“The completed archaeological season in the Tuvan Valley of the Kings brought a sensation: St. Petersburg scientists discovered Scythian burials of the 8th-7th centuries BC.
Discussions about the origin of the Scythians begin since the time of Herodotus, who proposed the theory of the Asian origin of the tribes, whose burial grounds were found in the Black Sea region. For centuries they were skeptical about it - dominated by the theory of the "European roots" of the Scythians, its indirect confirmation was the Caucasoid, not Mongoloid structure of the skulls found remains. The main identification mark of the Scythian culture is unique animal style of jewelry - could, scientists believed, appear after the return of the Scythians from the Central Asian campaigns, that is not earlier than the 7th century BC... This was confirmed by dated written sources of that time.
The study of the "tsar's burial" is the result of a long-term Russian-German scientific project. The excavations were carried out by the Central Asian Archaeological Expedition (created on the basis of the St. Petersburg branch of the Research Institute of Cultural and natural heritage Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation and the Russian Academy of Sciences) and the Euro-Asian Department of the Berlin Archaeological Institute of the Federal Republic of Germany. The steppe in the vicinity of the village of Arzhan (in the Turano-Uyuk hollow of the spurs of the Western Sayan Mountains in the north of Tuva) has long attracted the attention of archaeologists - it is here, in the Valley of the Kings, that the largest burial mounds of the era of the early nomads of Eurasia are concentrated. The first scientific excavations were carried out at the beginning of the twentieth century, and in the 70s the finds of the famous Leningrad scientist Mikhail Gryaznov became a sensation. The materials obtained during the excavation of the Arzhan burial mound made it possible to clarify the origin of the vibrant cultures of the early nomads of Eurasia of the first millennium BC ...
The current excavations in Tuva, where monuments of the turn of the 8th-7th centuries BC were discovered, unexpectedly confirmed the accuracy of Herodotus's assumptions. The identification of tribes of the Scythian type occurs by the presence of the components of the so-called "Scythian triad": weapons, horse harness and, of course, art objects of the animal style. The finds in the so-called "Valley of the Kings", uniting several mounds, date back to the turn of the 8th-7th centuries BC, that is, the time when the Scythians in the Black Sea region, again according to archaeological data, did not exist.
Konstantin Chugunov, head of the Central Asian Expedition, Hermitage Research Fellow, told Izvestia:
The finds in the Arzhan-2 mound have no analogies in archeology. All samples of the components of the Scythian triad are so highly developed that initially we could not even imagine that they were created earlier than in the 6th century BC. A careful analysis of both the "royal" burials, and the burial grounds that did not belong to the representatives of the Scythian nobility, showed that they were created later than the 7th century BC. This overturns ideas about the Asian nomadic culture: about the origin and development of Scythian art, which surpasses even the contemporary art of Archaic Greece in terms of development, one can speak in a completely different way. The antiquity of the finds suggests that the Scythian tribes came to the Black Sea region from Central Asia.
However, the populist "scientific" assumptions that appeared after the publication of the first results of the expedition in Kyzyl that modern Tuvans are descendants of the Scythians are categorically refuted by St. Petersburg archaeologists. One of the main arguments is the Caucasian skull of the Scythians, their belonging to the Iranian language group. And in general, scientists state, the fact that the carriers of an ancient civilization stay on any territory does not mean that the ethnic groups that appeared there later are the "genetic successors" of this civilization. The excavations have been completed until next May, which the Central Asian expedition is looking forward to with understandable impatience. "
There were 9,300 gold coins found, not counting the "countless gold beads". Photo: Vera Salnitskaya
The unknown warrior was found literally covered in gold along with his woman. Photo: Konstantin Chugunov, Anatoly Naglera and Herman Parzinger; Vera Salnitskaya
The unknown Scythian warrior was christened the Siberian Tutankhamun, for the symbols of his wealth were discovered: the bodies of 14 horses were buried in the ancient necropolis. Next to this burial, the burials of another 33 people were discovered, five of whom are children. Found jewelry was made in "Animal Art" style
The ancient ruler was buried with a heavy necklace of solid gold and a gold quiver decorated with fish scales. Photo: Vera Salnitskaya
This burial was not plundered, like Arzhan 1, so archaeologists got their hands on items made of iron, turquoise, amber and wood, as well as gold.
The find was described by the director of the Hermitage, Dr. M. B. Piotrovsky, as an "encyclopedia of Scythian art" containing the species of many animals that roamed the region, such as panthers, lions, camels, deer ...
Reconstruction of costumes made by experts from the Hermitage. Picture: Hermitage
The warrior's outer garment, probably a variation of the caftan, was adorned with thousands of small Panther figurines, each 2-3 centimeters long, attached in vertical rows and forming motifs such as wings on the back.
Animal-style golden pectoral. Photo: Vera Salnitskaya
Thousands of small beads with a diameter of about 1 mm were sewn onto felt or leather boots, which made the boots seem to be made of gold
The total weight of his jewelry - including the glass beads on his trousers - was 2 kilograms. The man's weaponry consisted of an iron dagger.
The decoration of the woman's dress corresponds to the man's caftan: thousands of golden panthers form different motives, again, in particular, the wings on the back. Around her chest, archaeologists have found gold earrings and many small balls of gold, amber, garnet, malachite and other precious materials.
At her foot were thousands of mini-beads of gold, which were to be fastened to leather boots that were inlaid with gold ribbons and grains.
“It's hard to imagine that these small pieces were made by nomads living in tents. Photo: Vera Salnitskaya
Other burials that surrounded the prominent pair contain bronze knives, an ax of the type known as the Raven's beak, arrowheads, bronze mirrors, belts, and many jewelry - beads of glass, stone, amber, and gold earrings. There were also fragments of fabric - felt, fur and fabric.
Here, too, were discovered bridle sets made of bronze, ornaments for the manes and tail, carved from sheet gold.
DNA analysis of the group showed that the buried were from the Iranian ethnolinguistic group. According to the analysis of strontium isotopes in the bones, all the buried were local residents, except for the "Queen", and this gives reason to think about dynastic marriages.
Weapons: iron dagger and iron arrowheads with gold inlay. Photo: Vera Salnitskaya
The early Scythians were people who knew and appreciated works of art Photo: Vera Salnitskaya
The burial picture corresponds to the description of the burial rite among the Scythians, described by Herodotus.
Wooden bowl with a gold handle. Photo: Vera Salnitskaya
As Parzinger said: "It is hard to imagine that these small pieces were made by nomads living in tents." Chugunov agrees: "In Arzhan 2, the gold jewelry was clearly not made by nomadic artists."
Some of the ornaments are probably made in what is now China; others owe their origins to the masters of the Middle East. Some of the treasures came from a distance of 4000 to 5000 kilometers from this mound, but at that moment there was no contact between the Scythians and the ancient Greeks.
However, the treasures testify to the lost civilization of the Scythians. They were culturally more advanced as it was once assumed. Experts suggest that there were also Scythian craftsmen who made daggers and arrowheads found in the burial. The techniques used in embroidery and earring making are similar to those used close to To the Aral Sea, about 3600 km from the burial site. Remains of fruits and plant seeds found in Argens 2 also come from more distant regions.
What do anthropological studies say?
“Most of the studied groups of the Scythian time, when compared with the prefabricated series representing Caucasians and Mongoloids, correspond to the frequencies of the ZI, ZSSH, and ISNS inherent in Caucasians (Fig. 1). Arzhan-2. At the same time, the average value of HO frequencies for prefabricated series, except for those buried in Arzhan-2, Pazyryks and Tagarians (Kuznetsk depression), exceeds this indicator for modern Mongoloids. BUT are also characteristic of a number of Bronze Age populations from the steppe and forest-steppe zones of Western and Southern Siberia [Gromov, Moiseev, 2004]. Taking this into account, as well as the absence of a noticeable “eastern” tendency in other characters in the Pazyryk and Tagar people of the Kuznetsk depression, I believe that It is premature to talk about the significant participation of Mongoloid groups in the genesis of these populations. the connections of these groups with the Caucasians of Southern Siberia of the Bronze Age. The assumption about the participation of Mongoloids in the formation of the group from Arzhan-2 has more grounds, since, as already noted, it demonstrates a stable “eastern” tendency in almost all traits that are significant for the differentiation of modern Caucasian and Mongoloid populations. It should, however, be borne in mind that the extreme frequency values characterizing the series may be due to the small size of the group. It is also necessary to take into account possible kinship relations between individuals buried in this burial ground, which was the ancestral tomb of the top of the Early Scythian society ...
The beginning of a qualitative change in relations between the Central Asian groups and the Caucasoid population of the steppe zone of Siberia is evidenced by the pronounced “eastern” shift of the group from Arzhan-2. A similar shift for an earlier time was traced only in individual individuals, which means that the migration process was not yet massive at that time - we could talk about the infiltration of small Mongoloid groups, which were completely assimilated by Caucasoid populations... The uniqueness of the cranioscopic characteristics of the series from Arzhan-2 is an indicator that a radical change in the dynamics of interaction between the ancient European and Mongoloid populations did not occur in the Scythian period. The process of mass migration of Mongoloid groups of Central Asian origin fell on the subsequent, Hunnic, period.
In the forest-steppe zone Western Siberia at this time, another direction of interpopulation relations prevailed. Here assimilation of the numerically predominant Caucasoid populations of the local taiga population took place, in the cranioscopic characteristics of which there are traces of similarities with modern Ugric and Samoyed groups ."
Tuva is a small republic in the Sayan Mountains.
The Yenisei originates in Tuva. The geographical center of Asia is located in Tuva. But ... The song about “planes don't fly there today and even trains don't go there” is about Tuva. The nearest operating airport is in Abakan, and the nearest train is in the project.
However, it is worth visiting Tuva. And that's why…
Along the mountain road
Tuva is a land of geography, a lost world. You can only get here by bus. And here we go! The road is mountainous, winding - ascent and descent, passes. However, the beauty outside the window is such that time is not a pity!
Right now the Sleeping Sayan will be visible ... - explains the girl who already knows these places. - Look! Here it is.
I do not see anything yet, except for gray rocks of the usual form - mountains and mountains.
Why, this is the head, these are the hands!
I peer, and for sure - here is a head with an aquiline nose and closed eyes, and here are my hands folded on my chest!
Mountains, cliffs, hollows and ridges form the figure of a hero sleeping on a high hill. The uniqueness of the Sleeping Sayan is that a person is guessed in him not from any one point, but from different ones. Materialists believe that this time so weathered the stones. But a lot of people agree with the legend about the hero, who was left here to guard untold treasures.
The Sleeping Sayan is best seen from the observation deck near Polka - it is a covered tunnel above the road, which protects it from frequent avalanches. The regiment itself is an attraction, but here everyone is busy with the Sayan.
At his feet is the Hanging Stone, a multi-ton lump, which cannot be understood on what it is holding on to the edge of the abyss. Perhaps this is one of those "stone toys" that the gods played with, according to legend, in this place they descended to earth. They say that it looks like it is about to fall, but when some citizens try (and there are some, as you understand) to push the lump, it is not given. How many years this stone has been lying like this, and how much more will it lie — God knows. We cannot see the stone from our distance, so this is another time ...
Along the road in July, local residents sell strawberries, which are immediately collected in the meadows. Prices are affordable.
Ergaki
it nature Park... Mountains and lakes. Peaks and ridges. Local attractions were named in modern times, hence the names Parabola, Molodezhny, Dragon's Tooth, etc. It takes, as experts say, a week to see all the sights. You can get a job at the base, which is called Ergaki. Wooden houses. Since the rocky area cannot be leveled, plank walkways were laid across the entire territory. The air is such that you can sell in glasses. It is picturesque to the point that artistic natures get drunk without alcohol, from some landscapes. Near the base is a lake reputed to be dead. However, the most stubborn go there to fish. And even more heroic personalities, they say, even bathe. Although the temperature is not much higher than freezing.
Kyzyl
Kyzyl is a small town. Very cozy in summer, but I don’t know what it’s like in winter. Locals say that frosts can be up to minus fifty, and people try not to go outside in winter without needing to go outside. Therefore, in the near future, it is planned to build a sports palace - then it will be possible to hold mass events without risk to health.
Kyzyl is a city of children. On the streets - children, children, children ... The head of the Republic of Kara-ool said that youth and children make up half of the population of the republic. This in itself is encouraging.
From the city you can see a mountain with letters laid out on the slope. These are the first words of the most important Buddhist mantra "Om mane padme him", laid out so that they can be seen both from the ground and from the sky. In Kyzyl itself, in the center, on the square in front of the government building and the republican theater, there is a drum with a prayer. According to tradition, the drum must be turned three times - then your wish will come true. We twirl, the bell fortified at the top is ringing - our request has been taken into account ...
The Yenisei flows through the city - in fact, it is here, at the confluence of the Big and Small Yenisei, and begins, thus becoming the Yenisei, which, after almost three and a half thousand kilometers, will flow into the Arctic Ocean.
So romantics can drop a message in a bottle. I jump over the rocks further from the shore. In transparent water, I suddenly see a small fish. I have not seen fry in the water since childhood - since the trees were large and the rivers were clean. In Tuva, everything remained as in childhood ...
Head shaman
Tuva is a unique civilization. It is impossible to say that people live here the same way as they did hundreds of years ago - they live, of course, not like everyone else in the 21st century - they drive cars, go to cafes, eat sushi. But in some ways, Tuvans are children of eternity. In the morning, a line is lined up to a small green house - people came for advice to Mognush Barakhovich Kenin-Lopsan, who, on the one hand, is a shaman and a seer, on the other, he is a full member of the New York Academy of Sciences.
Our horses have been stolen ... - says to us from a woman standing in line to the shaman. - I want to ask if they can be found, where to look approximately.
The woman is well dressed, with a cell phone in her hands. And it can be seen that going to a shaman with such problems is a common thing for her ...
Our turn comes, we enter Kenin-Lopsan. He sits at the table. Around books, books, books. On the table, under Kenin-Lopsan's hands, there are pebbles. We already know that he guesses on them. We were told that fortune-telling stones are taken from the goiter of a capercaillie. But these Kenin-Lapsana were brought from Greece.
The silence is such that you can hear the ticking clock. He is 89 years old. Whether he sees us, we do not know - he has cataracts in front of him. Kenin-Lopsan's voice is quiet, with a slight accent, but he builds his phrases correctly and does not make mistakes in the endings.
I am the son of a storyteller, hunter, nomad. When I was little, we had a nomadic life. Mom, dad, brothers, sisters - our family was huge, eleven people.
I graduated from the Oriental Faculty of the Leningrad University. I am an orientalist. My teacher was Stein, professor Viktor Maksimovich Stein, he was a translator of the Russian embassy in Beijing, knew Chinese, Korean, Japanese. And somehow he knew our shamanic antiquity. Yes ... There was a story ...
Tuva is a land of shamans. Tuvans have great respect for the representatives of Orthodoxy, Islam, Buddhism, but they turn to shamans. For Tuvans, shamans are the most respected people. They heal. They are guarding. Until 1990, Tuva was isolated from the outside world. Therefore, shamanism was preserved here by a miracle. Our shamans were behind bars, some returned, others died. Class struggle, communist ideology ... I had a shamanic grandmother. She was behind bars three times during the Soviet era. The last time I sat near Minusinsk. For us it is sad story... She's back. Once I was sitting, a young energetic Russian man came in. He greeted and said: "I'm with your grandmother." And leads her. It turns out that he had a daughter, she was ill, they treated her in Leningrad and Moscow, but it did not help. And my grandmother cured me. And as a token of gratitude, he brought his grandmother to us. Somehow I helped to be released early. My grandmother lived near Mongolia, she did not get there - she died.
I am the son of a storyteller, my memory has been working since childhood - what a person said, I always remember forever. I work from seven in the morning until two in the afternoon. I don't work after two. I am the son of a nomad, a hunter - they are matinees. For me, happiness is bread, work, health, children, people who respect me, who protect me. That's all…
Lake Tore-Khol. How can I tell you what it is? Transparent water glows in the sun.
Under your feet, small, smaller than match heads, pebbles that scratch your heels.
Large birds are landing on the water nearby. You are a city man, you do not know their names. They are not afraid of you - there is a reserve here. Birds have their own business - they look out for fish in the water. Nature lives its own life, allowing people to admire themselves from the shore.
One side of the lake is Tuvan, the other is Mongolian. So the bird, chasing fish in Tuva, catches up with it in Mongolia. But the bird doesn't care. But a person, to get here, will need a pass to the border zone. And this is good - some sort of selection.
Around - semi-desert, sand and bushes. And here the lake is like an emerald lost by someone. Kara-Khol - memory of the ice age. Once upon a time these places were covered with a multi-meter shell of snow and ice. Then the earth pulled back, but water remained in this basin. You lie on, peer into small pebbles and see in them small - millimeters in diameter - shells. When did snails live in them - yesterday or millions of years ago? ..
Valley of the Kings
On planet Earth, there are less than a dozen of those places where long-lost peoples buried their kings. The most famous place- Egypt, the pyramids of Giza. But the Tuvan Valley of the Kings is perhaps the most mysterious.
Here the Scythians buried their leaders - people who inhabited Asia and part of present-day European Russia in times that were antiquity for the "father of history" Herodotus. Looking down on the past, we consider ancient civilizations to be primitive, wild or semi-wild. Meanwhile, in the Scythian burial mounds there were so many treasures that in the 17th-18th centuries in Russia "Siberian burial gold" was counted on a centner. And this is just what, for various reasons, fell into legal circulation. It turns out that the Scythians from somewhere had tons of gold. What kind of people were they? What kind of world was it?
Scythian gold found in Tuva in the Arzhaan-2 burial ground is now kept in a special hall of the republican museum. Pectoral, akinak, one and a half kilogram golden hryvnia, a golden ladle, about which they say that the same ladle was described by Herodotus, a golden "fabric" from which the golden (!) Pants (!) Of the king were sewn! Two and a half thousand golden cats, each the size of peanuts, adorned the king's clothes. The royal sword (akinak), on the handle of which tigers tear a ram. Where could the Scythians see tigers - after all, not on TV? Or are they leopards, still living in some areas of Tuva? The queen's gold earring is adorned with gold grain of such a fine workmanship that today's masters do not undertake to repeat it. These findings raise more questions than they answer ...
By the way, the international archaeological expedition "Kyzyl-Kuragino", which includes many volunteers, has been working in the Tuvan Valley of the Kings for several seasons. So if you want to take part in the treasure hunt, go there! Just remember - the gold will have to be surrendered. But the real treasures are memories! - will stay with you !!
How to get there? By plane, train or car to Abakan. Then - along the M-54 highway to Kyzyl. Further - wherever your heart desires.
The national cuisine is the most varied. Local tea - with milk, salty. The national drink is kumis (horse and camel milk). Not for the amateur, but for the exotic you can try, there is no particular risk.
People are hospitable and benevolent.
The Tuva Valley of the Kings is known far beyond the borders of the republic. In essence, it is a huge accumulation of the most ancient burial mounds. In other words, the ancient graves of the leaders of various tribes are concentrated in a hollow surrounded by a chain of mountains. These burials were attributed to the Uyuk cultural period. The valley is located about seventy kilometers to the north-western side of the capital of the republic - Kyzyl and is divided into two zones, the territories of which are called "Arzhan No. 1" and "Arzhan No. 2".
History
The famous Valley of the Kings, or, as it is also called the Tsarskaya Valley, is located in one of the most picturesque regions of the republic - Piy-Khem. It is surrounded by mountains and seems full of historical secrets and treasures. The names of the burials reflect the name of the nearby settlement - Arzhan. Mounds are considered the oldest and largest territory of all such zones of the Scythian period, and date back to 4-7 centuries BC. Based on this fact alone, one can imagine what archaeological value they have. And archaeologists do not miss the opportunity to carry out exploration work on the territory of the burial mounds. Excavations are carried out almost all year round, with the exception, perhaps, of the winter season.
Peculiarities
The most explored of the two territories is considered to be "Arzhan-1". Its in-depth study was carried out in the period from 2001-2003 with the help of the Russian-German society. It was then that it was precisely established that the burial places belonged only to the royal dynasties. Luck smiled at the archaeologists, and an undisturbed crypt was found in one of the underground rooms. As it turned out, at least seventeen people and one hundred and sixty horses were buried here, which it was customary to bury with their owners. In the course of the research, it was also revealed that the Tuvan burial mounds are older than the Black Sea embankments. This fact gave scientists reason to believe that it was the burials of the Valley of the Kings that were the original ones, and from them the famous Scythian era began, which spread to more distant regions. After the completion of the work, most of the items found during the excavations became the property of the National Republican Museum, which is kept today.
The Valley of the Kings was and remains the largest North Asian burial site, and its research has made a huge contribution to history. After all, those unique things that have been found in the entire history of excavations make it possible to judge a lot. Despite the fact that the mounds were partially looted several hundred years ago, it is believed that many future museum exhibits still remain on their territory. Many archaeologists from Tyva and other Russian regions are looking for these artifacts.
How to get there
A famous Tuvan landmark - the Valley of the Kings is located in the Piy-Khem region of the Tuva Republic, not far from settlement Arzhan.
On the highest steppe basin of Tuva, Turano-Uyuk, surrounded by the peaks of the Uyuk and Kortushibinsky ridges, in the area of the villages of Arzhan and Tarlyk, one of the most beautiful natural and historical monuments of Southern Siberia is located. Locals call it "Valley of the Kings". A large number of large chains of burial mounds are concentrated here, which are the graves of the clan and tribal leaders of the Scythian times. The chains, however, probably reflect the consanguinity of the people buried in them.
The most famous burial mounds of the Valley are Arzhan-1 and Arzhan-2. The first has a diameter of 120 m and consists of pure stone with a spring in the center and huge wooden structures inside. Together with the ancient leader, another 16 people and 160 horses were buried. Despite the fact that the grave was plundered in antiquity, archaeologists managed to find many valuable finds - these are items of a horse harness, jewelry made of gold and silver, coins, luxurious woolen fabrics, remnants of clothing made of sable skins and the famous bronze plaque in the form of a curled ring panthers. Excavated in 1971-1974 the mound dates back to the 9th-8th centuries BC.
Kurgan "Arzhan-2", which is 2,700 years old, was discovered in 2001. This tomb, 80 meters wide, belongs to a noble married couple. The remains of people and horses buried with the leader were also found on the territory of the tomb. Jewelry made of gold, copper and amber items, iron weapons, military armor, dishes, etc. were found next to the remains. The total weight of the gold recovered from the tomb was about 20 kilograms.
Obelisk Center of Asia
The obelisk "Center of Asia" is the main attraction of Kyzyl and the symbol of the Tuva Republic, symbolizing the geographical center of the Asian part of the continent. The obelisk is located on the banks of the Yenisei River (Ulug-Khem river), where Komsomolskaya Street approaches the embankment.
In its current form, the obelisk is a two-meter marble base, on which there is a large ball with the contours of the continents. A ten-meter triangular spire rises from the globe into the sky. The words "Center of Asia" are written in gold on the pedestal in three languages (Russian, Tuvan and English).
The monument was erected in 1964 for the 20th anniversary of the voluntary entry of Tuva People's Republic to the USSR. The authors of the project are the artist V.F. Demin and architects V.I. Bazhin and V.P. Ham.
Ush-Beldir
Ush-Beldir is considered one of the most beautiful corners of Tuva. Translated from Tuvan, the name means “merger of three”. Here the three merge largest rivers Tuva - Shishigt-Gol, Busin-Gol and Belin, forming the violent Kyzyl-Khem. Thermal springs located in this place are famous for their healing properties.
Information
photo from the site
Half an hour up the hill under the hot July sun. There is no path, but walking is quite simple and even pleasant. It smells of thyme and mountain herbs. A lizard slips out from under his feet. Grasshoppers chirp. The view from above is mesmerizing: there is a huge sky over the foothills of the Sayan Mountains. The Usinsky tract stretches between the hills as a thin thread. People have been walking along the ancient path for four thousand years. Here the Scythians roamed, the troops of Genghis Khan went to conquer the world. At the beginning of the last century, under the onslaught of the Bolsheviks, the White Guards were looking for a way of retreat to Mongolia.
Now in the territory of the Krasnoyarsk Territory and neighboring Tuva are archaeological excavations... Some of the largest in Russia and the world. It is related to construction railroad Kyzyl - Kuragino, part of which will pass along the ancient path.
Valley of the Kings
Back in the 60s and 70s of the last century, the Institute for the History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences conducted archaeological research on the territory of Tuva and the south of the Krasnoyarsk Territory. At this time, a large number of historical monuments were discovered.
A real sensation, comparable in importance only to the discovery of Schliman's Troy, happened in 1974. Then a burial mound was discovered in Tuva (it was named as a neighboring village - Arzhaan), with a huge number of artifacts. This place was immediately called the Valley of the Kings.
Excavations of another mound - Arzhaan-2 - in the same area in 2001 made a splash. Here they found the royal couple, accompanied by many companions. The leaders left for another world with a huge amount of precious things: jewelry, utensils. Even the clothes were all covered with golden scales.
Nikolay Bokovenko, now the head of the second detachment of the Sayan archaeological expedition, working in the construction zone of the Kyzyl-Kuragino railway, was part of the group that conducted excavations at the legendary Arzhaan-2. He says that those finds made an unforgettable impression on him: there were truly unique things. For example, just one of the 20-centimeter female deer stilettos is estimated at about two million dollars. And almost 25 kilograms of such gold jewelry were found!
However, the conclusions that led to these findings are priceless at all.
Previously, it was believed that the territory of Tuva and the south of the Krasnoyarsk Territory is the distant periphery of the powerful Scythian empire. But the results of the excavations confirm the hypothesis: the ancient civilization originated here. By the way, Herodotus spoke about the Central Asian origin of this legendary people.
Homeland of the Scythians
I must say that this territory is the south of the Krasnoyarsk Territory and, in general, Central Asia is a unique region that was a real generator of peoples, ”explains Nikolai Bokovenko, associate professor of the St. Petersburg Institute of Culture and Arts. - We study the paleoclimate (that is, the ancient climate), compare different regions according to the peculiarities of the weather. For example, it turns out that the most prosperous place in those ancient times was the Sayano-Altai region. Here, in the Minusinsk Basin, there was a real ecumene (a region especially favorable for life). This is an incredibly interesting area in all respects, its research is very important for science.
About three thousand years ago there was high density population. In the south of our region and in Tuva, peoples concentrated, and then moved to the west - up to Central Europe... From here, starting from the first millennium BC, there was a migration of Scythians, Huns, Turks, Tatar-Mongols. Why they moved west is unclear. Perhaps in search of a better life. Maybe they were led forward by those who were young, active and energetic (passionaries, according to Lev Gumilyov's definition). Perhaps they obeyed the instinct of conquerors, as in the case of Genghis Khan.
All these peoples, who have long disappeared from the face of the earth, moved along the ancient road - now it is called the Usinsky tract. Along this unique path, excavations of ancient sites, burials and a kind of "campgrounds" are underway (and three, and two thousand, and a hundred years ago, our ancestors, like us, traveled and had picnics on the sidelines). Each such parking lot is “multi-layered”: if the place is really convenient, it will always be used. Therefore, it often happens that archaeologists begin to excavate, for example, a 19th century cellar, and underneath they discover artifacts from the Bronze Age.
Cauldron of Nations
The amount of work to be done is huge. Therefore, they decided to attract volunteers to help archaeologists. For the third year already, an international volunteer camp "Valley of the Kings" has been operating in Tuva. Since extensive excavations are being carried out in the south of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, it was decided to create a second camp of volunteers here. So, last year on the territory of the Ermakovsky district, another camp appeared - "Ermak".
“The Valley of the Kings and Ermak were organized because the idea arose, with the help of the Russian Geographical Society, to make the Kyzyl-Kuragino project not only scientific,” explains Denis Gergilev, director of the Ermak international volunteer archaeological camp. - Children from all over Russia and from other countries of the world come to us in Siberia.
Historians, archaeologists, geologists, geographers are primarily selected from volunteers, for them participation in excavations is a unique practice. However, everyone has a chance to take part in the project. For example, oceanologists and journalists are now working at Ermak. Several students from Colombia came at once - a friend who came here last year was advocating.
Many of those who have been here once strive to return again. Because this is an opportunity to see an amazing land and a chance to gain unique knowledge.
The guys work on the excavations in the morning. In the second, they go in for sports, communicate, - says Denis Gergilev. “For them, the leading teachers of the Siberian Federal University give lectures on the history, geography and ethnography of our region. The guys go on excursions, go on mountain hikes in Ergaki.
Every day for young people is scheduled by the hour. All of them are busy with a big, interesting business. It is this involvement in it that makes many re-evaluate their lives. Someone after a trip to the "Valley of the Kings" and "Ermak" quit their unloved job, someone begins to seriously engage in science. After all, one of the goals of archeology is to answer simple, human questions. What color did our distant ancestors have hair and eyes? Did they like to travel or were they couch potatoes? How did you dress? What were you interested in? To understand what the people who lived here three thousand years ago were like - and all in order to understand yourself.
REFERENCE
In the early 2000s, archaeologists presented the world with a real sensation. On the territory of Tuva, two mounds were excavated - Arzhaan-1 and Arzhaan-2 in the Valley of the Kings, not touched by robbers. Burial Arzhaan-2 belongs to the VI-V centuries. BC NS. And this is the earliest historical monument Scythian culture.
Arzhaan-2 Kurgan has become a real Klondike for archaeologists. More than 20 kg of 990-fine gold were recovered from it. This collection of gold objects is tacitly called the main archaeological opening of XXI century.
