Pages: 17-37

The article studies funeral complexes with decorated vessels belonging to the western variant of the Koban culture, particularly the vessels with one of many ornamental patterns representing lines on surface scratched by nail or a stick, or representing finger imprints. The author suggests a typology of such vessels and analyzes forty burials with such vessels, made in pits or stone boxes. He also considers three complexes with similar ceramics located outside the main area of the Koban culture, as well as materials of some settlements and stray finds. He uses materials from burials to build a chronological distribution of the latter and outlines development of forms of vessels with the studied ornamental pattern.

Keywords: Northern Caucasus, Koban culture, Early Iron Age, ceramics, ornament, burial grounds, chronology

Information about author:

Sergey Valchak (Moscow, Russia). Candidate of Historical Sciences. Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Dmitry Ulyanov St., 19, Moscow, 117036, Russia
E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]