Kara-Abyz Fortified Settlement in the Southern Urals. Results of Interdisciplinary Research
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24852/2587-6112.2025.6.33.45Keywords:
archaeology, Belaya River, forest-steppe, palynological studies, paleopedology, cultural layerAbstract
The forest-steppe part of the Southern Urals in the Early Iron Age was the area of the Kara-Abyz archaeological culture. This culture formed as a result of interaction between the sedentary and nomadic population of the region. The eponymous monument of this culture is Kara-Abyz fortified settlement situated on the right bank of the Belaya River, 30 km north of Ufa. In recent years, an interdisciplinary approach has been widely practiced in the archaeology of Bashkortostan when studying settlement sites. This paper is a publication of the results of palynological, morphological and chemical-analytical studies of the soil from the site of the citadel and trading quarter of Kara-Abyz fortified settlement. The vegetation around the fortified settlement changed in the following order: steppes dominated by Poaceae – forest-steppe (linden forests and steppes) – forest-steppe and forests (linden and birch forests, with Poaceae and meadow herbs growing in open spaces) – forest-steppe and forests (birch forests and areas with Poaceae-Artemisia-herbage vegetation) – linden and birch forests – pine forests. As a result of the activities of ancient people, a cultural layer (AYhh) formed, which differs from the background gray forest soil by its lighter color, lack of structure, higher density and moisture content, higher organic carbon and total phosphorus content, a shift in acid-base properties towards bases, as well as the presence of archaeological artifacts. Studies have shown that the cultural layer of the site’s citadel formed as a result of its development by the Kara-Abyz, Bakhmutino and Chiyalik population. The trading quarter of the city was used exclusively by the Kara-Abyz tribes. Based on these results, it was possible to trace the dynamics of the landscape and climatic situation in which the inhabitants of the fortified settlement found themselves during its existence – the Early Iron Age – the beginning of the 2nd millennium AD.
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