NOVOSIBIRSK STATE PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY
The unique archaeological profile was established by scientists from Novosibirsk in the Vengerovsky district during the 2024 excavation season. Evidence of human habitation spanning several millennia (from the Neolithic period to the Middle Ages) was discovered on the terrace in the Taya area (located on the right bank of the Tartas River, 4.5 km from the village of Vengerovo), with each cultural layer distinctly separated from the others. According to RAS Academician and NSPU Professor Vyacheslav Ivanovich Molodin, sites with such clearly defined stratigraphy are exceptionally rare in the field of archaeology.
- Together with my student, Senior Researcher Marina Sergeevna Nesterova from the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, we decided to establish a profile along the slope of the Taya terrace to investigate the possibility of ancient settlements at the base of this terrace, which stands at a height of 8 metres. Upon cutting into the terrace, we observed a “striped” pattern. The earliest layer, based on our estimates, dates back to the 8th-7th millennia BC, corresponding to the early Neolithic period. In the subsequent layer, we found ceramics from the Andronovo culture, which belongs to the early Bronze Age, around the 3rd millennium BC. We then identified a layer associated with the Krivich culture (from the end of the 3rd to the first half of the 2nd millennium BC), followed by layers from the Middle Ages. Alongside the ceramics, we discovered animal bones in each layer and are currently awaiting the results of radiocarbon analysis, which will enable us to date these layers more accurately. In the layer associated with the Krivich culture, we also uncovered remnants of a structure, and we now need to ascertain whether it was part of a settlement or a burial complex, - stated Vyacheslav Ivanovich Molodin.
According to the archaeologist, the water level in the Tartas River fluctuated frequently, rising to flood extensive areas before receding. As a result, the inhabitants of the Taya region were compelled to vacate these areas at times, relocating to higher ground, only to return later - sometimes after thousands of years. The cultural layer from the preceding era was covered by silt, creating a sort of "layered cake" effect.
Opposite the excavated terrace, on the left bank of the Tartas River, is the Tartas-1 burial complex, where excavations have been taking place for the past 20 years, involving specialists from the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences as well as students from NSPU engaged in archaeological practice. Researchers do not discount the possibility of a link between this complex and the recently uncovered site.
In 2025, Vyacheslav Ivanovich Molodin stated that specialists intend to carry out geophysical surveys of the left bank of the Taya region in order to seek out other archaeological sites that have not been previously identified.
