What kind of residential and outbuildings did the Scythians have in the Crimea? Temporary settlements of the Scythians Settlement of the ancient Scythians

ONE FOOD IS BOILED, OTHER HUMAN BONES IN A BASIN WASH

For fifteen years now, work has been in full swing at the ancient settlement in the village of Balanovo, Nizhnegorsk region (see NOTE): archaeologists are looking for the remains of the "late" Scythians who lived here at the foot of the mountains in the 2nd-5th centuries AD. Here my first experience of archaeological tourism took place.

Considering that a bed in a resort village costs 70 hryvnias, then it is not expensive to join the history. For 120 hryvnia, anyone will be fed, given a place in a tent, given a shovel and sent to dig in the ground together with professional archaeologists. By the way, the food is good. In the morning they were given porridge and tea or coffee to choose from, in the afternoon they were fed with borscht, mashed potatoes with stew and dried fruit compote. For dinner - a bowl of pasta with meat, tea and a bun. By the way, the diet of a real archaeologist on a hike.

We start at six in the morning. So change your clothes, take a shovel and run after me, - commanded the head of the excavations, Mikhail Shapts.

Rushing after a nimble 25-year-old leader. Along the way, I'm listening to a lecture on history.

This settlement is called Neyzats, - Mikhail Sergeevich explains, not at all out of breath from the fast pace. - The word comes from the name of the old German colony, which was located nearby. The object is unique. We first met a settlement that was built on a terraced hill. For the Scythians, this is not typical.

PIT REFRIGERATORS

The search site is like a construction site. It seems that they are digging a foundation pit for the future home. The territory is divided into squares, between which ropes are stretched. The areas between them, along which you can only walk, are called by archaeologists brows. Boys and girls, under the strict guidance of Shaptz, remove the top layer of soil, and the earth is poured nearby, into a dump.

Walk carefully, along the brows, - the archaeologist explains. - Be very careful, otherwise you will fall into a pit or fall under a neighbor's shovel.

As they explained to me, here, underground, at a depth of about a meter, there should be an ancient utility pit. The building has a pear-shaped shape, and its walls are plastered with clay. In such pits, the Scythians stored grain or used them as refrigerators. And when rodents started up in the pit, the structure was reclassified into a landfill.

After five minutes of shoveling in the hot sun, I began to doubt that I was digging in the right place.

Tell me, why did you decide that this building is located here? After all, here, except for the roots, there is nothing in the earth, - I ask Mikhail and angrily throw the earth into the dump.

This is what you think! - He also throws a little angrily over his shoulder. - Actually, there is a hole. Look! There is a large patch of dark soil, and traces of ash are visible. These are true signs of human life. Usually, a hearth was built next to such pits, the cooled coals from which were poured into utility pits.

FALLING INTO THE ANCIENT WORLD IS EASY

Why do we waste time digging up ancient dumps - isn't it better to study burial grounds? - I do not let up. - It is not for nothing that “black” archaeologists dig them. Surely there is something to enjoy there.

By the way, jewelry and ceramics of ancient people are often found in such dumps, - Mikhail continues to patiently answer my stupid questions. - You need to dig them out in order to understand what kind of people lived here, what they ate and what they were wearing. Recently, in such a pit, we came across a sturgeon skeleton, we constantly find Greek lacquerware ... Hence the conclusion: the Scythians actively traded with other peoples, namely with the Greeks.

Is it possible to fall into these holes? Did they find human bones in them?

Skeletons are constantly coming across, but not human ones, - "unloading" the earth from their boots, the archaeologist explains. - But I had to fall into the economic pit several times. Voids there are formed from rotted debris, vegetation. Somehow the top layer of the soil broke, and I went underground up to my waist. I remember being very scared.

WHO DOES NOT WORK SHALL NOT EAT

Students of the Faculty of History work in the neighborhood. Every summer they take part in such excavations practice. Professional archaeologists use them mainly for uprooting trees and removing top sod. Students live in a forest camp according to the principle "Who does not work, does not eat."

It is supposed to dig for six hours a day, at the end of each hour there is a 10-minute break, the guys say. - We are here like a tractor in a field. We are engaged in dirty work, but if we try, the authorities can allow us to do a responsible job, for example, “cleaning” the graves. It's hardest for girls. They are not used to waving a shovel all day, and the manicure suffers greatly from such work ...

Having dug a decent hole - about half a meter deep - Mikhail handed me a trowel, a dull shoe knife and a dilapidated brush.

Then you need to work very carefully so as not to damage possible artifacts, - Mikhail explained. - The principle of operation is simple: you loosen the soil with a knife, and gently remove the earth with a trowel. If you notice something hard, gently sweep the soil with a brush.

FINDING A PAIR OF SKULLS IS GOOD LUCK

Twenty minutes later, my back hurt, and after another twenty, my hands became numb. It turned out that working with small tools is even more difficult! After an hour and a half of picking with a knife in the ground, only a few mutton bones and a couple of shards of an ancient lacquered amphora were found. Mikhail was delighted and said that it was good luck, because they might not have found anything at all.

People have been excavating ancient cities at all times. Therefore, little survived. Some ancient archaeologists searched for the abandoned settlements of their contemporaries for the sake of interest, others robbed their graves for profit.

We are constantly one step ahead of "black" archaeologists, - Mikhail complains. - They have more funds for fruitful searches, they even have metal detectors and devices that work on the principle of x-rays. Modern robbers manage to work even at night. There were cases when they set up tents over an ancient grave, turned on the lanterns and carried out excavations unnoticed by everyone. It often happens that we already find those places where the robbers visited. For example, there is an ancient burial ground next to this settlement. He was accidentally found by a shepherd when he was picking the handle of a whip in the ground - he scratched the top layer of soil and fell into the crypt. The discovery became known to scientists. They started working in 1996. The first crypt, which was found and opened, turned out to be robbed in antiquity. The rest of the found burials remained untouched. Excavations of the Scythian cemetery are still going on. There are many bones - human and sacrificial animals, sometimes ceramics and various decorations come across.

THEY ARE NOT ROMANTICS

Intrigued by the stories of the archaeologist, I asked to be taken to the ancient cemetery. The place of scientific research is like a military fortification. There is a strong smell of dampness in the air, and the sight of human bones lying in the pits throws you into a cold sweat. One grave takes up to three days. During this time, archaeologists shovel several tons of densely packed soil. By the way, only professionals are allowed to the graves.

Are you afraid to work with bones? - climbing into the pit, I ask a pretty girl. - Probably, after such work at night you have nightmares, and before dinner your appetite disappears?

From fatigue, you sleep like a log, and from hard physical work, the appetite is brutal, - the girl answers, concentrating on scraping vile dirt from the bones. - At first it was scary! But over time you get used to it, and it's still interesting to work.

Archaeologists are not superstitious people. They do not believe in curses and predictions. And in beautiful ancient legends they always see food for thought and scientific work.

People come here for knowledge, not for romance or money, Mikhail explains. - After all, before you start an archaeological expedition, you have to shovel a bunch of books, maps and archival documents. And our salaries are low. A novice specialist receives no more than 2 thousand hryvnia.

___________________________________
Yu. A. Kolovrat

The population of Zmievshchina ser. VII - III centuries. BC e. historical science calls it Scythian, because the ancient Greeks called almost the entire territory of modern Ukraine Scythia, and its population Scythians. However, the ethnic composition of the population of Scythia was not homogeneous.

The main written source in the study of the Scythian period in the history of Zmievshchina are archaeological materials and messages from the ancient Greek historian Herodotus. In his "History" Herodotus mentions the Seversky Donets: "... the eighth river is Tanais. It ... flows ... into ... a lake called Meotida (it separates the royal Scythians from the Savromats). Another river flows into Tanais, named Sirgis.

At the same time, according to archeology, in the vast territory of forest-steppe Scythia, stretching from the basin of the middle and upper Dniester in the west to the middle Don in the east, they lived in the 7th - 3rd centuries. BC e. settled agricultural tribes. The culture of these tribes, in its origin, in the peculiarities of life, religious beliefs, differed significantly from the culture of the steppe nomads of the Scythians.

The peculiar features of the tribes of the forest-steppe historical and ethnographic region developed gradually and mainly on a local basis, rooted in pre-Scythian times, in the Bronze Age. B.A.Shramko believes that in the Zmiev lands, the local basis was the population of the late Srubnaya and Bondarikha cultures, which were merged at the turn of the 7th - 3rd centuries. BC e. settlers from the Dnieper Right Bank, who were carriers of the culture of the Zhabotinsky type. P.D. Liberov, studying Severskodonets molded ceramics, came to the conclusion that similar types of ceramics were made by local tribes of the Bronze Age (Catacomb, Srubnaya, Bondarikhinsky archaeological culture).

As a result of the complex interaction of different cultures belonging to different ethnic groups, a kind of historical and ethnographic region began to form in the forest-steppe zone of Eastern Europe even in pre-Scythian times. With the establishment of the rule of the Scythians in the steppes of the Northern Black Sea region, close cultural and economic ties are established between them and the forest-steppe farmers. The intertribal division of labor ensured mutually beneficial trade. As a result, both tribes share common types of weapons, horse harness and jewelry, which often have images designed in the so-called. animal style. At the same time, the specific features of the culture of the forest-steppe community are preserved throughout the entire Scythian era. Therefore, the Scythian monuments of the forest-steppe part of Ukraine are called the forest-steppe culture. In the basin of the Seversky Donets, the Severnodonets (another, incorrect name is Severnodonets) group of monuments of this culture was widespread. Settlements, settlements and mounds of this period are concentrated mainly on the right bank of the Seversky Donets, along the rivers Uda and Mzha.

Monuments of the Scythian time on the Seversky Donets for the first time attracted the attention of such experts in the region as N.V. Sibilev, S.A. Loktyushov and A.S. Fedorovsky back in the early twentieth century. After 1917 . they were studied by N.M. Fuchs, S.A. Semyonov-Zuser, I.I. Lyapushkin, I.F. Levitsky. The greatest achievements in the study of these monuments belong to B.A. Shramko and P.D. Liberov. Scythian settlements and settlements of the Seversky Donets basin were studied by A.A. Moruzhenko, V.P. Andrienko, V.E. Radzievskaya, V.G. Borodulin. A significant contribution to the discovery and study of monuments of the Scythian time was made by I.P. Kostyuchenko, E.V. Puzakov, Yu.N. Recently, very interesting materials related to the history of the forest-steppe population of Zmievshchina in the 7th - 3rd centuries. were obtained during excavations conducted under the leadership of Yu.V. Buinov and A.V. Bandurovsky. At the moment, V.V. Koloda, D.S. Grechko, G.E. Svistun, I.B. Shramko and others are studying Scythian antiquities on the territory of the Zmiev region.

Chronologically, the Scythian forest-steppe culture is divided into three periods:

• early Scythian (middle of the 7th - trans. half of the 6th centuries BC);
• Middle Scythian (Tuesday, half of the 6th - 5th centuries BC);
• late Scythian (late V - early III centuries BC).

The population of the Left-bank Forest-Steppe was concentrated in several groups along the course of the main rivers. One of them populated the forest-steppe course of the Seversky Donets. Obviously, this distribution reflected the natural division of these groups into tribes. Each of these territorial tribal formations had certain features of material culture that made up their ethnographic features.

A characteristic feature of the population of the Left-Bank Forest-Steppe of the Scythian time is that in the 4th c. BC, at the time of the highest aggression of the nomadic Scythians, the local ethnic group, its culture and economic life did not decline, as happened on the Right Bank. On the contrary, in the IV century. BC. there is a growth and flourishing of economic and cultural activities. Apparently, the population of this territory, to a lesser extent than its western neighbors, was subjected to the devastating raids of the steppes.

Researchers have made repeated attempts to identify the forest-steppe archaeological culture with a specific ethnonym, from those that Herodotus cites in his list. In accordance with the hypothesis of A.I. Terenozhkin and V.A. Ilyinskaya, Herodotus Scythians-farmers should be localized in Left-Bank Ukraine.

The authors of the ten-volume "History of the Ukrainian SSR" adhere to the same opinion (see the figure on the front flyleaf). The population living between the upper reaches of the Don and the Dnieper, Herodotus calls Gelons and reports the following about them: “Gelons ... are engaged in agriculture, gardening and eat bread.” With this, the Gelons are sharply opposed to the nomadic Scythians. B.A. Rybakov localized gelons on the Left Bank, incl. and along the Seversky Donets (see fig.).

But, most likely, it is wrong to identify the Gelons with the bearers of the forest-steppe culture, because a little earlier Herodotus says: “The inhabitants of Gelon were Hellenes from ancient times. After being expelled from the trading settlements, they settled among the Budins. It is also erroneous to consider the population of the forest-steppe culture as boudins, since their habitat is a forest: "... their entire land is covered with forest."

Rice. one.

Source: 1987 . - M.: Nauka, 2008. - S. 57

Rice. 2.

Source: Rybakov B. A. Paganism of Ancient Russia. - Reprint. ed. 1987 . - M.: Nauka, 2008. - S. 62

According to the Kharkov scientists V.V. This point of view is also shared by BA Shramko, VK Mikheev and the author of these lines. The basis of this opinion is the following. The researchers noted that a certain Iranian (late Scythian and Sarmatian) element took part in the formation of the East Slavic tribe of the northerners (Volintsevo and Romny archaeological culture). For example, the ethnonym north itself comes from the Iranian sev- “black”. A striking parallel with the melanchlens, whose name translates as "people in black clothes"! V.V. Ivanov and V.N. Toporov believe that the ethnonym under consideration could be associated with the Indo-Iranian savya-, which has different spatial meanings. This suggests that the name of the northerners can be linked to the Melanchlen tribes of the "black cloaks" described by Herodotus. In addition, the arrangement of the sanctuaries of the forest-steppe Scythian culture is in many respects similar to the sanctuaries of the northerners, which will be discussed below, in the third chapter. According to V.V. Sedov, the tribal group of the Iranian-speaking population, who lived in the Dnieper forest-steppe Left Bank, was originally called the north. This population dissolved among the Slavs, who adopted the old ethnonym. The timing of this event is unclear.

Rice. 3.

I - antiquities from settlements (1, 6, 8 - Belskoe; 2-5, 7, 9 - Basovskoye); II - antiquities from barrows near the village. Aksyutintsy (10 - mound No. 3 in the tract. Staikin Verkh; 11-15 - Senior Grave).

Source: Vinokur I. S., Tel'gin D. Ya. Archeology of Ukraine: A handbook for students of historical specialties of their primary foundations. - View. 2nd, add. i rework. - Ternopil: Beginning book; Bogdan, 2005. - S. 180

It should be noted that I.S. Vinokur and D.Ya. Telegin consider the Melankhlens to be the bearers of the Yukhnovskaya archaeological culture and place them to the north of the forest-steppe culture. Judging by toponymy, the Yukhnovians belonged to the Baltic tribes in terms of language, related in their ethnic group to modern Latvians and Latvians.

Rice. 4.

Source: Great Scythia. - 1 6 500 000 // Ukraine. Historical atlas. Grade 7 - K.: Mapa, 2008. - S. 5

Thus, the question of ethnicity of the population of the Scythian forest-steppe culture of the Zmievshchina is ser. VII-III centuries. BC, remains open. Nevertheless, given the complexity and ambiguity of the ethnic identification of the population of our region of the aforementioned time, in our further narrative we will refer to the local population of this period as forest-steppe Scythians.

Rice. 5.

Source: History of the Ukrainian SSR: In 10 volumes - K .: Naukova Dumka, 1982. - V. 1. Primitive communal system and the emergence of a class society, Kievan Rus / until the second half of the 13th century /

The forest-steppe part of the Seversky Donets basin was densely populated in the Scythian era. In total, more than 150 open settlements and settlements are known here. The settlements of the forest-steppe Scythians on the territory of the Zmiev region are represented by settlements and settlements. Characteristically, settlements in Zmievshchina are better studied than mounds. Settlements of the forest-steppe culture are located mainly on the right bank of the Seversky Donets and along its right tributaries, in particular: on the Mzha, Udakh, Gomolsha.

To date, there are 18 settlements in the Seversky Donets basin. Some of them are located on the territory of Zmievshchina: Vodyanoe, Mokhnach, Koropovy Khutor, Bolshaya Gomolsha, Seversky settlement, Taranovskoye and, probably, Dry Gomolsha. It seems that Zmiev settlement should be added to this list. There is also information about the existence of a Scythian settlement on the territory of the village. Ostroverkhovka.

Rice. 6.

Source:

Traditionally, researchers believe that the emergence of settlements in Zmievshchina should be associated with the expansion of the expansion of the Scythians and the violation of stability in the Northern Black Sea region. In particular, D.S. Grechko and G.E. Svistun write: “It is unlikely that fortifications arose chaotically in the absence of any threat, since their construction required a huge amount of material and human resources. It is characteristic that the local tribal group fortified the settlements located near the Muravsky Way. However, V.V. Koloda takes a different view. In his opinion, the reason for the advancement of the Scythian population from the basins of the Vorskla, Psla and Sula to the territory of Zmievshchina could be the need for the economic development of new lands associated with extensive, and therefore environmentally risky farming.

Rice. 7. Reconstruction of protective structures Scythian time at the Mokhnachan settlement

Source: Grechko D.S., Svistun G.E. Days of feeding the forest-steppe settlements of the Scythian hour on the Siversky Dyntsy // Archeology. - 2006. - No. 4. - S. 20

The technology of constructing the protective structures of the Scythian settlements was superbly reconstructed by D.S. Grechko and G.E. Svistun. At the heart of the fortification was a shaft, which was constructed as follows. At first, a huge amount of wood was burned along the line of the future shaft. A layer of moistened clay mass was laid over the formed hot ash pillow, into which decks notched at the top were inserted. The clay layer was burned by the temperature of the ash pad and turned into a kind of brick. The clay core of the structure was then covered with an embankment of a rampart.

In 1953 . B.A.Shramko explored Zmiev settlement, better known in archeology as Gaidary-1 (Butsera tract). The report notes inexpressive fragments of stucco utensils, presumably of the Scythian time. Elevated material collected at different times by A.S. Fedorovsky, N.K. Fuks, M.I. Sayany and V.V. Didyk indicates that in the early Iron Age there was a Scythian settlement of the forest-steppe culture. Assumed by some researchers, the presence of a defensive rampart of the Scythian time on this monument remains unclear.

The hill fort, located near the village. Dry Gomolsha is multi-layered, it also contains materials indicating the stay of the forest-steppe Scythians in these parts. Presumably, it arose in the Scythian era, although D.S. Grechko and G.E. Svistun expressed doubts about this. The total area of ​​the settlement 2 ha . It consists of a citadel and two barriers.

On the territory of Ostroverkhovka is a Scythian settlement of the 4th - 3rd centuries. BC e. During the excavations, a surface dwelling was discovered here.

In with. Bolshaya Gomolsha on the cape of the left bank of the Gomolsha River there is a Scythian settlement of the 5th - 3rd centuries. BC e., the area of ​​​​which is about 7 ha . The settlement is surrounded by a rampart and a moat. In 1928 - 1929 in the vicinity of the settlement, a bronze cauldron of the Scythian type was found. Here, V.Z. Fradkin and V.P. Andrienko in 1968 . two villages were discovered. The first settlement is located in 1 kilometer east of the village, on arable land. It has an area of ​​150 × 70 m. The second is located in the Zasemenovo tract, on the cape of the right bank of the 1 km south of the livestock farm, at the northeastern outskirts of the village, with an area of ​​500 × 300 m.

Between the villages of Vodyanoe and Krasnaya Polyana there is a settlement. It is located on a high cape on the right bank of the Uda River, in the Holodny Yar tract. The cape is surrounded by ramparts and ditches on the floor side. The area of ​​the settlement is 2, 54 ha . Excavations carried out by B.A. Shramko in 1952 ., showed that the ancient settlement is two-layer - with deposits of the Scythian era and the Roman culture.

The most interesting monument of the history of our region is the settlement of Korobovy Khutor, located near the village. Korobovo, on the left bank of the Seversky Donets River, on sand dunes near the forest. Excavations conducted under the direction of B.A. Shramko in 1953-1954 and in 1970 showed that it had two layers. Its lower layer belongs to the Scythian period of time. The area of ​​Korobovsky settlement is 1.5 ha . Its main courtyard is surrounded on three sides by a moat and a rampart with remnants of masonry from the walls. Also, in the area of Korobov found three antique panticapaeum coins. The shaft of the Scythian time was poured out of sand, and from the side it was strengthened, obviously, by a number of notched decks. This shaft is dated by typically Scythian pottery and a fragment of a whetstone with a hole for hanging, characteristic of the Scythian era.

Among the archaeological monuments of the Zmievshchina, the special attention of researchers has always attracted the attention of the settlement, located within the modern village. Mokhnach. The monument is approx. 12.5 ha located on a high cape on the right bank of the Seversky Donets between the flood and one of the deep gullies that came out to it from the northwestern side. The defensive structures of the Mokhnachan settlement began to be built in the early Iron Age, but, most likely, the Scythians did not complete the construction of fortifications, which led to the destruction of the settlement. Near the settlement, on both sides of the Donets, there were 7 Scythian settlements. These settlements occupied the first flood terrace of the left and slopes of the right banks of the river.

At the village Kochetok (Chuguevsky district) discovered two settlements of the Scythian era with ash pans and a settlement. They are located on the high right bank of the Seversky Donets, near the mouth of its tributary - the Bolshaya Babka River. Another multi-layer settlement also has Scythian deposits.

One of the settlements of the Scythian time is located in the village. Aksyutovka. Four bronze arrowheads were found here.

In 1950 . B.A. Rybakov discovered a Scythian settlement located near the village. Ostroverkhovka. This settlement and the burial ground associated with it are located on a flat hill at the head of the Chernyavka River (the left tributary of the Mzha). In 1951-1953. the study of this monument was carried out by Kharkov State University. On the territory of the village, 60 ash pans were recorded, which are concentrated in 5 groups. Each of these groups is an independent whole and is located at a considerable distance from the neighboring group. The first group includes 10 ash pans, the second - 15, the third - 11, the fourth - 21 and the fifth - 3. In the first, second and fourth groups, the ash pans were located approximately in a circle. Perhaps the same order was in the third group, but there it is less noticeable, since its area is intersected by a young ravine.

On the outskirts of Borovoe revealed a settlement of the Scythian time, V-III centuries. BC e. . Another such settlement was located on the territory of the village. Sokolovo.

In 1951 2 km north of the Birochok Ya.I. Krasyuk discovered a Scythian settlement located on the right bank of the Mzha. Somewhat earlier, in 1948 ., Ya.I.Krasyuk discovered a multi-layer settlement of the Bronze Age and the Scythian time. The settlement is located on the right bank of the Mzha River, in 2 km northeast of the Pervomaisky, in the Birochok tract.

On the right bank of the Mzha River, on a hill southeast of the village. Grishkovka there is another Scythian settlement. Its ash pans contain ceramics, whorls, clay buttons, an iron spear, a dagger and bronze arrowheads of the 5th-4th centuries. BC e. . At the moment, these finds are on display at the Museum of the Combat Brotherhood with. Sokolovo.

Rice. eight. Pupils of the Zmiev school No. 1 opened burial of a woman of the early Scythian time. The tract Serdyukovo-2 (near the village Liman)

Being interested in information about treasure hunting and archeology, I realized that the history of our region began much earlier than the formation of the Cossacks on the Don. Since childhood, I have seen mounds, heard legends. But now, when I know that the peoples of the Scythians and Sarmatians lived in the North Caucasus, I look at the world around us differently. It is not known for certain who these people were, how they livedand what they were doing.

It is not clear why the Sarmatians had settlements, settlements and fortresses, while the Scythians always wandered. But what about mounds? They buried their tribesmen in the desert steppe, among wild grasses, creating huge hills. The mounds are compared to the Egyptian pyramids.

And I believe that in places of large clusters of mounds, there should be temporary settlements of the Scythians. No matter how nomads they are, you can’t get your wives and children anywhere.

There are reliable facts that many women of the Scythian tribes were warriors. It is believed that the notorious Amazons were an offshoot of the Scythian people. Maybe they got fed up with the men and separated. Evidence of the life and way of life of the Scythian peoples is not easy to find, it is necessary to find a settlement or a Scythian camp.

If we take as a basis the presence in one locality of a cluster of barrows and a peculiar landscape that supposedly existed in the Bronze Age (these are old, deaf to this day, places of riverbeds), it is there that it is necessary to conduct a dense search and archaeological excavations. I fully support the hypothesis that the Black Sea and the Caspian were connected by a large strait. Perhaps, indeed, the Argonauts sailed to our region for the fleece. It was here, in the steppes, that the miracles of the distant antiquity and before the ancient past took place.

The first coins of the Scythians were combat arrows of bows made of bronze. On them it was possible to purchase household items, on the other hand, use them in battle.

In the photographs of the coin, the arrows of the Scythian peoples of the 4th-1st centuries. BC.

Millions - you.
Us - darkness, and darkness, and darkness.
Try to fight us!
Yes, we are Scythians! Yes, we are Asians, -
With slanting and greedy eyes!

Being interested in information about treasure hunting and archeology, I realized that the history of our region began much earlier than the formation of the Cossacks on the Don. Since childhood, we have seen mounds, heard legends. But now, when I know that the peoples of the Scythians and Sarmatians lived in the North Caucasus, I look at the world around us differently. It is not known for certain who these people were, how they lived and what they did.

Belgorod region is the northeastern outskirts of Scythia. The Scythians are a nomadic people related to the Slavs by blood and culture. Cohabitation with Slavic tribes. VI - III centuries. BC

Photo 1.

Slavs-Skoloty (west of the Belgorod region) were a settled people, engaged mainly in agriculture, mastered the smelting of iron, built cities (fortified settlements). They traded with the Greeks grain, cattle, furs in exchange for jewelry, wine, expensive dishes. According to Herodotus, the neighbors of the Scythians, living in the forest-steppe, call themselves skolots - "children of the Sun". Border settlement of the Slavic tribes of the Skolots, from which the names of the rivers Oskol and Vorskla (Vorskol) have been preserved.

"Voronezh Scythians" (north-east of the Belgorod region) - a separate part of the Scythians.

Sarmatians (southeast of the Belgorod region). Here was the cutting edge of the pastures of the Sarmatians, the tribes that came from the South Ural steppes in the 4th - 2nd centuries. BC e.

Photo 2.

The Saltovo-Mayak culture is an archaeological culture of the Iron Age in southern Russia. It dates from the middle of the 8th - the beginning of the 10th centuries, the period of domination of the Khavzar Khaganate in this region. The name is given according to two large monuments - the settlement near the village of Verkhniy Saltov on the left bank of the Seversky Donets and the Mayatsky settlement near the confluence of the Quiet Pine River into the Don.

Settlement near the village Koltunovka was discovered by G.E. Afanasiev in 1977 and studied by him in 1985. The fortress is located on the right bank of the river. Silent Pine, surrounded on all four sides by a rampart about 10m wide. Afanasyev's excavations in 1985 showed that at the base of the fortifications there was a wall made of mud brick, without a foundation, about 3 m wide. The outer part of the wall was lined with chalk blocks, which increased the total width of the wall to 4.4m. Judging by the surviving remains and the layer of collapse, the original height of the wall was no more than 1.6 m, i.e. the fortress was not completed.

Settlement at the confluence of the river. Quiet Sosny in the Don has been known since the 17th century as Mayatskoye. Where the name came from is not known for certain, there is an opinion that in the old days there was a lighthouse on the hill, or divas - the chalk pillars of Diva - acted as these lighthouses.

The fortress is located on the right high bank of the river. Quiet Pine at its confluence with the river. Don. From the north-eastern side, the ancient settlement is surrounded by a narrow ravine, from the south-western and south-eastern side - by an artificial ditch 6-8 m wide and 2.5-5.7 m deep. The walls of the settlement are made of chalk blocks using the double-shell masonry method with internal backfilling of crushed stone and large stones. The width of the walls was about 4m, the height - no more than 5m

Runic inscriptions were found on the walls of the fortress. Some of them have been read. One of them reads: "Elchi and Ataach and Buka are three of them", the other - "Uma and Angush are our names." Most are not.

Reconstruction of the Mayatskaya Fortress There was a settlement around the Mayatskaya Fortress, here in semi-dugouts and yurts lived sentry warriors, cattle breeders, artisans and farmers who served the fortress. 44 residential and household buildings, 3 sanctuaries, catacomb burials, altars, funeral feasts and household pits were discovered. Part of the village was reconstructed on the same cape. In the Grand Canyon, on the southeastern outskirts of the settlement, a huge accumulation of fragments of ceramics was discovered. There was a potters' farm here. There were opened 4 pottery workshops with the remains of pottery kilns. These were semi-dugout buildings with an area of ​​14 to 17 square meters. m with a pitched roof. The building was divided into two parts: the northern one with potter's wheels and hearths for heating the building, the southern one, in which dishes were dried. Pottery kilns were built next to the workshops.

The necropolis was found during the expedition by accident. Local guys brought bronze items and beads found in a growing ravine in the south-east of the settlement to the scientists. The study of the site revealed a burial ground with an area of ​​about 3 hectares with a large number of burials. The burial structure of the Alans was a rectangular pit (dromos) leading to a cave (catacomb). The male skeletons lie stretched out on their backs in the center of the catacomb. Women's - crouching on their side, indicating a subordinate

position for men. Several catacombs were previously plundered, only in some archaeologists found knives, belt buckles, arrowheads, bronze mirrors, beads, amulets, and other jewelry, including beautiful gold earrings with pearls. All burials belong to the Saltov-Mayak culture.

Thus, research in 2008 on the territory of the archaeological complex found a soil burial ground.

Of the studied Scythian settlements, the Belgorod - Streltsy settlement stands out as a kind of fortification. With their outlines, these fortifications resemble a medieval fortress and have an impressive appearance. Residential buildings were above ground, rectangular in shape, they were based on a wicker frame, which was covered with clay.

The bulk of the finds in the settlements of the Scythians is handmade pottery. Local craftsmen made jugs similar to Greek amphorae. Less common than ceramics are tools made of iron, bronze, bone and stone - knives, axes, awls, sickles, etc. Archaeologists also found weapons (swords, iron and bone arrowheads) and women's jewelry. A special group of finds are articles of cult purpose. Among them are unique stone figurines of people found at the Belgorod settlement Krugloye.

Of great interest are the burials of the Scythians. The burial mound was, as a rule, built for one buried person. An obligatory element in the funeral ritual was a funeral feast with fires in the graves and in the mound, an indispensable position of farewell food in the form of parts of the carcasses of domestic and wild animals, along with iron knives. Horse burials were replaced by the placement of bridle sets in the graves, symbolizing a riding horse.

Among the artistic items found in the burials of the Scythians, the most interesting are items decorated in the animal style: quiver and scabbard covers, sword hilts, details of the bridle set, plaques (used to decorate horse harness, quivers, shells, and also as women's jewelry), mirror handles, buckles, bracelets, hryvnias, etc.

Along with images of animal figures (deer, elk, goat, birds of prey, fantastic animals, etc.), there are scenes of animals fighting (most often an eagle or other predator tormenting a herbivore). Images were made in low relief using forging, embossing, casting, embossing and carving, most often from gold, silver, iron and bronze. Ascending to the images of totem ancestors, in the Scythian time they represented various spirits and played the role of magical amulets; in addition, they may have symbolized the strength, dexterity and courage of a warrior.

The burial structures were very diverse. The size of the grave and the height of the mound depended on the nobility of the buried. And although the barrows in the Belgorod region are much smaller than the steppe ones, even after almost two and a half thousand years, taking into account the regular plowing of the fields on which the barrows are located, they even now reach 3-5 m.

And I believe that in places of large accumulations of mounds, there should be temporary settlements of the Scythians. No matter how nomads they are, you can’t get wives and children anywhere.

There are reliable facts that many women of the Scythian tribes were warriors. It is believed that the notorious Amazons were an offshoot of the Scythian people. Maybe they got fed up with the men and separated. Evidence of the life and way of life of the Scythian peoples is not easy to find, it is necessary to find a settlement or a Scythian camp.

The first coins of the Scythians were bronze arrows. They could buy household items.

The clothes of the Scythian men consisted of short leather caftans (tightly tied with a belt) and long tight-fitting leather pants or wide wool trousers. Caftans were worn with fur inside. Patterns were located along their edges, and there was an ornamental strip on the back. The caftans of noble Scythians were decorated with bright embroideries and various appliqués, and ceremonial clothes were embroidered with many gold ornaments. Pants were worn either for release, or were set into low, soft, low boots (“Scythians”) tied with a strap near the ankle. Often, leather pants were decorated with stripes and various embroideries. A leather belt served to hang a quiver (on the left side) and a sword or dagger (on the right side). The belts of noble Scythians and warriors were covered with metal plaques. Scythian women wore clothes made of wool, hemp and leather. The outfit of the Scythian women largely depended on their social status. The clothes of ordinary women most often consisted of a long dress, over which a cape was worn. The outfits of noble Scythian women were usually embroidered with many gold plates and plaques.

Scythian mythology is diverse, much was adopted from the Greeks. And from this follows the conclusion that the Scythians were pagans.

According to many historical sources, it is indicated that the Scythians are pro-Russians, our distant ancestors, who were both plowmen and sedentary hunters and fishermen. It was these peace-loving peoples who lived on the territory of the Belgorod region. Most of the Scythian burial mounds were found in the Krasnensky and Alekseevsky districts.

Oskol is, according to one of the versions (one of the two most likely the second after the grinning chalk shores), this is the Oskol river in the Old Turkic dialect (oskol and kol-river) and the wasps, these are the Alans, this is one of the Scythian-Sarmatian tribes, Iranian-speaking and from the fact that northerners (ancestors of Chernigov Kuryans of Belgorod and Kharkovites) apparently a tribe that became Slavic but also has an Iranian Scytho-Sarmatian origin, for the very name of the northerners Sevura (hence the Kursk ethnonym Sevryuk) is also a Scythian word ....

Traces of the Scythians have been preserved on the territory of our region. The center of the Scythians was the settlement of Gorodishche (not far from the Kirovo farm, Alekseevsky district). Of the 23 registered burial mounds, the main part (19) was located in a triangle formed by the villages of Repenka, Verbnoe, and the Kirovo farm. From 1964 to 1989, a group of Moscow archaeologists carried out excavations near the village of Verbnoe from 1964 to 1989 under the guidance of Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor Pyotr Dmitrievich Liberov. The need for excavations was due to the fact that many historians doubt the population that lived in our area in the 1st century BC. Some archaeologists believe that the Middle Don was inhabited by the Scythians. Others adhere to the idea that Budins lived here - Gelons - the founders of the early Slavic peoples, who led a more sedentary lifestyle.

Thus, we can confidently say that in the era of the early Iron Age, people lived in our region who established close trade ties with the Greek colonies of the Black Sea region, and archaeological finds testify to this.

We see many similar things in the life of the Slavs, in the appearance of dwellings, in household items.

The traditional artistic culture of the Oskol region absorbed the cultural, economic, social and ethnic phenomena of the large territory of the Kursk, Belgorod and Voronezh regions.

Housing is one of the most essential and extremely complex elements of culture. According to archival data, log dwellings predominated on the territory of modern Belgorod region. And earlier, in the Slavic settlements, dwellings in the form of a rectangular semi-dugout prevailed. Semi dugouts with a hearth inside are known.

Our region is famous for its abundance of handicrafts. This was facilitated by favorable natural and climatic conditions.

The main occupation of the inhabitants of the county is agriculture. They sowed winter rye, oats, millet, barley, buckwheat, and a small amount of wheat.

Thus, the following handicraft specialties are recorded in the region: turners, blacksmiths, potters, potters, coopers, carpenters, saddlers, thick goods, chebotari, etc.

Many crafts associated with the processing and processing of wood, in their technology from ancient times, have reached the beginning of the 20th century. practically no changes.

Combs, axes, gimlets, scissors, knives, pokers, etc. were made in large quantities.

An amazing phenomenon of pottery in the Cossack was a clay toy. They made it for the joy of children, for themselves and for the fair. And even in ancient times, according to the assumptions of archaeologists, the toy was an accessory of pagan cult rites. Clay rattles, whistles were used in the burial rite. They made noise over the deceased, whistled, driving away evil spirits and calling for good ones.

Folk clothes are a bright, original and peculiar phenomenon of traditional artistic culture.

The traditional costume of the region was quite diverse, first of all it refers to the women's costume. Almost all the main complexes of women's clothing identified by ethnographers on the territory of Russia existed in Oskolye: pony and sarafan complexes, with a homespun skirt and a "couple" (jacket - skirt). They decorated clothes in different ways, with different colors, embroidery, lace weaving, patterned weaving.

A women's suit is a shirt that served as both underwear and weekend wear. Homemade linen and hemp canvas served as the main material for the shirt.

Linen fabric has wonderful properties: it is hygienic, durable, pleasant to wear and therefore ideal for summer clothes. Well, in hot weather, linen clothing is simply irreplaceable, as it easily absorbs moisture (up to 80% of its own weight) and at the same time does not become wet to the touch and passes air well. From the old Russian flax was called "northern chalk". Egyptian priests wore clothes only from linen. In ancient Greece, purple-trimmed linen garments were highly valued. The art of flax cultivation originated almost 9 thousand years ago in the mountainous regions of India. Flax was known in Assyria and Babylon, from where it penetrated into Egypt. Well, how did a blade of grass with blue flowers get to us? This culture came from the Scythians, who knew how to cultivate flax. In Russia, flax has long been the subject of national craft and trade.

Men's clothing consisted of an archaic tunic-shaped shirt with long sleeves. Sewn from thin canvas. The shirts of young men were decorated with embroidery. Shirts were worn with ports (trousers) made of homemade linen dyed black or dark blue.

In Stary Oskol there was a swing outerwear: a vest, a caftan, a vest, a zipun, a zipun, a sheepskin coat, a fur coat, a short fur coat, an armyak, a dressing gown and others.

Bast shoes woven from bast and rope bast shoes-chuns were an ancient type of footwear of our ancestors, and from the 19th century - leather boots. Shoes, in some places shoes and "a sign of prosperity - galoshes." In winter, felted wire rods (felt boots) were worn. Women - peasant women, in addition to bast shoes and chun, had boots, shoes, boots, cats.

The funeral rite was a complex of ritual actions. They believed in the existence of the soul after death. Women were buried in headscarves, Young boys and girls were dressed "like a wedding". The grave is still being dug by 6 people, who are called kopochs only in the morning on the day of the funeral. After burial, a wooden cross was placed at the feet.

Thus, having studied the sources, we can say that the Scythians who lived on our territory are not a myth, they are an objective reality. And this means that they could not but have a significant impact on our Slavic domestic and military culture.

Links
1. Volnaya G.N., Narozhny E.I. Settlements of the Scythian time // Materials and research on the archeology of the North Caucasus. - Armavir, Vol. 3, 2004
2. Danilov A.A., Kosulina L.G. History of Russia: 6th grade. - M., 2007
Krupnov E.I. Ancient history of the North Caucasus. - M., 1960

The victory of the Greeks over the Scythians in the II century. BC e. turned out to be ephemeral. The Scythians again took possession of the western Crimea. The excavations of the last decades in this area reveal more and more new data on the construction and economic activities of the Scythians. A whole chain of their settlements stretched along the coast. Most of them are still waiting for research, and only the most significant ones have been excavated in recent years.

On the seashore, 7 km west of Evpatoria, near the children's sanatorium "Seagull", there is a settlement of the Scythians. It arose on the site of a Greek settlement, which at the beginning of the 3rd century. BC e. tried to capture the Scythians.

In the II century. BC e. they erected a small fortress here with a powerful defensive wall of a peculiar design. Since this area is sandy, it is impossible to dig a moat here (the edges would crumble). The Scythians solved the problem of the city's defense very ingeniously: they poured a sandy rampart 6 m wide, which was then reinforced on the inside and outside with a wall of rubble stone. The wall was high - the preserved part of the outer cladding reaches 3.5-4 m.

The construction of the fortress was carried out according to a strict plan. Apparently, the influence of the Greek builders, and the Scythians themselves, by the 2nd c. BC e. already managed to acquire the skills of urban planning. From the east and south were quarters of adjoining housing and utility complexes. If the owner of the property changed the area of ​​\u200b\u200bhis building (attached a barn or expanded the dwelling), then this naturally led to a change in the layout of the entire block. Along with one-story houses, two-story houses were also built. They climbed up the stone stairs.

The streets, as a rule, were paved, their level was higher than the floors of the premises, where they also descended by stairs.

The local population of the coastal strip was engaged in fishing, farming, and trade. Apparently, it inherited the traditions of the Greeks who lived here earlier, using the trade relations established by them with various cities.

The settlement "Chaika" existed for a relatively short time. In the 1st century n. e. life has come to a standstill here.

To the north of Evpatoria, 28 km from it, on the seashore, there is the South Dsiuzlav settlement. It, like the "Seagull", arose in the II century. BC e. on the site of a Greek settlement. Having captured it, the Scythians erected a fortification in the central part, which had a rounded shape measuring 130 by 45 m. This small fortress was well protected by a rampart, on top of which there was a stone wall. In front of her was a deep ditch lined with stones. There was a settlement outside the fortress walls.

Excavations at the settlement revealed buildings consisting of several rooms. Their walls, as a rule, are made of torn stone. Stone fences of yards, numerous utility pits have been preserved. In addition to solid dwellings, there were also primitive ones. An example of this is the remains of a yurt from the 1st century BC. n. e., having an almost regular round shape measuring 2.7 by 3 m. Along the edge of the adobe floor were flat stones placed on edge. In the center was a pit intended for the support pillar of the floor.

The South Donuzlav settlement ceased to exist, like the "Seagull", in the 1st century BC. n. e.

On the southern coast of the Tarkhankut Peninsula, near the village. Okunevka, on the site of a previously existing Greek settlement, in the II century. BC e. the Scythian settlement Tarpanchi arose. In plan it had a rectangular shape, on three sides it was protected by a stone wall 2.8 m thick. At the top, it gradually narrowed to 1.55 m. Outside, the wall was coated with a thick layer of clay. This not only gave it a neater look, but also made it more durable. Along the wall, at a distance of 4 m from each other, there were battle towers. Two of them have been explored.

Square in plan, five meters in diameter, they, like the walls, were built of rubble. In front of the wall, the towers protruded 4-4.4 m. It was possible to trace the original design of the base of the tower, which was not found in the Scythian fortification until the excavations of the Tarpanchi settlement. The tower had a plinth made of large slabs, the front masonry of which, facing the floor side, was pyramidal. A vertical wall rose from the plinth. During the second construction period, the towers were reinforced with an additional anti-ram belt 1.75 m thick. In front of the wall there was a deep (4.5 m) ditch, the width of which in the upper part reached 11-12 m, and in the base - 5 m. city, lined with stone28.

From the west and east, settlements adjoined the settlement, the size of which many times exceeded the size of the fortification itself. To the north were the remains of a large ash pan.

At the defensive wall, on its outer side, a canopy attached to it is open, under which wheat and barley were temporarily stored, and perhaps dried. The platform under the canopy was adobe. The last time the floor was smeared, someone walked on it, leaving prints of bare feet. Not the entire site was excavated, but only part of it, but more than 500 kg of charred grain were collected on it. The granary suddenly died at the turn of the II-I centuries. BC e. This probably happened during the second campaign of Diophantus's troops against the Scythians, when Diophantus "being detained by bad weather" - as we learn from the decree in Chersonesos - unexpectedly turned to the coastal lands of northwestern Taurica. The attack was so sudden that the Scythians could not save the harvest. The defensive wall also suffered from the blow of the enemies. However, apparently, the Greeks failed to capture Tarpanchi. Life in the settlement continued.

In II-III centuries. n. e. various structures appear here, including the so-called house with buttresses. It consisted of three rooms: residential and two utility rooms, as well as a yard with outbuildings. Such a complex is typical for the Scythian estates of the northwestern Crimea.

In addition to agriculture, the local population was engaged in animal husbandry (bred sheep, goats, pigs, horses, cows, dogs), fishing (caught mullet, flounder, sturgeon).

In the III century. n. e. Tarpanchi settlement perished. Life in him stopped. The population left their homes, they began to quickly collapse. And in one of the rooms, archaeologists discovered the remains of a nest of birds of prey that once settled on the ruins of Tarpanchi. Predators brought out the chicks, fed them with small birds, as well as snakes. It was possible to install 26 types of the latter.

Everything that has been said, firstly, directly indicates that this region remained deserted and uninhabited for a long time. And secondly, it allows us to judge the fauna that was here at the beginning of the 1st millennium AD. e.

The South Donuzlav settlement, "Chaika", Tarpanchi were relatively small settlements, while at the mouth of the Alma, the Scythians at the end of the 2nd century. BC e. built a big city. They chose a very good place for it. Alma in ancient times was full-flowing, provided the inhabitants with fresh water. The left bank of the river was quite steep. Thirty-meter steep cliffs made the settlement impregnable from the sea. A gentler slope led to the river. And only the southwestern and southeastern sides remained unprotected. Here the Scythians created a reliable defensive system.

The hill fort now has the shape of a triangle with its apex facing the sea. Its area is about 6 hectares, but the sea is constantly advancing on it, washing away the coast, and huge masses of land are crumbling onto the beach. Approximately 60 cm of the coastline is destroyed annually. In the cliffs, the remains of utility pits, stone buildings, and broken dishes are visible. What area was destroyed, what was in the unpreserved territory, we will never know.

In ancient times, the settlement was connected by sea with Chersonesus and Kerkinitida, with nearby coastal Scythian settlements. Greek ships sailed past him from Chersonesus to Kerkinitida and Olbia. Or maybe Greek merchants sailed from Olbia with goods for the Scythians right to the mouth of the Alma.

Local residents were connected to Khersones and Naples by overland roads, traces of which are revealed by aerial photography.

From the southwest and southeast, a huge settlement adjoined the settlement, many times larger than its size. From the floor side, it was probably protected by an earthen rampart. The area of ​​the settlement is now plowed up, planted with a vineyard, but aerial photography fixes the defensive line. To the east of it was a large necropolis. Not all of its boundaries have yet been identified. For example, the southern one is lost in the vineyard, where there are individual graves. In total, about 7,000 m2 of the area of ​​the ancient cemetery (approximately one fourth of it) has been explored.

When the settlement arose, did the Greeks live here before it, who owned these lands before the appearance of the Scythians? These questions confronted archaeologists from the very beginning of the study of the monument. However, it is not easy to answer them. After all, a significant part of the settlement was destroyed, and the cultural layers, which, perhaps, could give an answer to these questions, perished. Therefore, it is necessary to refer to the available materials. What are they talking about?

During excavations, fragments of Greek ceramics of the 4th-3rd centuries. BC e. are extremely rare, but they still exist, and their total number is gradually increasing. Fragments of Chersonese and Sinop amphoras of the same time, fragments of black-glazed vessels were found. So, life here in the IV-III centuries. BC e. was. The settlement that existed before the Scythians could most likely belong to the Greeks of Chersonese Chora. Due to the advance of the sea and the destruction of the coastline, some part of this settlement (now we don’t know which one) was destroyed.

If our assumption is correct, and further studies of the Ust-Alma settlement can verify this, then the boundaries of the Chersonese chora in the northwestern Crimea should be significantly shifted south of the already known territory.

As for the Scythian settlement itself, it arose at the mouth of the Alma, as we have already said, at the end of the 2nd century BC. BC e. * (before the war with the Chersonese Greeks).

Exploratory excavations at the settlement were carried out by P.N. Shultz in 1946, and from 1968 to 1984 the settlement and the necropolis were annually explored by the Alminsky detachment of the Institute of Archeology of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR.

Starting the systematic excavation of this monument, the Alma detachment set itself several tasks. First of all, it was necessary to find out how the city of the Scythians was protected. Now, going up to the settlement along a steep path from Alma or approaching it from the south of the village. Corner, you can see a rather high rampart overgrown with grass and a ditch in front of it. What is it - earthworks or collapses of adobe walls? What kind of residential and outbuildings did the Scythians have in the Crimea, what did the population do, what rituals did they have, how were the dead buried?

In addition to these issues, it was necessary to solve another most difficult one - what was the name of this city in ancient times?