Facial reconstruction of a 4,000-year-old girl from Samara This young woman (about 14-15 years old), from a collective burial at the Utyovka VI burial ground (kurgan 2, burial 6, Neftegorsky District, Samara Region), belonged to the Potapovka-Sintashta cultural block of the early Late Bronze Age. The Potapovka culture was a syncretism of the Abashevo and Poltavka cultures and was closely related to the Sintashta culture. Potapovka burial practices are highly diverse. Central graves are large (4.5–10 m³) and are surrounded by smaller peripheral burials. They feature wooden coverings, stepped walls, and internal pits or grooves. Some graves, such as Utyovka VI, contained complex wooden structures with horse sacrifices and dismantled chariots placed inside. Bodies were usually laid on the left side or on the back, slightly flexed, with bent arms. Grave goods at Utyovka VI are abundant and varied: numerous metal tools and weapons (knives, daggers, spearheads), ornaments (bracelets, pendants, beads), and stone tools for sharpening. Some items show Near Eastern connections. Rare silver and gold ornaments were also found. Burials often included full quivers with flint arrowheads (up to 16 per grave). Arrows were about 50 cm long, and bows up to 1 m, with a range of about 300 m. Clothing was decorated with beads made of metal, faience, and stone. A distinctive feature is the presence of antler cheekpieces (psalia), linked to horse gear and sometimes decorated, with parallels across the Eurasian steppe. Bone artifacts (arrowheads, beads, combs, discs) are also common and diverse (Vasiliev I.B., Kuznetsov P.F., Turetski M.A., 2000). #sintashta - @ancestralwhispersdotorg