The small village of Kostenki, Voronezh Region, looks no different from other villages located along the banks of the Don. But it is known not only in Voronezh and Russia, but also throughout the world. What helped him become famous? Even during the time of Peter the Great, many mammoth bones were found in the vicinity of the village. Already at that time in the city, and in the 17th century it was a fortified city, excavations were carried out. But only at the end of the 20th century they began to actively explore the territory of the village and even opened a museum.
Neighborhood of the village of Kostenki, Voronezh region
This area is not only remarkable for excavations. From the tops of the Cretaceous mountains, which are called the "Lowered Alps" offers a magnificent panorama. Freaky
the bends of the Don channel, many floodplain lakes and snow-white chalk mountains create a beautiful picture.
People settled here from time immemorial. The territory between the hills and
the Don river bed is occupied by beautiful floodplain meadows. The chalky hills themselves are also noteworthy. They have long been a source of chalk for people. Because of this, at an altitude of about 200 meters, many caves formed in them. One of them was even used for some time by the hermit for housing. Now these hills serve for relaxation - a ski resort has been created here, for which the Voronezh region is famous. It has everything: five lifts, eight slopes up to 400 meters long, night lighting and instructors. In the absence of snow, even artificial snowmaking is created.
Antiquity of these places
Scientists have proven that people lived forty thousand years ago in the vicinity of the village of Kostenki, Voronezh region. And the latest research allows to lower this age by another 10 thousand. The sites of ancient people found here have made a real revolution in historical science.
It turns out that in the territory of Eastern Europe there have long lived people who had a highly developed culture. This disproves modern ideas that a man originated in Africa. A group of foreign scientists confirmed that it was precisely on the territory of the village of Kostenki, Voronezh Region, that about forty thousand years ago a modern type of person arose, and from there settled throughout Europe.
The beginning of archaeological excavations
Since time immemorial, people have found bones of enormous size here. Therefore, the legend was born about the existence of the legendary beast Inder, which can only be seen after death. After the creation of the fortified city of Kostensk at the behest of Peter the Great, archaeological excavations were started here . The most amazing finds were transported to the St. Petersburg Kunstkamera. At that time, it was believed that the huge bones found belonged to the elephants of Alexander the Great. But excavations were conducted irregularly then. The first serious research began in the late 19th century by the great scientist Ivan Polyakov. At the first site of an ancient man excavated by him, spearheads, silicon tools and even jewelry were discovered. But systematic studies of this territory began only at the beginning of the 20th century. And to date, about 60 sites of ancient people have been discovered, the age of which scientists determine from 15 to 45 thousand years.
What excavations have shown
Already during research in the 19th century, it became clear that the ancient people were not the primitive savages that historical science represented them. To our time, a lot of evidence has been found on the territory of the Kostenki nature reserve that in the Paleolithic times people lived here who knew how to build residential buildings that made multifunctional tools from bones and stone. They possessed a developed art - they had never found such jewelry with complex ornaments, pendants and perfect figurines from a mammoth tusk. They were found under a layer of volcanic ash, which suggests that they were made forty thousand years ago. It was at that time that the largest volcanic eruption occurred, as a result of which a layer of ash covered a vast territory.
One of the statuettes, which is a pregnant woman, has become a symbol not only of Kostenka, but of the entire Paleolithic era.
Museum Creation
Scientists have determined that people lived on this territory permanently. Even during the last glaciation, which was about 20 thousand years ago, these places were inhabited.
People have learned to build houses from the bones and skins of a mammoth. Over one such house, which was excavated at the end of the 20th century, it was decided to create a Kostenka museum. The Voronezh region thanks to him soon became known throughout the world. It opened in 1979 and was originally a branch of the Voronezh Museum of Local Lore. Many finds from the territory of the Kostenkovsky sites are located in the Hermitage and Voronezh itself, but this small room, built over an ancient house made of mammoth bones, attracts thousands of tourists every year.
Museum "Kostenki" (Voronezh region)
In the 90s, the branch separated from the Museum of Local Lore and acquired the status of the State Museum-Reserve. In addition to the building itself, it includes an area of almost 10 hectares, on which about 60 sites of ancient people are located, as well as the Borschev Slavic settlement. Now this is a very popular place not only among Voronezh residents, people come here from all over Russia and even from abroad. In addition to the ancient dwelling, visitors can see many jewelry found in the excavations, as well as a stuffed mammoth in real size, recreated on the basis of the bones found.
Many people know that the village of Kostenki (Voronezh region) is an interesting place. Every local student knows what it means to “visit a mammoth,” and school trips often come from Voronezh itself. In a very picturesque place is the village of Kostenki (Voronezh region). The map of this territory does not show anything remarkable, but people still know about the sights of the village.