Chelnokov M. The problem of ethno-cultural interpretation of the East European Early Roman Age antiquities in scientific literature.

The dissertation is devoted to study of main scientific issues in research of ethno-cultural context of East European Early Roman Age antiquities. After analysis of wide range of historiographical sources four stages in research of respective sets of problems are distinguished. Also the dissertation outlines most important questions in contemporary studies which cause animated polemics among archaeologists and still remain unresolved. In the work is established that most active archaeological excavations of East European Early Roman Age sites were carried out in 1980s. The clear and purposeful program of investigation stipulated at that time an appearance of orderly built scientific conceptions which considered Early Roman Age archaeological groups of Eastern periphery of Barbaricum as independent ethno-cultural formations. During that period of research were discovered and investigated vast majority of East European Early Roman Age settlements. As a consequence of historiographical review we can pick out several clusters of scientific issues remaining unresolved. The most substantial among them in regard to question of early stages of Slavic ethnogenesis appears a problem of Late Zarubintsy antiquities structure. While settlements similar to Maryanivka and Lyutezh are properly investigated excavations in Pripyat Polesie and Upper Dnieper region have just begun. Such state of affairs may cause somewhat distorted view on Late Zarubitsy horizons as emerged foremost around Middle Dnieper region traditions closely related to Classical Zarubintsy substrate.