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* Работа выполнена в рамках гранта Правительства РФ (Постановление № 220), полученного ФГБОУ ВПО «Алтайский государственный университет», договор № 14.Z50.31.0010, проект «Древнейшее заселение Сибири: формирование и динамика культур на территории Северной Азии», а также госзадания Алтайского государственного университета, проект № 1006: «Использование естественнонаучных методов в реконструкциях историко-культурных процессов на Алтае в древности». исторические науки и археология Ключевые слова: Алтай, эпоха поздней бронзы, ирменская культура, керамика.

Purpose. The settlement of Zharkovo-3 is of different archaeological periods and contains materials from the Middle and Late Bronze Age. This site is important for studying the bone industry of the Bronze Age of steppe Altai, since, as a result of its excavations, a representative collection of bone tools and products was obtained. Among the main tasks of the study was not only to clarify the technological features of the manufacture and functional purpose of objects, but also to link them to specific cultural and chronological complexes.Results. A comprehensive study of bone artifacts has shown that objects of the developed Bronze Age are tools of leatherworking. Most of these are tools from the jaws of cattle, which were used to kneading the skin. For the Late Bronze Age, various types of products are characteristic: “tupiki” (blunt knives for kneading skins), scrapers, spatulas, needle holders, dart points, skates, etc. The raw material variety of tools for kneading skins made from the jaws of cattle, horses and sheep is of interest.Conclusion. In the materials of the settlement of Zharkovo-3 we find various strategies for the use of bone raw materials. The overwhelming majority of products can be attributed to natural and partial modifications, during the manufacture of which the natural form of the bone is preserved in whole or in part. In the studied collection of bone objects, leatherworking tools clearly predominate. This situation is typical for the sites of the Bronze Age of the steppe and forest-steppe belts of Eurasia.

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In this paper we discuss recent developments in documenting the spread of millet across the Eurasian steppes. We emphasize that, despite a recent proposal that millet consumption in southern Siberia can be attributed to the Early Bronze Age (i.e., the late third to early second millennium BC), at present there are no direct data for southern Siberia indicating the consumption of millet prior to the Late Bronze Age, from the 14th century BC. We also present in full the combined stable isotope and 14C datasets from the Minusinsk Basin to support this conclusion.