STERLITAMAK BURIAL GROUND

STERLITAMAK BURIAL GROUND, Levashovsky Burial Ground, an archaeological site of the 8–9th centuries. Located in the north, on the outskirts of Sterlitamak. It was discovered and dug out between 1947–49 during the construction of a soda factory (ref. Bashkir Soda Company). It was studied between 1950–51 by R.B. Akhmerov and P.K.Mikhailov. Presumably, it belongs to the category of burial mounds. Approx. 16 graves were studied. The dead were buried in simple grave pits 0.4–1.5 m deep, on their backs, heads pointing W, S, SW and NW. The pottery found was represented by round-bottom spherical vessels and a jug. The burial inventory consisted of weapons (iron swords, sabers, arrowheads, spears, battle axes, a knife, and remnants of a scabbard with silver and gold inlay), horse harness accessories, a belt set (iron, bronze and silver buckles, belt tips with carved ornamental patterns, plaques with images of a face, etc), jewelry (glass, paste, bronze beads, gold, silver and bronze earrings, bronze and silver rings, silver hryvnia, etc), gold and silver eyecup, bronze mirrors, a silver Central Asian cup from the 8–9th centuries AD with plant ornament, a bowl without ornament, remnants of silk, and linen (or wool) fabrics. There were also found silver Umayyad and Abbasid dirhams (712, 743, 770, 774, and 779) and a golden Umayyad dinar (705–706). According to V.A.Ivanov, this burial ground belongs to the Kara- Yakup culture. N.A.Mazhitov, however, believes that it belongs to the Turbasly culture (ref. Archaeological cultures). The materials of this artifact are stored in the National Museum of the RB, Sterlitamak Museum.