Rod-Like Cheek-pieces Made of Antler from the Elovka Settlement in the South of the Tomsk Region (from the MAES TSU collection)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24852/2587-6112.2026.1.31.41Keywords:
archaeology, Western Siberia, rod-shaped cheek-pieces, Late Bronze Age, use-wear analysis, bone carving, Irmen cultureAbstract
This article provides a detailed analysis of surface modifications on five cheek-pieces from the Elovka settlement, associated with the Irmen archaeological culture of Western Siberia (14th–10th centuries BC). The artifacts were recovered during excavations by V.I. Matyushchenko in 1960–1961. Among them, a previously unpublished cheek-pieces blank is of particular interest due to its preserved technological markings. All examined artifacts belong to the category of rod-shaped cheek-pieces with three perforations. While they conform to the typical raw material and form standards of this artifact type, several distinctive features are observed. First, traces of preliminary marking are present at the intended perforation sites. Second, a comparison of these marking traces with the perforation walls on both the finished artifacts and the blank suggests that the perforations may have been made without the use of traditional drilling techniques. Third, the variety of design approaches evident in the cheek-pieces supports the hypothesis of non-specialized production. The considerable number of cheek-pieces discovered at the Elovka settlement and nearby archaeological sites indicates that the forest-steppe zone of the southern Tomsk region constituted the northern extent of the area characterized by active horse transport during the Late Bronze Age.
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