Lower Don Region Research Articles

Italic Bronze Statuette of the 5th — 3rd Centuries BC from the Late Sarmatian Burial in the Lower Don Area (on the Statuettes in the Burials of Eurasian Nomads of the First Centuries AD)

The article is devoted to the attribution of a bronze statuette of a naked man with a rounded object in a raised right hand, found in the Late Sarmatian female burial of Valovyy-I burial-ground, dating not earlier than the second half of the 2nd century AD, in the vicinity of ancient Tanais in the Lower Don region. This is the only reliable case I know of a find of a bronze figurine in the burials of the early nomads of Eurasia, in which imported anthropomorphic figurines are extremely rare. The analysis of the statuette has shown that, contrary to the opinion of the publishers, it has nothing to do with the items of bronze plastic of the Greek Hellenistic or Roman imperial circle. In the absence of exact analogies, the greatest closeness to it is found by Italic figurines of the 5th — 3rd centuries BC. How the figurine in question could found its way into the Late Sarmatian burial on the Lower Don — a question that is not easy to give a definite answer. We can only point out that among the various bronze and silver statuettes found in the sanctuary on the Gurzuf Pass in the mountainous Crimea, one is attributed by us as Italic and dates from the Hellenistic period. The handicraft repair of the figure from the Valovyy-I burial-ground, which is not characteristic for the Greco-Roman metalwork, gives reason to believe that it could exist in a nomadic milieu for a long time. An attempt is made to interpret the fact of a find not just imported, but very ancient at the time of burial (at least 500 years), object in a nomadic burial, to explain this phenomenon and to determine the function of the statuette by the nomads.

Photosynthesis productivity and architectonics of the Crystal grape variety canopy with different techniques of training and forming grape bushes

For the successful cultivation of grapes, it is very important to correctly determine the appropriate techniques for the formation of bushes that match the biology of the variety and the conditions for growth. It is also important to select an appropriate supporting structure which is suitable for a chosen training technique. Various viticultural countries continuously conduct research to improve the ways of growing grapes. In this case, particular importance is given to cultivation technologies that involve grape varieties adapted to specific environmental conditions as well as economical ways for their growing that ensure the effective production of grapes with necessary technological and consumer conditions [1–6]. The architecture of the grape plant is interconnected with the techniques of training, formation, and pruning of grape bushes. These techniques determine the conditions of espaliering the leaf assimilation apparatus that uses solar energy to create the organic mass of plants. In this research, we use the Crystal grape variety to show the specific features of leaf apparatus formation and productivity of photosynthesis under the use of different agricultural techniques (methods of training, forming, and trimming as well as determining the norm of bush loading with shoots and harvest) in relation to the planting scheme of bushes. The work also studies the influence of these techniques on the productivity of industrial and intensive-type bushes under the conditions of the Lower Don region. We found that the use of recommended agricultural techniques allows developing: 1) a system of canes and leaves that is high in volume and well oriented within the row of a vineyard; 2) high productivity of photosynthesis; 3) optimal ratio between vegetative mass and harvest.

О времени появления ранних сарматов на Нижнем Дону

There are different points of view regarding the date of the appearance of the early Sarmatian archaeological culture of the 2nd – 1st centuries BC within the Lower Don region. However, most researches have been of the view that the Lower Don region and the Northeastern Black Sea region were developed by the Sarmatians relatively late, namely not earlier than the second half of the 2nd century BC. The main objective of this study is to define the date of the first appearance of the Sarmatians on the territory of the Don region based on the analysis of the archaeological data from Sarmatian and ancient archeology, as well as information from the literary and epigraphic sources. According to the scale of the relative chronology there is plenty of early monuments in the Sarmatian antiquities within the 2nd century BC. However, the number of chronological indicators in Sarmatian burials of this time horizon is relatively low. On the basis of the Rhodian amphora with stamps, black-glazed cantharoi and Megarian bowls, the date of the earliest complexes can be set within the second or third quarters of the 2nd century BC. The arrival of the Sarmatians had a general destabilizing effect on the situation in the Don region and the Northeastern Black Sea region. The destruction of settlements and the devastation of territories were recorded on the Bosporus. The city of Tanais in the Lower Don region was fortified in the second quarter of the 2nd century BC. The first reliable mentions of the Sarmatians in official documents are dated to the end of the first – the beginning of the second quarter of the 2nd century BC (the treaty is dated 179 BC, Delphic manumissions). Further the authors conclude that the first appearance of the Sarmatians in the Lower Don region and the Northeastern Black Sea region is associated with the movement of nomadic tribes as a result of the expansion of the Xiongnu state, formed at the end of the 3rd century BC, which reached the Russian southern steppes as a result of domino effect.

Организация социально-бытового обслуживания и жизненного пространства в условиях социально-экономических преобразований 1960-1980-х гг. (на примере сельской местности Нижнего Дона)

The paper aims to reveal specificity of social sphere development in the countryside in the 1960-1980s by the example of the Lower Don region. Relying on previously unpublished sources, the author explores the social aspect of everyday life of the Lower Don region residents in the late Soviet period, which constitutes scientific originality of the study. The conducted research allows concluding that development of social services in the rural areas of the Lower Don region was in tune with the general tendency for the growth of the service sector, but some of the services were unrequired in the rural community or insufficiently developed. The following basic tendencies are identified: improvement of the people’s living conditions and erosion of their traditional lifestyle.

Details of the Horse Bridle from the Burial of the Sarmatian Horseman from Kovalevka Kurgan Cemetery

Introduction. The article publishes and analyzes the materials founded by the kurgan research near the village of Kovalevka in the southern part of the Volga-Don interfluve. Kurgan No. 13 is part of a kurgan cemetery, where the burials look relatively simultaneous and can be interpreted as a cemetery of nomadic migrants, settled in this territory in the confrontation with other Sarmatian groups. Methods. The authors pay special attention to the details of the horse bridle, to the type of the bits and cheek-pieces, and to the plaques, which decorated the straps of the headband. The traditional method of analogies is used for the analysis and interpretation of the material. Analysis. The type of rod cheek-pieces with two rectangular loops for fixing the rein in the central part and disc-shaped tips at the ends became widespread in the Sarmatian environment at the turn of the era. The cheekpieces and plaques were decorated with gold foil applications. Such burials are known in the Lower and Middle Volga region, Lower, Middle and Upper Don region, Kuban and in the Crimea. The authors find the origins of the tradition of making and using bits and cheek-pieces of this type in the East, in the regions of Transbaikal, Tuva, Altai and Northern China. The analysis of the bridle allows making the conclusion that it belonged to professional warriors-riders of upscale status. Results. The appearance of such burials coincides with the process of changing Sarmatian cultures at the turn of the eras, and probably the horsemen were active participants in these historical changes. However, it is impossible to define them as an ethnic group, or even to combine them within one archaeological culture. Therefore, the authors propose to see such riders as representatives of an intertribal aristocratic military group.

К фауне пухоедов (Phthiraptera) птиц Нижнего Дона, Россия. Пухоеды неворобьиных. Часть 2

К фауне пухоедов (Phthiraptera) птиц Нижнего Дона, Россия. Пухоеды неворобьиных. Часть 2

ОСОБЕННОСТИ ДЕМЕМБРАЦИИ В ПОГРЕБАЛЬНОЙ ПРАКТИКЕ НАСЕЛЕНИЯ КАТАКОМБНОЙ КУЛЬТУРЫ НА НИЖНЕМ ДОНУ

The paper is devoted to the analysis of a series of Middle Bronze Age burials from the barrow cemeteries of Veselyi I, Chaltyrskiy XI, Glubokaya II and Molokanovskiy III in the Lower Don region. All of them present a hitherto unknown type of demembration which involves a complete of partial displacement of bones “in blocks”, i. e. in anatomical articulation. Judging by both their inventory and ritual details, the burials in question belong to the late stage of the Catacomb culture (late stage of the Donets culture, Bakhmur variant, and the Manych culture). The displacement of bones “in blocks” (and penetration into the grave) took place during the first year after the funeral. There is a number of hypotheses that attempt to explain the appearance of demembration in ritual practices of ancient people. The burial contexts described in this paper support the hypothesis ac- cording to which demembration served as a method of rendering the dear harmless.

Статус и функции городского головы Нахичевани-на-Дону по материалам ревизии сенатором М. Н. Жемчужниковым

The report of Senator Zhemchuzhnikov on the results of the audit of the Nakhichevan district in 1844 contains significant materials on the organization and activities of the self-government bodies of the Armenian colony in the Lower Don Region, formed in 1779 by Armenian immigrants from the Crimea. The duties of the mayor were not determined either by law or public sentence, and therefore the limits of his power depended on personal qualities and on the respect that he commanded in the district. The result of this in the middle of the 19th century were the autocracy and the factual irresponsibility of the mayor.

To the Discussion About the Cause of the Scythia Fall

For many years causes of the fall of Scythia have been a subject to a great deal of scientific scrutiny. The topic is still debatable. The author has recently published several papers, which justify Sarmatians’ involvement in the fall of Scythia in the late 4th and early 3rd centuries BC based on the written and archaeological evidence. Previously, the concept has also been supported by other researchers. These days, however, there are studies in favor of alternative versions claiming Sarmatians’ innocence in the events leading to the fall of Scythia. The main ideas of the studies boil down to the statement of no evidence of Sarmatians from the 3rd century BC being found not only in the North Pontic region but also to the east from the Don river. In the light of the statement, they implement the idea that Sarmatians’ appearance in the Eastern European steppes dates back to the time not earlier than the 2nd century BC. In the article, the author, given the anthropological and archaeological datasets, confirms the Sarmatians’ continuous presence in the Volga-Urals region without any chronological gaps between the 4th and the 1st century BC. The idea of the stage-by-stage settlement of the eastern nomads in the Volga-Don region and the North Pontic region is suggested. In the first stage, since the middle of the 4th century BC, the political situation underwent some destabilization processes due to the appearance of Sarmatians in the Lower Don region. The second stage is characterized by Sarmatians attacking Scythia in the first half of the 3rd century BC. For most of the 3rd century BC, Sarmatians’ main habitat was located to the east of the Don river. From there they conducted raids on the territory of the Northern part of the Black Sea region to plunder or collect the tribute. This concept is also supported by linguists’ new interpretations of written sources.

Mirrors of the Early Sarmatian Culture of the Lower Don Region

The article discusses the classification and chronology of mirrors of the Lower Don Early Sarmatian culture of the 2nd – 1st centuries BC. In the Early Sarmatian culture of the Lower Don region of the 2nd – 1st centuries BC, large mirrors with a roller along the edge of the disk and a wedge-shaped handle-pin (department 2) and small mirrors in the form of a flat disk without a handle (department 1, type 2) are prevailing. Large mirrors with a roller along the edge of the disk and a wedge-shaped handle-pin (44.7%) gravitate towards monuments of the early stage, most of which are located in the eastern regions of the left bank. Mirrors in the form of a small flat disk without a handle (41.5%) are already known in the complexes of the early horizon of the Lower Don Early Sarmatian culture, but they become widespread later. At the final stage of the Early Sarmatian culture and in the Middle Sarmatian time, such mirrors completely prevail over mirrors of other forms. Other varieties of mirrors are represented by a small number of copies. Many mirrors were accompanied by the remnants of cases, one mirror had a stand. Most of the mirrors are found in female burials, much less – in male ones; with child’s bones, fragments of mirrors were found only twice. Most often, the mirrors were located close to the body of the buried, most often near the skull, shoulders, chest of the buried, sometimes on the body or under it. Most of the finds are fragments of mirrors, whole specimens are relatively few (only about 20%). Large fragments could be used for their intended purpose; small fragments probably served as amulets. Many mirrors are damaged – chopped, bent, broken, have traces of shock. It is believed to be the traces of some actions of a ritual-magical nature in order to free the soul of a thing or render the harmless of the deceased. It should be noted that in the funeral rites of the early Sarmatians, not only mirrors but also other categories of equipment – swords, knives, boilers, vessels, were subjected to mass ritual damage.

Предметы вооружения из раннескифских погребальных комплексов Нижнего Дона

Introduction. The North Caucasus and forest-steppe zones of the Dnieper region are traditionally viewed as centers of the Early Scythian culture. At the same time, vast steppe territories situated between these centers have for a long time been uninvestigated because of a small number of Early Scythian sites. The advance of recent archaeological surveys allows revising the position of archaic steppe complexes within the Early Scythian culture. To date, over 100 early Scythian sites situated in the steppe zone of the Northern Black Sea region have been discovered. 80 of them are concentrated in the Lower Don region which can be regarded as a third center of the Early Scythian culture. Steppe burial complexes here differ from Caucasian and forest-steppe ones in terms of ritual, and their funeral set is typical for early Scythian culture, though it is much simpler and smaller in number. The paper deals with weaponry which was one of the most important items in the funeral set of Early Scythian sites. Objectives. The paper primarily aims to study weapons from the early Scythian sites of the Lower Don region, identify the most common types of weapons in the area, and compare them to weapons from other centers of the Early Scythian culture. Results. Bow and arrows seem to be the most popular weapon to have been put into the Lower Don graves. Arrowheads were found in 23 burials of the region. They are not very numerous: 18 complexes contained 20 pieces or less, and only 5 ― more than 20. A typical funeral item in Caucasian and forest-steppe burials, swords were found in just two steppe graves, one of them containing the single axe in the region. No defensive weapons have been found so far. Conclusion. The considerable number of early Scythian sites known in the steppe zone of the Northern Black Sea region, as well as unique character of their burial rites makes it possible to reapproach the hypothesis concerning the two Early Scythian areas and view the steppe zone as a third center of the archaic Scythian culture. Its heart – judging by the concentration of burial complexes and composition of their funeral set – was situated in the Lower Don region. Quiver sets found in every burial complex containing weapons allows to state that the population of the region was primarily armed with bows, and that the social stratification of the community was not very distinct.

Expedition of the R/V Professor Panov (April 2018): preliminary results of observations of extreme flooding in the Lower Don Region

During the period of 2002–2018, southern Russia was subjected to extreme weather conditions, which can be characterized as drought. The water content and volume of the Don, Kuban, and Volga rivers decreased, salinization of the Sea of Azov was observed, and saline (4–6‰) Azov water periodically flowed into the Don River delta. Analysis of the hydrological observation data for 2018 revealed an episode of extreme flooding in the Lower Don (below the Kochetov hydroelectric complex) associated with the 15-year shortage of water in the body of the Don. An outstanding example of a natural and manmade anomaly in 2018 was the discharge of a significant amount of water from the Tsimlyan reservoir in April–May. For example, the average daily discharge was 345m3/s on April 10, 1503 m3/s on April 28, and 1701 m3/s by May 6. As a result, the maximum wave of water abundance in the Don formed by the end of April–beginning of May 2018, and the water level reached values not observed in the Don for 15 years. The research in the Gulf of Taganrog showed considerable desalinization of its eastern part. The level of salinization in this region did not exceed 2‰, while in spring 2017, the average values of salinization around the port of Taganrog were over 6‰.

Expedition of the R/V Professor Panov (April 2018): Preliminary Results of Observations of Extreme Flooding in the Lower Don Region

Expedition of the R/V Professor Panov (April 2018): Preliminary Results of Observations of Extreme Flooding in the Lower Don Region

LOWER DON AS A CONTACT ZONE OF INTERACTION OF NOMADS AND SEDENTARY POPULATION IN THE FIRST CENTURIES AD

This article describes contact zone of interaction of different cultures in the Don Region in I-IIIcenturies AD. The article investigates three different ethnic and cultural groups: the nomadic tribesof the Sarmatians, the Greeks in the ancient town Tanais, Meotians on the basis of archaeologicaldata and epigraphy. The article analyzes political, ethnic, cultural and economic aspects ofinteraction in the Lower Don Region. Special attention is paid to the process of sarmatisationthetransformation of the Tanais and Meotian settlements under the influence of the migrationof the Sarmatians. Sarmatization has created new cultural and social phenomena. The resultof the interaction has become a special cultural practices - combined the tradition of the burialrite in Tanais, extensive use of antique ceramics and other artifact by Sarmatians and Meotians.

Gunflints and Fire-Steel Flints from the Fortress of Liutic (XVII–XVIII centuries) on the Lower Don Region

Gunflints and Fire-Steel Flints from the Fortress of Liutic (XVII–XVIII centuries) on the Lower Don Region

ОСОБЕННОСТИ ГОСУДАРСТВЕННОЙ ПОЛИТИКИ ПО ОТНОШЕНИЮ К ОБЩИНАМ СТАРООБРЯДЦЕВ И СТАРЫХ РУССКИХ СЕКТАНТОВ НИЖНЕГО ПОВОЛЖЬЯ В 1920-1930-Е ГОДЫ

The article analyses the peculiarities of the Soviet state policy in relation to the Sectarian and Old Believers’ Communities of the Lower Volga and the Lower Don region in the 1920-1930s. In this period the authorities’ attitude to them was changeable. In the first decade of the USSR existence the state considered the Sectarian and Old Believers’ Communities of the Lower Volga region as an ally in the struggle against the Russian Orthodox Church. But by the beginning of the 1930s of the ХХ century the state policy in relation to them had changed cardinally, having transformed into long-term persecution that was conditioned by the formation of the totalitarian Stalinist regime.

Some similarity features in the Neolithic Lower and Middle Don

The paper considers the influence of Rakushechny Yar settlement research on ideas about the Middle Don Neolithic. Traditionally, the Lower Don Region was considered as one of the centers of the Middle Don Neolithic culture. The paper contains a comparison of the stone and ceramic inventory of the Rakushechny Yar with the materials of the Middle Don Culture sites. There are common features: stone inventory lamellar with a small number of geometric forms, acute vascularity, the use of pointed ornamentation, technological methods of vessel surface processing. At the same time, a large number of differences in the comparison of Early Neolithic materials of the Lower and Middle Don allow one to conclude that there is no genetic connection between the Middle Don and Rakushechny Yar cultures. In addition, the paper presents the study of the Cherkasskaya 5 site, its materials precede the Srednodonsk in chronological order and have many similarities with the finds from the lower layers of Rakushechny Yar settlement. Thus, the stone inventory of Cherkasskaya 5 is plate, geometric microliths are not found.

Some review on the results of technical and technological analysis of ceramics (on the example of the Rakushechny Yar settlement)

The article gives the results on the problem of pottery technology usage in the population which left a multilayered stratified settlement of the neo-Eneolithic Age of Rakushechny Yar. It is located on the island of Porechny in the riverbed of the Don river, which is near Razdorskaya village of Rostov Region in Russian Federation. This research is a long-term study concerning the problem of ancient pottery technology usage in Eastern European territory of Russia. The author found it is important to use both the historical and cultural approach and the method of A.A. Bobrinskiy. This method includes binocular microscopy, tracology and physical modeling experiment. The authors studied 294 samples of ceramics (separate vessels approximately) in Rakushechny Yar. Thus, the article describes the techniques and methods for selecting plastic raw materials, composing molding masses, making vessels, giving a general description of the Lower Don region Early Neolithic pottery. Moreover the author uses the comparative analysis to describe the new knowledge and give more information on the problem concerning the pottery technology usage in these regions. The author gives similar and different specific features of the neolithization process in the Don and the Volga regions as well as the questions concerning the origin and the development of early Neolithic pottery traditions in south steppe zone of the Eastern Europe.

Этногенетические связи ранних кочевников VI–I вв. до н. э. (по материалам могильников Западного Казахстана, Южного Приуралья, Нижнего Поволжья и Нижнего Дона)

Этногенетические связи ранних кочевников VI–I вв. до н. э. (по материалам могильников Западного Казахстана, Южного Приуралья, Нижнего Поволжья и Нижнего Дона)

Plant food subsistence in the human diet of the Bronze Age Caspian and Low Don steppe pastoralists: archaeobotanical, isotope and 14C data

The paper presents the result of analysis of charred food on the interior part of the vessels from the graves of the East Manych and West Manych Catacomb archaeological cultures (2500–2350 cal bc). The phytolith and pollen analyses identified pollen of wild steppe plants and phytoliths of domesticated gramineous plants determined as barley phytoliths. Direct 14С dating of one of the samples demonstrates that barley spikelets and stems were used in funeral rites by local steppe communities. However, there are no data suggesting that steppe inhabitants of the Lower Don Region were engaged in agriculture in the mid-3000 bc. Supposedly, barley could have reached the steppes through seasonal migrations of mobile pastoralists to the south, use of North Caucasus grasslands in the economic system of seasonal moves and exchange with local people. Nevertheless, presence of carbonized barley seeds in the occupation layers at North Caucasus settlements of 4000–3000 bc requires confirmation by direct 14С dating of such samples.