THE ROLE OF MIGRATION IN THE EVOLUTION OF THE ANDRONOV COMMUNITY

The article explores new approaches to the study of the Andronov culture, with special reference to migration. Archaeological data from a vast territory over the steppes between the Urals and the Yenisei suggest that migration was a key factor in population history. In the Middle Bronze Age, two migration waves from the Irtysh River basin, Kazakhstan, have been reconstructed. The fi rst of them led to the convergence of groups representing various cultures, and eventually to the emergence of the Andronov community; the second wave not only brought about the territorial expansion of the Andronov traditions, but also provided a basis for the emergence of Late Bronze Age rolled pottery and Andronov-type cultures.