On the problem of identifying early Iron Age cultures in the taiga zone of the Yenisei river basin in Siberia

The modern state of studying of the early Iron Age cultures in the taiga zone of Krasnoyarsk region (Siberia of the Yenisei river basin) is considering in the article. The early Iron Age in the territory has been the object of studying since the 19 century. By the present moment, several archaeological cultures in the taiga zone has been identified, namely Tsepanskaya (8 - 2 centuries BC), Nizhneporozhinskaya (7 - 3 centuries BC), Kamensko-Makovskaya (7 - 2 centuries BC), Shilkinskaya (7 - 1 centuries BC). Tsepanskaya archaeological culture was spread in the Lower Angara river basin, the rest of them were located along the Yenisei. A funeral ceremony was very diverse in Tsepanskaya culture. As for Yenisei archaeological cultures, only single burials were found. The material analysis demonstrates that many categories of subjects cannot be essential for defining a culture. For example, stone arrowheads are vestiges of the previous epochs. Bronze items imitate the ones of Tagarskaya culture. Thus, ceramics appears to be the only indicator for separation of a culture. The principal distinguishing feature of Tsepanskaya archaeological culture is ceramics thickened with a wide fillet stuck to a rim and turned out, so-called "collar ceramic". There are several types of such crockery ware; they are Tsepanskaya, Karabulskaya, Vzvozovskaya, and Kamensko-Makovskaya. For Nizhneporozhinskaya and Shilkinskaya cultures it is common to have jars decorated with strands, which are stuck to a jar rim, and often split. Their ornaments are supplemented with belts of small pits. The jars of the third type are ornamented with thin strands. In the taiga zone of the Yenisei river basin in Siberia, such crockery ware firstly appeared at the end of the Bronze Age and, with some modifications, had been existing until the early Middle Ages. Except for ceramic techniques mentioned, there are various types of ceramics spread across northern taiga of the territory. Further studies of historic landmarks of the early Iron Age and discoveries of new ones may allow specifying the factors for identification of cultures. Also, new cultures may be discovered.

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