Signs-Tamgas as one of the Probable Sociocultural Markers of Alano-Sarmatian Burials in Western Europe during the Era of the Great Migration of Peoples.

The article is devoted to the definition of socio-cultural markers in Alan burials in Western Europe, the identification of which was accompanied by certain difficulties after the Alans-Tanaites have been invaded by the Huns around 370 and were involved in the Great Migration Period. As a result in the new conditions after the Alans mixed with the Huns they stopped using catacomb-type burials and it became almost impossible to distinguish the Hunnic burial from the Alan burial. The most accurate markers of the few Alan burials found in Europe are elongated skulls, ceremonial weapons, and suspension mirrors, which are usually found in women's graves. The analysis of M.M. Kazansky's article "Alans in the West During the Great Migration Period: Archaeological Data" allowed us to concentrate on another marker – signs-tamgas on mirrors-pendants from the Alan burial grounds in Sacca di Goito (Italy) and Reims (France), which the author cites as an illustration in his article. Comparison of images of tamgas on pendant mirrors with similar artifacts found in the Northern Black Sea region and the North Caucasus allows us to identify tamgas as another sociocultural marker of the Alan burials proper.