Housebuilding of the Finno-Ugrians from the Forest Belt of the Middle Volga Region During the 2nd – 1st Millennia BC in the Works of Researchers of the 18th – Early 20th Centuries

Abstract

Of considerable interest in the study of the housebuilding traditions and innovations of the Finno-Ugric population of the forest belt of the Middle Volga region are the works of the 18th – early 20th century researchers. In this period, random episodic surveys were carried out in the territory of the Middle Volga region. A significant event was the holding of the 4thArchaeological Congress in Kazan in 1877, during which it was decided to publish the annual scientific journal “Bulletin of the Society of Archaeology, History and Ethnography (IOAIE)”. The journal not only provided information about the newly discovered archaeological artifacts and sites, but also featured a scientific discussion concerning the possibility of housebuilding development across the population of the Middle Volga region. The issue of the construction of permanent structures in the territory was also of interest for geologists, natural scientists and ethnographers. In this regard, the purpose of the paper is to analyze the scientific works of the 18th – early 20th centuries dedicated to the study of the origins and development of housebuilding practiced by the population of the forest belt of the Middle Volga region in the 2nd – 1st millennium BC. The authors came to the conclusion that archaeological research and ethnographic realities presented in the scientific evidence of the 18th – early 20thcenturies are of great importance in terms of source studies for the research of the various aspects of the life of the ancient population of the region.