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Late Scythians. History of the Zmievsky region They are not romantics at all

Late Scythians. History of the Zmievsky region They are not romantics at all

A small selection of examples of ancient layers and sites in Russia.

Kostenki

Kostenkovsko-Borshchevsky complex of Stone Age sites - Paleolithic sites ancient man, discovered near the village of Kostenki in the Khokholsky district of the Voronezh region. Monuments of Aurignacian culture are concentrated here in a very small area: 25 sites of different times (including 10 multi-layered ones) occupy an area of 30 square meters. km.

Scientists, of course, claim that these are all cultural layers. But forget about the layers where there are more or less homogeneous layers of clay. These layers were formed in a very short time on a geological scale. Signs of a disaster are captioned in the photo.

View of the museum and the area where the excavations were carried out

Sungir

Upper Paleolithic site of ancient man on the territory of the Vladimir region. The parking lot is located on the eastern outskirts of Vladimir at the confluence of the stream of the same name into the Klyazma River, a kilometer from Bogolyubovo.

Estimated age is 25 thousand years. Sungir is one of the richest and most studied sites of ancient man: during excavations that lasted almost 30 years, about 70 thousand archaeological finds were made.

Thick clay layers, deposited over a short period, buried the village, which scientists consider to be cultural layers.

Reconstruction of the appearance of a person from a burial.

Find during excavations.

And during the reconstruction, for some reason, the appearance of people (Cro-Magnon) needed to be given ape-like features (I’m talking about the average reconstruction).

Bulls

A group of Paleolithic sites on the Seim River near the village of Byki, Kurchatovsky district Kursk region. Age 21000-14000 years ago. They were studied in 1978 by G.V. Grigorieva and in 1994-1999 by A.A. Chubur. Traces of capital insulated and lightweight above-ground dwellings, numerous stone and bone items, and works of primitive art were discovered.

Plan of the Byki settlement (24 thousand BC). In the inset at the top left is a plan of the city of Arkaim on the same scale. On the right is a figurine of Makosha from Avdeev (22 thousand BC).

Kobyakovo settlement

On the Kobyakovskaya gully, on the right bank of the Don, near the Aksai automobile bridge across the river. Don.

View of the Kobyakov settlement from the Don River.

Findings made during excavations:

Amulets from Egyptian faience

Imported red-glazed pottery from the 1st-2nd centuries. AD

According to the official view, materials from the Kobyakovo settlements indicate the death of this culture, most likely as a result of a military conflict. Or maybe a natural disaster?

Maidanetskoe. Trypillya

Maidanetskoe (refined angle). Settlement plan 4 thousand BC. 1 - contours of dwellings, 2 - contours of presumptive dwellings and utility pits. 3 - utility pits? 4 - coastal lowland.

The building density varies - from 7 to 11 dwellings per hectare, the probable number of complexes is up to 2000 in Maydanetskoye and 2700 in Talyanki (this is the level of the number of estates in late medieval Novgorod). The basis of the development was two-story housing and utility complexes.

Reconstruction of the proto-city of Maidanetskoye

Giant settlements of Trypillians in the Bug-Dniester interfluve, the area of which is striking in its size: Talyanki - 450 hectares, Maidanetskoye - 250 hectares. Even in medieval times, this is the area of large cities. Thanks to geomagnetic surveys, it was discovered that they numbered from 1,500 to 2,800 buildings located in concentric circles, which were inhabited by from 6 to 25 thousand inhabitants.

Tripoli culture is the settlements of Nebelevka, Gordashevka, Peschanaya. The earliest monument here is Talnoe-1... Obviously, a somewhat later monument is Dobrovody (“proto-city” also with an area of up to 300 hectares). Then here, at a distance of only 11 km from each other, two giant settlements arise: Talyanki and Maidanetskoye. Just 7 km from Maidanetskoye, two small villages were discovered - Talnoye-2 and Talnoye-3, synchronous with it. A similar bush from three settlements, synchronous with Talyanka, was found near the village. Moshurov. The list can be continued with smaller villages.

Please note that a settlement of this scale does not have defensive structures: ramparts, walls. This means there was no external threat. And very often settlements of this scale became cities. And dozens of them have already been opened. Did not have time? Did something interrupt their lives?

There is very little information, much less photographic material, on this topic. It’s understandable, because this pushes our history of the Scythians and Rus far back into the depths of time. This is not something ordinary people and schoolchildren need to know. . I will also propose a version that many of these archaeological cultures are not so ancient. And what makes them ancient is the cataclysm that buried everything under thick layers of clay and sand. As can be seen from the section in Kostenki, there is even volcanic ash. When the nearest volcano is thousands of kilometers away.

The line of anthropogenesis of the Russian Plain is women. [

Quite ordinary, modern faces without any “wildness” on their faces. So maybe these cultures are a layer of the same time? Only they were buried under different thicknesses of clay and soil, and here scientists give them different ages. Judging by the list of archaeological cultures of Russia, they inhabited not only the European part modern Russia, but also all of Siberia and Far East. But more about that next time...

PS: History must be considered not locally (for example, Moscow or Kievan Rus), but globally, only in this way many “secrets” are revealed.

30, 20, 10, 5 thousand years ago - throughout Eurasia there was a single Scythian (Caucasoid) culture - Civilization. This explains the meaning of Mavro Orbini’s book “The Slavic Kingdom” that:

“The Russian people are the most ancient people on earth, from which all other peoples descended. The Empire, with the courage of its warriors and the best weapons in the world, kept the entire universe in obedience and submission for thousands of years. The Russians have always owned all of Asia, Africa, Persia, Egypt, Greece, Macedonia, Illyria, Moravia, the land of Slön, the Czech Republic, Poland, all the shores Baltic Sea, Italy and many other countries and lands...".

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Yu. A. Kolovrat

Population of Zmievshchyna 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, according to ethnic composition the population of Scythia was not homogeneous.

Main written source in the study of the Scythian period of the history of Zmievshchina are archaeological materials and reports of 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 Sauromatians). 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, people lived in the 7th - 3rd centuries. BC e. tribes of settled farmers. The culture of these tribes in its origin, in terms of the peculiarities of life, and religious beliefs differed significantly from the culture steppe nomads 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 on the Zmievsky lands the local basis was made up of the population of the Late Srub and Bondarikha cultures, into which they joined at the turn of the 7th - 3rd centuries. BC e. settlers from the Dnieper Right Bank, who were carriers of the Jabotin type culture. P.D. Liberov, studying Seversk-Donetsk stucco ceramics, came to the conclusion that similar types of ceramics were made by local tribes of the Bronze Age (Catacomb, Srubnaya, Bondarikha archaeological culture).

As a result of the complex interaction of different cultures belonging to different ethnic groups, in the forest-steppe zone of Eastern Europe Even in pre-Scythian times, a unique historical and ethnographic region began to form. With the establishment of Scythian dominance in the steppes of the Northern Black Sea region, close cultural and economic ties were established between them and the forest-steppe farmers. Intertribal division of labor ensured mutually beneficial trade. As a result, both tribes are spreading common types 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 Scythian era. Therefore, the Scythian monuments of the forest-steppe part of Ukraine are called forest-steppe culture. In the Seversky Donets basin, the Seversk-Donetsk (another incorrect name is Severnodonetsk) group of monuments of this culture was widespread. Fortifications, settlements and mounds of this period are concentrated mainly on the right bank of the Seversky Donets, along the Uda and Mzha rivers.

Monuments of the Scythian time on the Seversky Donets first attracted the attention of such experts of the region as N.V. Sibilev, S.A. Loktyushov and A.S. Fedorovsky at the beginning of the twentieth century. After 1917 . they were studied by N.M. Fuchs, S.A. Semenov-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. Shkorbatov, V.Z. Fradkin, Ya.I. Krasyuk, T.I. Shchetinin and others. IN Lately very interesting materials related to the history of the forest-steppe population of the Zmiev region in the 7th - 3rd centuries. were obtained during excavations carried out under the leadership of Yu.V.Buinov and A.V.Bandurovsky. Currently, V.V. Koloda, D.S. Grechko, G.E. Svistun, I.B. Shramko and others are studying Scythian antiquities in the Zmievsky region.

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

Early Scythian (mid 7th - mid 6th centuries BC);
Middle Scythian (second half of the 6th - 5th centuries BC);
Late Scythian (late 5th - early 3rd centuries BC).

The population of the Left Bank Forest-Steppe was concentrated in several groups along the main rivers. One of them inhabited the forest-steppe current of the Seversky Donets. Obviously, this placement reflected the natural division of these groups into tribes. Each of these territorial tribal formations had certain features of material culture, which constituted their ethnographic characteristics.

A characteristic feature of the population of the Left Bank Forest-Steppe of the Scythian time is that in the 4th century. 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 4th century. BC. Here there is a growth and flourishing of economic and cultural activities. Apparently, the population of this territory was subject to the devastating raids of the steppe people to a lesser extent than its western neighbors.

Researchers have made repeated attempts to identify the forest-steppe archaeological culture with a specific ethnonym, from those given by Herodotus in his list. In accordance with the hypothesis of A.I. Terenozhkin and V.A. Ilyinskaya, the Herodotus Scythian 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 figure on the front flyleaf). Herodotus calls the population living between the upper reaches of the Don and the Dnieper Gelons and reports the following about them: “Gelons... engage in farming, gardening and eat bread.” These Gelons are sharply contrasted with the Scythian nomads. B.A. Rybakov localized gelons on the Left Bank, incl. and along the Seversky Donets (see figure).

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

Rice. 1.

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

Rice. 2.

Source: Rybakov B. A. Paganism Ancient Rus'. - Reprint. ed. 1987 . - M.: Nauka, 2008. - P. 62

According to Kharkov scientists V.V. Skirda, B.P. Zaitsev and A.F. Paramonov, the tribes of the forest-steppe culture should be identified with the melanchlens. This point of view is also shared by B.A. Shramko, V.K. Mikheev and the author of these lines. The basis for this opinion is the following. Researchers have noted that a certain Iranian (Late Scythian and Sarmatian) element took part in the formation of the East Slavic tribe of northerners (Volyntsevo and Romny archaeological culture). For example, the ethnonym severo itself comes from the Iranian sēv - “black”. A striking parallel with the Melanchlens, whose name translates as “people in black robes”! V.V. Ivanov and V.N. Toporov believe that the ethnonym in question 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 “black cloak” Melanchlen tribes described by Herodotus. In addition, the structure of the sanctuaries of the forest-steppe Scythian culture is in many ways similar to the sanctuaries of the northerners, as will be discussed below, in the third chapter. According to the assumption of V.V. Sedov, the northerners were originally called the tribal group of the Iranian-speaking population that lived in the Dnieper forest-steppe Left Bank. This population dissolved among the Slavs, who adopted the old ethnonym. The only thing that is unclear is the timing of this event.

Rice. 3.

I - antiquities from settlements (1, 6, 8 - Belskoye; 2-5, 7, 9 - Basovskoye); II - antiquities from mounds near the village. Aksyutintsy (10 - mound No. 3 in the Staikin Verkh locality; 11-15 - Elder Mogila).

Source: Vinokur I. S., Telegin D. Ya. Archeology of Ukraine: A handbook for students of historical specialties of general initial knowledge. - View. 2nd, add. and processed - Ternopil: Basic book; Bogdan, 2005. - P. 180

It should be noted that I.S. Vinokur and D.Ya. Telegin consider the Melanchlens to be the bearers of the Yukhnov archaeological culture and place them north of the forest-steppe culture. Judging by toponymy, the Yukhnovites belonged to the Baltic tribes in language, related in their ethnicity to modern Latvians and Latvians.

Rice. 4.

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

Thus, the question of the ethnicity of the population of the Scythian forest-steppe culture of the Zmievshchina ser. VII-III centuries BC, remains open. However, taking into account the complexity and ambiguity of the ethnic identification of the population of our region at that time, in our further narrative we will call the local population of this period forest-steppe Scythians.

Rice. 5.

Source: History of the Ukrainian SSR: In 10 volumes - K.: Naukova Dumka, 1982. - T. 1. Primitive communal system and the emergence of 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 Zmievsky region are represented by fortifications and settlements. It is characteristic that in the Zmievshchina the settlements have been studied better than the burial 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 Mzhe, Udy, Gomolsha.

Today there are 18 settlements in the Seversky Donets basin. Some of them are located on the territory of the Zmievshchina: Vodyanoye, Mokhnach, Koropov Khutora, Blshaya Gomolsha, Seversky settlement, Taranovskoye and, probably, Sukhaya Gomolsha. It seems that Zmievo fortification 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 ancient settlements in the Zmievshchina should be associated with the expansion of the Scythians and the disruption 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 strengthened the settlements located near the Muravsky Way." However, V.V. Koloda has a different view. In his opinion, the reason for the advancement of the Scythian population from the Vorskla, Psla and Sula basins to the territory of the Zmievshchina could be the need for 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. Deeds of food cultivation of forest-steppe settlements of the Scythian hour on the Seversky Dentsi // Archaeology. - 2006. - No. 4. - P. 20

The technology for constructing protective structures of Scythian settlements was superbly reconstructed by D.S. Grechko and G.E. Svistun. At the heart of the fortification was a rampart, constructed as follows. First, a huge amount of wood was burned along the line of the future shaft. A layer of moistened clay mass was placed on top of the resulting hot ash cushion, into which the logs, notched at the top, were inserted. The clay layer was burned by the temperature of the ash bed and turned into a kind of brick. The clay core of the structure was then covered with a rampart embankment.

In 1953 . B.A. Shramko explored the Zmievo settlement, better known in archeology as Gaidary-1 (Bucer tract). The report noted featureless fragments of molded pottery, presumably from Scythian times. Lifting material collected in different time A.S. Fedorovsky, N.K. Fuks, M.I. Sayan and V.V. Didyk, testifies that in the early Iron Age there was a Scythian settlement of the forest-steppe culture. The presence of a Scythian-era defensive rampart at this monument, assumed by some researchers, remains unclear.

An ancient settlement located near the village. Sukhaya Gomolsha is multi-layered and also contains materials indicating the presence of forest-steppe Scythians in these areas. Presumably, it arose in the Scythian era, although doubts about this were expressed by D.S. Grechko and G.E. Svistun. Total area of the fort 2 ha . It consists of a citadel and two suburbs.

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

In the village Bolshaya Gomolsha, on the cape of the left bank of the Gomolsha River, is a Scythian settlement of the 5th - 3rd centuries. BC e., the area of which is about 7 ha . The fort is surrounded by a rampart and a ditch. 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 to the 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 Gomolsha River, in 1 km south of the livestock farm, at the north-eastern outskirts of the village, with an area of 500x300 m.

There is a settlement between the villages of Vodyanoye and Krasnaya Polyana. It is located on a high cape on the right bank of the Uda River, in the Kholodny Yar tract. The cape on the floor side is fenced with ramparts and ditches. The area of the fort is 2. 54 hectares . Excavations carried out by B.A. Shramko in 1952 ., showed that the settlement is two-layered - with deposits of the Scythian era and Romny culture.

The most interesting monument to 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 carried out under the direction of B.A. Shramko in 1953-1954 and in 1970 showed that it is two-layered. Its lower layer dates back to the Scythian period. The area of the Korobovsky settlement is 1.5 ha . Its main courtyard is surrounded on three sides by a ditch and a rampart with the remains of masonry from the walls. Also, in the area with. Korobov, three antique Panticapaean coins were found. The shaft of the Scythian time was filled with sand, and on the side it was reinforced, obviously, by a number of notched logs. This shaft is dated by typical Scythian pottery and a fragment of a grinding stone with a hanging hole, characteristic of the Scythian era.

Among the archaeological monuments of Zmievshchina, special attention of researchers has always attracted the attention of the settlement, located within the modern village. Mokhnach. The monument area is approximately 12.5 ha located on a high cape on the right bank of the Seversky Donets between the swimming pool and one of the deep ravines facing it from the north-west 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 the fortifications, which led to the destruction of the settlement. Near the ancient settlement, on both sides of the Donets there were 7 Scythian villages. These settlements occupied the first terrace above the left and the slopes of the right banks of the river.

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

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

In 1950 . B.A. Rybakov discovered a Scythian village located near the village. Ostroverkhovka. This settlement and the associated burial ground are located on a flat hill at the headwaters of the Chernyavka River (the left tributary of the Mzhi). In 1951-1953 The study of this monument was carried out by Kharkov State University. On the territory of the settlement there are 60 ash pits, which are concentrated in 5 groups. Each of these groups represents 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 the village. Borovoe, a settlement of the Scythian period, V-III centuries, was identified. BC e. . Another such settlement was located on the territory of the village. Sokolovo.

In 1951 2 km north of the village. Birochok Ya.I. Krasyuk discovered a Scythian settlement located on the right bank of the Mzhi. Somewhat earlier, in 1948 ., Ya.I. Krasyuk discovered a multi-layered settlement of the Bronze Age and Scythian times. The village is located on the right bank of the Mzhi River, in 2 km north-east of the village. Pervomaisky, in the Birochok tract.

On the right bank of the Mzha River, on a hill southeast of the village. Grishkovka is another Scythian settlement. Its ash pits contain ceramics, a spindle whorl, clay buttons, an iron spear, a dagger and bronze arrowheads from the 5th-4th centuries. BC e. . Currently, these finds are exhibited in the Museum of Military Brotherhood in the village. Sokolovo.

Rice. 8. Pupils of Zmievskaya school No. 1 opened burial of a woman from early Scythian times. Tract Serdyukovo-2 (near the village of Liman)

Scythian settlement near the village of Petropavlovka

Settlement located near the village of Petropavlovka in the Olshansky rural settlement of the Chernyansky district of the Belgorod region. It was also discovered Scythian burial ground, similar to modern burials.

Historians suggest that here in the 6th-4th centuries BC there were fortifications of the ancient inhabitants of the region. According to the information of the Belgorod Archaeological Expertise, the found burial ground belongs to the ground. This is the first Scythian burial ground found on the territory of the Belgorod region.

Archaeological work on the site of this ancient settlement has been going on for several years. Ancient defensive system here it is represented by two ramparts and a ditch between them. So far, experts do not have a common opinion about the nature of the settlement here in ancient times and which tribes inhabited it: the Belgorod region was borderland in those days, so in the region there are traces of the presence of various Scythian tribes that came from the forests of the North and from the steppes of the South.

"During these excavations, we check the presence of a cultural layer, its thickness, saturation, after which we must draw a conclusion based on the nature of this settlement - was it residential or were they just hiding here in times of danger. After the first days of excavations, we can say that here during the construction of fortifications Burnt clay was widely used. In principle, there are not enough finds on the defensive rampart itself, which indicates that few people lived here. We also plan to excavate around the rampart in the hope of finding traces of ancient settlements, that is, unfortified settlements." Tatyana Sarapulkina management consultant state protection objects cultural heritage Belgorod region.

So far, the most common finds are ancient “bricks” (pieces of baked clay), fragments of ceramic dishes, and animal bones. The most memorable discovery was pieces of one vessel and part of a horse skull, which lay in one place, at the base of the shaft. Based on the nature of the occurrence, the excavation leaders assumed that this was part of a pagan ritual of a kind of consecration of an ancient structure.

The remains of a young woman and child were discovered in a unique Scythian burial ground. The age of the woman is 25-35 years, the child is 12-14 years old. A stud earring was found under the skull near the woman's ear. Experts suggest that the decoration was made in the 5th century BC.

According to chief archaeologist Andrei Bozhko, the Scythians usually left burial mounds, but the one found near Chernyanka is unpaved. The main difference between them is that ground ones do not have external identification marks on the surface of the earth. Therefore, the discovery of each such burial ground is a real success for specialists and a huge find for science.

SOME FOOD BOIL, OTHERS WASH HUMAN BONES IN A BASH

For fifteen years now, work has been in full swing in the village of Balanovo, Nizhnegorsky district. ancient settlement(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. This is where my first experience of archaeological tourism took place.

If you consider that a bed in a resort village costs 70 hryvnia, then getting involved in history is inexpensive. 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 we were given porridge and tea or coffee of our choice; at lunch we were fed borscht, mashed potatoes with stewed meat 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.

I'm rushing after the quick 25-year-old leader. At the same time I listen to a lecture on history.

This settlement is called Neizats,” explains Mikhail Sergeevich, 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 encountered a settlement that was built on a terraced hill. This is not typical for Scythians.

REFRIGERATOR PITCHES

The search site looks like a construction site. It looks like they are digging a foundation pit for a future home. The territory is divided into squares, between which ropes are stretched. The areas between them, where you can only walk, are called edges by archaeologists. Boys and girls, under the strict guidance of Shapts, are filming upper layer soil, and the earth is poured nearby into a dump.

Walk carefully along the edges,” explains the archaeologist. - Be very careful, otherwise you will fall into a hole or get 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 structure is pear-shaped, and its walls are coated with clay. The Scythians stored grain in such pits or used them as refrigerators. And when rodents infested the pit, the structure was reclassified as a landfill.

After five minutes of swinging a shovel under the scorching 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, there is nothing in the ground here except roots,” I ask Mikhail and angrily throw the earth into the dump.

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

IT'S EASY TO FALL INTO THE ANCIENT WORLD

Why do we waste time digging up ancient landfills? Isn’t it better to study burial grounds? - I don’t let up. - It’s not for nothing that “black” archaeologists dig them. Surely there is something to profit from there.

By the way, jewelry and ceramics of ancient people are often found in such dumps,” Mikhail continues to patiently answer my stupid questions. “We need to dig them up in order to understand what kind of people lived here, what they ate and what they wore. Recently, in such a pit, we came across the skeleton of a sturgeon, 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? Were human bones found in them?

Skeletons are constantly encountered, but not human ones, “unloading” the earth from their boots, explains the archaeologist. “But I had to fall into a waste pit several times.” The voids there are formed from rotted debris and vegetation. Somehow the top layer of soil broke, and I went waist-deep underground. I remember being very scared.

WHO DOES NOT WORK SHALL NOT EAT

Students from the Faculty of History work next door. Every summer they undergo practice at similar excavations. Professional archaeologists use them primarily for uprooting trees and removing top turf. Students live in a forest camp according to the principle “Whoever doesn’t work, doesn’t eat.”

You are supposed to dig for six hours a day, with a 10-minute break at the end of each hour, the guys say. - We are here like tractors in a field. We do dirty work, but if we try, the authorities may allow us to do important work, for example, “cleaning up” graves. It's hardest for girls. They are not used to swinging a shovel all day, and their 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 carefully remove the soil with a trowel. If you notice something hard, carefully sweep away the soil with a brush.

FINDING A PAIR OF SHARDS IS LUCK

Twenty minutes later my back began to 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 in the ground with a knife, we managed to find only a few lamb bones and a couple of shards of an ancient lacquered amphora. Mikhail was delighted and said that it was luck, because they might not have found anything at all.

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

“Black” archaeologists are always one step ahead of us, complains Mikhail. - They have more funds for fruitful searches; they even have metal detectors and devices that work on the X-ray principle. Modern robbers manage to work even at night. There were cases when they set up tents over an ancient grave, turned on lanterns and carried out excavations unnoticed by everyone. It often happens that we find the places where the robbers visited. For example, next to this settlement there is an ancient burial ground. A shepherd accidentally found him when he was picking at the ground with the handle of his whip - he picked up the top layer of soil and fell into the crypt. Scientists became aware of the find. They started work in 1996. The first crypt that was found and opened was robbed in ancient times. The rest of the found burials remained untouched. Excavations of the Scythian cemetery continue to this day. There are a lot of bones there - human and sacrificial animals, sometimes you come across ceramics and various decorations.

THEY ARE NOT ROMANTIC AT ALL

Intrigued by the archaeologist's stories, I asked to be taken to an ancient cemetery. Place scientific research looks like a military fortification. There is a strong smell of dampness in the air, and the sight of human bones lying in the pits makes you break out in a cold sweat. It takes up to three days to complete one grave. During this time, archaeologists shovel several tons of tightly compacted soil. By the way, only professionals are allowed to visit the graves.

Are you afraid to work with bones? - Climbing into the hole, I ask a pretty girl. - Probably, after such work, you have nightmares at night, and before lunch you lose your appetite?

From fatigue you sleep like the dead, and from hard physical work you have a brutal appetite,” the girl answers, concentrating on scraping the vile dirt from her bones. - It was scary at first! But over time you get used to it, and the work is still interesting.

Archaeologists are not superstitious people. They don't 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,” explains Mikhail. - After all, before starting an archaeological expedition, you have to sift through a bunch of books, maps and archival documents. And our salaries are small. A beginning specialist receives no more than 2 thousand hryvnia.

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 and heard legends. But now that I know that the Scythian and Sarmatian peoples lived in the North Caucasus, I look at the world around me differently. It is not known for certain who these people were or how they lived.and what they were doing.

It is not clear why the Sarmatians had settlements, fortifications and fortresses, while the Scythians always wandered. What about the mounds? They buried their fellow 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 with large concentrations of mounds, there should be temporary settlements of the Scythians. No matter how nomadic they are, their wives and children cannot be avoided.

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 Scythians. Perhaps they got tired of men and separated. It is not easy to find evidence of the life and way of life of the Scythian peoples; you need to find a settlement or site of the Scythians.

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

The first coins of the Scythians were war arrows from bronze bows. They could be used to purchase household items and, on the other hand, be used in battle.

In the photographs there are coins with arrows of the Scythian peoples of the 4th-1st centuries. BC.