ABOUT ONE TYPE OF TALC ITEMS FROM THE KOKSHAROVSKY KHOLM NEOLITHIC SANCTUARY IN THE MIDDLE TRANS-URALS

The original talc products, conventionally called «talc rods with and without notches» by the authors of the article, are the subject of the analysis. 15 fragments of such items are similar to each other. They have a segment-shaped plan with narrowed ends and a deliberately flattened base. The face opposite the flattened base is usually deliberately sharpened, so the cross-section of artifacts is rectangular, but with a pointed end, or wedge-shaped. Most products have a reconstructed length of 9–11 cm, height 1.6–2.1 cm, width of flattened bases 0.7–0.9 cm. On the sharpened edges of 6 items there are 3, 4, 11 notches, but more often (3 copies) 9 notches. On the side surface of one such artifact there is an ornament in the form of a double horizontal zigzag. A similar composition is noted on one of 9 such rods without notches. 2 complete talc artifacts are different from the rest. One of them, a rectangular block, in its morphological characteristics combines the characteristics of both talc rods with notches (one of its faces is decorated with 14 notches) and transversely grooved products. This is the presence of a transverse groove on its opposite face. The second rod is different from the others in the series: its ends are practically not narrowed, but only rounded, so in plan its shape is closer to rectangular. There are no ornaments or notches. It appears to be a natural talc slab; or a product blank abandoned at the initial stage of processing due to the poor-quality layered structure of talc. The probable time of operation of these objects is the late Neolithic era of the Trans-Urals, the time of residence on the Koksharovsky Kholm sanctuary of the Poludenka and Bas’yanovo population groups, which could have used them in ritual practice.