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The Archeological Investigation of the Yakut Ground Burials (XIII–XIX Century): Results and Perspectives // Tomsk Journal of Linguistics and Anthropology. 2025. Issue 2 (48). P. 108-119

The burial monuments of the Yakuts (Sakha) of the Middle Ages and modern times are represented by socalled arangas, as well as above-ground and inhumation burials. This paper offers a historiographical overview of the studies on the Yakut burials of the XIIIth to XIXth centuries, which includes the analysis of the collected data and the insights gained based on their interpretation. This work makes it possible to describe the existing source base, systematize the results of previous studies, define key areas for further research, and suggest approaches to resolving disputes. As a result of analyzing the available sources and scholarly works, three main phases of research on Yakut burials were identified. The first phase (1888–1940s) can be characterized as a period of initial accumulation of factual material associated with the need to replenish the object fund of the Yakutsk Regional Museum. Archaeological research had a clearly defined regional focus. From the second phase (1950s–1990s), research began to pursue a comprehensive approach under the direction of professional archaeologists and ethnographers. An extensive source base became the basis for the study of various aspects of traditional culture, ethnogenesis, and the early phases of Yakut ethnic history, as well as for the reconstruction of elements of burial rites. In the third phase (2000s), a comprehensive interdisciplinary investigation of the funerary monuments began with a broad application of scientific methods. The correlation of burial and settlement monuments of the early Yakut archaeological Kulun-Atakh culture of the Yakuts from the 10th to 16th centuries makes it possible to correct the existing hypotheses about the origin and ethnic history of the Yakuts and the analysis of burial materials from the 17th to 19th centuries updates the reconstruction of traditional models of their material and spiritual culture, worldview and social structure. The study uses comparative-historical, historical-typological, historical-systemic, and retrospective-chronological methods.

Keywords: Yakuts, Middle Ages, modern times, burials, history of studies, research phases, material interpretation, Isteekh Byraan cemetery

Early Yakut Funerary Monuments of the Khangalassky District of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) (17th Century) // Tomsk Journal of Linguistics and Anthropology. 2026. Issue 1 (51). P. 102-114

At the current stage of research on ancient Yakut burial rituals, identifying the earliest monuments from the 15th to 17th centuries remains challenging. Using modern dating methods, archaeologists studying Yakut ground burials have classified them as a distinct group. In the past decade, researchers have uncovered a significant layer of archaeological heritage from the late medieval period that requires scientific attention and initial analysis. This work discusses several monuments identified through exploration by the Srednelensky group of the archaeological expedition of the Institute for Humanities Research and Indigenous Studies of the North, Siberian branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, in the Zhersky and Oktemsky naslegs of the Khangalassky district of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). These findings provide new materials and opportunities for reconstructing the worldview of the ancient inhabitants of Central Yakutia. Analysis of existing sources provides new information on the spatial arrangement of archaeological objects. The study reveals a dependence of burial monument placement on the landscape. This research also examines elements that have not previously been documented in ancient Yakut burial rituals. Fieldwork has identified a variety of deviant postures of the deceased, such as lying on the side, semi-side, and semi-sitting with tucked legs. It is suggested that this diversity in corpse positioning may be linked to several factors, including physical characteristics and ancient beliefs about sleeping postures. Thus, the late medieval populations of Central Yakutia sought, within their worldview, to ensure the greatest comfort for the deceased to prevent their return to the world of the living. The analysis of accompanying grave goods, together with other data, provides opportunities to determine the social status of the deceased during their lifetime. Furthermore, the materials reveal the previously undocumented phenomenon of postinhumation intervention – the removal of the skull followed by the ‘tangling’ of the legs to neutralize the deceased. The research employs historical-comparative and historical-systems methods.

Keywords: Yakutia, early Yakut burials, Khangalassky district, Yakuts, Middle Ages