Pages: 267-290

The Early Iron Age Ananyino cultural sites in the Volga-Kama region were named “bone-containing” in the second half of the 19th century, due to the high saturation of the cultural layer with the animal bones. The opinion was confirmed thanks to the works of A. Spitsyn, A. Tallgren, M. Khudyakov, that on the territory of the Kama region their appearance coincided with the transition of local peoples to the Iron Age. This was facilitated by the establishment of the connection between the bone-containing settlements and the Ananyino burials. At the later stage of culture, in the 5th —3rd centuries BC, with the disappearance of large cemeteries with rich complexes of grave goods, settlements and large sanctuaries become the main sources that allow us to judge about socio-political and economic transformations in their society. Among these is the Zuevy Klyuchi I ancient settlement in the Kama region in Udmurtia. This is the most ancient settlement studied by the archeologists, containing more than 60 residential objects, industrial and cult buildings, related to the two cultural and chronological horizons — Ananyino and Pyany Bor. Its cultural layers preserve almost a thousand-year history of this ancient settlement. The features of social groups and institutions in this chronological section are examined using the analysis by the following horizontal axis “dwelling-settlement-group of settlements”.

Keywords: Kama region, Early Iron Age, Ananyino culture, Pyany Bor culture, hillforts, economic, social structure

Information about author:

Elizaveta Chernykh (Izhevsk, Russian Federation). Candidate of Historical Sciences. Udmurt State University. Universitetskaya St., 1, Izhevsk, 426034, Republic of Udmurtia, Russian Federation
E-mail: [email protected]