There are many versions of how the Ural Mountains were called in the old days. The ancient mountain system is already many millions of years old. Therefore, the peaks do not reach two thousand kilometers in height. But it is the mountains of the Urals that are the delimiting territory between the continents of Europe and Asia. They stretch a ridge from the South to the North of the country, crossing several areas. Here are famous attractions of the region, National parks and protected areas.
In the past
Asking the question, as the Ural Mountains were called in ancient times, one should plunge deeply into world history. It is believed that the thinkers of ancient Greece gave the mountain system one of its first names. The mountains were called Hyperborean, otherwise - Ripheans. There is still no clear evidence or disproving facts of this statement. Later, in the Middle Ages, the name began to give a more accurate description of the object. Mountains correlated with the Stone or Earth belt. Numerous rocks made of quartz and granite deeply impressed travelers. And in the languages of local peoples, the word simply meant "stone." In the northern part of the area, such a definition lasted a long time.
There is another assumption that explains how the Ural Mountains were called in the old days. It is said that in the time of Ancient Rus, the inhabitants of Novgorod gave the elevations the name "Ugra".
About the modern name
In addition to disputes about what the Ural Mountains used to be called, there are several theories about the origin of the modern name. Most scholars agree that the word Bashkir means “a certain height” or “belt”. Appeared a long time ago, met in the ancient tales of the Bashkirs. For example, this was the name of the fictional hero of the Ural-Bogatyr, legends about which were formed in these parts. Adherents of another version write about the token belonging to the language of the Mansi peoples. The word translates as "peak". And some experts believe that the term is taken from the Komi-Permyaks.
It was in the Russian language that the word came only in the 17th century. At that time, Bashkiria was annexed to Russian lands. At first, the mountain system was called Araltova, later the name Ural was fixed. The river has a similar name in local regions. According to individual researchers, this is a masculine name.
Considering the question of what the Ural Mountains were called in ancient times, one can come to the conclusion that many theories of origin indicate the existence of a large variety of nationalities in these territories. Different languages and cultures influenced each other, gradually merged and developed. Therefore, in Russian speech you can hear so many uncharacteristic words and word formations.