Topography, Construction Methods and Quantitative Characteristics of Bronze Age Barrows on the Territory of the Don and Manych Basins

Abstract

The major part of burial grounds of the Don and Manych basins were erected around the barrows of the Early Bronze Age. Their topography is fully determined by the character of the region’s terrain. The researchers managed to define the relief items, which are more appropriate for the location of burial mounds as well as those, which significantly reduce labor costs for mound construction. Besides, they distinguished four types of topographic position of burial grounds (terraced and cape; floodplain; watershed; slope) and established four types of burial mounds (round, elongated, double and with jumpers). The remains of digging tools with flint bone tips were discovered during the excavations of burial mounds. According to the calculations, made by archeologists, only about 1 million people appeared to have been buried in the barrows (erected from the 5 cent. BC to the 15 century BC) in the Rostov region. Hence, it becomes evident that not all of the population used mounds for the burial. It was also found that, in accordance with modern standards of grazing, cattle breeding form of economy in the Rostov region could theoretically provide livelihoods for nearly 0.5 million people. However, no one knows for certain why the difference between the number of buried people and environmental resources of the steppe was so huge.