New evidence on the altata eneolithic culture Of the volga steppe region (following the results Of the study at the monakhov i site)
Keywords:
archaeology, Steppe Volga River region, Late Eneolithic, pottery, quartzite tools, fauna, Altata culture, chronology, producing economyAbstract
This paper presents the results of excavations conducted in 2024–2025 at the Monakhov I site in Saratov Oblast, along with the cultural and chronological attribution of the recovered materials. Stratigraphic data on the ratio of complexes of the Middle Bronze Age and the Late Eneolithic have been obtained. This allows for a clear unification of pottery, lithic tools, and faunal remains from the Copper Age into a single assemblage. The pottery from this complex was made of silty clay with shell-temper. The vessels have profiled and straight-walled shapes, and are decorated with combed stamps, dashes, punctures and variations of braided textures. Patterns include horizontal rows, vertical zigzags, and "stepping comb" motifs. The tools, made of quartzite flakes, include end and side scrapers, knives, and bifacial arrowheads. Similar features are characteristic of the Altata culture. Radiocarbon dates for Late Eneolithic materials range from 4900 to 4400 BP. The fauna includes both wild and domestic animals, demonstrating the existence of a producing economy in the Altata culture. Rare finds of Mesolithic and Early Eneolithic periods were also found at this site.
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