?
Критерии выделения элитарных погребений Тувы в кыргызское время
The article examines the issue of criteria for identifying an elite burial complex in the Kyrgyz sites
of Tuva. The view of burial as a cultural phenomenon made it possible to abandon direct extrapolations of
the composition of the grave goods to the material level of the buried persons. There is considered composition
of three funerary monuments in Central Tuva microregion: Eilig-Khem III, Aimyrlyg II and Tora-
Tal-Arty. Comparison of the grave goods due to the proximity of the burial grounds to each other in terms
of ritual and time of creation (9th – early 11th centuries) made it possible to identify 3 social strata – ordinary
burials, burials with a military complex and elite burials, distinguished by the special richness of the
grave goods and the presence of specific prestigious items– «wealth complex». The size of the burial
mound and its location among the burial structures of previous eras on the same burial site were also identified
as significant signs of the social ranking of burials. The data of these indicators differ from analogues
in the Minusinsk Basin and, accordingly, can be considered as elements of a specifically Tuvan complex of
cultural features of the Yenisei Kyrgyz.