The article deals with a series of wooden and bone combs of the IX-XIII centuries found on archaeological sites in the Middle and Lower Ob region. Ridges from the excavations of the Strelka and Nakhodka Bay settlements are published for the first time. A detailed morphological description of the products is given and the semantics of some ornaments is considered. The analysis of items was carried out using previously published similar products. The aboriginal population of the north of Western Siberia before the XIII century. mostly there were one-sided solid combs. Later, they were gradually replaced by imported products of ancient Russian appearance or similar, made on the spot according to imported samples. Medieval single-sided combs are considered not only as a hygiene item. Several functions are assumed and justified, such as a hairstyle element and a charm.

Keywords: North-Western Siberia, Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Ob River, Bolshoy Yugan River, Ob Bay, Samoyeds, ostyaks, ridges.

Introduction

To date, the issue of cultural, historical and ethnic unity of the population of the region under consideration remains unresolved. According to some researchers, the population of the northern part of Western Siberia for a long time consisted of culturally close ancestors of the Ob Ugrians and Samoyeds [Chernetsov, 1957, p. 180; Kosarev, 1991, p. 12-29; Khlobystin, 1993, p. 26; Semenova, 2001, p. 180, 181; Mogilnikov, 1997, pp. 206, 207; and others]. The period to be discussed corresponds to the Kintusov stage of the Ob-Irtysh cultural and historical community, currently dated to the end of the IX-middle of the XIII century. [Chemyakin and Karacharov, 2002, p. 57]. It is with this period that a number of researchers, beginning with V. N. Chernetsov (1957, p. 180), associate the beginning of the formation of the culture of the living Ugric and Samoyedic peoples.

The new materials obtained as a result of our own research, which contain, in addition to morphological, symbolic information, allow us not only to expand the range of archaeological sources, but also to present data that can be used to judge the processes of formation of elements of the culture of modern indigenous peoples of Northwestern Siberia-the Khanty, Mansi, Nenets and Selkups. The main objectives of this study are to introduce new sources-archaeological combs-into scientific circulation, analyze them using previously published similar items originating from monuments of Northwestern Siberia and neighboring territories, and generalize the characteristics of this category of items in the chronological period from the 9th to the 13th centuries.

Crests in traditional culture

Terminologically, when talking about combs, we mean only the type of products whose main functional purpose is related to hygiene,

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styling and decorating hairstyles. Morphologically, it is a plate with teeth located on one or two sides, made from a single billet or composite [Krylasova, 2007, p. 248; Bray and Trump, 1990, p.66]. The crest in the traditional culture of many peoples of Eurasia had and still has not only utilitarian, but also ideological significance. In world culture, it is a frequent attribute of mythological creatures and is endowed with magical properties [Myths of the peoples of the World, 1980, p. 47, 181, 574, etc.].

In the ethnographic literature, information about the crests of the indigenous peoples of Northwestern Siberia is not numerous [Peoples of Western Siberia..., 2005; Lukina, 1985; Sirelius, 2001, pp. 277-278, 322]. Wood and bone were used as materials for making combs, although metal products are also found [Aleksashenko and Perevalova, 2001, p. 177; Martin, 2004, p. 31].

The crest was included in the circle of significant generic items. The Khanty had a ban on taking it to the husband's family as a dowry, as well as putting it in the grave as part of the funeral equipment, since this can threaten relatives with misfortune, even death [Aleksashenko and Perevalova, 2001, p. 177; Taligina, 1995, p. 131]. The reverse norm is recorded for the burial rites of the forest Nenets (Aleksashenko and Perevalova, 2001, p. 177). In the mythology of the Ob Ugrians, the crest is one of the objects that serve as a barrier between worlds; it is also used in some rituals, including at the bear festival [Myths..., 1990, p. 65, 101; Aleksashenko and Perevalova, 2001, p.178].

A number of reasons allow us to emphasize the high semantic status and special sacred significance of the crest among the household items of the traditional clothing complex of the Siberian peoples. This significance is determined by the presence of an ornamental finial. One of the most striking examples demonstrating the connection between the ornament and the status of a thing is the decor recorded by us, which determines whether the object belongs to a descendant of the Obdorsky princes Taishins. Another important factor that determines high status is the touch of the crest to the head, which was associated in the minds of Siberian aborigines with the receptacle of the soul [Aleksashenko and Perevalova, 2001, p. 177; Peoples of Western Siberia..., 2005, p. 195].

In the material culture of the indigenous population of Northwestern Siberia, at least since the 17th century, there have been either imported crests made of bone and metal, or similar ones made according to imported samples; for example, such crests were found in the early layers of the Nadym Town (XVI-XVIII centuries) [Kardash, 20096, p.176, 251]. In this connection, early materials (IX-XIII centuries) are interesting, which are represented by products of a completely different appearance.

Ridges from archaeological sites of North-West Siberia

In this study, we took into account 18 intact and fragmented wood and bone ridges found in layers dating back to the 9th-13th centuries. Nine copies originating from the settlements of Strelka and Nakhodka Bay are published for the first time. According to the classification developed for archaeological sites of the Urals and North-Eastern Europe, ridges are divided into one-sided, one-sided, one-sided, two-sided and two-sided (Krylasova, 2007, p.249). Almost all instances included in our analysis are considered to be one-sided, while only one is a two-sided whole.

The earliest ridges were found during excavations of archaeological sites in the central and southern parts of the Sredneobskaya Lowland, in the Surgut district of the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug-in Yugra.

Ridge 1 was discovered at the Strelka settlement located in the middle reaches of the Bolshoy Yugan River (Fig. 1). The monument was identified in 1985 by an archaeological expedition of Tomsk State University under the leadership of Ya. A. Yakovlev, and during the survey in 2006 it was assigned to the Kintusov stage of the Ob-Irtysh cultural and historical community [Yakovlev, 1985, p. 7 - 8; Fefilova, 2008, p. 283]. In 2009, the expedition of NPO Severnaya Arkheologiya-1 LLC, led by the authors of this article, started stationary research on the ancient settlement. Based on radiocarbon dating and the typology of pottery, it is established that the settlement functioned from the end of the 7th to the second half of the 13th century. [Kardash, Ponomareva, 2010].

A fragment of a wooden ridge (Fig. 2, 1) was found in the defensive and residential complex of the settlement, in the filling of building No. 1. A part of the handle with three prongs has been preserved, the dimensions of the fragment are 3.6 x 2.6 x 0.6 cm. Using the few available grounds for reconstruction,it is possible to restore a 7. 5x4 cm comb with a flat rectangular handle and at least nine teeth (Fig. 2, 2). The handle on the front side is decorated with rows of lozenges with a central risk, arranged in a checkerboard pattern. On the reverse side, in the center of the preserved fragment, there is a leaf-shaped contour image - "eye".

Note that the ornament applied on the front side of the comb is also present in the decoration of ceramic vessels. Despite the fact that this motif -

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Fig. 1. Location of archaeological sites where ridges were found. 1-Yarte VI ancient settlement (late XI-XIII c.); 2-Nakhodka Bay ancient settlement (XII-early XIV c.); 3 - Saigatinsky III burial ground (VIII-IX c.); 4 - Strelka ancient settlement (VIII-XIII c.).

2. Materials of research in the Middle Ob region. 1-a wooden crest of the IX-early X (?) centuries from the Strelka settlement; 2-graphic reconstruction of this ridge; 3-a wooden crest with a bronze finial (VIII-IX centuries) from the Saigatinsky III burial ground; 4 - fragments of ceramic vessels of the IX-early X centuries (Vozhpai culture): a-from the settlement of Tyvyega-2; b-d - from the settlement of Strelka.

rhombic grid - widely distributed geographically and chronologically, including found on ceramic vessels of the cultures of the Urals and Western Siberia of the Eneolithic-final Bronze Age, in the Middle Ages within the territory of interest to us, it is characteristic only for Vozhpai type ceramics (IX-X centuries) [Chemyakin and Karacharov, 2002, pp. 56-57].. Co-

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vessels with similar decoration are found in the collection from the Strelka settlement (Figs. 2, 4, b - d), one each in the materials of the Tyvyega-2 settlement (Figs. 2, 4, a) and the Barsov Gorodok 1/31 settlement. The identity of the crest ornament and Vozhpai-type ceramics allows us to refer our find to the range of objects this culture can be dated to the IX-X centuries.

The rhombus and rhombic grid correspond to a wide semantic range. A. Golan believes that this pattern, which originated on a limited territory in the Paleolithic, acquired its semantics associated with the symbolism of the earth and the supreme female deity in the Neolithic period, after which it spread widely in various cultures of Eurasia [1993, p.86]. A number of authors associate the rhombus with land and crops (Ambrose, 1965; Rybakov, 1965, 1981, p. 17). With regard to the territory under consideration, the conclusion of A. Golan is interesting, according to which one of the animals that correlated with the god of the earth and, accordingly, with the image of a rhombus was a bear: "...among some peoples of Siberia, the supreme god, who has the appearance of a bear, was named Torim, which corresponds to... the name of the earth god is *t. r". Based on a number of facts, the researcher suggests that "the image of the bear is the most ancient hypostasis of the god of the earth, as well as god in general" [Golan, 1993, p. 94]. On the ethnographic materials known to us, the rhombus is present, and often at the heart of anthropo - and zoomorphic sacred images. Unfortunately, there are no special works that reveal the origin and semantics of such signs among the aborigines of northern Siberia yet. The study of this problem is the task of further research.

The symbolic sign "eye"on the reverse side of the crest also has a number of interpretations, but more definite ones. The image can be interpreted by a large series of graffiti on bronze and silver works of Eastern Toreutics from the first to the beginning of the second millennium AD, found on the territory of Western Siberia (Zykov and Fedorova, 2001; Karacharov, 2002). The authorship of the northern Aborigines in scratching anthropomorphic figures on such products is beyond doubt. The sign on the crest is made similarly to the images of the eyes and mouth of these figures.

According to the mythological ideas of the indigenous peoples of Siberia, the eyes are a special organ that can live independently, and in certain cases a person can temporarily alienate them from himself. In one of the Nganasan fairy tales, an old man sends his eyes in search of prey, in another, a dead man gets his eyes, after which he turns into a living person [Kosarev, 2008, pp. 351-352]. Similar images on a bronze mirror from the Elykaevsky hoard (Kemerovo region) M. F. Kosarev interprets the second half of the first millennium AD as "the eyes of otherworldly worlds" [Ibid., p. 382, fig. 71]. Thus, the sign on the crest can be interpreted as an eye, but this does not exclude the possibility that a mask with eyes and mouth made with identical elements could be depicted (Fig. 2, 2).

Crest 2 originates from the Saigatinsky III burial ground (see Figure 1). The monument is located on the bank of the Ostyatsky Zhivets Channel in the eastern part of the island in the right-bank floodplain of the Ob River, 40 km west of Surgut. In 1986, the burial ground was investigated by L. M. Terekhova [1986].

This specimen with a detailed description has repeatedly appeared in publications [Zykov et al., 1994, p. 90, 137; Karacharov, 19936, p. 116; Gordienko, 2008, p.78], so we will describe it briefly. A wooden comb with nine prongs is mounted in a bronze pommel. The teeth are preserved only in the upper part. The overall dimensions of the product are 5.0 x 7.6 cm. The pommel is made in the form of a three-dimensional image of a zoomorphic composition representing the figure of a horse located above the figure of an animal of the marten family (sable?). On the sides, the plot is bounded by pseudo-embroidered edging.

The crest from the Saigatinsky III burial ground dates from the 8th-9th centuries (Zykov et al., 1994, p. 137). It stands out among all the instances under consideration. First, it is the only known ridge in the IX-XIII centuries discovered as part of the burial inventory in Northwestern Siberia. Secondly, it is the only combined item. Probably, the cast bronze pommel was made specifically for the crest. Researchers have noted its Kama style and attributed it to the Ural influence [Gordienko, 2008, pp. 77-78].

Two series of ridges originate from monuments located on the Yamal Peninsula, in the northwestern part of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug of the Tyumen Region. A representative collection of items was obtained during the excavation of the settlement of Jarte VI*. The monument is located on the cape of the indigenous terrace on the left bank of the Yuribey River. It was discovered in 1990 by N. V. Startsev and investigated by excavations in 1990-1992 (A.V. Sokolkov) and 1995-1996 (N. F. Fedorova) [Kosinskaya and Fedorova, 1994, p. 41]. Most of the defensive and residential complex has been studied at the ancient settlement (Brusnitsyna and Oshchepkov, 2000: 83, 93). The monument is dated to the 14th century from 1010-1275 AD, according to dendrochronology-1071-1106 AD [Shiyatov and Khantemirov, 2000, p. 116; Litvinenko, 2004, p. 202].

Ridges from the site of Jarte VI have already appeared in publications, but researchers have limited themselves to

* We express our gratitude to the management of the I. S. Shemanovsky Yamalo-Nenets Regional Museum and Exhibition Complex for the opportunity to use the collection from the Yarte VI settlement.

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their overall characteristics [Aleksashenko and Perevalova, 2001; Litvinenko, 2004]. We will provide a detailed description of the morphology of the objects known to us, which is necessary for subsequent comparative analysis, and also suggest a reconstruction option for fragmented specimens. Eight combs were available to us, seven of which are made of wood, one of which is made of bone. All wooden combs belong to the one-piece single-sided type.

3, 1). Its width is 4.6 cm (in the lower part of the handle), length is 9.1 cm with a handle height of 3.3 cm and a tooth length of 5.8 cm. The handle with an arched back is narrowed in the lower part, the shield is separated from the teeth by a transverse relief bar. In the upper part of the backrest, there is a through hole in the center for hanging. The crest has seven large teeth that taper to the tip. The ornament is applied on both sides of the relief bar and consists of a series of slanted cut lines.

The comb 4 is also intact (Fig. 3, b). It has overall dimensions of 10.9 x 5.8 cm, a tooth length of 6.8 cm, and a handle height of 4.1 cm. The shape of the comb is similar to that described above. The handle surface on the front side is decorated with an ornament in the form of arches grouped in four vertical rows. There is no decoration on the reverse side.

The comb 5 is also completely preserved (Fig. 3, 5). The overall dimensions of the product are 7.7 x 3.7 cm, the length of the teeth is 4.5 cm, the height of the handle is 3.2 cm. The shape of the comb is similar to the previous two, but differs in smaller size and, accordingly, the number of teeth - five of them. Not ornamented.

The comb 6 is also practically intact (Fig. 3, 2). The overall dimensions of the object are 9.4 x 3.2 cm, the handle height is 3.0 cm, and the teeth length is 6.4 cm. The shape of the crest is similar to that of previous specimens, but the overall proportions are noticeably disturbed and only four teeth are present. In explaining this fact, we agree that "the ridge was corrected after damage and initially there were more teeth" (Aleksashenko and Perevalova, 2001, p. 179). This copy is decorated with a composition of arc-shaped lines and small semicircular recesses along the edge of the handle and horizontal bar.

3, 4). The length of the product is 9.1 cm, the teeth-4.8 cm. The width of the preserved part is 2.8 cm, this is approximately half of the handle with three teeth. It is possible to reconstruct the shape of the object by analogy with the crests 3-5. The handle is decorated with a complex ornament of arcs and wavy lines.

Crest 8 is represented by a central part with one tooth (Figs. 3, 3). The product length is 8.2 cm, the teeth - 4.8 cm, the end of the tooth is broken off, probably the length of the whole product was slightly longer, the width of the preserved part is 1.1 cm. It can be assumed that this product was similar to the described whole copies: the width of the handle was probably 4.0-4.5 cm, and

3. Ridges of the late XI-XIII centuries from the Yarte VI settlement. 1-7 - wood; 8-bone.

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the crest, respectively, had five teeth. The ornament is present on both sides of the shield, and it is different. On the one hand, thanks to the preserved slits, we reconstructed the contour cross, on the other hand, we partially preserved a complex geometric composition, which it is not possible to reconstruct reliably.

The comb 9 is represented by a part of the handle with two teeth (Fig. 3, 7). The ends of the teeth are not preserved. Fragment length is 6,8 cm, width 1,4 cm. The shape of the product is probably similar to the whole specimens described above 3-5. The comb is not ornamented.

In general, all wooden combs have quite a lot in common. They have the same shape of handle and teeth, the number of which in whole specimens varied from five to seven, and probably was mostly odd. The product proportions are also standard: the ratio of the total length and maximum width is approximately 2: 1, the teeth are 1.4 - 1.7 times longer than the handle. The ridges vary in size, but the proportions vary within small limits. The main differences are the degree of ornamentation and, in fact, the composition of these ornaments.

N. A. Aleksashenko suggested that such ridges could be used to prepare tendon threads [Ibid.]. This opinion seems to us to be unfounded. According to ethnographers, the indigenous peoples of Northwestern Siberia do not have a specialized "comb" for spreading tendons, but there is a comb for grass processed for making shoe insoles [Martin, 2004, pp. 78-79, Tables 13, 9; Sirelius, 2001, p. 312]. At present, the results of the traceological analysis can only be taken as a determination of the absence/presence of traces of disposal, especially since some of the ridges known to us do not have them. Without verification by other methods, conclusions about the origin of traces look unconvincing. It is doubtful that an object with such a sometimes very complex and semantically significant ornament had such a primitive utilitarian purpose. If such compositions were important for some local technological process, they would probably be preserved in ethnography, but we do not observe this. Nevertheless, it would be wrong to exclude the possibility of multifunctional use of ridges, especially in tundra conditions characterized by a harsh climate and poor resources. However, we continue to consider this item as an individual one, designed for combing hair, styling hairstyles, and also served as a talisman.

Crest 10, made of bone, is completely preserved, belongs to the type of solid two-sided (Fig. 3, 8). Its dimensions are 6.2 x 5.7 cm. The crest is rectangular in shape,the side faces are slightly concave. On the one hand, the teeth are often located, on the other-more rarely, their length is 2.2 - 2.3 cm. A small (1.5 cm) field between the teeth is divided by decoration into three horizontal stripes and decorated with small recesses along the upper and lower edges of the zones adjacent to the teeth.

Crests of this shape are often found on ancient Russian monuments of North-Eastern Europe. A large number of similar items were obtained from the excavations of Izborsk, Beloozero, Veliky Novgorod, etc. [Sedov, 2007, pp. 283-286; Zakharov, 2004, pp. 218-219, Fig. 226]. According to the Novgorod typology, similar crests belong to the "L" type and date from the end of the X-beginning of the XIII century. [Kolchin, 1982, p. 164-166]. Since this is the only two-sided comb in the representative series of products we are considering, and it also has direct Old Russian analogues, it can be attributed to imported items. It is less likely that it was copied from an imported sample.

Eight ridges originate from the Nakhodka Bay settlement. The monument is located on the eastern coast of the Yamal Peninsula at the mouth of the Hardeyakha River. The ancient settlement was discovered in 1961 by an ethnographic expedition of the Moscow State University under the leadership of L. P. Lashuk (Lashuk, 1968). In 2007 - 2008, the monument was investigated by the expedition of NPO Severnaya Arkheologiya-1 LLC under the leadership of O. V. Kardash (Kardash, 2008, 2009a). The regularities of the layout of the town, which existed from the first third of the XIII to the beginning of the XIV century, were revealed. During the excavation, the remains of two residential buildings were fully explored, and three more were partially explored. Crests of various degrees of preservation were found: three made of horn and five made of wood. Since the location of things in residential areas most likely indicates that they were deliberately left in certain places, describing the ridges, we will indicate their location. To preface the description, we note that all ridges are solid one-sided.

Crest 11 is completely preserved, it is made of reindeer antler (Fig. 4, 1). The object was found in the southern part of the central room of building No. 2, to the right of the hearth. The comb has a long, trapezoidal handle tapering to thin, short prongs, with two holes at the top, probably for hanging. The total length of the product is 8.5 cm, the maximum width is 4.8 cm, the thickness is 0.1 - 0.2 cm. The comb has six rounded teeth in cross-section, their maximum length is 3.0 cm. On the front side, the handle shield is decorated with a false-cord ornament consisting of three frames inscribed into each other with sides parallel to the edges of the product.

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4. Ridges of the mid-13th-early 14th centuries from the Nakhodka Bay settlement. 1, 2, 4 - bone; 3, 5-8-wood.

The ridge 12 is fragmented, made of horn (Fig. 4, 2). It was found in the south-western corner of the central room of building No. 1. Most of the crest handle and fragments of five prongs have been preserved. The overall shape of the handle is comparable to that of the ridges from the Yarte VI hillfort: the top of the shield is arched, in the middle part there is a slight narrowing, in the lower part there is a slight expansion, which is comparable to the transverse bar at the handle of the Yarta ridges. There is a single hanging hole at the top of the handle. The crest appeared to have six large teeth. In the lower part of the handle there is a straight ornamental frieze of meanders or wefts, it is difficult to determine more precisely due to the poor preservation of the surface of the product.

The ridge 13 is also fragmented and made of horn (Fig. 4, 4). It was discovered in building No. 4. More than half of the crest has been preserved: part of the handle, fragments of four teeth and one whole one. The length of the preserved part is 9 cm, width 2.5, thickness 0.5 cm. The handle of the comb is rectangular in shape, with an arch-

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the upper part, where the hanging hole is located. Its length is 5 cm, its width was probably about 4.5 cm. The total number of teeth could reach seven to eight. On the front side of the handle, you can see several lines that could represent some kind of ornamental composition.

Crest 14 is partially preserved, made of wood (Figs. 4, 5). It was found in the eastern part of the central room of building No. 1 near the hearth. A comb with a rectangular handle, an openwork pommel and probably with massive teeth. The overall dimensions of the preserved part are 6. 8x5. 7 cm, the handles are 2. 8x5. 7, the thickness is 1.0 cm. Of the six teeth, five are partially preserved. The handle is decorated on one side with rows of seven volutes, on the other - with two strips of a complex composition in the form of a "vine". Most of the openwork finial has not been preserved, and it is not possible to reconstruct it reliably.

The comb 15 is also not fully preserved, it is made of wood (Fig. 4, 6). It was discovered to the northwest of building No. 1. The overall dimensions of the object are 9.0 x 6.0 x 1.3 cm. The crest has a massive rectangular handle, the upper part is arched, with a small protrusion in the center, where the hole is located. The shield is separated from the teeth by a cut horizontal line. Five teeth (four partially preserved) are rather short and massive, probably their length did not exceed 1.5 - 1.7 cm. On one side of the ridge there are graffiti elements: voluta, wavy line.

Crest 16 has been preserved with minor losses and is made of wood (Figs. 4, 3). It was found in building No. 1. The overall shape of the object is similar to that of the entire ridges from the Jarte VI settlement: the handle with an arched back is separated from the teeth by a transverse bar, from which five teeth extend. But there are also differences: miniature dimensions (3. 8x3. 0x0. 8 cm) and the lack of narrowing at the handle in the part adjacent to the cross bar. The length of the teeth is 1.9 cm. The shield is decorated with three holes and a line cut parallel to the upper edge.

Crest 17 is also almost completely preserved, made of wood (Figs. 4, 8). It was discovered in building No. 5. This copy is similar to the comb 15, but has some differences in the shape of the handle and the ratio of the size of the handle and teeth. The overall dimensions of the product are 7.2 x 5.5 x 0.8 cm. The handle of the comb is rectangular in shape, with an arched back and a rectangular protrusion in the center. Four teeth were preserved, but probably there were six of them, 3.3 - 3.4 cm long. One horizontal line is cut in the center of the front side of the shield.

The ridge 18 is fragmented and also made of wood (Figs. 4, 7). It was found in building No. 4.

The edge of the handle with one massive prong has been preserved. The shape of the object was probably the same as that of the miniature comb 16. The dimensions of the preserved part are 6.1 x 1.1 x 0.9 cm. On one side of the shield is an ornament in the form of two arc-shaped lines located on top of each other, on the other - a drawn line parallel to the outer edge of the shield, and a small hole inside this contour.

The ridges from the Nakhodka Bay settlement are chronologically the latest. It should be noted that there is no single standard in the appearance of this series of items, in contrast to the collection from the monument to Jartha VI. Both the proportions of the ridges and their design are different. It can be noted that in the general appearance of the objects there are elements characteristic of the Kama tradition, as well as similarities with the fairly homogeneous series from the Yarte VI settlement. Most copies have holes for hanging, probably they were worn as part of a suit.

Conclusion

The earliest ridges known in the north of Western Siberia are of the solid one-sided type. They originate from the excavations of the Ust-Poluy settlement and are associated with the Ust-Poluy culture, whose antiquities date from the first century BC to the 1st century AD (Moshinskaya, 1953, p.98). In the adjacent territories, in particular in the Kama region, the earliest such ridges belong to the Ananyin period (VIII-V centuries BC) [Angikhmina, Chernykh, Shatalov, 2006, p.201]. It can be concluded that this type is the most archaic for the entire territory of Northwestern Siberia, at least since the first century BC.

The period of the IX-XIII centuries under consideration is also characterized by solid one-sided ridges. Most of them can be defined as long-toothed, in which the ratio of the size of the teeth and the handle is 2:1. Another common feature is a small number of teeth: for most objects it ranges from five to seven, and only in some specimens it reaches 11. This feature brings them closer to the crests of an earlier time. At the end of the period, single specimens of the whole bilateral melkozub type appear in the aboriginal population, they are of imported origin.

The handles of most combs are ornamented. The ornament is not completely repeated in any case, which may well be due to the individual characteristics of the owners. In the collection of items from the Nakhodka Bay settlement, only a few items are decorated, among them-most of the ridges. There are not isolated cases of matching ornaments on crests and other household items. Similar facts can be found here-

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M. G. Ivanova based on the materials of the Idnakar settlement [1998, p. 189]. This allows us to conclude that the set of ornamental motifs used in the decoration of crests is not accidental, but reflects, like the ornament on ceramic dishes, some mythological ideas. O. A. Kondratieva comes to a similar conclusion [1999, pp. 81-82]. The use of identical ornaments for decorating various household items can confirm the fact that certain ornamental schemes were an important cultural defining feature.

Judging by the presence of holes for hanging on some ridges, traces of scuffing and special ornamentation, they could have been worn around the neck, as well as on the belt as a talisman. Similar facts are noted in the Urals materials [Ivanova, 1998, p. 170]. Another possible use of the comb is to use it to form a hairstyle. Archaeological data indicate that in contrast to the Russian monuments of northern Siberia, in the cultural layer of which a large number of shorn hair is found, on aboriginal sites, in particular in Nadymsky Gorodok, such facts of hair cutting are not recorded [Vizgalov and Parkhimovich, 2008, p.116]. Based on the eloquent information of V. F. Zuev about the Samoyeds and northern Ostyaks, which is not superfluous to give in full, it can be assumed that in the Middle Ages the hairstyle of the aborigines of the North was formed without a haircut: "Their hair is already rough and stiff, like bristles, and they also never scratch them and do not know that there is combing your hair in the world. Men shave the hair from the forehead around the head, but leave the top with thick hair simply, and although they do not care about braiding it into braids, however, the hair itself falls down the braids and lies on the head like a strong felt wig..."[1947, p. 27]. These data suggest that for the hygiene of such hair, not only small-toothed, but also large-toothed combs are hardly applicable and, quite possibly, they were used for a certain hairstyle and as a decorative element or amulet.

To confirm our assumption about the use of a comb as a hairstyle element and to demonstrate a possible method of using crests by the medieval population of Siberia, we present the hairstyles of the aborigines of Madagascar (Fig. 5). This analogy is certainly far and ambiguous, but the morphological similarity of the objects suggests that the medieval population of Western Siberia may have used crests in a similar way.

It was noted above that as part of the costume, the comb could serve as a talisman. During the excavations of the ancient settlement of Nakhodka Bay, it was possible to record the fact of deliberate placement of things in the space of dwellings before leaving the settlement: in different houses, objects identical in function were located in the same places. This also applies to the ridges found to the right of the hearth and in the left front corner. It can be assumed that the whole combs were used as a talisman of the dwelling.

In the funerary monuments of northern Siberia, combs are extremely rare - this is one product from the burial ground of the IX century. Saigatinsky III and one of the burial grounds of the XVII century. Kintusovsky IV [Zykov et al., 1994, p. 90; Karacharov, 1993a, p. 85]. Since metal objects are represented in both cases, it is logical to assume that crests, as a semantically important object, were more often present in the composition of funeral equipment, but due to their predominant manufacture from organic materials, they were not preserved. The fact of including a brass comb in the funerary inventory of the Yugan Khanty at the end of the XIX century is known. [Martin, 2004, p. 31]. The presence of crests both in medieval burials and in later, ethnically identifiable ones suggests that their semantic meaning, despite the fact that some of the most ancient burials are located in the Middle Ages, can be determined by the fact that they are located in the Middle Ages.-

5. Unilateral combs in the hairstyle of the aborigines of Madagascar Island. Photo by Zh. Fableh, 1939, 1940. [A Madagascar..., 2010, pp. 31, 33, 41].

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the change in shape lasted for a long time. From this point of view, it is possible to explain the existence of two contradictory traditions among the indigenous peoples of Northwestern Siberia (the Khanty and forest Nenets) concerning the inclusion of the crest in the funerary inventory (Aleksashenko and Perevalova, 2001, p.177). In our opinion, the tradition in which the deceased "must take his comb to the grave" should be considered the most ancient, and the prohibition to put the comb in the grave should be defined as a late phenomenon of deformation of the semantic meaning of the object.

A fairly large number of crests in the cultural layer of settlement monuments indicates their widespread use, and the presence of complex ornamental compositions and symbols on some specimens, as well as holes for hanging, confirms their special semantic status. In this connection, a natural question arises, what is the reason for the disappearance of the traditional form of such a significant object of material culture of the aborigines of northern Siberia? On monuments later than the XIII-XIV centuries, only two-sided solid crests of the Old Russian appearance are found. In our opinion, the displacement of a stable morphological form of an object with a high semantic status could have occurred either as a result of a change in population, or under the influence of a different, stronger cultural tradition. The latter seems most likely, since it coincides with the chronicles of a series of campaigns of Novgorodians in Ugra in the XI-XIV centuries.! chronicle..., 1950, p. 40-42; Tale of Bygone Years..., 1910, p. 227; Shcheglov, 1993, p. 15-20]. Judging by the contractual Novgorod charters, from the XIII-XIV centuries. Ugra is repeatedly mentioned as part of Novgorod volosts (Shcheglov, 1993, pp. 15-20). Of course, the localization of chronicle Ugra remains a debatable problem, far from a final solution, and primarily due to the fact that its territorial alignment has changed in different historical periods. In any case, this name determines the vector of Novgorodians ' action towards North-Western Siberia, which will help us to understand the archaeological material at our disposal more objectively in the future.

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