Materials and methods. This article is a collective research conducted by the members of the Nubian archaeological and anthropological expedition of the Research Institute and Museum of Anthropology of the Lomonosov Moscow State University. The article outlines the main results of the expedition's work over four field seasons at the Deraheib site, located at the headstream of Wadi al-Allaqi, in the northern part of the Nubian desert (Central Atbai) in the Republic of Sudan. From 2017 to 2022 The Nubian expedition excavated the Northern Fortress, Building 3 (Mosque) at the settlement of Deraheib, the Southern Necropolis; carried out an reconnaissance mission to the Onib ring structure. Results and discussion. Based on the study of the obtained archaeological materials (primarily the analysis of ceramics and textiles), as well as data from written sources, it was established that the medieval part of history of the monument covers the period between the 9th and 12th centuries. The archaeological site of Deraheib can be associated with the city of Al-Allaqi, mentioned in Arabic sources as a gold mining center in the Nubian desert, a trading city that was located on one of the caravan routes connecting the Red Sea port of Aidhab and the city of Aswan. The materials of the excavations of the Northern Fortress made it possible to advance a hypothesis that the building, erected in the 9th century, functioned more like a fortified castle of the local ruler rather than a fortress. The study of Building 3 allows us to say with confidence that it was a Friday mosque, founded at the beginning of the 10th century. Ongoing excavations in the Southern Necropolis have revealed Muslim burials (25 out of 31 investigated burials) and burials that are associated with the population that lived on the territory of Atbai in the Late Antique — Early Medieval period, known from classical sources as Blemmyes. A group of anthropologists obtained important data on the sex and age of the population of Deraheib, traces of daily activities and pathologies reflected in the skeleton. An important direction in the research of the MSU complex expedition is the study of the modern population of Central Atbai, primarily the Bisharin tribe of the Beja tribal union. The article outlines the main directions of these studies and preliminary results.

From 12 until 28 of February 2020 the Nubian archaeological and anthropological mission of the Anuchin Research Institute and Museum of Anthropology, Lomonosov Moscow State University carried out the third season of archaeological works at the site Deraheib. The site is situated in the Red Sea province of the Sudan Republic in headwaters of Wadi al-Allaqi near the border with Egypt. Archaeological excavations geodesic survey and ethnographic research have been carried out during the season. Important information has been obtained in the course of archaeological work. It allowed us to sup-pose that the Northern Fortress one of the most interesting archaeological feature of the site had been func-tioning in 9th-13th AD and most probably was a palace of the local ruler. Analysis of finds discovered while sifting the filling of the Room I of the Northern Fortress has proved the information of the medieval Arab sources which described Al-Allaqi city as a center of caravan trade. Some aspects of physical health have been demonstrated by the results of the archeoparasitological analysis. Excavations at the Building 3 (Mosque) has revealed remains of the floor consisting of the grinded tuff and column (or arch) foot. One of the main achievements of the season 2020 was starting of the ethnographical field research of the Bisharin tribe living in the surroundings of the Deraheib. Field work at Deraheib during the third season has confirmed the high perspectives of the site for ar-chaeological anthropological and ethnographical studies.

Moscow University Anthropology Bulletin

This article presents a comprehensive study of textiles recovered from the necropolis of the Teshilovsky settlement, a small town of Ancient Rus’ situated on the right bank of the middle Oka River. The Oka Archaeological Expedition of the Paleoethnological Research Centre has conducted excavations at the site since 2022. All the textiles examined share common features in their materials and decoration: they are made of silk and incorporate gold thread. The principal groups comprise fragments of silk samite with gold embroidery and gold-woven ribbons decorated with braided, animal, floral, and swastika motifs. The study investigates manufacturing techniques, dye composition, provenance, and parallels. It adopts an interdisciplinary approach, combining conventional technological descriptions with scientific analyses, including X-ray fluorescence analysis of the gold threads, HPLC–MS analysis of the dyes, and radiocarbon dating. The study of the textiles from the Teshilovsky settlement addresses two principal questions. First, dating individual textile finds may help establish when the necropolis came into use. Second, the textiles constitute an important body of evidence for reconstructing the development of textile production in Ancient Rus’.

The article deals with results of the analysis that is being undertaken for textile materials and ceramic spindle-whorls, which were found in a female burial of the Sargat culture in the middle Irtysh river basin (Novopokrovka IV cemetery, kurgan 1, grave 4). The authors introduce to scientific audience new finds considered rare to the Trans-Uralian and West Siberian forest-steppe such as silk and wool. The study yielded technological features of the textile samples, i.e., wool tabby weave and silk hairnet. The analyzed fragments could be parts of a hairdress with sprang cap. Spindle-whorls were produced from wheel-made pottery sherds with smoothed edges. The use-wear traces inside a hole of the first artifact are linear, such technological traces caused by perforation. The second spindle-whorl does not have such traces, however the surface is even, smooth and dense, which allows to assume that it used to be spindle or other item attachment. Concentric-shaped artifacts with a center-placed hole made of various materials in varying techniques are mostly flywheels or weights spun onto small objects. In archaeological publications such finds are usually interpreted as spindle-whorls with further attribution to weaving and spinning and among other grave goods as a marker of female burials. The authors do not dispute the spindle-whorl attribution or intended use, but consider them in a close context to textile finds. By these means, the research enhances our understanding of the various lifestyle aspects of semi-nomadic population in the West Siberian forest-steppe during the Early Iron Age.