Zdor M.Y.   Gerasimov U.V.   Korusenko M.A.   Bondarev A.  

OSTEOLOGICAL COLLECTIONS OF THE SETTLEMENT CHERTALY-I.

Reporter: Zdor M.Y.

The settlement of Chertaly-I is located on the rock terrace of the right bank of the Tara River. It was detected in 1988 by B.V. Melnikov. Excavations were undertaken in 1988-1990 and 2010-2011 in order to explore the area.  The total excavation area constituts 2.66% of the total area of the monument.  Representative collections of finds were obtained, mainly bones (of various degrees of fragmentation). The archaeological monument is attributed as the remains of the settlement of the historical ancestors of the Tara Tatars, which existed during the second half of the XVII – XVIII centuries. The article discusses the osteological part of the collections. Several characteristics are considered, among them quantity of items and their species membership. Moreover, taxonomic affiliation is analyzed, the age profile of bone remains is evaluated, and its other characteristics are considered. The data obtained is compared with the manufactured objects of the collections and the available ethnographic information.