The composition of the Elykayevo collection

The Elykayevo collection comprises one of the richest weapons 'hoards' of Western Siberia. It has a complicated history of formation, not all of which is objectively documented. We do not know under what circumstances some of the exhibits were included or lost. In publications on the Elykayevo 'hoard' researchers have given contradictory information on the collection's composition. Doubts about the completeness of the Elykayevo collection generated discussions on the chronology and cultural affiliation of the complex. We have compiled the full list of the Elykayevo collection kept in the depositories of Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography of Siberia (National Research Tomsk State University). The conducted research helped identify that lost items in the modern part of the collection have been substituted by new ones, and all of the latter were early medieval artifacts that stand out noticeably against the background of the Elykayevo 'hoard' armaments. The article studies features of the collection items that have not been considered in previous publications. Based on the evidence found, the Elykayevo complex is ever more likely to be dated back to the end of the Early Iron Age (the first half of the first millennium AD). More precise dating of this complex requires a special investigation. There is a high probability that there are still some latent substitutes present in the collection. The collection may also contain items dated to the chronological period of its basic composition but taken from other complexes. Such items include almost all the cult casting products. In addition, a set of archival documents dated to the period of discovery of the 'hoard' was identified; these helped create an objective picture of the basic composition of the Elykayevo collection.

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