METAL MIRRORS OF THE BRONZE AGE FROM THE ELOVSKY II GRAVE FIELD
The paper is devoted to one of unique artifacts of the Bronze Age – the mirror. These artifacts have been found in Tomsky and Elovsky II grave fields in the Tomsk Ob Region. The Elovsky II grave field contains 370 graves of the Andronovo and Elovo cultures, but mirrors have been found only in 12 graves. They belong to two groups: diskshaped and square mirrors. The paper analyzes the positions of mirrors in graves and persons to whom they were placed. As concluded, they were rarely placed to men, more often to women and children. In addition, the analysis of grave goods shows that children graves are especially rich in artifacts. This is typical of some burial grounds of the Bronze Age discovered in different areas. Mirrors had several functions: it was used as a fashion accessory, as an amulet, and as a symbol of belonging to elite and authority. Over a long period of time (the Bronze and Iron ages), mirrors had different functions in different areas and archaeological cultures.
Keywords: archaeology, archaeological culture, metal mirrors, ritual, magic, cult, human settlements, grave field
References:
1. Bol'shaya sovetskaya entsiklopediya [The Great Soviet Encyclopedia]. Moscow: Sovetskaya entsiklopediya Publ., 1972, Vol. 9. 622 p. (in Russian).
2. Komarova M. N. Tomskiy mogil'niki pamiatnik istorii drevnikh plemen lesnoy polosy Zapadnoy Sibiri [Grave Field as the Historical Monument of Ancient Tribes in the Forest Zone of Western Siberia]. Materialy i issledovaniya po arkheologii – Archaeological Materials and Studies, 24. Moscow, AN SSSR Publ., 1952. Pp. 24–50 (in Russian).
3. Matyushchenko V. I. Elovsky arkheologicheskiy kompleks. Chast' vtoraya. Elovskiy II mogil'nik [Archaeological Complex. Part two. Elovsky II Grave Field]. Omsk: Izd-vo Om. un-ta Publ., 2004. 467 p. (in Russian).
4. Kiryushin Yu. F., Papin D. V., Pozdnyakova O. A., Shamshin A. B. Pogrebal'nyy obryad drevnego naseleniya Kulundinskoy stepi v epokhu bronzy [Funeral Rites of the Ancient Population in the Kulunda Steppe in the Bronze Age]. Aridnaya zona yuga Zapadnoy Sibiri v epokhu bronzy [Arid Zone in the South of Western Siberia in the Bronze Age]. Barnaul, Izd-vo Alt. un-ta, 2004. Pp. 62–85 (in Russian).
5. Tishkin A. A., Seregin N. N. Metallicheskiye zerkala kak istochnik po drevney i srednevekovoy istorii Altaya (po materialam Muzeya arkheologii i etnografi i Altaya Altayskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta) [Metal Mirrors as the Source for the Ancient and Medieval History of Altai (based on the materials of the Altai Archaeology and Ethnography Museum, Altai State University)]. Barnaul, Azbuka Publ., 2011. 144 p. (in Russian).
6. Beysenov A. Z., Ismagulova A. O. Arkheologo-antropologicheskiye dannye iz mogil'nika Edirey-3 [Archaeological and Anthropological Data from Edirey-3 Grave Field]. Istoriko-kul'turnoye naslediye Saryarki [Historical and Cultural Heritage of Sary-Arka]. Karaganda. 2007. Pp. 164–172 (in Russian).
7. Balakin Yu.V. Uralo-sibirskoye kul'tovoye lit'e v mife i rituale [Ural and Siberian Cultic Casting in the Myth and Ritual]. Novosibirsk: “Nauka”, Sibirskoye Predpriyatie RAN Publ., 1998. 288 p. (in Russian).
8. Martynov A. I. Lesostepnaya tagarskaya kul'tura [The Forest-Steppe Tatar Culture]. Novosibirsk: “Nauka” SO Publ., 1979. 208 p. (in Russian).
9. Bogdanov E. S. Obraz khishchnika v plasticheskom iskusstve kochevykh narodov Tsentral'noy Azii (skifo-sibirskaya khudozhestvennaya traditsiya) [The Image of Predators in the Plastic Arts of Nomadic Tribes in the Central Asia (Tradition of the Scythian-Siberian Arts)]. Novosibirsk, Izd-vo In-ta arkheologii I etnografi i SO RAN Publ., 2006. 240 p. (in Russian).
10. Kim A. A. Ocherki po sel'kupskoy leksike [Essays on the Selkup Lexicon]. Tomsk, Izd-vo Nauchno-tekhnicheskoy literatury Publ., 1997. 219 p. (in Russian).
11. Pletneva L. M. Srednevekovye zerkala iz pamyatnikov Tomskogo Priob'ya [Medieval Mirrors from Archaeological Sites of the Tomsk Ob Region]. Integratsiya arkheologicheskikh i etnografi cheskikh issledovaniy. Mat-ly XVI Mezhdunarodnogo nauchnogo simpoziuma [Integration of Archaeological and Ethnographic Studies. Proceedings of XVI International Scientifi c Symposium]. Novosibirsk–Omsk, 2008. Pp. 257–261 (In Russian).
12. Kiryushin Yu. F., Tishkin A. A. Skifskaya epokha Gornogo Altaya. Ch. I: Kul'tura naseleniya v ranneskifskoye vremya [Scythian Age of the Altai Mountains. Part I: Culture of the Population in the Early Scythian Age]. Barnaul: Izd-vo Alt. un-ta Publ., 1997. 232 p. (in Russian).
13. Varenov A. V. Drevneyshiye zerkala Kitaya, otrazhayushchiye etnokul'turnye kontakty [The Most Ancient Mirrors of Altai Refl ecting Interenthic and Intercultural Contacts]. Problemy drevnikh kul'tur Sibiri [Problems of the Siberian Ancient Cultures]. Novosibirsk, Nauka SO Publ., 1985. P. 163–172 (in Russian).
( 872.84 kB ) 
( 866.01 kB )
Issue: 9, 2015
Series of issue: Issue 9
Rubric: ARCHAEOLOGY AND ETHNOLOGY
Pages: 241 — 246
Downloads: 938