The main sites of primitive people. Tag Archives: Ancient Sites. What is a clan, tribe, community?
The Sungir site is the oldest human settlement in the Vladimir region. This is not only a monument protected by UNESCO, but also a unique archaeological site that attracts the attention of researchers from all over the world.Total information
Sungir is one of the 3 Upper Paleolithic sites in the Vladimir region known to scientists. The settlement of Sungir is located on the eastern outskirts of Vladimir, near the mouth of the stream of the same name, which flows into the Klyazma River. This is one of the northernmost Paleolithic settlements of the Russian Plain. It belongs to the Kostenki-Seleti cultural community.
The site was discovered by accident during the development of a new quarry. This happened in 1955. At a depth of 3 meters, an excavator operator noticed the bones of a large animal. Archaeologists were immediately informed about the find. From then to the present day, Sungir has been the object of research by scientists.
During the excavations, more than 4.5 thousand m² of cultural layer was uncovered, which is equal to half the estimated area. The age of the site is approximately 24-25 thousand years, although a number of scientists push it back to 36 thousand years.
According to one hypothesis, this site existed for 2-3 thousand years. Most likely, this was a seasonal hunting camp. According to experts’ calculations, the number of people simultaneously living in the settlement reached 50 people. This group of people was connected to a larger community. Sungir has many similarities with the complex of Stone Age sites known as Kostenki.
Archaeological finds
Items
The collection of finds discovered during archaeological excavations exceeds 65 thousand items. These include:
- tools for making tools (flint chippers, flakes and cores);
- tools (knives, chisels, scrapers, scrapers, piercings, etc.);
- weapons (flint dart tips, spears, “wands”);
- products made from horn, bone and mammoth tusks (jewelry, hoes, animal figurines).
The horse figurine is decorated with dots, the number of which on both sides is a multiple of 5, which indicates that the inhabitants of the site were familiar with the 5-ary counting system. Traces of ocher remain on the surface of the amulet, which means that at one time it was painted bright red.
Items found on the territory of the Sungir site are exhibited in the Vladimir-Suzdal Museum-Reserve. Scientists continue to study them, especially since many of the artifacts found were a means of non-verbal language.
Burials
Unique burials brought world fame to the Sungir site. The burials are distinguished by the richness of grave goods and the complexity of the ritual.
First, on a layer of ocher, archaeologists discovered a female skull, a quadrangular stone and a male skeleton. The latter had a pendant made of pebbles on his chest, and on his hands were decorations made of mammoth ivory. Nearby lay a huge number of beads that decorated the man’s clothes. The find made it possible to reconstruct the costume of the ancient Sungir. Interestingly, it is in many ways similar to the clothing of modern Arctic peoples.
Then the remains of a headless man were found, next to whom lay beads, a ring of mammoth ivory, reindeer antlers and a mammoth ivory. Scientists determined that the man was about 50 years old. It is worth noting that the average life expectancy of Upper Paleolithic people fluctuated around 30 years. Under this burial, 2 children's bones were found. The children were laid in the burial ground in an extended position, with their heads pressed against each other.
What have scientists been able to find out about the Sungir people?
The skeletons of the Sungir people have been studied by more than one generation of anthropologists. It has now been established that they can be classified as people of a modern physical type. Some datings indicate that the found burials are several thousand years younger than the settlement.
Beliefs
Based on an analysis of the burials, scientists came to the conclusion that the Sungir people had developed religious beliefs. Most likely, they believed in the existence of an afterlife, performed magical rituals, deified nature, revered ancestors, and worshiped the sun, moon and animals.
Among the grave goods of a child's burial, a human bone filled with ocher was discovered. Paleogenetic studies showed that it belonged to the great-great-grandfather of the teenagers found nearby. According to scientists, the bone played an important role in a complex funeral ritual. In addition, there is an assumption that the burial of children could be a ritual sacrifice associated with the cult of fertility. It is precisely established that both teenagers were buried at the same time.
Discs made of mammoth ivory with geometric patterns were found next to the skeletons of children. Similar disks were later found among the Slavs. For example, a 4-sector disk symbolized the Slavic god Khors.
Life
Archaeologists have determined that the Upper Paleolithic people living on the territory of the Sungir settlement were engaged in hunting and gathering. The objects of hunting were: mammoths, lions, bison, reindeer, wild horses, wolves, brown bears, hares, birds and other living creatures. Women collected wild fruits, roots, shellfish and insects. An analysis of the skeleton of one child showed that he practically did not experience hunger, although he ate mainly invertebrates (caterpillars, beetles).
It is generally accepted that Upper Paleolithic people lived primarily in caves. However, during the excavations of Sungir, hut-like dwellings 10-15 m in length were discovered. Their walls were made of wood, and the roof was made of animal skins. Each dwelling was equipped with a fireplace.
To make jewelry, the Sungir people used engraving, carving, drilling, painting and polishing. Many of the discovered jewelry were created specifically for burial, while others were worn constantly. The people of the Sungir settlement wore hats, short fur coats, trousers and high boots resembling high boots. Scientists came to the conclusion that the listed items of clothing were made of wool and were embroidered with bone beads. They are a little reminiscent of the costumes of the Chukchi and Eskimos.
A misconception refuted 40 years later
For almost half a century, scientists were confident that the paired burial of children in Sungir included the remains of adolescents of both sexes. And recently, thanks to genetics, it was possible to find out that the girl from Sungir is actually a boy. In addition to Russian paleontologists, scientists from the University of Copenhagen and Cambridge participated in recent studies.
Paleogenetic studies showed that adolescents were cousins and, accordingly, had similar haplotypes. Both have the Y-chromosomal haplogroup C1a2. Currently, haplogroup C reaches a high concentration among the Buryats, Mongols and Kalmyks.
One of the boys died as a result of being hit in the stomach with a sharp object. The other child's cause of death is unknown, while a man found nearby was killed by an arrow. Moreover, as criminologists note, it was a sniper shot.
Paleogenetic studies also proved that consanguineous marriages were excluded among the Sungir people. According to anthropologists, it was this factor that determined the dominance of the Cro-Magnons.
Sungir continues to attract interest among paleontologists from all over the world. And recent discoveries show that far from all the mysteries associated with this ancient site of primitive man have been solved.
The Sungir site is the oldest human settlement in the Vladimir region. This is not only a monument protected by UNESCO, but also a unique archaeological site that attracts the attention of researchers from all over the world.
Sungir is one of the 3 Upper Paleolithic sites in the Vladimir region known to scientists. The settlement of Sungir is located on the eastern outskirts of Vladimir, near the mouth of the stream of the same name, which flows into the Klyazma River. This is one of the northernmost Paleolithic settlements of the Russian Plain. It belongs to the Kostenki-Seleti cultural community.
The site was discovered by accident during the development of a new quarry. This happened in 1955. At a depth of 3 meters, an excavator operator noticed the bones of a large animal. Archaeologists were immediately informed about the find. From then to the present day, Sungir has been the object of research by scientists.
During the excavations, more than 4.5 thousand m² of cultural layer was uncovered, which is equal to half the estimated area. The age of the site is approximately 24-25 thousand years, although a number of scientists push it back to 36 thousand years.
According to one hypothesis, this site existed for 2-3 thousand years. Most likely, this was a seasonal hunting camp. According to experts’ calculations, the number of people simultaneously living in the settlement reached 50 people. This group of people was connected to a larger community. Sungir has many similarities with the complex of Stone Age sites known as.
Archaeological finds
Items
The collection of finds discovered during archaeological excavations exceeds 65 thousand items. These include:
- tools for making tools (flint chippers, flakes and cores);
- tools (knives, chisels, scrapers, scrapers, piercings, etc.);
- weapons (flint dart tips, spears, “wands”);
- products made from horn, bone and mammoth tusks (jewelry, hoes, animal figurines).
The symbol of the settlement was the so-called “Sungir horse” - a miniature figure of a saiga horse made from mammoth ivory. Archaeologists believe that this is an amulet that ancient people wore as a talisman. According to another hypothesis, the figurine was used exclusively for the burial ritual.
The horse figurine is decorated with dots, the number of which on both sides is a multiple of 5, which indicates that the inhabitants of the site were familiar with the 5-ary counting system. Traces of ocher remain on the surface of the amulet, which means that at one time it was painted bright red.
Items found on the territory of the Sungir site are exhibited in the Vladimir-Suzdal Museum-Reserve. Scientists continue to study them, especially since many of the artifacts found were a means of non-verbal language.
Burials
Unique burials brought world fame to the Sungir site. The burials are distinguished by the richness of grave goods and the complexity of the ritual.
First, on a layer of ocher, archaeologists discovered a female skull, a quadrangular stone and a male skeleton. The latter had a pendant made of pebbles on his chest, and on his hands were decorations made of mammoth ivory. Nearby lay a huge number of beads that decorated the man’s clothes. The find made it possible to reconstruct the costume of the ancient Sungir. Interestingly, it is in many ways similar to the clothing of modern Arctic peoples.
Then the remains of a headless man were found, next to whom lay beads, a ring of mammoth ivory, reindeer antlers and a mammoth ivory. Scientists determined that the man was about 50 years old. It is worth noting that the average life expectancy of Upper Paleolithic people fluctuated around 30 years. Under this burial, 2 children's bones were found. The children were laid in the burial ground in an extended position, with their heads pressed against each other.
What have scientists been able to find out about the Sungir people?
The skeletons of the Sungir people have been studied by more than one generation of anthropologists. It has now been established that they can be classified as people of a modern physical type. Some datings indicate that the found burials are several thousand years younger than the settlement.
Beliefs
Based on an analysis of the burials, scientists came to the conclusion that the Sungir people had developed religious beliefs. Most likely, they believed in the existence of an afterlife, performed magical rituals, deified nature, revered ancestors, and worshiped the sun, moon and animals.
Among the grave goods of a child's burial, a human bone filled with ocher was discovered. Paleogenetic studies showed that it belonged to the great-great-grandfather of the teenagers found nearby. According to scientists, the bone played an important role in a complex funeral ritual. In addition, there is an assumption that the burial of children could be a ritual sacrifice associated with the cult of fertility. It is precisely established that both teenagers were buried at the same time.
Discs made of mammoth ivory with geometric patterns were found next to the skeletons of children. Similar disks were later found among the Slavs. For example, a 4-sector disk symbolized the Slavic god Khors.
Life
Archaeologists have determined that the Upper Paleolithic people living on the territory of the Sungir settlement were engaged in hunting and gathering. The objects of hunting were: mammoths, lions, bison, reindeer, wild horses, wolves, brown bears, hares, birds and other living creatures. Women collected wild fruits, roots, shellfish and insects. An analysis of the skeleton of one child showed that he practically did not experience hunger, although he ate mainly invertebrates (caterpillars, beetles).
It is generally accepted that Upper Paleolithic people lived primarily in caves. However, during the excavations of Sungir, hut-like dwellings 10-15 m in length were discovered. Their walls were made of wood, and the roof was made of animal skins. Each dwelling was equipped with a fireplace.
To make jewelry, the Sungir people used engraving, carving, drilling, painting and polishing. Many of the discovered jewelry were created specifically for burial, while others were worn constantly. The people of the Sungir settlement wore hats, short fur coats, trousers and high boots resembling high boots. Scientists came to the conclusion that the listed items of clothing were made of wool and were embroidered with bone beads. They are a little reminiscent of the costumes of the Chukchi and Eskimos.
A misconception refuted 40 years later
For almost half a century, scientists were confident that the paired burial of children in Sungir included the remains of adolescents of both sexes. And recently, thanks to genetics, it was possible to find out that the girl from Sungir is actually a boy. In addition to Russian paleontologists, scientists from the University of Copenhagen and Cambridge participated in recent studies.
Paleogenetic studies showed that adolescents were cousins and, accordingly, had similar haplotypes. Both have the Y-chromosomal haplogroup C1a2. Currently, haplogroup C reaches a high concentration among the Buryats, Mongols and Kalmyks.
One of the boys died as a result of being hit in the stomach with a sharp object. The other child's cause of death is unknown, while a man found nearby was killed by an arrow. Moreover, as criminologists note, it was a sniper shot.
Paleogenetic studies also proved that consanguineous marriages were excluded among the Sungir people. According to anthropologists, it was this factor that determined the dominance of the Cro-Magnons.
Sungir continues to attract interest among paleontologists from all over the world. And recent discoveries show that far from all the mysteries associated with this ancient site of primitive man have been solved.
The primitive communal system is the longest period of human history. Scientists divide it into the Stone, Bronze and Iron Ages. The Stone Age itself is divided into Paleolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic. In Greek, "paleo" means ancient, "meso" means middle, "neo" means new, and "lith" means stone. About 2 million years ago, ancient people, leaving Africa, began to settle in Europe and Asia. Studies carried out in ancient human sites located in the Azykh cave in Azerbaijan and in the Borchali region of Georgia (present-day Dmanisi) confirmed that the South Caucasus was also part of this area. The ancient people, who stood upright and walked on their lower limbs, could make scrapers, knives and spearheads from stone. The production and improvement of tools was an important event in the development of primitive man. Mastering fire greatly changed human life: it was used to heat cold caves, cook food, and hunt wild animals. The hearth brought people together who gathered around it. The oldest traces of the use of fire were found in East Africa. Their age is about 1.5 million years.
100 thousand years ago, a sharp climate change occurred on Earth, it became colder, and the last great ice age began. The north of Europe, Asia and America was covered with glaciers for tens of thousands of years. In the summer, for a short period, the ice cover melted and the ground was covered with vegetation. Only a few cold-resistant animals were able to adapt to such a climate - mammoths, rhinoceroses, bison, cave bears, reindeer, saber-toothed tigers. In such harsh conditions, hunting became the main occupation of the more resilient people who lived at that time - the Neanderthals. Their bones were first found in 1856 in the Neanderthal Valley in Germany. Considered by many scientists to be an extinct type of people, the Neanderthals were carriers of the Moustiers culture during the Middle Paleolithic period. Neanderthals lived in natural caves, hunted large game, wore clothing made from animal skins, cared for the sick and elderly, and buried the dead. These ancient people developed primitive ideas about the afterlife. Despite the fact that during the transition from the Middle to Upper Paleolithic, Neanderthals lived for some time along with a new type of people, Cro-Magnons - “homo sapiens,” then they died out for reasons that have not yet been clarified. It is interesting that one of their last habitats was the Cro-Magnons, who appeared about 40 thousand years ago (this name comes from the Cro-Magnon cave in France), whose main occupations were gathering and hunting, and are considered the direct ancestors of modern people. They were similar in appearance and brain volume to modern humans. The emergence of primitive art at the end of the Paleolithic period is also associated with them. These ancient people painted animals on the walls of caves and made figurines from bone.
In the southern part of the Russian Plain, in the area of the modern Voronezh region, traces of the oldest site of Homo sapiens - Kostenki - were discovered. In fact, over 60 sites dating back to 50 thousand years BC have been discovered here on an area of about 10 km2. up to 15 thousand years BC
Genetic code of human remains buried at the Kostenki site 26 thousand years BC. corresponds to the genetic code of modern Europeans found in Spain. Also, genetic analysis revealed that the Neanderthal admixture of this person is 2.8%.
At the Kostenki site, the oldest jewelry in Eastern Europe was discovered - piercings with ornaments made from the tubular bones of a bird and pendants from Black Sea shells (indicating a developed exchange with the Black Sea region).
The artifacts were found in a layer of volcanic ash brought to the Russian Plain from the territory of modern Italy around 33-31 thousand years BC. The composition of the ashes turned out to be identical to those found in the bottom sediments of the Adriatic Sea. Ashes of similar composition and age were also found in sections of a number of Paleolithic sites in Central and Eastern Europe, indicating the global impact of a volcanic eruption that provoked a sharp climate change - something like the “nuclear winter effect.” The finds of the Kostenki settlement show that the catastrophic consequence of the eruption was the cessation of the existence of this settlement, like many others in Europe during this period.
In addition, archaeologists came to the conclusion that the Kostenki site changed owners several times: a large number of purposefully broken figurines of deities were discovered. In more ancient cultural layers, the remains of people belong to the Caucasoid type; in younger burials, the skeletons belong to Negroids, and then again to Caucasians.
In the north of the European territory of Russia in Siberia on the Usa River (not far from the mouth of the Pechera River), a Cro-Magnon site was discovered, called Mammoth Kurya, dating back to 38 thousand years BC. This Upper Paleolithic site, located at 66° N. sh., beyond the Arctic Circle, contradicts the concept of continental glaciation in this area. Bones of horses, reindeer, wolves, stone tools, arrowheads, and a mammoth tusk covered with a primitive pattern (age 36-32 thousand years BC) were discovered at the site.
The parking lot near the village of Byzovaya (64° N), is located in the foothills of the Subpolar Urals. Ninety-eight percent of all bones found here are from mammoths. Bones of woolly rhinoceros, reindeer, horse, muskox, wolf, bear, arctic fox and lemming are also present. Judging by the remains of animals, at that time the dry continental climate of open spaces dominated here. The age of the found tools and animal bones is estimated at 32-29 thousand years BC. The tools are made in the style of the Mousterian culture. Probably, the Byzovaya site was perhaps the last refuge of Neanderthals (but not all scientists consider the found tools to be Neanderthal).
It is noteworthy that the sites of Mamontova Kurya and Byzovaya are located on local accumulations of mammoth bones, i.e. Probably the “cemeteries” of mammoths were a kind of resource base for people.
An equally interesting site was discovered within modern Central Russia on the territory of the Vladimir region (Sungir site). Traces of dwellings and households, hearths, utensils, and animal remains were found on it, dating back to 27,000 - 18,000 years BC. The burials of Sungir are unique in their preservation and richness of grave goods. For example, in the burial of a girl and a boy, unusual objects were preserved - three disks (plates) with slots made of mammoth tusk with a diameter of several centimeters. A spear made from mammoth ivory reaching a length of 2.4 m was also found. To make such a weapon, it was necessary to have the technology to straighten tusks! Material from the site
Finds also indicate that already twenty-six thousand years ago, in the area of modern Vladimir, human ancestors walked in leather shoes, wore leather jackets with set-in sleeves and hoods, hats and pants. Everything was sewn according to the figure, that is, patterns were used. Our ancestors of this distant time already knew astronomy, mathematics, and the calendar; occurrence is recorded
Olduvai Gorge
Scientists have been arguing for decades about where the first man appeared on Earth. Supporters of the monopolar theory called the homeland of Homo habilis, who later became Homo sapiens, either Africa or South Asia.
In the Olduvai Gorge in East Africa, archaeologists have found the skeleton of the oldest person on Earth. It is 1.5 million years old. It was thanks to this discovery that the theory arose that the first man appeared in Africa, and then settled throughout the earth. However, in the 1980s, scientists made a sensational discovery in Siberia that changed the idea of human development.
The first man could have appeared not in Africa, as was previously believed, but in Siberia. This sensational version appeared in 1982. Soviet geologists were excavating along the banks of the Lena River in Yakutia. The area is called Diring-Yuryakh, translated from Yakut - Deep River. Quite by accident, geologists discovered a burial from the late Neolithic – 2nd millennium BC. And then, digging even deeper, they came across layers more than 2.5 million years old and found there the remains of the tools of ancient man.
Diring-Yuryakh
These are hewn cobblestones with a pointed end - they are called “choppers”. In addition to such ancient axes, anvils and chippers were also discovered. This led researchers to believe that, in fact, the first man appeared in Siberia. After all, the age of the local finds is more than 2.5 million years. This means that they are older than African ones.
Ancient axes, "choppers"
“There was a whole archipelago, where the ice is now solid, the Arctic Ocean. And due to some disasters, this civilization was destroyed, and the remnants of this people were forced to move to the mainland, to develop lands that now belong to the Arkhangelsk region, Murmansk , the Polar Urals, and further – to Siberia. There is also such an assumption,”- says historian, ethnographer Vadim Burlak.
Burial in Diring-Yuryakh
More recently, it turned out that on the territory of Russia there are traces not only of primitive people, that is, creatures that only superficially resembled humans, but did not have developed intelligence, but also a reasonable person, that is, similar to you and me.
Ancient weapons found in Diring-Yuryakh
For a long time it was believed that the first people, who were no different from us today, first appeared in Europe 39 thousand years ago. However, in 2007 it turned out that the earliest site of ancient man is located on the territory of modern Russia. Thus, it turns out that the first Homo sapiens was born twenty thousand years earlier, and not somewhere in the vicinity of Paris, but in the Voronezh region, where a simple village called Kostenki is now located. This opinion was expressed by the famous American scientist John Hoffecker.
"In 2007, a remarkable researcher from the United States of America, John Hoffecker, published in the journalScience an article that sounded like this: “The first European comes from Kostenki.” This article was based on his five years of work here in Kostenki, and on the dating that he and Vance Holiday, his comrade and colleague, made as a result of research, and these results were stunning. That is, the age of existence of Homo sapiens here, on the territory of Kostenki, is very sharply increasing in age,” - explains Irina Kotlyarova, chief researcher at the Kostenki Museum-Reserve.
Remains found in Kostenki, which are about 60 thousand years old
The American Hoffecker found out: the first Europeans settled this area 50-60 thousand years ago. And the most amazing thing is that these were really intelligent tribes. Of course, practically nothing remains from such ancient sites. Only depressions, stone tools and pits filled with ash from burnt bones. And newer sites, those in which our ancestors lived about 20 thousand years ago, are well preserved in Kostenki.
Wall made of mammoth bones
Even houses whose walls are made of mammoth bones have been preserved. Researchers have found that the inhabitants of these houses knew how to make tools, hunted, gathered, built houses, had a well-established life and lived in a community. Mammoths were the main source of human life. A huge number of them lived in this area. People hunted them. They made clothes from the skins and ate the meat they caught. The bones of these animals were also used.
Irina Kotlyarova in one of the houses of Kostenki culture
The Kostenki archaeological culture is stunning in scale. About six dozen large human sites were found here. According to some experts, at least a thousand people lived here. Others estimate the population of the ancient Voronezh region more modestly - about 600 people. In any case, this number seems very impressive. After all, even the population of medieval European cities rarely exceeded several hundred people. Of course, the oldest sites in Kostenki cannot be called a city. But for such a long time there was simply a huge population living here.
Layout of sites of ancient people in Kostenki
The collection of miniatures truly amazed archaeologists. These are figures of mammoths carved from dense rock - marl. Most likely, already 22 thousand years ago the inhabitants of Kostenki knew how to count. This seems completely incredible to most anthropologists.
Spearheads found during excavations in Kostenki
From this conclusion it follows that the Voronezh civilization is twenty thousand years older than the Sumerian kingdom, with its clay tablets, and the ancient Egyptians. Scientists claim that long before the Sumerian Anunaki in Kostenki they already knew how to count mammoths and write down, without relying on memory. So the mammoths from Lizyukov Street - drawn by the hand of the prehistoric Picasso - are a completely scientific argument in favor of the fact that Voronezh is the cradle of human civilization.
It is generally accepted that Russians are a fairly young nation. In fact, the Egyptian pyramids were already built four thousand years ago. By the birth of Christ, the ancient Romans had already sunk to the bottom of luxury and even debauchery, while our ancestors had not yet really begun anything - no state, no culture, no writing.
Historians decided to check if this is really true? And it turned out that 6 thousand years ago, when the Sumerian civilization, as is generally considered the first on Earth, was just emerging - in our country, on the territory of the modern Urals, our ancestors were so developed that they even knew metallurgy.
“We are talking about a very large developed civilization on a very large territory, which had a strong influence on the entire Eurasian region - this is already clear and beyond doubt. Therefore, here, I think, the future belongs to science,” - says Alexey Palkin, researcher at the Laboratory of Natural, Historical and Cultural Heritage of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences
This is the island of Vera. It is located in the Chelyabinsk region on Lake Tugoyak. In the 80s of the last century, archaeologists discovered a find here that became a real sensation: amazing ancient structures that turned out to be much older than the famous English Stonehenge. It was this discovery that made scientists seriously start talking about the fact that the first civilized society in the history of not only Russia, but the whole of Europe, and perhaps the whole world, originated right here - in the Chelyabinsk region, next to the Ural ridge.
"II understand that this may cause a shock, what I’m going to say now, but I’m saying this completely responsibly, these megaliths on Vera Island, they are much brighter and more interesting than Stonehenge. Why? Because Stonehenge is a great thing, but there is only one there. Here. In this particular place, and here on a plot of 6 hectares, there are several objects of different types,”
Megalith No. 1
The ancient structure discovered on Vera Island is called “Megalith No. 1”. That's what archaeologists called it. Once this ancient building was 3.5 meters high and served as an observatory. The ancient builders specially positioned the window so that on the days of the summer and winter solstice the sun's ray would penetrate, falling directly on the altar.
Megalith window
The main mystery of the ancient observatory is not even how people at that stage of their development came up with the idea of monitoring the movement of celestial bodies, but that the building was made of huge stone blocks. Each one weighs several tens of tons. It turns out that the ancient inhabitants of these territories near modern Chelyabinsk were able not only to move heavy boulders, but could put it all together correctly. So reliable that even after thousands of years, the megalith did not collapse.
Central Hall
There is a central hall, which is connected to the side chambers by corridors. The hall is made up of a number of megaliths, which are located on the sides and in the ceiling. There are about twenty-five to thirty of them in total. The largest of them weighs 17 tons. The size of the megaliths is from one and a half to two and a half meters in length and half a meter in width. The construction dates back to the 4th - 3rd millennium BC.
The huge slabs were made by nature itself - this is the remnant of the mountain. But in order for the blocks to lie flat, the ancestors had to process them.
Nearby, archaeologists discovered a real smelting furnace. Its design suggests that metal smelting technologies in ancient times were practically no different from those that were invented just a couple of centuries ago. It turns out that the semi-wild tribes who lived on this island were engaged in non-ferrous metallurgy.
“It was here that the oldest copper smelting furnace was located. Scientists discovered a chimney that stands out very clearly against the general background. Traces of smoke that were reflected on the stones clearly remained and are visible on the stones,” - says Alexey Palkin, researcher at the Laboratory of Natural, Historical and Cultural Heritage of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
Zyuratkul geoglyph
The fact that an incredibly developed population lived on the territory of the Chelyabinsk region thousands of years ago is evidenced by another amazing find - the Zyuratkul geoglyph. It was discovered by accident. In 2011, one of the employees of the Zyuratkul National Park noticed that the grass at the foot of the ridge was growing unevenly. This is despite the fact that they clearly did not exert any mechanical influence on it. The scientist decided to find out the reasons for this strange phenomenon. He was able to establish that the grass does not grow in some places because it is hampered by boulders laid out in a path resembling a drawing or even a diagram. To see it in its entirety, national park staff took a helicopter and discovered a giant drawing laid out on the ground. Most of all it resembles an image of a moose.
The size of this moose is impressive: the length of the pattern is 275 meters. The age of the geoglyph is 5-6 thousand years. How its creators controlled the accuracy of the laying, how they managed to maintain the direction and correctness of the lines, if the entire pattern is visible only from a great height, is unclear. But most importantly, why did they need this image of a moose?
The geoglyph resembles an image of a moose
"INIn the Neolithic period, in the Urals we had mainly a household - hunters, fishermen, and so on. That is, the population that built this here must have exploited a significant territory. That is, we are talking about some connections between these groups, about some slightly different social structures than we imagine today. This is not just a group, a separate group of hunters and fishermen, it is a more complex social organization," - says Stanislav Grigoriev, archaeologist, senior researcher at the Institute of History and Archeology of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
If archaeologists were not mistaken in determining the age of this miracle, then it turns out that our ideas about the abilities and capabilities of the ancient population of Russia do not correspond to reality, which means that official science was mistaken, claiming for many years that intelligent life came to these parts only shortly before baptism Rus'.
Scientists treat this hypothesis with great caution. However, new archaeological finds raise more and more questions for which there is no answer yet.
Another proof that ancient people on the territory of modern Russia were very developed is located in the Ignatievskaya Cave. It is located at the southern tip of the Ural Mountains in the Chelyabinsk region. In 1980, speleologists accidentally discovered a drawing on its arches that made a real revolution in archaeology. Research has shown that the drawings were made on the walls more than 14 thousand years ago. In no place on the planet has it ever been possible to find a drawing of such antiquity that would contain a clear plot. This cave depicts the very process of the creation of life. Exactly as our ancient ancestors saw it.
But why does the whole world know about the oldest rock paintings in Australia, and in all archeology textbooks people and bulls from Algeria are given as the first drawings? After all, they appeared on the walls of caves in the 11th century BC. That is, later than the Ural ones by 13 thousand years. Why are scientific journals silent about the discovery of Ural archaeologists?
Many experts are confident that such data will force us to reconsider not only scientific theories, but also to rewrite school textbooks.
