Exploration on Derkul

The detachment of the expedition of the archaeological laboratory of the Saratov University began to survey the basin of the Derkul river in the Ural region. The exploration route ran from Vavilov to Chesnokovo, within the Kamensky district. More than 30 Neolithic - Bronze Age sites, barrow groups and individual barrows have been discovered.

The Neolithic - Bronze Age sites are located on the first terrace above the floodplain of the river, sometimes - on the oxbow lakes. According to the nature of the stone industry, Neolithic-Eneolithic monuments can be divided into two groups. The first and most numerous are sites where quartzite was used as raw material, and flint is found in single specimens (Stepnoe I, II; Chesnokovo I-III; Kuznetsovo IV; Vavilovo I, III; Vostochnoye I-III; Samannoe 1, II; Kamenka I, II; Derkul I - III; Pogranichnoye; Shipovo I, II; Pravoberezhnoye). The second, not numerous, group includes sites with a combination of flint and quartzite microlithic industry of a Neolithic nature, where jasper is also found (Vavilovo II; Kuznetsovo I, II; Razezd). Stone inventory - flakes, cores, knife-like plates, scrapers, cutters, scrapers, arrowheads, knives, chippers. A fragment of a mace was found at the Pravoberezhnoye site, a segment was found at Vavilovo II, and a trapezoid with a planed back was found at Derkul III. Ceramics is extremely rare and has an admixture of organic matter, crushed shells, and sometimes fireclay and talc. Single fragments are ornamented with a jagged stamp, sometimes in the form of a “walking” comb, and have analogies in the materials of the Caspian and South Trans-Urals.

On the settlements of Stepnoe II; Chesnokovo I, II; Vostochnoye III; Zalivnoye; Vavilovo III; Derkul III; Razezd collected pottery from the advanced stage of the Srubnaya culture. From the pit, laid on the edge of the dwelling depression of the settlement of Chesnokovo I, comes a grooved sandstone stone with a sign, probably symbolizing the head of a ram.