Casimcea-type burials on the lower Danu~e
has been poorly studied.
According to some, the Decea cemetery is
synchronous
with
the
Tisza-Polgar
and Bodrog~erestur.
cultures
(Dumitrescu 1983, 124).
It is probable that the Casimcea burial should
In_ the develo?ment of
be assigned to a later stage of the Eneolithic.
the Novodanilovka-type
burial monuments in the Ukraine two periods may
be distinguished
the early
Novodanilovka
type (Chaply,
PetroSvistunovo, etc.) and the late Suvorovo type.
The first
of them, as a
whole, corresponds to the Decea-type monuments ~n the Danube_basin, and
the second type corresponds to the Casimcea period.
Th~ buri~ls o~ the
early stage (Novodanilovka, Decea), according to the finds in Kainary
etc.,
~hould. be
(Movsha and Chebotarenko 1969), Salcu5a, Fedele~eni,
placed in the middle/beginning
of the second half of the 4th millennium
b.c.
The Suvorovo-Casimcea stage may be dated about the end of the_4th
or beginning of the 3rd millennium b.c., but not later tha~ the first
half of the 3rd millennium b.c.
On the whole, the Novodanilovka-type
burial monuments in the Ukraine and the Danube basin are assigned to
the second half of the 4th - first quarter of the 3rd millennium b.c.
Among the communities of the Early Eneolithic
period o~ the Low~r
Danube the culture
of Cernavoda-I is also worthy of notice.
It is
dated ~o the Cucuteni AB-B time (Tudor 1965; Dumitrescu 126), i.e.,
to
the end of the 4th or the beginning of the 3rd millennium b.c.
It ~s a
very distinctive
culture:
the ceramics consist of a dark ware,som~times
well smoothed, with a heavy admixture of crushed shell temper in the
fabric;
forms inclu<le tureens.
globular pots and amphorae. Decorated
vessels are very few in number. Among them are cord-decorated
vessels
and no comb ornament at all.
The Cernavoda I population was engaged in
agriculture
and cattle-breeding.
Horse bones were scarce.
A_ll the
burials
were non-kurgan
(Morintz and Roman 1973).
According to
Romanian archaeologists
the Cernavoda I culture
resulted
from an
invasion into the Danube region of steppe cattle-breeding
tribes,
who
forced out and even displaced the Gumelnitsa and Salcu~a tribes during
the last quarter of the 4th millennim b.c.
The genetic line of Cernavoda I was then continued in the Cernavoda
III culture
of the Early Kurgan time.
In the Danube basin,
the
Cernavoda I culture
was followed
by the Usatovo-Foltesti
group
(Gorodsk-Gorodistea
or Cernavoda II). At approximately
the same time
the Globular Amphora culture penetrated into Moldavia from the north.
In the north Pontic region during the 4th millennium b .c. three
Neolithic
cultures
continued
their
development:
the Dnieper-Donets
culture
(stages
Ila,
b), the second stage of the Sursky culture
(Strilchaya
Skelya) and the Bug-Dniester culture in the Savran stage.
All of them coexisted more or less with the Tripolye A culture.
The
concurrence of the IIa-b stage of the Dnieper-Donets culture and the
197
Tripolye A/beginning of the Bl stage is evident from ceramic imports:

the Early Tripolye vessels
(of the Borisovka type) in the Nikolskoye
cemetery of the Dnieper-Donets culture;
fragments of similar ceramics
found at the settlement
of Pishchiky and in the Dnieper-Donets culture
layer of Strilcha
Skelya, etc.
(Telegin 1968, 192-193).
Recently,
excavations
by O. G. Shaposhnikova and N. Tovkaylo, at the 'earliest
stages'
of the settlement
of Pugach in the Bug valley
obtained
sufficient
evidence to suggest that the Bug-Dniester culture
reached
the Early Tripolye period.
As mentioned above, the Dnieper-Donets burial monuments of the IIa-b
stage in the region of the Middle Dnieper were replaced by the Sredny
Stog culture.
This is evident in the stratigraphy
of such settlements
as Sredny Stog (Dobrovolsky 1927), Strilcha
Skelya, etc.
The Strilcha
Skelya cemetery is a four-layer
site.
Here occur in succession
materials
of the Sursky,
Dnieper-Donets,
Sredny Stog and Yamnaya
cultures.
In the development of the Sredny Stog culture two main periods may be
distinguished
- the pre-corded and corded periods (Telegin 1986,1973,
123; 1963, 73-74).
In general,
it was a developed horse-breeding
culture.
The vessels are well decorated,
mostly with cord ornaments.
The clay fabric exhibits an abundant admixture of finely ground shells.
By using these and some other characteristics,
T. G. Movsha was the
first
to establish
the synchronism between the Sredny Stog culture and
the Bl stage of the Tripolye culture.
The first
occurrence of shelltempered ceramics ( type C) in Romania is placed at the end of the A
stage of the Cucuteni culture
A comparison
between the type C ware from Dregu~ni and the ceramics from Sredny
Stog has shown that the former is assigned to the early pre-corded
stage of the Sredny Stog culture.
Consequently,
the corded stage of
the Sredny Stog culture
is synchronous with the monuments of the
subsequent phases of the Cucuteni-Tripolye
(Tripolye B2-Cl; Cucuteni
AB, B) culture which are dated to the last quarter of the 4th/first
quarter of the 3rd millennium b.c.
This is in agreement with the redclay Tripolye B2-Cl vessels found in the Sredny Stog culture cemeteries
of the second stage.
We propose that the Sredny Stog culture
first
quarter of the 3rd millennium b.c.
the Yamnaya culture.
developed to the end of the

Then it was transformed into
At the very end of the 4th/beginning

of the 3rd millennium b.c., in
the Dnieper valley and the Crimea there appeared monuments of a new
culture.
They are assigned to the Lower Mikhaylovka and the Kemi-Oba
cultures
(Archaeology of the Ukr. SSR, v .1, 324-336).
The monuments
assigned to the Lower Mikhaylovka- Kemi-Oba culture primarily
consist
of Kurgan-type
burials.
Thus, for
instance,
there
are known
settlements
in the village of Mikhaylovka (lower layer) on the Dnieper
(Lagodovskaya, Shaposhnikova and Makarevich 1962).
The ceramics of
this culture are unique and are represented
by tureens,
globular pots
and amphorae, which are dark in colour and poorly ornamented (only cord
ornaments are known) with finely ground shells in the clay fabric.
The
bearers of the Lower Mikhaylovka-Kemi-Oba culture were very skillful
in
utilizing
stones for the construction
of tombs. Many believe that they
were the creators of the well-known anthromorphic steles in the Pontic
region.
Judging by the composition of the clay fabric (admixture of
198
shells),
the methods of processing the vessel surfaces (smoothing) and
also by the forms and poor decoration of the vessels,
it is possible to
relate
the Lower Mikhaylovka-type
ceramics to the Cernavoda-I culture
in Romania.
In the development of this culture we distinguish
the following three
stages:
the early (I) Mikhaylovka, the middle (II) Baratovka and the
late (III) Kemi-Oba. 0. G. Shaposhnikova assumes (Archaeology of the
Ukr.SSR, v.1, 1985) that a still
further stage may be distinguished
in
the development
of the Lower Mikhaylovka-type
monuments
the
Livenstsovka stage which partly precedes the Lower Mikhaylovka type.
As evident from our observations,
sites of the Lower Mikhaylovkastage are synchronous with the second period of the Sredny Stog
culture,
since considerable
amounts of sherds related
to the second
(corded) stage of the Sredny Stog culture have been found in the lowest
layer of the Mikhaylovka settlement.
The Baratovka stage corresponds
in time to the monuments of Usatovo (Tripolye C2), since near burials
of this type in the kurgans of Baratovka and Shirokoye in the Bug
valley,
there have been discovered
Late Tripolye
figurines
of the
Serezlievka
type.
Therefore,
both of these types are dated to the last
quarter of the 4th/first
half of the 3rd millennium b.c.
We assign the
monuments of the Mikhaylovka II type to this period as well.
The last
(III)
stage of the Lower Mikhaylovka/Kemi-Oba culture belongs to the
second half of the 3rd millennium b.c.
It is synchronous with the late
Yamnaya period.
The Lower
Mikhaylovka/Kemi-Oba
culture
is
characterized
by the presence
of kurgan-type
burials,
except for,
probably, the early stage.
Flat grave cemeteries
of this period are
also known near the village
of Voloshskoye,
Dnepropetrovsk region,
which are on Sursky island (Danilenko 1974, 44) and directly
in the
village (excavated by A. V. Bodyansky).
The elucidation
of the cultural
chronology
during
the Early
Eneolithic
period in the North Pontic and Lower Danube regions made it
possible to clear up a number of problems including the synchronism of
the Sredny Stog culture with the Tripolye stage Bl-Cl (Cucuteni A, B),
the early monuments of the Lower Mikhaylovka type as well as the
Cernavoda I culture
concurrently
developed in the pre-Usatovo period
(the end of the 4th/beginning
of the 3rd millennium b.c.).
These conclusions
are of great
contacts
between the population
Danube.
importance in studying the cultural

of the North Pontic and the Lower
The Late Copper Age

(second quarter of the 3rd- beginning of the 2nd millennium b.c.)
The two cultures
of this period - the Usatovo (Foltesti-Cernavoda
II)
culture
and the Yamnaya culture
(ochre-graves)
- are common for the
North Pontic and Lower Danube regions.
The absolute age of the Usatovo
culture
in the Ukraine and Moldavia has been reliably
determined by
radiocarbon
and archaeological
dates - the second quarter of the 3rd
millennium b.c.
It is probable that the related cultures
of the Lower
Danube region such as Folte~ti and Cernavoda II should also be assigned
to this time.
The latter
is considered
to represent
a new phase of
penetration
of the Usatovo culture into the Danube region (Dumitrescu
1983, 134-135). A. Hausler (1981) assigns the first
spread of kurgan199
type burials
culture.
sprinkled
with
ochre
into
the
Balkans
to
the
Usatovo
For determining the absolute age of the Yamnaya culture more than 70
radiocarbon
dates have been obtained.
They have made it possible to
date the Yamnaya culture
to the range of 2800/2700-1900 years b.c.
(Telegin
1977; 1986, 102).
This culture
may be divided into two
periods (I and II).
The early
(I) period of the Yamnaya culture
(2800/2700-2500)
is
synchronous with the Usatovo culture:
a vessel related
to the Early
Yamnaya culture has been found in the Usatovo group cemetery (Patokova
1979, 117-119).
Since the Usatovo culture belongs to the same period
as the Baratovka and Lower Mikhaylovka/Kemi-Oba cultures
(see above),
T. G. Movsha relates
this vessel to the Dereivka stage of the Sredny
Stog culture.
However, on the basis of the typological
features
of
this vessel, we believe that this conclusion is mistaken.
Therefore,
the monuments of the Early Yamnaya period,
the Usatovo
culture
(Folte.~ti,
Cernavoda
II),
the
Baratovoka-Lower
Mikhaylovka/Kemi-Oba type form a single
chronological
horizon
(the
second quarter of the 3rd millennium b.c.).
The second (late stage) of the Yamnaya culture (2500-1900 years b.c.)
completes the development of the Neolithic
in the North Pontic region.
On the dawn of the 3rd millennium b.c. we find the formation of Bronze
Age cultures.
The steppe cattle-breeding
tribes
of the late Yamnaya
culture
were numerous.
They populated the steppe regions from the
Volga to the Danube and a powerful wave of these people overlay all the
earlier
cultures
of the Novodanilovka,
Baratovka,
Usatovo and other
types in cultural
and chronological
terms.
At this time, the invaders
penetrated
into the Lower Danube basin and forced out the bearers of
the Fol te~ti-Cernavoda
II, etc. cultures.
However, their appearance
had little
effect
on the later cultures
of the Cernavoda III-BadenBoleraz-Cotofeni
types of the second half of the 3rd millennium b.c.
(Tacic 1983, 19).
The steppe cattle-breeders
of the Yamnaya culture
were responsible
in the Balkans for the kurgan-type
ochre-graves
in
contracted
supine positions.
In contrast
to the early small kurgans of
the
Usatovo
time,
these
later
burials
usually
involved
the
construction
of large mounds.
According to radiocarbon
dates the
ochre-graves
in large kurgans, along with the Yamnaya-culture burials
in the Pontic
region,
are dated to the second half of the 3rd
millennium b.c.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The above outline
of the culture chronology during the Neolithic
and
Eneolithic
period in the North Pontic and the Lower Danube regions
makes it possible
to discuss
a number of problems concerning
the
history of the peoples in these regions on a sounder basis.
Here we
shall pay attention
to only one of them - the problem of contacts and
interconnections
between the hunting-fishing
and cattle-breeding
tribes
of the steppe Pon tic region and the agricultural
population
of the
Balkans.
As mentioned above, these were two-way relations
and the
character of these relations
was different.
Of course, there were both
migrations
of large masses of people and diffusions
of cultural
elements
between the heterogeneous
tribes,
but it
is difficult,
200
however, to
diffusions.
determine
any
district
An analysis
of the available
outline a number of such cultural
Neolithic and Eneolithic
epoch.
border
materials
contacts
between
migrations
and
has made it possible

to
and interconnections
in the
1. The Early Neolithic

period (the first half of the 5th millennium
b. c.) was characterized
by the undoubted diffusion
of Cri~-Starcevo
cultural
elements to the Dniester and South Bug regions (imports of
grey and smoothed ceramics,
agricultural
and cattle-breeding)
to the
tribes of the pre-Samchin (Cri~) stage of the Bug-Dniester culture.
It
is undoubted that a migration of the Balkan Neolithic culture into the
North Pontic region contributed
greatly
to the neolithization
of the
southern areas of Eastern Europe as a whole.
2.
The early stages of the Eneolithic
(the beginning of the 4th
millennium b.c.) were characterized
by centres of migration of the PreCucuteni and Cucuteni-Tripolye
population from the south-eastern
areas
of the Pre-Carpathians
to the Right-Bank Ukraine.
By the end of the
early period of the Copper Age (the end of the 4th millennium b.c.),
waves of Tripolye migrants had reached the Dnieper in the areas of
Kanev and Kiev; in some places they even crossed the river.
At the
beginning of the late period of the Copper Age, Late Tripolye influence
was spread south - to the steppe Pontic region.
Here the Tripolye
people
were assimilated
by the local
Lower Mikhaylovka/Kemi-Oba
population
and created
the Usatovo culture
(Zbenovich
1974, 50;
Dergachev 1980, 148).
3. The cultural
influence in the opposite direction,
i.e.,
from the
steppe Pontic region to the Lower Danube and southern Pre-Carpathian
regions,
began spreading as far back as the early stages of the Copper
Age. We mean the appearance of the Decea-type cemeteries with ochred
burials in contracted
supine positions,
the large sized Novodanilovkatype flint
artifacts
and cross-like
(Mariupol-type)
maces (Garasanin
1961) and also the hoards of flint tools analogous to the Novodanilovka
type (Lastva,
Kladovo, etc.).
The Novodanilovka population
was also
responsible
for the presence of horse-head sceptres in the Balkans.
It
is difficult
to explain the reasons for the penetration
of these tribes
into the west.
It is probable that it was caused by a demand for
copper artifacts
instead
of high-quality
Donets flint
tools.
As
Garasanin and H. Todorova (1980, 70-71) suggest, the steppe nomads were
generally attracted
by the Balkan copper.
4.
Concurrently
with the penetration
of the early Novodanilovka
people into the regions of the Danube and the pre-Carpathians,
close
cultural
contacts
were established
between the tribes
of the Sredny
Stag and Cucuteni-Tripolye
cultures.
Under the influence of the former
in the third quarter of the 4th millennium b.c., in the settlements
of
the Tripolye Bl stage and the Cucuteni A4, AB stages shell-tempered
ceramics of the Cucuteni C-type appeared (Movsha 1961; Dumitrescu 1983;
Dodd-Opritescu 1978).
It should be noted that the spread of ceramics
of such a type took place here prior to the occurrence of the Lower
Mikhaylovka-type culture.
Therefore,
the Cucuteni-C type ceramics were
formed only under the influence
of the Sredny Stog culture.
Besides
the chronological
data, this may also be confirmed by its typological
201
resemblance to the pottery

Skelya-Dregu~eni).
of the Early Sredny Stog culture
(Strilchaya
5. The contacts between the bearers of the Lower Mikhaylovka culture

and the population of the Lower Danube region commenced a little
later
than those between the Sredny Stog people.
It is probable that they
followed a somewhat different
path - via the steppe Pontic region,
i.e. , southward of the contact zone of the Sredny Stog and Tripolye
people.
Here, we have in mind the appearance of the Cernavoda I
culture in the Danube basin.
Romanian archaeologists
quite reasonably
associate
this culture with the advance of the bearers of the Lower
Mikhaylovka culture
The genetic relationship
between these cultures
is evident
from the common distinguishing
features of the Lower Mikhaylovka-Kemi-Oba and the Cernavoda I ceramics
(dark coloured,
well smoothed,
poorly
ornamented and only cord
decorated,
globular forms, admixture of shell temper, etc.) (see Tudor,
1965, fig.
1; Morintz and Roman 1973).
The advance of the Lower
Mikhaylovka/Kemi-Oba tribes
and the occurrence
of the Cernavoda I
culture were prior to the appearance of the Usatovo-Folte~ti-Cernavoda
II culture.
It is likely that this advance had the character
of a
migration,
and the spread of the Usatovo-Folteti-Cernavoda
II culture
had the form of a second wave.
At this time, there appeared first
kurgans (small in size) with burials
sprinkled
with ochre.
It is
probable that at the same time in the western Pontic region and the
Pre-Carpathians
there appeared anthromorphit steles of the North Pontic
type.
problem of the homogeneity of these monuments. During this same time

the tribes of the Lower Mikhaylovka/Kemi-Oba cattle-breeding
culture of
the third stage still
continued inhabiting
the steppe Pontic regi?n and
the Crimea.
Their burials were also of the kurgan type and sprinkled
with ochre but they were little
if at all different
in burial rite from
those of the Yamnaya culture.
However, the ceramics were naturally
different.
Therefore, it is interesting
to know whether there are any
Late Kemi-Oba burials
among the ochre-graves
in the Balkans
In
principle,
it can't be excluded though, as we suppose, it is highly
improbable.
In conclusion
it should be noted that the penetration
of the Yamnaya
steppe nomads into the Balkans is
tribes
and al~o of the early
responsible,
as many investigators
believe,
for the beginnin~ of ~he
Inda-Europeanization
of the local population.
However, the discussion
of this problem is beyond the scope of our investigation.
6.
The last invasion of the steppe tribes
into the Balkans was
associated with the bearers of the Late Yamnaya culture and belonged to
the second half of the 3rd or the beginning of the 2nd millenniuum b.c.
However, the
kurgans
of the
Late
Yamnaya culture
should
be
distinguished
from the kurgan-type
burials
accompanied by ochre of
Folte~ti
I-III,
other
Danube cultures
such as Cernavoda II-III,
Gorodsk, Co;of eni, etc.
(Morintz and Roman 1973).
Most of them
occurred here prior to the Yamnaya culture burials and, as mentioned
above, were of another origin.
The genetic relations
of the Cernavoda
cultures were with the Lower Mikhaylovka/Kemi-Oba
II, Usato~o, Folteti
culture.
Hence, these burials should not be confused with burials in
the Suvorovo-type kurgans.
In addition,
a part of the population in
Glina III) were under the influence
the Lower Danube basin (Co;ofeni,
of the steppe tribes and began constructing
kurgans themselves.
These
burials were not directly
related to the Yamnaya culture either.
The wave of steppe cattle-breeders
of the late Yamnaya culture
penetrated far into the Balkans.
Kurgan-type ochre-graves occurred not
only in Romania (Zirra
1960) but also in Bulgaria
(Merpert 1965;
(Tacic 1983, 19-26) and
Panajotov
and Dergacev 1984), Yugoslavia
Hungary (Ecsedy 1979).
The main features
of the burials
associated
with this culture are well known from the literature.
The graves under
kurgans were constructed
in the form of rectangular
pits, the dead lay
in contracted
supine positions
and covered with ochre.
The inventory
was usually poor.
No vessel typical for the Yamnaya culture has been
found.
In connection with the spread of kurgan-type burials
sprinkled with
ochre over the territory
of the Balkans in the second half of the 3rd/
beginning of the second millennium b.c., it is quite right to raise the
202
203
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drevnim pogrebeniyam minisinskikh stepey.
1980 0 kulte
golovy po
N d
Sibiri
Tomsk, 104-109.
V kn. Dukhovnaya Kultura
aro ov
'
Appendix I
Velikanov:a~,1M;QS~.~~~~~L--1P!r~u!t~s!kQo-=Dgn~e~s~t~r~o~v~s~k~o?&o!..._ _!.!M~e~zh~d=u=r~e_c_h~i_.._a,
1975 falaeoantro
i a
Moscow.
Voevodsky, M. V.
1949 Pamyatniki
KSIIMK26, 22-26.
k
D ne
kamennogo ve a na es
Woolley, C. L.
1935 Ur of the Chaldees.
d
Lon on.
Yakimov, V. P.
t litsevogo otdela
0
Gorizontalnaya
profilirovannos
196
4 , 62- 70
drevnikh
lyudey.
VA
sovremennykh 1
cherepa
Zapiski
Yakovlev, A.
.
Ch
v Donskoy oblasti.
1901 Ploskie
mogily na r.
ir .
. t
Kharkovskogo Imperatorskogo Universite a.
Yanits, L. Yu.
.
1959 Poseleniya
Epokhi Neolita
Emayigi. Tallin.
Zagorsky, F.
1962 Neolitichesky
i Rannego Metalla
Archeologia
mogilnik Kreychi.
Priu st ie
un Etnografia
r.
3,
pogreben~y mogi~~=~; kamennogo veka

74 ~~p.ologiya i chronologiya
19
olonia
un
Etnografia
11,
Arche
Zveinieky.
E:?
Zbenovich, V. G.
1974 Pozdnetri
Zimina, M. P.
1980 0 rabote
olskie
Plemena
severo-zapadnoy
Zinevich, G. P.
1967 Ocherki Paleoantropologii
S
Prichernomori
everno o
k
dtsii
e spe i
Kiev.
AO 1979, 8.
Uk v Kiev
rain,L.
Zinevich, G. P. and S. I. Kruts

.
1968 Antro olo ichna Kharakteristi
Ukrainy.
Kiev.
Zirra, V.
.
1960 Kultura pogrebeniy
Kishinev, 97-128.
a.
'k
okhroy
Davn e o Naselenn a Territorii
v Zakarpatskikh
oblastyakh
PNR
THE MARIUPOL
CEMETERY
The Mariupol cemetery excavated by N.E. Makarenko in 1930 (now the town
of Zhdanov, Donetsk region) is one of the largest Neolithic cemeteries
in Europe (Makarenko 1933). It consists of two main parts: (1) a group
of burials in the main pit-trench
in extended supine positions,
and (2)
a small group of burials
in separate
pits
including
burials
in
contracted
supine positions
such as Nos. 21, 24 (the so-called
'bracelet
burial')
and one cremation.
The burials of these two groups
are markedly distinguished
from each other both by burial rite and
composition of finds.
Stratigraphically,
it has been observed that the
graves in the main pit-trench
were much earlier
than the graves of the
second group whiich were buried in individual
pits (Fig. 59).
The
former are assigned
to the Dnieper rapids
variant
of the late
Neolithic
Dnieper-Donets culture,
while the latter
are dated to the
Early Eneolithic period.
Group I Burials
These comprised Nos. 1-20, 22, 23, and 25-124 in the main pit-trench
lying in extended supine position,
arms straight
at side, in some cases
slightly
bent at elbows (Fig. 59).
Nearly all the skeletons
were
covered
(often
very heavily)
with powdered red ochre.
The
archaeological
material
found near these burials
was diverse
and
numerous - tools,
weapons, ornaments, etc.
Among the weapons and
tools, the most abundant were flint knives made of large-sized
blades
(Fig. 60,1), scrapers
(Fig. 60, 2,6) and knife-like
blades without
retouch.
The cemetery complex also included wedge-shaped flint axes
(Fig. 60,3), a number of large trapezes with flaked backs (Fig. 60,4)
and blades (Fig. 60,5), two nuclei, etc.
In addition,
there were two
unique cross-like
stone maces (Fig. 60,8).
The ornaments were also numerous and di verse.
Among them the socalled plates of the Mariupol type made of boar tusk enamel were the
Analogous plates of shell or stones
most interesting
(Fig. 60,13-16).
were rarer.
In some cases, ornaments were made of boar tusk and had
perforations
for suspension (Fig. 60,29).
There were also many beads
different
in form and made of different
materials:
(a) globular bone
beads with V-shaped perforations
(Fig. 60,17,18); (b) flat annular or
beads of
segmented shaped beads of nacre (Fig. 60,19,20); cylindrical
However, gagate beads were few in number. There
gagate (Fig. 60,21).
were numbers of pendants also used as beads.
They were made of
immature deer teeth (Fig. 60,23) or other animal teeth - wolf, dog,
badger (Fig. 60, 24) Unworked shells and Cyprinidae teeth were also
among the finds.
The inventory from the burials of the main pit also
included such unique finds as a bone zoomorphic figurine resembling a
bull (Fig. 60,11), bone tubes with incisions,
porphyrite
and marble
pendants (Fig. 60,26)
Ceramics were absent from the burials.
There were only three small
pottery fragments including a flat base decorated with comb ornament,
which were found in the fill of the pit-trench
(Fig. 60,10).
217
,-f
ro
r-1
::,
'"'
()
,.0
Ul
r-1
,..c::
u
c
Q)
'"'
I c
1i
iO
. r-1
'"'
r-1
o. ro
u
c
r-1 Q)
ro ,..c::
9
:J
0
,..c::.
.
.
I-< c
Q)
ro a,
u
z .,....,
ro
Q)
"Cl
;3: ro
Q)
r-1
Q)
> Q)
'"'
;3:
ro
c Ul
0 ,-f
.,-1 ro
13
12
<it,8
!7
i8
16
J5
C:.J
ao
CICJ
i9
~o
~~ ()
22.
,-f
25
24
. r-1
u '"'
::,
Q)
Ul ,.0
"Cl "Cl
c Q)
ro .
u
c ro
ro
'"'
,-f
.
p... c
0u
26
28
29
>,
'"' '"'
. ,..c::
Q)
Q)
Q)
.
O
Q)
u
,-f
0
0.
Q)
,..c::
E-i
::, c
r-1 '"'
'"'r-1
~ ~
Fig. 60 Mariupol cemetery. Tools (1-9), sherds (10) and ornaments

found in the main pit-trench
(1-8, 10-26, 29) and in
individual pits (9, 27, 28). The tools and ceramics are
illustrated
at approximately half-size;
ornaments are
shown at approximately actual size.
'
lf)
219
218
.,,,,.,-,:r--~\
Table 12
Burials and Grave Goods from Mariupol Group I
(+ few finds;++
more than 10 finds)
Burial
No.
1
Age, condition,
single or group
2
Tools
3
Ornaments,
beads
r-1
c:::
c:::
N
N
.....
Cl)
Q)
I
H
::I
r-1
rl
>,
~
r-1
.;j
rl
c:::
c.,
.;j
c:::
rl
'd
,.0
><
rl
::I
Q)
Q)
r-1
H
rl
p.
r-1
rl
17
Adult
18
Adult
19
Adult?
20
Adult
21
See Below
22
Adult
23
Adult
24
See below
25
Adult
26-27 Adults
28
Adult
29
Adult
30
Adult
30a
Child
31
Adult
32
Adult
33
Adult
34-36 Adults, group
37-38 Adults
39
Adult
40-41 Adults
42
Adult
43
Adult
44
Adult
45
Adult, damaged
46
Adult
47
Adult
48b
Adult
49
Adult
so Adult & child
51
Adult
52
Adult
53
Adult
Q)
Cl)
<
p'.:I
10
11
23
1
2
1
4
1
9
1
1
1
2
Cl)
::I
,.0
H
0
Cl)
rl
Q)
Cl)
rl
p.
'd
Adult, damaged
Adult
Adults, paired
Adults, paired
Adult
Adult, damaged
Adult
Adult
Adult
Adult
Adult
00
Cl)
Q)
1-2
3
4-5
6-7
8
9-11
12
13
14
15
16
..c::
.
c:::
Q)
El
Cl)
Q)
rl
Q)
>
10
'd
Cl)
Q)
N
N
0
Other finds,
Comments
11
10
11
2
-
++
+
0/+
Sherd, backed blade

Shell, bone plate
27
10
1
13
++
41
1
2
10
25
1
1
1
1
Bone awl
4
1
1
Bone plate
Shell, bone awl and plates
3
2
seen bone tubes
0/1
4
-
3
1
1
1
Two flakes
Shell
Two boar tusks
Mace, figurine,
++
30
40
11
++
++
16
27
4
5
+
+
++
++
0/+
Arrow head, bone tube

Trapeze with flaked back
Cyprinidae teeth
Flake
Flake, ground stone
11 Boar tusks
Mace, shell, flake
10
Boar tusk
Shells, boar tusk
Shell
20 flakes
flake, flint
borer
20
++
++
++
++
++
Bone awl
Core, flake
I-.~
._,,
.~
,__ .~:~~~:tf
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62-63
64
65
66
67
68-73
74
75
76
Child
Adult, sitting?
Adult
Adult, damaged
Adult
Adult
Adult
Adult
Adult
Adult
Child
Adult
Adult, damaged
Adults, damaged
Adult
Adult & child
Adult, damaged
77
Child
78-81 Adult, damaged
82
Adult
83
Adult
84
Adult
85
Adult & child
86
Adult
87
Adult
88
Adult
89
Adult
90-96 Adults, damaged
Adult
97
98-99 Adults, damaged
100
Adult
101
Child?
N
N
N
~ ..... -",,
!!!!!:::::~_,,.,._,
--
N
N
102
103
104
105
106
107-08
109
110
111
112-13
114
115-16
117-21
122
123
124
ui
!lili1
~ ~""":"'7'>'"-~-.-...,,-,~,.--~-;,tr*.,..,
10
11
22
28
35
Bone plates
++
++
++
4 Boar tusks
1
1
++
++
5/0
Two shells
10
++
Boar tusk
1
++
Bone awl, shell
30
2
++
+/0
Boar tusk
Marble pendant,
++
++
0/+
Nacre plates
10
6
++
++
+
++
Bone knife, boar tusk

15 flakes, grinder
Shells
two shells
13
+
+
Shells
Facetted
Flake
10
11
1
18
++
30
+
++
++
+
++
4
6
+
+
++
0/+
1/+
11111111n11
murr
u I rnuur
Adult
Adult
Child
Adult
Adult
Adult & child
Adult & child
Adult, damaged
Adult
Adults
Adult
Adults
Adults, damaged
Adult
Adult
Adult
-~l.
3
1
1
~~':\::r.~
z~,~:::~~!.1:_~;~!
1~,.- .~ ~~:
annular
llfl 1111111111111 IllIIIU I Jfi lll
10
11
1/0
2/0
0/1
Mountain crystal,
Two annular
++
Porphyrite
+/0
Shell
1/0
+/0
+/0
+/0
++
bead (stone)
Boar tusk
Bone zoomorphic figurine
bone awl, pendants
11II ff ' 1H II I t1
boar tusk
stone beads
pendant,
Fragments of flint
Cyprinidae tooth
ruu&rmr!J!!~
boar tusk
blades
Group II Burials
These belong
to the Novodanilovka-type
monuments of the Early
Eneolithic
in the Ukraine (Archaeology of the Ukr.SSR, v.1, 1975, 311320).
As mentioned above, they all occurred in separate pits and were
distinguished
from the burials in the main pit-trench
by burial ritual
and the composition of finds.
Two graves of this group (Nos. 21, 24)
were in the form of stone cists under cairns.
The decea,sed were in the
contracted supine position.
Three of the burials were accompanied with
copper ornaments such as bracelets
and beads (Fig. 60,27, 28). A stone
mace of a complicated 'three-lobed'shape
was found near burial No.24; a
flint
arrow point was near the cremated burial and the paired burial
No.21. Near the cremated burial,
outside the clump of burnt bones and
also in the fill
of burial No.24, there were found artifacts
of bone
and shells similar in type to those from the main pit-trench.
Among
them, there were Mariupol-type
plates,
flat or globular and segmentlike beads of nacre,
and individual
globular
beads of bone.
The
relation
of most of these finds to the second group burials
is not
quite clear.
It is probable that most of them, except for the nacre
beads found near burial
No.24, were introduced
into the pit fill
inadvertently
from the main pit-trench
in the process
of its
destruction.
Below we describe
the burials
of the second group in detail.
No. 21. A paired burial of adults in contracted supine position under

a stone mound in a stone cist near the main pit.
Over the mound there
were remains of burnt human bones.
In the cist,
near the paired
burial,
there was found a flint knife on a large knife-like
blade.
The cremated
burial
was accompanied
by a flint
arrowhead,
subtriangular
in shape and with bifacial
retouch,
a scraper and a
fragment of a flint knife.
The arrow bears traces of fire.
Outside the cremated burial
there were also found a fragment of a
flint
knife,
a well preserved Mariupol-type
plate and a number of
fragments of the same.
The relation
of these finds to the cremation
complex is not quite clear.
No. 24.
An adult burial in
cist
under a stone
cairn.
constructed,
burial No. 98 in
Burial No. 24 was accompanied
by a number of Mariupol-type
globular beads of bone and one
a contracted
supine position
When the pit
for this
the main pit-trench
was partly
by a stone three-lobed
mace
plates and numbers of nacre
bead of copper.
in a stone
burial
was
destroyed.
(Fig. 2,9),
beads, two
The 'bracelet
burial'
was found in the layer of black soil at a depth
of 0.4 m. outside the main pit-trench
of the cemetery near burial No.
21 (45 cm to its south).
The deceased lay in the contracted
supine
position
with its head to the west.
There were found two copper
bracelets
and four copper beads (Fig. 60,27 ,28).
The composition of
finds in this burial is similar to burial No. 21.
224

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B.A.R.

5, Centremead, Osney Mead, Oxford OX2 ODQ, England.

and Popul ati ons in t he Dneipe r

lhto11 houl the world. Payments made in dollars must be

of t he Mariupo l - Type Cemeter i es 133

of the Dnieper Basin

8. The Late Cro-Magnon Population

Appendix I: The Mariupo l Cemetery

For d tails ol nil 11 w B.A. IC p11hli

Volumes are distributed from the publish

All B.A. R. pd s ar in lu. iv

of the Dnieper Basin in the

,hi to ll.A R. nd ent to the _above address.

A.R. Hands, B.Sc., M. A., D.Phil.

at Vilnya nka , Vasi l yevka V, Osipovka and Yasinovat ka

BAH - , H '3, 1 87:

Printed in Great Britain

small samples, it is obviously

We know of no other region in Eastern Europe that has produced so

The cemetery at Sobachky, near the village

majority of Neolithic cemeteries in the Dnieper basin were

were discovered by A. V. Bodyansky, a keen prospector

In 1948 A. V. Bodyansky (1951) discovered

In 1949 and 1952, M. Ya. Rudynsky excavated two Neolithic

1 Neolithic cemeteries in the settlement

of Sobachky (1) and near

As was the case with the first

The annular beads were distributed

The discovery of the two Vovnigy cemeteries

The Chaply cemetery yielded 25 burials

t 4:i"> qQ, Ill

The Chaply cemetery revealed for the first

The cemetery of Vasilyevka II contained 32 burials arranged in groups

Chaply cemetery. Burials 6, 6a, 7a, 8a, and 19 are Mesolithic

Near the skeletons

The total number of skeletons recovered exceeded 50. These included

found near the

More than twenty flint

Lysaya Gora cemetery. Plan and sectional

Lysaya Gora cemetery.

Ceramics and flint

Lysaya Gora cemetery. Boar tusk plates of the Mariupol type

and Azov group of

into two separate

In the western part the burials

Near the large collective

Grave goods f rom Dereivk a (1 - 4, 7-19) and Kapulovk a ( 5-6)

Nine of the burials

been observed that some of the single burials

In 1954 Bodyansky discovered

On the 'Map of Neolithic

~ 21-JO ~ Jl -40 ~ 41-50 ~ 52-58

Vilnyanka cemetery. Plan and sectional

16 Vilnyank a cemetery . Burial

Nos. 31, 32 and 38.

Group 1 was the largest

The grave pits of type A were elongated

The overwhelming majority of those buried in the type A oval grave

Vilnyanka cemeter y . Artifacts

(1-9 ), bone (1 0- 12, 18)

The Vilnyanka cemetery probably functioned over a considerable

of the Vilnyanka burials

No. 1. Burial of an adolescent