NEW FINDINGS RELATING TO THE MAIKOP-NOVOSVOBODNAYA BURIAL RITE1

Two burials of human remains at the Maikop-Novosvobodnaya settlement of Chekon-2 in the Taman Peninsula, northwestern Caucasus, are described. The X-ray fluorescence analysis has revealed traces of cinnabar on the inside of the vault bones of one cranium. The totality of findings suggests that the Chekon-2 burials were sacrificial, and were arranged in a special area within the settlement.