INDO-EUROPEAN POETICS AND ARCHEOLOGY

The article attempts to correlate the features of the funeral rite of a number of archaeological cultures that are now associated with ancient IndoEuropeans (Mariupol, Yamna, Catacomb, Middle Stog, Usatovo), and poetic clichés and mythological microtexts reconstructed for Common IndoEuropean period (Indo-European poetics). As a result of such a comparison, the semantics of certain elements of the funeral rite can be interpreted more fully, and the people of archaeological cultures are more reliably identified as locutors of Indo-European dialects. First, the list of poetic formulas from ancient Indo-European traditions, already known in the scientific literature, was compiled. Then this list was systematically classified into thematic groups: formulas related to the solar cult, the cult of glory, the cult of the horse etc. Paradigmatic connections (positive / negative semantics) were found within each of the groups of formulas. Finally, a correlation was made between individual formulas and the main mythological motifs of Indo-Europeans (like twin myth, snake-slaying, first human being). Thus, semantic combinations of motives, which are quite easy to compare, were derived. These motives and their sequences were analyzed in terms of their embodiment in the artifacts, i.e., in the ritual sign system of the funeral rite. It was found that the combination of human bodies, animals and objects of funeral rite of a number of archaeological cultures has a direct correlate in the identified Indo-European poetic formulas: paired burials may reflect the motif of twins, the presence of stone axes may correlate with the motif of snake fighting, non-obvious combinations of dog / horse / bull remnants in burials reflect the closeness of images of these animals in the poetic traditions of Indo-Europeans, connected to the cult of twins (two dogs / horses / bulls in Latvian and Ossetian folklore).