Definition: The Sungir archaeological site is an enormous Upper Paleolithic archaeological settlement and cemetery located on the Great Russian Plain outside of Vladimir, Russia, with human burials and occupations dated between 20,000 and 28,000 years ago.
The site included house structures, hearths, storage pits, tool production areas. Several elaborate multiple burials were also identified. Grave goods found in the Sungir burials include literally thousands of ivory beads, bracelets, and pendants, as well as delicate sculptures of a horse and mammoth.
Excavations at Sungir were first conducted by Otto Bader in the 1950s, more recent excavations have been conducted by the Russian Archaeological Society.
The site included house structures, hearths, storage pits, tool production areas. Several elaborate multiple burials were also identified. Grave goods found in the Sungir burials include literally thousands of ivory beads, bracelets, and pendants, as well as delicate sculptures of a horse and mammoth.
Excavations at Sungir were first conducted by Otto Bader in the 1950s, more recent excavations have been conducted by the Russian Archaeological Society.
Sources
Formicola, Vincenzo 2007 From the Sunghir children to the Romito dwarf: Aspects of the Upper Paleolithic funerary landscape. Current Anthropology 48(3):446-452.
Kuzmin, Y. V., G. S. Burr, A. J. T. Jull and L. D. Sulerzhitsky. 2004. AMS 14C age of the Upper Palaeolithic skeletons from Sungirnext term site, Central Russian Plain. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms 223-224:731-734.
This glossary entry is part of the Dictionary of Archaeology.
Alternate Spellings: Sungaea, Sunghir
