Between Paganism and Christianity: The Rite of Partial Cremation in the South of Old Rus'

The article is devoted to the rite of partial (incomplete) cremation and its existence in the south of the Old Rus' state at the end of the first and the beginning of the second millennium AD. The most complete and reliable sample of burials with partial cremation is presented, and the peculiarities of the funeral rite are analysed. A typological analysis of inventory items found in burials is carried out, on the basis of which the chronological framework of the rite is established. Special attention is paid to the problem of religious attribution of burials. The given characteristic is complemented by materials from similar burials from adjacent territories, first of all from the Sozh River basin, where, probably, the highest number of them is observed. The obtained results significantly supplement the available information about the process of Christianisation of the Old Rus' lands after the introduction of Christianity as the official religion in 988, which is poorly covered by written sources. In particular, taking into account these data, the question of the existence of a restriction on cremation of the dead by the Church and the princely governance is raised again.