A soil catena was studied on the Ergeni Upland; the soils and plants were sampled in five dependent points. The contents of macro- and microelements in them were determined. It was found that the...

The aim of the study is the reconstruction of paleoclimatic patterns in the formation of the Chumbur-Kosa (MIS-17…MIS-1) loess–soil sequences and the assessment of the possibility of using phytolithic analysis to reconstruct the vegetation cover in the interglacial and glacial periods of the Pleistocene. Mean annual precipitation was calculated using the magnetic susceptibility. It has been established that in the Pleistocene there was a directed climate change towards aridization, in which the amount of precipitation during the interglacial periods decreased from 600 to 550 mm/year, and during the glacial periods it did not exceed 200–250 mm/year. Aridization of the climate led to xerophytization of plant communities, a decrease in bioproductivity and landscape diversity. In the warm periods of the Pleistocene, meadow–forb associations prevailed, which were replaced by steppe associations at the onset of the glacial stage. Natural and climatic zones were within the modern boundaries, demonstrating the relative stability of the steppe landscapes to global climatic fluctuations.

Determining the source of naturally occurring materials employed to make cultural-heritage artifacts is crucial for reconstructing changes over time in the development of human populations, as well as the impact of the environment on social and economic models of prehistoric societies. The aim of this paper is to perform a generalized analysis of archaeological items from Bronze Age sites in the Lower Don region and Kalmykia, which can be correlated with the mineral resources of the Yergeni deposits. The characteristics of main local rocks are described and their use by the steppe population of the Volga–Don region as reflected in economic strategies and cultural traditions of the third millennium BC is assessed. It is found that in the conditions of scarce steppe resources the alluvial deposits of the Yergeni series played a major part in the development of economic strategies by the population that inhabited the Volga–Don region in the Bronze Age and also in subsequent periods, including the Middle Ages. Access to vital resources such as rocks and water made the steppes attractive for newcomers and determined the subsequent historical trajectory of this region which thereafter became a sought-after-place to move to for many nomadic populations and peoples.