Six 13th century burials found in Western Siberia

Specialists of the Scientific Center for Arctic Studies found six burials in the Zelenyi Yar archaeological complex in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Region, where earlier they found mummies of people, who lived in the 13th century, the scientific center’s press service said on Thursday.

Credit: Arctic Research Center of the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous District

"The expedition to the medieval necropolis near the Zelenyi Yar village made a new excavation area of 80 square meters, where they found six burials. Two were looted in ancient times, on one of them the archaeologists saw traces of three tools," the press service said. "Four burials have not suffered from looters: three bodies were, presumably, men aged 40-50 years, and one - a boy of 6-7 years."

According to the Center’s archaeology researcher Alexander Gusev, the children's burial is of great scientific importance. Inside the burial, the scientists found bronze temporal rings, copper plates, a bronze bracelet, a knife handle with the image of a bird, and -for the first time ever - a scabbard with a wooden blade inside. "The Zelenyi Yar archaeological monument is known, first of all, for the numerous mummified remains of men, women and children found here in different years," the press service said. "This year, scientists have not found anything alike."

Credit: Arctic Research Center of the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous District

The researcher noted that studies of the burial grounds will tell more about how people lived in Western Siberia in the Middle Ages. "The archaeologists also have studied the Nyurymposllor burial ground, located between Salekhard and Zelenyi Yar," the press service added. "Scientists do not exclude the two necropolises may be connected somehow."

The archaeological complex near the Zelenyi Yar village was discovered in 1997 during the Live Yamal Russia-US expedition.

Credit: Arctic Research Center of the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous District

The digging began in 1999. In 1999-2002, scientists opened 35 burials; during 2013-2017 - another 47 burials, where in two burials they found mummies of adults and two burials of children.

The remains are now at the Academy of Sciences' Institute of North's Exploration Studies in Tyumen, where partners from Seoul's National University continue genetic research.

Credit: Arctic Research Center of the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous District

The Scientific Center for Arctic Studies was organized in 2010. It unites sectors of archaeology, ethnic studies, social and humanitarian studies, regions, geology and geography, medicine and environment-biology studies.

Source: TASS [August 30, 2018]

TANN

Newer Post Older Post