In the late 80s of the 20th century, the ancient settlement of Arkaim was discovered in the south of the Chelyabinsk region. They wanted to flood this place and make a reservoir, but scientists managed to defend the excavation site. Now there is a museum-reserve, it is conducting research and discovering new secrets that are kept by Arkaim. The ancient city is one of many settlements. It is believed that their age is more than four thousand years. This makes this archaeological complex the most ancient place of existence of civilization.
Why did the appearance of such a name - Arkaim? The ancient city is located a few kilometers from the mountain with the same name, and this wasteland on old maps was also called Arkaim. In the course of research, it turned out that this was not the only settlement of those years. Previously, the Sintashta complex was opened, belonging to the same culture. Settlements are located on the territory of about 300 kilometers, and they called them the Country of Cities.
Why is Arkaim - the ancient city better known? A photo of this area from an airplane shows its structure. The bypass moat, rings of defensive earthen fortifications and the central square are clearly visible. The hillfort is located in the form of concentric circles, inside of which dwellings were located. The total area of the settlement is about 20 thousand square meters. The whole territory has not yet been explored, but what has been excavated raises more questions.
After all, it turns out that in Europe the very first center of civilization is Arkaim. The ancient city was built using many technical knowledge unknown at that time. For example, there is a sewage system, a well-thought-out water supply system, and the metallurgical industry. Developed infrastructure and defenses cause confusion among researchers.
The structure of the city is unusual. It consists of two circles. The outer wall has a thickness and height of more than five meters. Four passages are made in it, which form a correctly directed solar cross - a swastika. The buildings are also located in a circle: there are 35 in the outer, and 25 in the inside. Now, only 29 dwellings have been investigated. In each of them there is a hearth, a well, farm buildings and a metallurgical furnace. To get to the central square, you had to go around the entire perimeter, moving along the course of the sun, because in the inner ring there was only one entrance.
Many scholars believe that Arkaim was an ancient observatory. After all, its radial development and the correct orientation to the sun and stars allows you to observe 18 astronomical events: days of new moons, full moons, solstices and equinoxes. And even such a well-known ancient building as Stonehenge allows you to observe only 15 events, although they are located on the same latitude with Arkaim.
The secrets of the ancient city of Arkaim have not yet been unraveled. Why was it built, why is it so suddenly abandoned by all residents and burned? And the residents left, taking with them all the utensils. Only a few burial grounds near the city allow us to judge the mores and customs of the people of that time. After the disappearance of the inhabitants of the city, no one lived in this place. This territory is still considered the strongest anomalous zone in Russia.