The Republic of Dagestan is one of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation. Located in the eastern part of the North Caucasus, it covers an area of 50.3 thousand square kilometers. From the south, Dagestan is separated by high mountain ranges from Azerbaijan and Georgia. In the east it is washed by the Caspian Sea. In the northern part of the Republic are vast expanses of sandy steppes.
Ancient Dagestan (see photo below) is a mountainous country, the beauty of which is sung by many artists, writers and poets.
Its peculiar way of life, unforgettable landscapes, as well as ceramic, jewelry and other products created by masters, cause surprise and admiration for everyone who first gets acquainted with the Republic.
Dagestan is rich in its history. To date, over eight thousand cultural and historical monuments protected by the state are located on its territory. And everyone who has ever visited this very southern republic of Russia received an unforgettable impression of its beauty and the richness of ancient traditions.
Quaternary
The history of Dagestan begins from ancient times. The first human sites on its territory were located in the Stone Age, in the Paleolithic era. This can be explained by the favorable geographical conditions that distinguished this area. So, in the Quaternary, significant areas of Asia and Europe underwent glaciation. In the Caucasus, there were only two of them. Moreover, continuous ice cover was not observed here. This was facilitated by warm and dry winds that penetrated from Central Asia. In Dagestan, glaciation was found only on the side ridges and in the highlands.
A favorable factor for human life in these territories was the fact that a significant part of them was covered with forests. Spaces free from trees served as magnificent pastures for fat herds of wild animals.
Lower Paleolithic
Due to its favorable location, the Caucasus played a significant role during the ancient human settlement. Even in the Acheulean era, more than a hundred thousand years ago, the territories of Dagestan were settled.
Traces of primitive man were discovered by archaeologists at the border of two districts - Kaitag and Derbent. Here, in the Chumus-Inits tract, massive flakes were found, as well as primitive tools made from them (scrapers, chopping tools, etc.).
The people who settled in ancient Dagestan were engaged in hunting and gathering. As a prey, they served the most common types of animals, as well as fruits and berries grown in the wild.
The most important tools in the Acheulean period were hand-made stone choppers. They were used for the manufacture of wooden hunting rifles, as well as for butchering the carcasses of mined animals and processing the skins removed from them.
Ashel people who lived in small groups knew how to use fire. He served as a source of heat for them, a means for cooking and a tool for scaring away predatory animals.
Middle Paleolithic
After the Acheulean era, Mousterian came. In its period (100-30 thousand years ago), the process of settlement of primitive man continued. Also continued to develop and the territory of Dagestan. This is confirmed by the monuments of a distant era, which are the remains of open camps. They were found in the vicinity of Makhachkala, in the mountains, on the plains, and also not far from the mountain lake Kezenoy-am, located on the border with Chechen-Ingushetia. Cave sites of the Mousterian period are very rare in Dagestan.
During this period, significant changes occurred in the technique of stone processing. Tools from it began to be made using knife-shaped elongated plates. Also in this era, hunting with the help of corrals began to be widely practiced. This method allowed to get more food.
All of the above progressive changes that affected the production activities of primitive people were reflected in the social structure. It is believed that at this time the beginnings of the matriarchal clan organization began to arise.
Upper Paleolithic
The next era is limited to the period from 30 to 15 thousand years ago. It is characterized by the further development of the primitive communal system.
Ancient monuments of Dagestan belonging to this era were found in a parking lot near the village of Chokh in the Gunib region. In its cultural layers , the remains of bonfires, lumps of ocher, animal bones and much more were found. But most of all in the parking lot they found silicon crafts. This material was used not only for the guns themselves, but also for their manufacture.
Based on the data obtained, scientists concluded that the primitive people who inhabited Dagestan in the Upper Paleolithic era hunted mammoths. Moreover, for the extraction of these animals used at that time progressive methods of corral. Also in this era, primitive people began to make household utensils.
In this period, the final formation of the matriarchal clan system took place, and ties between individual communities were strengthened.
After the end of the Upper Paleolithic era, global warming began. The Mesolithic period began. According to archaeologists, mountain Dagestan at that time was densely populated. Among the features of his culture, there is an analogy with the simultaneous monuments of the North Caucasus and Transcaucasia, which confirms the similarity of the development paths of the people living in these regions.
Bronze Age
After the Upper Paleolithic, the ancient history of Dagestan entered a new era, covering the period from the end of the fourth to the end of the second millennium BC. The copper-bronze age has come. He brought many achievements in culture and production, as well as in the social structure of the primitive communal system.
During this period, metallurgy of copper and bronze reached its peak. From these materials, people began to make various products that played a big role in their life. The centers of metallurgical production also had Dagestan. The ancient land was rich in ore reserves.
In the Bronze-Copper Age, arable farming arose and developed. In addition, people began to engage in cattle breeding. At the same time, the number of species of pets increased all the time.
The emergence of cattle breeding and agriculture is the most important event of the Bronze-Copper Age that Dagestan survived. The ancient land has become the center of active demographic processes and the rapid development of the economy. On its territory, a rapidly growing population began to develop new lands.
During this period, material culture also received its further development. The ancient villages of Dagestan arose, in which some elements of construction equipment and architecture were used to build dwellings. Some of these settlements were temporary or seasonal.
At the beginning of the Bronze-Copper Age, Dagestan made a great contribution to the agricultural culture. The ancient land during this period achieved the greatest success, having received many varieties of hard and soft wheat, almost fifty varieties of barley, as well as many varieties of grapes, apricot, pome seeds and other crops.
Community Development
In the Bronze Age, the role of exchange between tribes increased significantly. This was a consequence of the division of labor and led to increased ties between residents of various regions of Dagestan.
But at the same time, the growth of productive forces exacerbated property differentiation and intensified the tribal struggle for grazing and arable land, as well as metal deposits.
Also, the ancient history of Dagestan in the Bronze Age was the period when ethnocultural communities began to take shape. In the future, they served as the basis due to which the formation of many nationalities and tribes took place.
In connection with the development of cattle breeding, metallurgy and arable farming, where male labor was used, matriarchal-clan relations were replaced by patriarchal ones. They are more consistent with the new conditions of social production. At this time, wealth began to accumulate in the hands of individual families. This led to property division within the gens.
At the end of the Bronze Age, the birth of iron production began. In the future, this led to revolutionary changes in culture, economics, as well as in the minds of people. As a result, the formation of the so-called military democracy took place, after which statehood appeared.
Caucasian Albania
The next stage in the history of Dagestan began in the middle of the first millennium BC. During this period, the consolidation of the tribes living there began to take place in the eastern territories of Transcaucasia, culminating in the creation of their union at first, and then of the early slavery state, Caucasian Albania. These were vast lands lying between Kura, the Caspian Sea and Alazani, which included significant areas of present Dagestan.
Due to its weather conditions, Caucasian Albania was a great place for people to live. Its lands were well irrigated and fertile.
Albanian tribes
Most of the territory of the emerging state was occupied by mountains. They lived warlike tribes. They kept under their constant control the passes located on the Main Caucasian Range.
The most numerous tribes inhabiting Albania were the Utians and Albanians, occupying territories on the coast of the Caspian Sea. Legs and gels, didors and gargareians, sylvians and andaks, and others were also of great importance in the state.
Much earlier than these tribes were known Caspian and Mickey. Thus, Albania possessed ethnic diversity. On its territory lived twenty-six different tribes. Such a picture is very close to the ethnography that exists in modern Dagestan.
In the mountainous region of the country, as well as on part of the coast of the Caspian Sea, Albanian tribes lived. It is believed that this is the oldest nation in Dagestan - the ancestors of the modern mountainous people of the Republic.
Economic Development of Albania
The main economic branch of the ancient state was agriculture. Moreover, it received its development not only on the plains, but also in the mountains. For cultivating the soil, the Albanians used a wooden plow, which in its design was close to the modern Dagestant "puruc".
Cattle breeding was another significant industry for the Albans. This was facilitated by extensive mountain pastures and floodplain meadows in the foothills. Also in Albania, craftsmanship has developed significantly. New industries appeared, producing glass and fish glue, engaged in the processing of semiprecious stones, and many others.
At the same historical time, metalworking reached its peak in Albania. Artisans began to use sophisticated tools that made it possible to make knives and spearheads, three-armed arrows, sharp cavalry swords, and various tools. Due to this, the scope of the metal has expanded significantly. Specialization was also observed in jewelry.
Ancient cities
On the territory of the Albanian state, numerous centers of trade and crafts began to emerge. Many ancient cities of Dagestan (there are 29 in total) are discovered during archaeological excavations in the territory of the modern Republic. Moreover, the main place where the ruins of ancient settlements are located is the foothill coastal Dagestan.
The main city of Albania was considered Kabalak. It was located on the territory of modern Northern Azerbaijan. The ancient cities of Dagestan are Gelda, Alban and Telena. They were located between the rivers Sudak and Samur. This is the territory of the modern Republic of Dagestan. The ancient city, located in the interior of Albania, is Niga. In the same lands stood Bakria, Daglan and Tagoda.
The most ancient city of Dagestan, which was identified as a result of archaeological research, is Urceki. During the period of the existence of the Albanian state, he had a layout corresponding to the ancient style. It is worth saying that a similar arrangement has a number of settlements of this period located on the territory of the Republic of Dagestan. The ancient city of Urceki, like other administrative centers similar to it, had such traditional antique elements as the citadel, posad, located next to the okrug.
The end of the ancient period
At the end of the fourth century AD, numerous warlike hordes of nomadic Huns invaded Dagestan. The ancient land was captured from the north to the Derbent Pass.
The Huns began to actively intervene in the political affairs of the peoples of Transcaucasia and significantly slowed down the social and economic development of Dagestan. However, they could not influence the culture of the peoples of this region. This is because the nomads were at a lower step in their development.
The fact that the Huns were in Dagestan is evidenced by some research by archaeologists. Thus, burials of nomads were found in which bows with bone plates and iron knives were buried along with the soldiers.
The state of the Huns collapsed only in the middle of the fifth century. Numerous internal contradictions contributed to its collapse. After that, the tribal unions of Dagestan became independent units with their political governance.