Early Nomads Research Articles

The brief review of semiotics, semantics and pragmatics of Perm animal style in Russian and foreign publications

Abstract: Perm animal style is a kind of biomorphism in the art of Kama region’s peoples. The phenomenon of Perm animal style is connected with other kinds of animal style and has an influence on contemporary art, and therefore attracts the interest of Russian and foreign experts. The objective of this research is to make a review of some historical, archeological, cultural and artistic publications of Russian and foreign authors, adverting to the analysis of semiotic system, common outlook and the role of animal style in the formation of Kama region biomor -phism’s identity. Keywords: biomorphism, Perm animal style, Finno-Ugric culture, ethno-futurism.The preservation of local and national figurative systems is the essential condition of their oblivion pre-vention, especially in the modern conditions of world culture development, which has globalization and urban-istic character. Such ethnic figurative systems are con-nected with nature in a more balanced way, as compared to the modern trends, grown out of cultural symbols con-vergence. It means that they are national and authentic patterns which can contribute to the creation of video- ecological cultural environment in the modern world and provide ideal conditions for our country identity in the framework of multipolar cultural world. Except for the global self-identity, the issue of inner identity is one of the most acute in the modern Russian society.The modern Russian state includes dozens of areas, each having the unique history. Despite the growing tempo of globalization, the “Mental borders” of these territories are vividly seen both, in people’s perception and in the administrative state division. Strange as it may seem, near-the –folk data about the territory of settlement cause more interest among all the layers of the society, than medieval and new age history. For example, in Perm Krai, Komi Republic, Republic of Udmurtiya and in other neighbouring Ural areas the issue of initial national iden-tity and the awareness of connection with other native peoples sounds more than acute. Various youth and cul-tural projects and associations prove that point. For in-stance, KAMWA, the association of Finno-Ugric youth etc, the growth of interest to native language learning.Speaking about material culture, folk and applied arts in connection with the Perm Krai area, the creation of decorative articles – “decorative metal works” – is the closest and the most comprehensible form of the envi-ronment’s aesthetic vision. Decorative metal works have always been present in the routine and spiritual life of the Ural man [4]. The beginnings of Ural’s artistic metal works essentially correspond to such phenomenon as “Perm animal style”. The vast collections of Perm ani-mal style articles are assembled in Perm Krai and Komi Republic museums. Besides, the archeological findings, corresponding to this flow, are presented in the collec-tions of the Hermitage and the number of Moscow and Scandinavian museums.Certainly, Perm animal style is not the only example of early biomorphic syncretism in the world culture. It also existed as the element of development in Scyth-ian, Finnish and ancient Greek cultures [5]. However, it is exactly Perm animal style which has the number of unique traits with the meanings still difficult for inter-pretation, as it was developed in the conditions of partial ethnicism. The interest to its articles semantics’ study has both philosophic-cultural and purely historic-archeolog -ical grounds. Therefore the study of Perm animal style as a simultaneous illustration of history and material culture is always placed at the turn of several scientific spheres. This style’s semiotics, semantics and pragmatics are equally important for its understanding. The study of perm animal style from such point of view undoubtedly contributes to the enrichment of contemporary local and world culture.The objective of this research is to make a review of some historical, archeological, cultural and artistic pub -lications of Russian and foreign authors, adverting to the analysis of semiotic system, common outlook and

Evolution of Ukraine’s economy international specialization: from neolithic age to present time

The paper is a brief notice of a series of WORKS covering the topic of Ukraine’s economy international specialization, Ukraine’s evolution since the pre-state period in its history, formation of the first states within the territory of Ukraine (the Scythian culture, Greek states within Ukraine, the tribal Antes Alliance and Huts Empire, the origin of Slavs and the Ukrainian people), the period from the foundation of Kyiv through liquidation of Kyiv Principality, the Cossack Era in the history of Ukraine, the Ukrainian People’s Republic, declaration of Ukraine’s independence, Famine-Genocide, and the place and role of Ukraine’s international specialization as part of the USSR

Weapon and the military of the population of the West Podolian group of the Early Scythian culture in the light of sepulchral sources

The project was funded with resources of National Centre of Science the admitted on basis of decision the number DEC-2013/09/N/HS3/02839

РЕЗУЛЬТАТИ МІНЕРАЛОГО-ПЕТРОГРАФІЧНОГО ДОСЛІДЖЕННЯ КОЛЕКЦІЇ СКІФСЬКОЇ КАМ’ЯНОЇ ПЛАСТИКИ З ДНІПРОПЕТРОВСЬКОГО НАЦІОНАЛЬНОГО ІСТОРИЧНОГО МУЗЕЮ ІМЕНІ Д. І. ЯВОРНИЦЬКОГО

The types of rock that were used by the Scythian population of Transdnepria for stone sculpture production were determined. Conclusions were drawn about the raw stone materials used and the probable locations of their mining. An important issue for archeology and quaternary geology is to determine the origin of raw materials ancient stone sculptures. To solve similar tasks allows mineralogical and petrographic analysis of raw material artifacts. This article focuses on the mineralogical and petrographic research works Scythian stone sculpture of funds Dnipropetrovs’k National History Museum. Installed name rocks used Scythian people of the Middle Dnieper for making stone sculptures, as well as identify possible design space stone materials. It is concluded that the Scythian people of the Middle Dnieper for making stone sculptures, most likely used the local rocks outcrop near the places of production and further location data artifacts. The raw material for works of stone sculpture served Archean granites and Neogene limestone - rocks that form the largest deposits of construction stone in the territory of the Dnipropetrovsk region.Key words: raw stone materials, Transdnepria, Scythian culture, plastic figures, archaeological petrography, ancient mining.

Early Iron Age Surgical Technologies: Ante-mortem Trepanation among the Early Nomads of Gorny Altai

Results of a science-based analysis of ante-mortem trepanation carried out by Scythian Age surgeons of Gorny Altai (4th–3rd centuries BC) are presented. Inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry, energy dispersive X-ray fluorescent analysis using synchrotron radiation, and magnetic resonance tomography were supplemented by micro- wear experiments. All trepanations were performed by scraping and included two stages. The bone tissue around the holes reveals high concentrations of copper and tin but no traces of iron or arsenic, suggesting that surgical instruments were made of tin bronze. A knife, experimentally manufactured of copper, tin, and zinc alloy and shaped like knives used by Southern Siberian nomads, was successfully used to perform trepanation on a cadaver.

Image of an Eagle in the Art of the Early Nomads

In the Saka-Scythian animal style was extremely popular the image of a bird of prey (eagle). Images of eagles’ heads, in a characteristic manner of transmitting the image of a stylized bird of prey are common in the art of the early nomads of Central Asia. Widespread in the applied arts was the image of an eagle in the era of the early nomads, but continued to prevail later.Eagle presents in the myths and symbols of all the ancient civilizations, and the most complete way that image embodies the steady and universal sense - the sky (solar) power, fire and immortality. At the same time, the eagle symbolizes the supreme imperial power, emphasized its divine origin. Distribution of this image in a nomadic environment associated with the increasing role of war and the military aristocracy in a nomadic society.

The archaeological exploration on the early settlements of nomadic cultures in Tibet

AbstractAlong with the archaeological investigations and discoveries of the early nomadic cultures in Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Gansu and Tibet, new tendencies are emerging in the theories and methods of the researches on the early settlements of nomadic cultures in China, and new enlightenments for the practices of settlement archaeology. This paper tries to analyze the basic features, cultural natures, external characteristics and other factors of the settlement remains of the early nomadic cultures in Tibet with the new theories and observation methods, and examine them in the macroscopic interregional perspective, in order to induce the approaches and paradigms for the systematic researches on the ancient nomadic cultures in Tibet.

Archaeobotanical overview of rye (Secale cereale L.) in the Carpathian-basin II. From the migration period until the late Medieval age

It seems that rye is a twice domesticated cereal. Then, in the course of the Early Iron Age in Central or Eastern Europe, it is again transformed from weed to crop plant. We summarized the development of rye and his spread in the Carpathian Basin based on archaeobotanical data. The grains of the rye were found always in charcoal form. The rye appeared in Carpathian Basin during the Neolithic Age. Sporadic occurrences of rye were also found in Early Bronze Age Bell Beaker-Csepel Group and Early Iron age Scythian cultures. The prehistoric grains were small and longshaped. In the Prehistoric Ages rye should be exist as weed of hulled wheats. His cultivation started in the Roman Age. The grains found in roman sites are always big and reel shaped like recently. Only a few grains were found in the Migration Period. Among cereals of the conquering Hungarians rye is present. Rye became common product in the Late Medieval Ages. It was grown in a big quantity everywhere, but not independently, but mixed with the wheat.

Archaeobotanical overview of rye (Secale cereale L.) in the Carpathian-basin I. from the beginning until the Roman age

It seems that rye is a twice domesticated cereal. Then, in the course of the Early Iron Age in Central or Eastern Europe, it is again transformed from weed to crop plant. We summarized the development of rye and his spread in the Carpathian Basin based on archaeobotanical data. The grains of the rye were found always in charcoal form. The rye appeared in Carpathian Basin during the Neolithic Age. Sporadic occurrences of rye were also found in Early Bronze Age Bell Beaker-Csepel Group and Early Iron age Scythian cultures. The prehistoric grains were small and longshaped. In the Prehistoric Ages rye should be exist as weed of hulled wheats. His cultivation started in the Roman Age. The grains found in roman sites are always big and reel shaped like recently. Only a few grains were found in the Migration Period. Among cereals of the conquering Hungarians rye is present. Rye became common product in the Late Medieval Ages. It was grown in a big quantity everywhere, but not independently, but mixed with the wheat.

КИТАЙСКИЕ ИЗДЕЛИЯ ИЗ АРХЕОЛОГИЧЕСКИХ ПАМЯТНИКОВ РАННЕСРЕДНЕВЕКОВЫХ ТЮРОК ЦЕНТРАЛЬНОЙ АЗИИ

A large number of metal mirrors, coins, silk products, and items with varnish coating, made in craft workshops of China were found while examining the funeral complexes of the early medieval Turkic tribes. These findings are considered to be important elements of the material culture of nomads. They represent the military, political, trade, and other contacts of nomads with the population of the southern settled and agricultural centers. The available written certificates do not provide enough information to solve all the complex problems associated with the interpretation of the imported products found in the named archaeological sites. The materials recorded in the course of the excavation work significantly expand the possibilities of reconstructing many aspects of the life-style of nomadic communities as well as reflecting the world outlook of some cattle-farmers groups. The Chinese items are recorded in the sites of Turkic tribes dated to the 2nd half of the 6th century AD, when one of the largest nomadic empires – the First (Great) Turkic khaganate was built up. The table of Medieval Chinese import divided into the categories of findings is presented in the article. Two metal mirrors were examined by means of an X-ray fluorescent spectrometer. The pictures of some items are also shown in the article. The article considers the use of these Chinese products in the rites of the early medieval nomads. There are prospects for further research of the subject as more material becomes available.

Bouterolle from the Village of Patardzeuli (Kakheti, Eastern Georgia)

Abstract In the Sighnaghi museum there is a bronze bouterolle found by chance during earthworks in the village of Patardzeuli in Kakhetia (Eastern Georgia). This cast bronze object in the shape of a rhyton and 12 cm long is the terminal of a wooden dagger sheath (or a wooden one once covered in leather). The terminal tapers evenly downwards and then broadens out to one side with a curved open-work detail representing a highly stylized depiction of a bird’s head: it consists of an imitation of a delicate spiral resembling a curved beak, while the eye is conveyed by a round knob positioned on the main part of the terminal next to the lateral detail. There are two rows of round knobs around the top rim of the bouterolle: between them there are two holes on each side of the object passing right through it, thus allowing it to be attached to the wood. Objects of this category have been recorded in various versions in the Caucasus and in modified versions outside. In places, where a context for such finds has made it possible, the period during which they were used has been defined as the second half of the 7th and the 6th century BC. Mapping of such finds indicates that the area of distribution for these terminals is confined mainly to the Northern Caucasus and Transcaucasia. Although heads of birds of prey with their clearly defined large eyes and large curved beaks are one of the most popular motifs in the repertoire of the Animal Style of the Scythians, bouterolles of the type in question are not found in Scythian culture as such. An exception is the terminal from Repyakhovataya Mogila, which in its shape, manner of execution and proportions stands out from the rest and has been classified as a Scythian variant of the Caucasian bouterolles. Our research has led us to conclude that the fashioning of the scabbard chape in the shape of a bird’s head can be traced back to the practice of a local tradition in the Caucasus. We suggest that on the bouterolle from Patardzeuli, as for the other terminals from this series, the widely known motif of a bird’s head has been interpreted in a specific style intrinsic only to these objects, which gave rise to this special form of terminal. All the features, which set this group apart from artefacts of Scythian type from the same period, make it possible to conclude that bronze bouterolles of the type examined here represent a phenomenon from the Caucasus.

Zhukov, un « sanctuaire » énéolithique d’anciens nomades dans la vallée du Zeravshan (Ouzbékistan)

The publication is devoted to the study of an Eneolitic complex of early nomads in the valley of Zeravshan (Uzbekistan). The presence of Afanasiev antiquities is documented by a polycultural ritual complex at Jukov, and therefore it is one more feature in favor of migration theory of origin of Afanasiev culture of South Siberia and Central Asia. The general aspect of the stone enclosure untypical among the settlements and funerary monuments attests to the identity of the monument. The main markers of cult activities are : long term fi res, patches of ochre, pits with ochre, broken pottery, tools, weapons, symbolic elements inside this circular enclosure. The ritual character of the fi nds points out the existence of an open-air “ sanctuary” around the IVe-IIIe millennia BC.

Iron Age pastoral nomadism and agriculture in the eastern Eurasian steppe: implications from dental palaeopathology and stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes

Iron Age societies of the eastern Eurasian steppe are traditionally viewed as nomadic pastoralists. However, recent archaeological and anthropological research in Kazakhstan has reminded us that pastoralist economies can be highly complex and involve agriculture. This paper explores the nature of the pastoralist economies in two Early Iron Age populations from the burial grounds of Ai-Dai and Aymyrlyg in Southern Siberia. These populations represent two cultural groups of the Scythian World – the Tagar Culture of the Minusinsk Basin and the Uyuk Culture of Tuva. Analysis of dental palaeopathology and carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes suggests that domesticated cereals, particularly millet, and fish formed a major component of the diet of both groups. The findings contribute to the emerging picture of the nuances of Early Iron Age subsistence strategies on the eastern steppe.

Celtic Military Equipment from the Territory of Ukraine: Towards a New Warrior Identity in the Pre-Roman Eastern Europe

The lands of present day Ukraine are stretched across the distinct periphery of the ‘Celtic world’. From the midfirst millennium BC the cultural background of this part of Eastern Europe was defined mainly by the Scythian culture of North Pontic steppes as well as by Hellenistic influences from the Greek colonies of the Black sea littoral zone and the kingdom of Bospor in the Crimea. However, starting from the early third century BC, the influence of the Central European La Tène culture extended to a much degree. This process was traditionally viewed as a result of either Celtic invasion (Machinskij 1974) or indirect trade contacts with the La Tène zone of Central Europe (Maksymov 1999). Currently both ‘migration-focused’ and ‘autochthon-based’ approaches seem to be out of date. In recent studies, the Latènisation of Southern and Eastern Europe is interpreted as a culture-restructuring process affecting indigenous communities similar in many aspects to the Hellenisation of the Mediterranean region (see Džino 2007). The adaptation of La Tène cultural aesthetics and technical achievements, as well as Celtic linguistic elements caused the emergence of new ways of expressing identity. However, in some cases the traditional colonization paradigm still cannot be totally rejected. The aim of this paper is to show the finds of Celtic and related military equipment from the territory of Ukraine in the broad context of ‘Latènisation’ of Eastern Europe in the third–first centuries BC period.

TECHNOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF CERAMICS FROM EARLY SARMATIAN BURIALS IN THE SOUTHWESTERN URALS

Early Sarmatian ceramics from the Southwestern Urals are analyzed using the approach set forth by A.A. Bobrinsky. Pottery production among the early nomads was based on an original technology. The results of the analysis are used to reconstruct the ethno-cultural history of the Southwestern Urals.

Early Iron Age Burials in Southeastern Zhetysu: The Geoarchaeological Evidence

Preliminary results of the geoarchaeological studies at the Early Iron Age (Saka) elite burial grounds in southeastern Zhetysu, Kazakhstan, are outlined. The reconstructed climates and landscapes of the region are relevant for the economy practiced by the early nomads. Kurgans, mounds on the periphery of the burial grounds, and ritual roads – the earliest ones in Western Central Asia – are described in detail. Saka burial grounds, which are situated in the northern foothills of the Trans-Ili Alatau, appear to have marked the boundary of the sacral tribal territory of the Saka.

Skythen, Amazonen und Futuristen. Der Steppendiskurs der 1910-1920er Jahre und seine heutigen Implikationen

Due to the archaeological discovery of Greek and Scythian culture in the south of the Russian Empire in the second half of the 19th century and the scientific exploration of Russia’s own Orient – i.e. the non-European peoples of Siberia, Central Asia, Caucasus and middle-Volga – the Eurasian paradigm became more and more influential among Russian intellectuals and artists. For the adherents of Eurasianism, the steppe, broadly considered as a crossroad between Orient and Occident, embodied their concept of the ‘multiethnic imaginary cultural imperial entity’ as its ultimate legitimation. This article investigates the impact of the perception of the steppe on theorists and artists during the decades of the 1910 and 1920.

Skythen, Amazonen und Futuristen. Der Steppendiskurs der 1910–1920er Jahre und seine heutigen Implikationen

Due to the archaeological discovery of Greek and Scythian culture in the south of the Russian Empire in the second half of the 19th century and the scientific exploration of Russia’s own Orient – i.e. the non-European peoples of Siberia, Central Asia, Caucasus and middle-Volga – the Eurasian paradigm became more and more influential among Russian intellectuals and artists. For the adherents of Eurasianism, the steppe, broadly considered as a crossroad between Orient and Occident, embodied their concept of the ‘multiethnic imaginary cultural imperial entity’ as its ultimate legitimation. This article investigates the impact of the perception of the steppe on theorists and artists during the decades of the 1910 and 1920.

The Chronological Setting of the so-called Cimmerian and Early Scythian Material from Anatolia

In the eighth and seventh century BC the first items of the so-called Cimmerian and early Scythian material assemblage appeared in the modern territory of Turkey. The two- and three-winged bronze arrowheads, in particular, has enabled researchers to reconstruct a historical picture of the invasion of early horse riding nomads from the Eurasian steppes into Europe and the Near East. Other weapons and horse harnesses of these early nomads ('Cimmerians' and 'Scythian) have been found in Turkey. The best parallels come from Siberia and are dated to the late ninth century BC. Accordingly, placing the material from Anatolia in the early eighth or maybe late ninth century BC, before the appearance of the first written sources about the Cimmerians and Scythians, is not unreasonable.

Herodotus’ Scythian logos and ritual vessels of the early nomads

Herodotus’ Scythian logos and ritual vessels of the early nomads