Nataly N. Kashirskaya, Elena V. Chernysheva, Tatiana E. Khomutova, Kamilla S. Dushchanova, Anastasia V. Potapova, Alexander V. Borisov

 Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems of Soil Science RAS, Pushchino, Russia

 E-mail: nkashirskaya81@gmail.com

Keywords: cultural layer, infrastructure of settlements, livestock pens, ancient fields, fertilizers, enzymatic activity, thermophilic microorganisms, keratin, cellulose.

The article presents the theoretical foundations and methodological basis of a new interdisciplinary research area – archaeological microbiology, whose subject is the features of using organic materials in household and producing activities as well as in the funeral rite of the ancient population. To date, methods have been developed to identify the initial presence of a wide range of organic materials in various archaeological contexts. The methodological approach is based on studying the patterns of changes in the structure and number of the soil microbial community, as well as enzymatic activity in the case of the initial presence of certain substrates of plant and animal origin in the soil. A complex of microbiological indicators has been identified allowing to reconstruct the initial presence of cellulose, wool, leather, fat, urea and a number of other organic substrates. The article overviews of the results of using the methods of archaeological microbiology in the study of traces of farming and livestock breeding activities, the infrastructure of settlements and the funeral rite.

DOI: 10.31857/S086960630010975-1