PROBLEMS OF RADIOCARBON DATING OF THE FINAL BRONZE AGE SITES IN THE BARNAUL OB REGION

  • D.V. Papin Altai State University; Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography SB RAS Email: papindv@mail.ru
  • S.V. Svyatko Queen’s University Belfast 14Chrono Centre for Climate, the Environment and Chronology Email: s.svyatko@qub.ac.uk
  • P.J. Reimer Queen’s University Belfast 14Chrono Centre for Climate, the Environment and Chronology Email: p.j.reimer@qub.ac.uk
DOI_disc_logo https://doi.org/10.14258/tpai(2024)36(4).-12
Keywords: Barnaul Priobye, Bronze Age, Irmen Culture, AMS radiocarbon dating, palaeodiet, nitrogen and carbon stable isotope analysis, burial ground MGK-I/5

Abstract

The article presents the results of AMS radiocarbon dating and stable isotope analysis of anthropological materials of the final Bronze Age from the Maly Gonbinsky Kordon-I/5 (MGK-I/5) burial ground in the Barnaul Ob region. The site contains burials of different cultures dating to the 10th–2nd centuries BC, more than 20 graves in total, the majority of which belong to the «late Irmen» period. The study includes individuals from graves No. 13, 15, 16, 19, as well as faunal sample (lower jaw of small cattle) from the synchronous settlement of Maly Gonbinsky Kordon-I/3 (MGK-I/3). The obtained results contradict the traditional archaeological understanding of the Late Bronze Age chronology of the Upper Ob region and the perception of the subsistence habits of the population. A preliminary conclusion has been made about the influence of the freshwater reservoir effect on the radiocarbon dates, determined by the diet of the «late Irmenians». The question is raised about the systemic nature of this phenomenon in the region, related to the diversified economy of the ancient population.

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Author Biographies

D.V. Papin, Altai State University; Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography SB RAS

PhD in History, Head of the Barnaul Laboratory of Archaeology and Ethnography of Southern Siberia, Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography SB RAS; Leading Researcher, Laboratory of Interdisciplinary Study of Archaeology of Western Siberia and Altai, Altai State University

S.V. Svyatko, Queen’s University Belfast 14Chrono Centre for Climate, the Environment and Chronology

PhD in History, Research Fellow, 14Chrono Centre for Climate, the Environment and Chronology, Queen’s University Belfast

P.J. Reimer, Queen’s University Belfast 14Chrono Centre for Climate, the Environment and Chronology

PhD, Emeritus Professor at the 14Chrono Centre for Climate, the Environment and Chronology, Queen’s University Belfast

References

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Kungurov A.L., Papin D.V. Burial Ground of the 5th Archaeological Complex Maly Gonbinsky Cordon 1. In: Problems of Studying Ancient and Medieval History. Barnaul : Izdvo Alt. un-ta, 2001a. Pp. 56–69. (In Russ.)

Kungurov A.L., Papin D.V. Materials of the Final Bronze Age of the Archaeological Complex Maly Gonbinsky Cordon-1. Vestnik arheologii, antropologii i etnografii = Bulletin of Archaeology, Anthropology and Ethnography. 2001b;3:79–85. (In Russ.)

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Papin D.V., Svyatko S.V., Frolov Ya.V. Features of the Paleodiet of the Scythian Population of the Forest-Steppe Altai based on the Materials of an Isotope Study. In: Bulletin of the All- Russian Seminar «Stable Isotopes in Archaeological Research: Methodological Problems and Historical Issues». Issue 6. Moscow : Izd-vo IA RAN, 2024. P. 68–74. DOI: 10.25681/ IARAS.2024.978-5-902633-13-6 (In Russ.)

Shamshin A.B., Galchenko A.V. Economy of the Population of the Barnaul-Biysk Priobye in the Late Bronze Age and in the Transition Period from Bronze to Iron. In: Sources on the History of the Altai Republic. Gorno-Altaysk : B.i., 1997. P. 90–117. (In Russ.)

Reimer P, Austin W, Bard E, Bayliss A, Blackwell PG, et al. The IntCal20 Northern Hemisphere Radiocarbon Age Calibration Curve (0–55 cal kBP). Radiocarbon. 2020; 62: 725–757. doi: 10.1017/RDC.2020.41

Published
2025-01-23
How to Cite
Papin D., Svyatko S., Reimer P. PROBLEMS OF RADIOCARBON DATING OF THE FINAL BRONZE AGE SITES IN THE BARNAUL OB REGION // THEORY AND PRACTICE OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH, 2025. Vol. 36, № 4. P. 196-209 DOI: 10.14258/tpai(2024)36(4).-12. URL: https://journal.asu.ru/tpai/article/view/16813.
Issue
Vol 36 No 4 (2024)
Section
SCIENTIFIC METHODS IN ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH

Copyright (c) 2025 Д.В. Папин, С.В. Святко, П.Д. Реймер

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