Yuri S. Lebedev^a,#, Pavel V. Popov^b,##

^a State Autonomous Institution of Astrakhan Region “Naslediye SPC”, Astrakhan, Russia
^b State Service for the Protection of Cultural Heritage Objects of Astrakhan Region, Astrakhan, Russia

^#E-mail: lebedev89-89@mail.ru
^##E-mail: paspov@yandex.ru

Keywords: Khazar Khaganate, runic script, Bulgarian tribes, Sokolovo-type sites, hand-made pots.

On the territory of Astrakhan Region, an unusual burial was investigated containing a molded pot with a runic inscription on the body made in the Don script. This find is unique for the Lower Volga region. The burial is dated to the late 8th–9th century AD and can be correlated with the Bulgarian tribes. In addition to this complex, about 15 more burials with a similar ritual and accompanying goods were found in the Lower Volga region. All of them also correlate with the Bulgarians and date back to the late 8th–9th century AD. These complexes are contemporary with the Sokolovo-type burials under mounds found in the Lower Volga region. The material from those sites suggests that they were synchronous; interethnic and cultural contacts are traceable. Isolation of the Bulgarian component makes it possible to clarify the ethnic and cultural situation in the Lower Volga region in the Khazar period. The found pot with a runic inscription from Kazachiy hillock in Astrakhan Region clearly testifies to its connections with the area of the Saltov-Mayaki culture.

DOI: 10.31857/S0869606323010130