Classification and Chronology of Arrowheads from the Staroe Kirgizovo Burial Ground of the Pyany Bor Culture
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24852/2587-6112.2026.3.129.146Keywords:
archaeology, Early Iron Age, Pyany Bor archaeological culture, Staroe Kirgizovo burial ground, weaponry, classification, chronology, bronze arrowheads, iron arrowheads, bone arrowheadsAbstract
The paper examines a collection of arrowheads from the Staroe Kirgizovo burial ground of the Pyany Bor archaeological culture. Despite the long history of research of Pyany Bor weaponry, a detailed analysis of arrowheads as a mass category of burial set has not been conducted to date. The materials from the Staroe Kirgizovo burial ground, comprising 303 arrowheads from 33 burials, make it possible to fill this gap. The collection includes bronze (15.8%), iron (15.5%), and bone (68.7%) arrowheads. To systematize the material, the typological schemes of A.S. Skripkin (for metal heads) and D.G. Bugrov (for bone points) were applied. An analysis of the combination of types in burial assemblages allowed the chronological dynamics to be traced. It is confirmed that the transition from bronze to iron arrowheads occurred within a short period – the middle to second half of the 1st century BC; by the beginning of the 1st century AD, iron arrowheads became widespread. Regarding bone points, chronological aspects are clarified for certain forms: stemmed triangular and socketed quadrangular arrowheads tend to date to the first centuries AD, whereas socketed triangular arrowheads of vaulted shape existed throughout the entire lifespan of the archaeological culture. An important chronological marker is the appearance of a bipyramidal blunting of the tip since the beginning of the 1st century AD.
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