New Data on the Results of the Study of the Funeral and Memorial Complex the Tsagan-Khushun-II “a” on the Coast of Lake Baikal
Funeral and memorial complexes are the objects consisting of human burials and memorial structures or ritual masonry, under which there may be objects that have some symbolic meaning for the people who built them. One of such objects on the Baikal coast is the site of the Iron Age Tsagan Khushun-II in the Priolkhonye. Until now, it was considered an object with one type of funeral rite - the Elginsky, which existed on the territory of the Baikal region from the 3rd century BC to the 4th ; century AD. Those buried in the grave pits were laid crouched, on their sides, with their heads oriented to the southeast. However, the excavations carried out in recent years have revealed an earlier type of burial - Butukheysky. For the Butukheysky burial rite, the position of the person buried in the grave pit is elongated, on his back, with his head oriented to the southeast. Radiocarbon dates were obtained from the bones of those buried from two Butukheysky burials discovered in the southern part of the burial ground. The age of burial No. 23 corresponds to the erd - beginning of the 2nd ; centuries BC, the age of burial No. 31 - II - beginning of the 1st ; centuries BC. Thus, the Butukheysky and Elginsky burial traditions have existed together for more than two centuries. Their representatives buried their dead in the same burial grounds.