In 1925, in the territory of the village of Abashevo in Chuvashia, ancient burials were discovered dating from the second half of III - the beginning of II millennium BC. e. The artefacts obtained as a result of archaeological excavations allowed scientists to conclude about the unique culture of the Bronze Age that once existed in this region.
Localization of monuments of ancient culture
In the course of further research, archaeological sites related to the Abashev culture (this name it received at the place of its discovery) were discovered on a vast territory, which includes, in addition to Chuvashia, separate areas of Bashkortostan, the Mari El Republic, as well as the Lipetsk and Voronezh regions. Currently, work on more detailed localization of its distribution sites is ongoing.
In the above territory, to our time, there are ancient monuments-mounds, which are mass graves of representatives of the tribes that once lived there. The largest of them was found on the western border of the region, in the area bearing the name Mikhailova Gora and located in the Upper Oka basin. During excavations conducted in 1939 by a group of Moscow and Leningrad scientists led by Professor Pyotr Nikolayevich Tretyakov, rare samples of ceramics and various ornaments made of bronze were discovered.
Research interrupted by war
The following year, the Upper Volga region became the venue for the work. There near Lake Pleshcheyev, located near the ancient Russian city of Pereslavl-Zalessky, founded back in 1152, three monuments-mounds were discovered that gave scientists unique archaeological finds. It was they who made it possible to draw up the most complete picture of the culture of the peoples who lived there during the Bronze Age. The outbreak of World War II forced scientists to interrupt their research.
In the postwar years, the work begun by P.N. Tretyakov and his collaborators was continued by another famous archaeologist, Konstantin Vladimirovich Salnikov. In 1948, the expedition led by him carried out excavations in the Southern Urals, in the Small Kizil river basin. Discovered artifacts allowed scientists to put an end to disputes regarding the spread of Abashev culture in this territory.
Transition from nomadic to sedentary
With a great deal of conventionality, the Abashev culture of the Bronze Age is divided into three periods, each of which is characterized by its own characteristics of the economic structure of the tribes and the territories of their settlement. So, if at an early stage related to the second half of the III millennium BC. e., the Abashevists were mainly engaged in cattle breeding and only in certain areas - farming, then over the next centuries they everywhere mastered crafts, the main of which was the manufacture of bronze implements. This radically changed the entire course of the further history of the region.
Being engaged in the breeding of small and cattle at an early stage of their existence, the Abashev tribes were forced to lead a nomadic lifestyle and constantly migrate in search of new pastures. Only in a later period in connection with the development of pig farming did long-term settlements appear, traces of which were found in the western regions of the Mari El Republic, in the Voronezh Region and in the Southern Urals. The dwellings in them were a few buildings deepened into the ground, made of natural stone and covered with reeds from above. At the same time, the roofs had both a gable and a four-gable structure.
Starting to use horses
It is characteristic that the Abashevskis started breeding horses relatively late - at the turn of the 3rd and 2nd millennium BC. e., as evidenced by the results of excavations carried out in the lower reaches of the Voronezh River. It was established with all obviousness that this activity was prompted by the need to repel the raids of aggressive neighbors, who had mastered horseback riding much earlier and, as a result, had military superiority. In addition, during the migration, horses became a good vehicle, replacing the cattle used for this purpose.
Further development of crafts
According to the majority of researchers, it was horse breeding, which opened up new economic opportunities for the Abashev peoples and significantly increased their defenses, gave an impetus to the formation of this peculiar cultural and historical community. It served as an incentive for the development of various crafts.
This is evidenced, in particular, by many finds made during excavations in the Upper Don region at the turn of the 1950s and 1960s. These include unique disc-shaped psalms - bridle parts intended for its connection with the reins. This element, designed to control horses, has been encountered before, but these specimens are characteristic in that they are made at a high artistic level and, in addition to their direct purpose, were clearly used as decorative ornaments. In addition, they were made of ivory, which will allow us to build various assumptions about the contacts of the Abashevites with other peoples.
Artifacts from the Sintashta burial ground
It is also noted that it was the achievements of the Abashev culture that the population of the Eurasian steppe and forest-steppe regions owed the appearance of chariot transport, without which their further development would be significantly slowed down. The manufacture of chariots, which became widespread in a short time, prompted the development of many crafts associated with it, especially leather and carpentry.
Products related to the beginning of the II millennium BC. e., but executed at a higher technical level, were discovered in 1972 in the Trans-Urals during excavations of the Sintashta burial ground. Among them were well-preserved psalms, similar to those mentioned above, but which underwent a number of constructive changes during the previous period.
Manufacture of copper products
However, the main achievements of the peoples who created the Abashev culture is that they were the first to begin the large-scale development of the Ural copper deposits. It is known that the history of many mines that have been preserved to date, such as Nikolsky and Tash-Kazgan, goes back to that distant era. From the ore mined in them and Ural copper sandstone, the ancient inhabitants of the region smelted copper, which over time became the main material for the manufacture of tools, military weapons and jewelry.
It is curious to note that the Abashevsk craftsmen developed special designs of sickles, knives and swords that did not have analogues at that time. Researchers distinguish several types of axes they created as a separate group, among which are the bilobus, flat Tesla axes and elongated with an expanded heel. Each such species had its own specific purpose.
In addition, having sufficient reserves of copper, the ancient Ural craftsmen produced various kinds of weapons. Its well-preserved specimens were found back in 1925 during excavations carried out near the village of Abashevo (Chuvashia). All of them have peculiar features inherent only to the products of the masters of this unique culture. The arrowheads and spears they created, elongated daggers and swords, equipped with reliable protection for the warrior’s hands, have taken places in the expositions of many museums in the country today.
Products of ancient potters
Abashev ceramics is also considered a peculiar cultural and historical phenomenon, the samples of which were found during almost all excavations. From the products of masters of other peoples who inhabited the Eurasian plain and the Trans-Urals in that period, they are distinguished by many technological features used in the production process, as well as decorative and artistic, or, in modern terms, design, features.
Like smelting production, this type of activity, having survived centuries, has turned into a powerful industry of the region. It is characteristic that the village of Abashevo itself, which gave the name to this culture, is now known for handicrafts - antique stylized ceramic whistles, as well as figures of animals and various fairy-tale characters.
Features of funeral rites
At the late stage of the existence of the Abashev culture, when most tribes moved to a settled way of life, a very peculiar form of funeral rites appeared in their everyday life, which was the creation of a kind of public barrows. For each deceased, a 1.4 × 0.8 meter grave was dug up, where it was lowered, having previously laid the bottom of the birch bark and coated the walls with clay. After that, funeral pyres were burned and, when they were burned out, the coal that had not yet been extinguished was poured onto the deceased, which was to serve as a sign of his fiery purification.
At the end of the rite, the burial chamber was covered with thin poles and lined with turf. Nearby, as necessary, exactly the same burials were made, and when a large number of graves were collected, a common mound was poured over them. It is precisely these monuments to the dead ancestors that in our time indicate the locations of ancient settlements, and serve as a guide for archaeologists.
Religion of the ancient Abashevites
In the same burials, archeologists also found artifacts testifying to the religious preferences of representatives of the Abashev archaeological culture. By a number of signs, one can judge the wide distribution among them of the cult of the sun and fire. At the same time, researchers found traces of beliefs very close to Zoroastrianism - an ancient religion originating from the legendary Persian prophet Zarathustra, who lived in the II millennium BC. e. and preaching freedom of moral choice between good and evil.