Evgeniy I. Gak*, Aleksandr V. Borisov**
* The State Historical Museum, Moscow (e.i.gak@mail.ru)
** The Institute of Physical-chemical and Biological Problems of Pedology RAS, Pushchino

Keywords: Middle Bronze Age, Middle Don Catacomb culture, steppe-forest zone, pastoralism, season, settlement, landscape.

The paper substantiates a pattern of seasonal habitation and economy of the bearers of the Middle Don Catacomb culture in the Middle Bronze Age (ca. 27th–22nd centuries B.C.). The location of settlements of the said culture in drastically different landscape-topographic conditions is explained by economic factors (herding with cattle prevailing among the livestock), the environment (the steppe-forest zone) and peace­ful cohabitation. The cited data of the archaeological and scientific studies serve to demonstrate that the catacomb population of the steppe-forest area used flood-lands and low terraces for winter shelters, and high outliers, promontories and higher terraces over flood-lands for summer encampments.