Methods of dating burials with numismatic finds of the Western Siberia of the XVI-XIX centuries

A special category of finds, including coins and counting tokens, stands apart among various burial inventories of theXVI-XIX centuries on the territory of the Western Siberia. Their distinction is that they can provide more or less accurate absolute timing,which helps to date archaeological objects, where they were found. Most of researchers agree that numismatic finds are the general andpractically the only dating material for burial grounds of the XVI-XIX centuries on the territory of the Western Siberia. However, scientistshave not developed methods of dating burial grounds using numismatic finds so far. It is often the case when researchers automatically datearcheological objects using the date stamped on coins or on counting tokens and, moreover, the period of time that passed between theirstamping and the moment of their putting in a burial place is not taken into consideration.The main limitation of dating using numismatic sources is that coins and tokens accurately provide only earliest chronological limits ofarcheological objects. At this point arises a reasonable question - if the case deals with burial memorials, then how far this earliest limit isfrom the actual date of burial and whether there is a possibility to define an approximate latest date. In the first place, when dating burialgrounds using token coins and coins, it is necessary to consider their specific peculiarities. Thus, it is worthwhile mentioning that countingtokens, in contrast to coins, were primarily brought into Siberia as elements of decoration and were not used as means of payment. Theanalysis of written sources (documents related to the production of tokens, customs registers etc.) testifies that counting pfennigs werebrought to the Siberian market quickly enough (for 2-3 years) and, consequently owned by the local population.Unlike counting tokens coins were stamped with the only purpose - to be used as means of payment. The specific character of themonetary system related to the Russian government of the XVII century is that when new coins appeared, for example after crowning of anew tsar, old coins were in circulation with new ones. After leaving the mint, coins circulated on the entire territory of Russia and it couldtake decades, if not a hundred years, before they got through to the aboriginal population of Siberia. In the second place, it is necessary totake into account that after coins got into the environment of the aboriginal population, numismatic finds could be used as decorations forquite a long period of time. If we also consider that some things could be inheritable, then the actual burial date can differ from the date ofstamping a token or a coin by some decades or even a hundred years. To sum it up, we should note that coins and counting tokens are uniquefinds by their character, which in the absence of other methods of defining an absolute chronology, remain as the only dating material forburial grounds of the Western Siberia of the XVI-XIX centuries. However, it is necessary to take into account that dating using numismaticsources has many complexities, which should be considered while creating a chronology of archeological objects. From our point of view,the most effective method is to define material archeological complexes with coins and counting tokens, which have absolute dates, and thencorrelate them to the inventory of undated burial places.

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