Certain Aspects of the Samara Culture Investigation

The problems of the Samara culture origin in the context of the Eneolithic cultures development in the whole steppe and forest-steppe Volga river region territory are discussed in the article. The view of the Samara culture formation that had resulted from the interaction of a variety of southern (the Caspian area) and northern (forest and forest-steppe area) groups of the Neolithic Volga-Ural population prevails. Based on the analysis of ceramics and anthropological materials of the S'yezzhee burial ground, the author concludes that the Samara culture had been formed as a result of a western cultural and racial impulse from the Mariupol cultural community, being subsequently influenced by the Khvalynsk culture bearers