Ethnic and Cultural Mosaic in Western Baraba during the Late Bronze to Iron Age Transition (14TH-8TH Centuries BC)1

In the Late Bronze Age, a group of cultures dominated by that of the Irmen had appeared in the forest-steppe area located on the right bank of the Irtysh River basin. Different parts of this region were inhabited by populations from the Irmen, Suzgun, and Pakhomovskaya cultures as well as those related to the Relief-Band Ware culture. The degree of their interaction appears to have varied. Evidence suggests that the intensive development of this group occurred during the subsequent transitional period, which spanned from the Bronze to the Iron Age. Populations that inhabited the north, west and south-west regions migrated into this area to establish large and fortified trading posts.