The article proposes a new biochemical approach for the reconstruction of the initial presence of fat-containing products in different archaeological contexts (ceramic vessels from burials, soil samples in different parts of the skeleton and cultural layers of archaeological sites) based on the study of qualitative and quantitative changes in the parameters of the soil microbial community, namely, specific groups of microorganisms (lipolytics), a number of lipolytic enzymes, as well as the utilization spectrum of readily available low molecular weight sub-strates. Ground samples of the studied objects were collected in the following regions: ceramic vessels — the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania and the Chechen Republic; burials — Krasnodar Krai; the cultural layer of the settlement — Lipetsk region. The number of lipolytic microorganisms and the level of enzymatic activity in the soil directly depend on the amount of the incoming substrate, in the decomposition of which they participate. After the decomposition of organic residues in the soil, a microbial and enzyme pools are formed, which can persist for a long period. The obtained preliminary data on the study of the decomposition dynamics of fatty substrates give us possibility for the reconstruction of the initial presence of fat in different archaeological contexts using the methods of soil microbiology and biochemistry. But, for a more accurate extrapolation of the results of a model experiment to archaeological objects, more points of observation in time are needed, since the introduction of substrates with different properties and composition can provoke microbial community succession in different ways. Hence, the equilibrium state of the microbial community in each variant of the experiment will be reached at different times. However, the results of the study of soils and cultural layers of archaeological sites of Bronze Age and early me-dieval time have convincingly shown the possibility of applying our approach. As we assumed, the maximum li-pase activity was found in the soil samples under the skull, chest and pelvis, i.e. in areas of human body with the highest content of fat tissues. This showed the possibility for reconstruction the original contents of the vessels from burials using the methods of soil microbiology and biochemistry. A high number of lipolytic microorganisms and lipase activity were detected only in 15–20 % of the vessels. We suggest that fat food may not have been as widely used in the funeral rite as ritual food. The study of lipase activity made it possible to clarify the features of the economic usage of the territory of archaeological site, to identify possible places for cooking.

The article is devoted to reconstruction of paleoecological conditions of the steppe zone of the Eastern European Plain in the late Middle Bronze Age. The buried soils of the Kurgan of the Babinskaya culture in the Bogucharsky district of the Voronezh region were studied. It is shown that chemical properties of soil are determined by winter precipitation, while the state of its microbial community reflects the moisture content in the warm season. Annual precipitation trend in the steppe zone in the post-Catacomb period was reconstructed on the basis of findings of a comparative analysis of the chemical and biological properties of soils. It has been established that soils at the end of the 3rd millennium BC showed obvious signs of aridization, which led to a change in soils properties and types causing Southern Chernozems (rich black soils) formation in areas where Ordinary Chernozems is currently located. At the same time, microbial biomass in the buried soils significantly exceeded the current values, and the structure of soil microbial community was dominated by microorganisms involved in plant litter decomposition, which indicates favorable summer conditions and intense summertime precipitation. The research data do not relate to the crisis narrative regarding the paleoecological conditions of the late Middle Bronze Age in the steppe zone of the Eastern European Plain. Furthermore, results obtained do not support the idea of crisis as some kind of comprehensive complex of negative natural and social phenomena. It is more correct to speak of an asynchronous change in the annual course of moisture supply with a decrease in winter and an increase in summer precipitation against the background of general climatic cooling. The article raises the question of the specifics of global climate change manifestation and consequences in the steppe zone generally referred to the “4.2-ka BP aridification event”, which caused drought in the lower latitudes and an increase in precipitation in high latitudes while undergoning a general cooling trend. It is suggested that, under those conditions, climatic fluctuation scale in the steppe zone, located intermediately between the boreal and tropical belts, was not so high. Thus, the steppe remained attractive for communities which managed to adjust their economic model to new conditions.

The aim of the article is reconstruction of purpose of ancient settlements construction using a combination of chemical and microbiological indicators. The study object is the Bagai-1 settlement of the Late Bronze Age in the northwestern part of the Crimean Peninsula. The chemical and microbiological properties of the occupation layer within the buildings of various shapes and sizes in different parts of the site have been studied. It was established that the Bagai-1 settlement is a stationary settlement of pastoralists, or was intended for living in the winter. Traces of cattle manure were found everywhere, which is confirmed by the high values of such soil indicators of livestock keeping as urease activity, the number of keratinolytic fungi and thermophilic bacteria in the cultural layer. The results of the research showed that most of the buildings in the settlement were related to livestock keeping. We cannot exclude the joint stay in the premises of both animals and humans, especially in the cold season when livestock was used as a source of heat. However, according to the complex of natural scientific data, no buildings have been identified that could be called exclusively residential, and in all cases the traces oflivestock are much more pronounced than the traces of human habitation. At the same time, vast areas without traces of stone buildings were found at the settlement, but with a high content of mineral forms of phosphates in the cultural layer and high values of magnetic susceptibility, which indicates the entry into the soil of a large amount of ceramics, ash, and pyrogenic residues. The combination of these properties can be considered as an indicator of human habitation.