Russian burial complexes of Western Siberia of the XVII - first half of the XIX centuries as a source for reconstruction of the socio-cultural image of a Russian Siberian

The study of ancient societies' social system on the materials obtained during burial grounds investigation has been practiced in science for a long time. However, such data were not involved to study the Russian society of Western Siberia in the XVII - first half of the XIX centuries. This work's purpose is to find out which elements of the burial complex can be considered as socially differentiating in reconstruction of the socio-cultural image (complex of material culture objects, reflecting cultural affiliation and worldview) of the Russian population of the above mentioned period and region. Methods. The archaeological material of Russian necropolises of the West Siberian region is analyzed using the comparative historical method, which allows matching groups of status things in time dynamics, to establish cause-and-effect relations, and to determine the changes nature in the social perception of specific categories of items. The archaeological context of burials is considered through a prism of the social and everyday domestic environment (a burial place and features) and clothing complex (crosses worn on the neck, costume elements). Sources. The study's source base was based on the published archaeological materials of the XVII - the first half of the XIX century from the necropolises of Tobolsk, Tomsk, Kuznetsk, rural monuments of the Omsk Irtysh region (Ananyino-I, Izyuk-I), Abalaksky monastery, Gornopravdinsky necropolis, etc. Conclusions. When considering the social environment, a burial place relative to the center of a cemetery (church) is important; a presence or absence of a tomb structure (crypt) depends on the status of a buried. The funerary constructions (a coffin of boards or of a single log with the hollowed middle) are not socially differentiated among themselves. The funeral costume complex presented in burials is divided into four main categories: items of personal piety (worn on a neck and ring crosses), clothes, shoes, jewelry. The presence/absence of worn on a neck crosses in the graves fixes well the changes, which occurred in the funeral rite of Russian Siberians. In the XVII century there are practically no such items in the graves, for the XVIII century their finds in the necropolises are becoming quite numerous, in the XIX century crosses from precious metals also appeared, which is another marker of social differentiation. The funeral footwear presented in graves during the studied period undergoes a certain evolution. In the XVII century the use of kaligs (special funeral footwear) is included in the practice of wide social strata of the Russian Siberian society; from the middle of the 18th century the dead are buried in the shoes used during their lifetime. Clothes preserve much worse, however even the fabric remains from burials of the 17-18 centuries can be classified by degree of social significance from silk, satin, velvet to woolen, linen and homespun cloth, and more often canvas. There is a little jewelry in graves, and only items made of expensive materials could mark higher social status and wealth of the buried. Not all elements of a burial complex are equally socially differentiating, but in general, the materials of the necropolis of the XVII - the first half of the XIX century are an important source for the reconstruction of the socio-cultural image of a Russian Siberian.

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