Burial Practice and Chronology of “Minor” Necropoleis at Gonur Depe Protourban Site, Bronze Age, Turkmenistan

The article summarizes the data on the planigraphy, chronology and funerary practice of the “minor” necropolises of Gonur Depe site (Southeastern Turkmenistan, 2300–1500 cal. BC). The analyzed necropolises are located in several excavation areas of Gonur North (8, 12, 16 and 18) and on the satellite settlement of Gonur-20. Apparently, places free from buildings were initially chosen for the construction of burial structures. Later, spaces previously occupied by buildings and other objects began to be used as burial places. Most excavation areas had cases of inlet burials that cut through the walls of buildings. A total of 57 radiocarbon dates were obtained from five excavation areas, including 35 AMS dates. All dates were calibrated to a single standard using the OxCal v.4.4.4 software and the IntCal20 Northern Hemisphere radiocarbon age calibration curve. The most intensive use of “small” Gonur Depe necropolises can be dated to the turn of the 3rd and 2nd millennia BC. The appearance of cemeteries in the examined areas is preliminarily synchronized with the end of the 1st, the 2nd and 3rd construction horizons of the Gonur North palace-temple ensemble. Comparative statistical analysis of the funerary attributes indicates that “small” Gonur Depe necropolises differ from each other mainly in the age-at-death of the buried individuals. This found reflection in the predominance of certain grave types in each specific excavation area. The relationships between funerary treatment variables for the different areas are very similar which specified well-known conservatism of BMAC burial practice in time and space

Ancient history · Archaeology · Bronze · Bronze Age · Chronology · Geography · Ancient Near East History · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Eurasian Exchange Networks · History