The new data for early types of women’s plait ornaments of the Si ntashta and Petrovka archaeological cultures (based on findings in the St epnoye 1 and St epnoye VII cemeteries)

Abstract

The plait ornaments is so-called “calling-card” of women’s costume of the Bronze Age of the South Trans-Urals and Kazakhstan. The materials of the cemeteries Stepnoye 1 (Sintashta archaeological culture) and Stepnoye VII (Petrovka archaeological culture) located at 1,5 km between them, let possibilities for reconstruction of one of the most simple and early form of the plait ornaments — compositions with amulets made of animal fangs. Ornaments from the burials of kurgan 1 Stepnoye 1 cemetery have layout principles like a plait ornaments of the type 2 in common classification. Ornaments from the Stepnoye VII cemetery were look like a braid with fang-amulets plaited to the hair, and similar to the type 1 of plait ornaments. Finds of similar-typed ornaments in the neighboring burials and the same ideas for ornaments in the neighboring cemeteries assume the existence of common informational space and continuity of tradition for buried individuals. Investigation of the location of some specific types of artifacts in the context of the necropolis allows us to obtain the information for reconstruction of social relationships in the Bronze Age societies.