The Issue of Chronological Classifi cation of Monuments of the Mellia-Tamak Type

The article features a publication of material on the Mellia-Tamak V burial ground. Starting with the 1970s, the Early Bolgar Archaeological Expedition headed by the author of the article has discovered and researched the unique sites of the Stone Age in the Trans-Kama areas of Tatarstan, such as Minnarovo, Russkii Shugan and Mellia-Tamak burial grounds, as well as the Izmeri site. Of particular significance are the Minnarovo and Mellia-Tamak V burial grounds. The author distinguishes the necropoleis of the Mellia-Tamak type located in the Trans-Kama region and the Southern Urals. They are characterized by abundant and unique burial inventories indicating the foreign nature of the population they were established by. It allowed the author to attribute these sites to a new Mellia-Tamak archaeological culture. Its chronological classification remains problematic, although many groups of the stone inventory have preserved evident Mesolithic traditions.