Поселение Киракле-Тобе. Новый памятник эпохи средневековья в дельте реки Волга

As a result of archaeological exploration in 2022 in the Astrakhan region, a new archaeological site was identified on the territory adjacent to the Bolda River. The object is located on the left bank of the river on the Baer knoll “Kirakle-Tobe”, previously known as the burial ground of the same name. During archaeological exploration, a large amount of raised material (fragments of ceramics and bones) and signs of a cultural layer, such as ash spots, numerous fragments of ceramic vessels, and bone fragments, were discovered on the surface of the knoll. Ceramic materials discovered during the examination of the Baer knoll “Kirakle-Tobe” find close analogies with archaeological sites of the pre-Saltovsky period of Seaside Dagestan of the 7th-8th centuries. (Verkhniy Chir-Yurt settlement, Adrey-aul settlement, Novokulinskoe settlement, etc.). The discovery of these materials in the Volga River delta region can be associated with the resettlement of the Khazar population as a result of increased Arab expansion in the first half of the 8th century, and also suggest a synchronous existence with the above-mentioned objects. As a result of archaeological surveys in 2022, a new archaeological site was identified on the territory adjacent to the Bolda River — the settlement of Kirakle-Tobe, where artifacts were found that had not previously been found on the territory of the Astrakhan region. The object is located on the left bank of the river on a natural hill — the Barovsky hill of Kirakle-Tobe. During the exploration, a large amount of lifting material (fragments of ceramics, bones, stone, beads) was found on the surface of the hillock. Signs of a cultural layer are recorded on the entire surface of the hillock (including in outcrops and outbursts of norms of earthmoving animals): ashy spots, numerous fragments of ceramic vessels, fragments of bones. Pit No. 1 was laid on the hillock, which discovered an economic pit and part of a large excavation. The materials found in the pit correlate with the finds on the surface of the hillock, which allows us to speak about the unity of the complex. The ceramic materials obtained during the examination of the Kirakle-Tobe hillock find close analogies with the monuments of the pre-Salt time of Primorsky Dagestan of the 7th –8th centuries. (Upper Chir-Yurt settlement, Adreyaul settlement, Novokulinsky settlement, etc.). The penetration of such materials into the delta of the Volga River can be attributed both to the result of the resettlement of the Khazar population as a result of increased Arab expansion in the first half of the 8th century, and to assume a synchronous existence with the above-mentioned objects.