Aks'onov V. Men and horses' co-burings of the se cond half of the VIII- IX-th centuries in the upper reaches of the Seversky Donets (on the materials of the Saltov soil cemeteries).

Master's thesis analyses the problems of men and horses' co-burings of the second half of the VIII - IX-th centuries made by the inhumation and cremation rites. Those co-burings were investigated in the Seversky Donets basin area between the Verchny-Saltov archaelogical complex (in the north of the area) down to the site of ancient town Mayatskoye (south; now the Donetsk region) and from Topoli village (east) to Suchaya Gomolsha complex (west). It starts scientific using the materials of the monuments investigated during the last decades. About 100 funeral complexes from 8 monuments of the region are brought together to one collection. It also gives the detailed description of the funeral rite and inventory. The work is distinguishing 5 types (with some variants) of men and horses' co-burnings made by the inhumation and 2 other types made by the cremation rite. The time of the existence of some co-burnings is verified as well. 3 chronological groups of co-burnings with the horse had been defined and da ted as the middle - the end of the VIII-th cent., the end of the VIII-th beginning of the IX-th cent., the beginning - the third quarter of the IX-th cent. Much attention is given to the problem of co-burnings' social attribution. The author is defining several group of co-burnings which had belonged to the military upper crust of that time: to the squadron commanders (A gr.) and foremen (Б gr.), rank-and-file warrior riders (B gr.) who were inequality in their property and to well-to-do ordinary commune members (Г gr.). The work is examining the dependence of the weaponry in different communes upon social and political situation in the region of the different stades of the Chazar state. The author succeeded to define on an ethnic and cultural plane those burials which had Turkic, Turkic and Ugrian funeral traditions as well as Turkic, Ugrian and Alanion. That gave the opportunity to define the inhabitants' possible ethnic belonging.