Social planigraphy of the pre-turkic period necropolis of Choburak-I (Northern Altai)

Abstract

The article is devoted to the social interpretation of the features of the internal layout of the pre-Turkic period necropolis of Choburak-I. This burial ground is localized as part of a multitemporal complex situated on the right bank of the Katun river, near the Elanda village, in the Chemal region of the Altai Republic. It includes 12 undisturbed mounds that were excavated by an archaeological expedition from Altai State University under the guidance of one of the authors of the article. It has been established that most of the elements of planigraphy of the studied site reflect the universals of the burial practice of the population of the Bulan-Koby culture of Altai in the last quarter of the 1st millennium BC — first half of the 1st millennium AD. These include placing mounds in a small area in several dense rows, elongated in the meridional direction with a significant deviation, separate location of the graves of men and women, and compact location of burials of people with similar social status. It was revealed that there was no influence of the age factor on the location of the burials of adults of both sexes. An indicative characteristic of the necropolis is the location of burials of men with different lifetime social status throughout their lifetime within three separate groups of mounds.