Archaeology, Ethnology & Anthropology of Eurasia 54 (3) 2026   doi:10.17746/1563-0110.2026.54.3.085-094

Annotation:  The Origin of Anatomically Modern Humans (Homo sapiens) in Africa The Structure of Bioresources Exploited by Paleolithic Humans in the Anui River Basin, Altai An Early Neolithic Burial with a Miniature Fish-Shaped Bait on the Shore of Lake Baikal A Glass Intaglio Depicting Harpocrates (Zeus Kasios) from Markula, Abkhazia Artifacts from the Necropolises of Chersonesos as a Historical and Cultural Source: An Interpretati A Road Station in the Upper Capital of the Eastern Xia State A Mongolian Age Iron Shield from the Khakass-Minusinsk Region From the History of the Late 19th–Early 20th Century Ural Cossacks in the Aral Sea region: Confessio Large Baptismal Crosses (“Cossack Crosses”) as a Source for Reconstructing Migration Routes to Weste Tombstones of the 19th and Early 20th Century at Rural Cemeteries on the Northern Upper Ob Ob Ugrian Sanctuaries on Lake Balbanty Eurasian-American Ethnoastronomic Parallels in the Context of New Data from India The Cúng Yêu Tinh Funerary Rite Among the Bố Y People in Vietnam: Finishing the Unfi nished Cranial Affinities of the Altai Mountains Population During the Xiongnu-Sarmatian Age The Origin of the Modern Populations of Western Siberia, Based on Craniometric Data. Part I: Classif   

Large Baptismal Crosses (“Cossack Crosses”)
as a Source for Reconstructing Migration Routes to Western Siberia

I.V. Salnikova

Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pr. Akademika Lavrentieva 17, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russia

This study attempts to reconstruct migration routes to Western Siberia and identify source regions on the basis of analysis of “Cossack” baptismal crosses larger than 52 mm by 48 mm. Their importance stems from the fact that Cossacks played a key role in the colonization of Siberia. The term “Cossack baptismal cross” is known from the notebook of A.P. Serov, a foundry master from Krasnoye Selo—a document used by many experts in sacred pendants. A representative database was compiled to conduct a comparative analysis of the geographic distribution of these items. It includes information on baptismal crosses from the State Catalog of the Russian Federation Museum Fund, as well as staurographic collections from the Novosibirsk, Omsk, and Irkutsk regions. The use of a standardized classification method made it possible to conduct a statistical analysis to determine the geographic distribution of various types of crosses. A trend was identified showing a decrease in typological diversity with increasing distance from the central regions of Russia toward the periphery. Regions identified as sources of migration have been determined. In particular, among the baptismal crosses found at Modern Age cemeteries in Western Siberia, certain types have been identified whose origins are linked to traditional Old Believer centers in Russia and specific central regions. In this context, the baptismal cross can be viewed as a confessional marker and a new source for studying migration processes. In terms of dimensions, not a single cross (among more than 1500) matched those described in Serov's notebook. Apparently, rather than being a universal reference, this document is a sample limited in space and time.

Keywords: Staurography, “Cossack” cross, typology, geographic location, migration routes, Western Siberia.