Andrey V. Epimakhov^1,2,*, Fedor N. Petrov^3,**

¹South Ural State University, Chelyabinsk, Russia
²Institute of History and Archaeology, Ural Branch of the RAS, Yekaterinburg, Russia
³Chelyabinsk “Arkaim” State Historical and Cultural Reserve, Chelyabinsk, Russia

*E-mail: epimakhovav@susu.ru
**E-mail: steppe_exp@mail.ru

Keywords: Bronze Age, Southern Trans-Urals, radiocarbon dating, settlement.

Serial AMS radiocarbon dating of 12 organic samples from the cultural layer of the Levoberezhnoe (Sintashta II) settlement made it possible to clarify the chronological positions of the Late Bronze Age cultural traditions represented at the site. Four samples are associated with the Sintashta stage of the fortified settlement within the 20–19 centuries cal. BC; one sample belongs to the household zone of the Cherkaskul dwelling and is dated to the 17th century cal. BC; seven samples from the dwelling with original materials close to the Mezhovka and Sargary traditions are dated within the 14–11 centuries cal. BC. Sintashta dates correspond well to the previously established chronological interval. It is important to note that the rectangular fortified settlement of Levoberezhnoe with a linear layout fits into the early part of this interval, which was previously proposed to be associated only with circular settlements. The Cherkaskul date is one of the earliest for this culture, but it does not contradict stratigraphic observations at some sites. The dating of a large dwelling, conditionally attributed by the authors to the Mezhovka culture, correlates well with the first period of the Bronze Age Finale in the Trans-Ural steppe.

DOI: 10.31857/S086960630012103-2