Ushakov S. Ethnical Situation in the South-Western Crimea on the transition from antiquity to Middle Ages (III - mid VІ cent. CE).

The present dissertations tells items of ethnical history for the transitional period from antiquity to Middle Ages using the local situation at the South-Western Crimea as a base to illustrate the process. The study combinates ethnological, archaeological and historic approaches as well as other modern methods which could help to light the ethnical structure and dinamics of ancient population within noted region. The dissertation is based on a wide circle at written sources. It takes into account as well the most important part of up-to-date scientific publications devoted to the theme. The proposed text presents different groups of historical sources (works of ancient writers, results of excavations and anthropological data) by a synthetic way that is way to analyze the problem. The main attention is paid to the most characteristic features from the number of ethnical indicates. There are: funeral constructions (vaults, tombs etc.), funeral rite (cremation or inhumation, pose of the corpse etc.), fun eral goods (first of all, handmade vessels). Basing on archaeological evidence the author divides all vaults used within the region in three main types. Such way permits to define the structure of ancient cemeteries according to this new typology of vaults. Besides that it is possible to define seven types of tombs containing cremations. Although features of a funeral construction let to describe each type of a tomb, it is necessary to use some additional criteria to describe existed variants according to the rite of a burial. Vaults were characteristic for Sarmatians and Alans but inhumation was a future of Germanic burial. Study of funeral goods (handmade vessels, clay vessels first of all) permits to say about the predominant Sarmatic ethnos. Serving -bowls, pots, jugs, and so called 'vases' could relate to Heto-Dacians, chernyahovskaya, and velbarskaya archaeological cultures. Other categories of funeral goods mentioned in the dissertation are fibulae and claspes. Very important definitive features of Sar matian burials are: a pose of corpse, use of wooden coffins, special fills in a tomb. The general review of anthropological data coming from the fire large ancient cemeteries permits to name four main anthropological types in the region and put them on the map to illustrate some areals of their distribution in the late Roman / early Byzantine Crimea. All above-listed groups of sources become the base the construct a model of ethnical processes for the region during the noted transitional period. The ethnic history of that space of time in the Crimea could be divided into four main etaps. 1.The first half of the IIIrd cent. C.E. Late Scythian prevalence in the local population was finally falled by activity of Sarmatian immigrants. 2.The second half of the IIIrd cent. to the late IVth cent.C.E. Mass invasion of Sarmatians, Alans and Germans with their settling in the South-Western Crimea. There were at least two large migrations with the numerical strength of Alans. 3.Late IVth cent. to the mid Vth cent. C.E. Population cut down because of a Gunnish invasion. 4.The second half of the Vth cent. and the first half of the VIth cent. The temporal stability came. Gunnish tribes had settled steppes of the Crimean peninsula and just single groups of the of Gunns penetrated to the South-Eastern Taurica. The Alans settled at the fout of Crimean mountains. The Goths occupied central districts of the Crimean mountains. In the noted time period active mixation between Alans and Goths was beginning. The Gothian land (so-called "Dori") was placed in the heart of Crimean mountains with the center on the mountain of Mangup. The dissertation deseribes the Movement of erhnic processes including migrations and interaction of Late Scythians, Sarmato-Alans and Germans. The 'conclusion' tells the results of the study and define new perspective ways to more detailed investigation of the region.