Dagger Complex from the Surrounding Area the Village Tolbazy in the Southern Urals

Abstract

8 iron daggers of the advanced stage of the Prokhorov culture (III–II centuries BC), found in different years in the vicinity of the village of Tolbazy located in the forest-steppe of the Southern Urals (Republic of Bashkortostan, Aurgazinsky district) are published. It is shown that according to physical and geographical data, this area (about 15  15 km) is allocated to a single microdistrict located at the crest of the Bielsko-Urshak watershed, which has a width of more than 50 km at this point. The territory of the microdistrict is elevated (100 meters or more from the foot of elevation, 250 meters above sea level on average), it abounds with small lakes and springs on the top, with the sources of small watercourses on the slopes and it is surrounded by rivers on all sides. Most of the findings were made on the plateau or at the sources of small watercourses, some of them - in river valleys. It is concluded that this area can be considered as a separate honey cell, “nomadic parish” or summer dwelling complex, which is typical for the settlement system of early nomads to the north of the hills of Obshchiy Syrt. The nearest known honey cells are located at a distance of 5–12 km from Tolbazinsky district and the number of finds of bladed weapons of the mid-late I Millennium BC varies from 3–4 to 25 pieces. It is also shown that in the III–II centuries BC, the development of bladed weapons (swords and daggers with a straight cross quillion and a crescent-shaped pommel) among the nomads followed the line of standardization of earlier forms of the Southern Urals, the assimilation of individual innovations and imitation of samples with a ring-shaped pommel representing foreign culture for the region.