"The completed archaeological season in the Tuvan Valley of the Kings" brought a sensation: St. Petersburg scientists discovered Scythian burials of the 8th-7th centuries BC.
Discussions about the origin of the Scythians begin since the time of Herodotus, who proposed the theory of the Asian origin of the tribes, whose burial grounds were found in the Black Sea region. For centuries they were skeptical about it - dominated by the theory of the "European roots" of the Scythians, its indirect confirmation was the Caucasoid, not Mongoloid structure of the skulls found remains. The main identification mark of the Scythian culture is unique animal style of jewelry - could, scientists believed, appear after the return of the Scythians from the Central Asian campaigns, i.e not earlier than VII century BC... This was confirmed by dated written sources of that time.
The study of the "royal burial" is the result of a long-term Russian-German scientific project. The excavations were carried out by the Central Asian Archaeological Expedition (created on the basis of the St. Petersburg branch of the Research Institute of Cultural and Natural Heritage of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation and the Russian Academy of Sciences) and the Eurasian Department of the Berlin Archaeological Institute of the Federal Republic of Germany. The steppe in the vicinity of the village of Arzhan (in the Turano-Uyuk depression of the spurs of the Western Sayan Mountains in the north of Tuva) has long attracted the attention of archaeologists - it is here, in the Valley of the Kings, that the largest mounds of the era of the early nomads of Eurasia are concentrated. The first scientific excavations were carried out at the beginning of the twentieth century, and in the 70s the finds of the famous Leningrad scientist Mikhail Gryaznov became a sensation. The materials obtained during the excavations of the Arzhan mound made it possible to clarify the origin of the vibrant cultures of the early nomads of Eurasia of the first millennium BC ...
The current excavations in Tuva, where monuments from the turn of the 8th-7th centuries BC were discovered, unexpectedly confirmed the accuracy of Herodotus's assumptions. The identification of tribes of the Scythian type occurs by the presence of the components of the so-called "Scythian triad": weapons, horse harness and, of course, art objects of the animal style. The finds in the so-called "Valley of the Kings", uniting several barrows, date back to the turn of the 8th-7th centuries BC, that is, the time when the Scythians in the Black Sea region, again according to archaeological data, were not.
Konstantin Chugunov, head of the Central Asian Expedition, Hermitage Researcher, told Izvestia:
The finds in the Arzhan-2 mound have no analogies in archeology. All samples of the components of the Scythian triad are so highly developed that initially we could not even imagine that they were created earlier than in the VI century BC. A thorough analysis of both the "royal" burials and the burial grounds that did not belong to the representatives of the Scythian nobility showed that they were created later than the 7th century BC. This overturns the idea of \u200b\u200bthe Asian nomadic culture: about the origin and development of Scythian art, which surpasses even the contemporary art of Archaic Greece in terms of development, one can speak in a completely different way. The antiquity of the finds suggests that the Scythian tribes came to the Black Sea region from Central Asia.
However, the populist "scientific" assumptions that appeared after the publication in Kyzyl of the first results of the expedition that modern Tuvans are descendants of the Scythians, are categorically refuted by St. Petersburg archaeologists. One of the main arguments is the Caucasoid skull of the Scythians, their belonging to the Iranian language group. And in general, scientists state, the fact that the carriers of an ancient civilization stay on any territory does not mean that the ethnic groups that appeared there later are the "genetic successors" of this civilization. The excavations are completed by next May, which the Central Asian expedition is waiting for with understandable impatience. "
9,300 gold coins were found, not counting the "countless gold beads". Photo: Vera Salnitskaya
The unknown warrior was found literally covered in gold along with his woman. Photo: Konstantin Chugunov, Anatoly Naglera and Herman Parzinger; Vera Salnitskaya
The unknown Scythian warrior was christened the Siberian Tutankhamun, for symbols of his wealth were discovered: the bodies of 14 horses were buried in the ancient necropolis. Near this burial, the burials of another 33 people were discovered, five of whom are children. Found jewelry was made in "Animal Art" style
The ancient ruler was buried with a heavy necklace of pure gold and a gold quiver decorated with fish scales. Photo: Vera Salnitskaya
This burial was not plundered, like Arzhan 1, so archaeologists got their hands on items made of iron, turquoise, amber and wood, as well as gold.
The find was described by the director of the Hermitage, Dr. M. B. Piotrovsky, as an "encyclopedia of Scythian art" containing the species of many animals that roamed the region, such as panthers, lions, camels, deer ...
Reconstruction of costumes made by experts from the Hermitage. Picture: Hermitage
The warrior's outer garment, probably a variation of the caftan, was adorned with thousands of small Panther figurines, each 2-3 centimeters long, attached in vertical rows and forming motifs such as wings on the back.
Gold pectoral in animal style. Photo: Vera Salnitskaya
Thousands of small beads with a diameter of about 1 mm were sewn onto felt or leather boots, which made the boots seem to be made of gold
The total weight of his jewelry - including the glass beads on his trousers - was 2 kilograms. The man's weaponry consisted of an iron dagger.
The decoration of the woman's dress corresponds to the man's caftan: thousands of golden panthers form different motives, again, in particular, the wings on the back. Around her chest, archaeologists have found gold earrings and many small balls of gold, amber, garnet, malachite and other precious materials.
Near her foot were thousands of mini-beads of gold, which were to be fastened to leather boots that were inlaid with gold ribbons and beads.
"It's hard to imagine that these small pieces were made by nomads living in tents. Photo: Vera Salnitskaya
Other burials that surrounded the prominent pair contain bronze knives, an ax of the type known as the Raven's Beak, arrowheads, bronze mirrors, belts, and many jewelry - beads of glass, stone, amber, and gold earrings. There were also fragments of fabric - felt, fur and fabric.
Here, too, were discovered bridle sets made of bronze, ornaments for the manes and tail, carved from sheet gold.
DNA analysis of the group showed that the buried were from the Iranian ethnolinguistic group. According to the analysis of strontium isotopes in the bones, all the buried were local residents, except for the "Queen", and this gives reason to think about dynastic marriages.
Weapons: iron dagger and iron arrowheads with gold inlay. Photo: Vera Salnitskaya
The early Scythians were people who knew and appreciated works of art Photo: Vera Salnitskaya
The burial picture corresponds to the description of the burial rite among the Scythians, described by Herodotus.
Wooden bowl with a gold handle. Photo: Vera Salnitskaya
As Parzinger said, "It's hard to imagine that these little pieces were made by nomads living in tents." Chugunov agrees: "In Arzhan 2, the gold jewelry was clearly not made by nomadic artists."
Some of the ornaments are probably made in what is now China; others owe their origins to the masters of the Middle East. Some of the treasures came from a distance of 4000 to 5000 kilometers from this mound, but at that moment there was no contact between the Scythians and the ancient Greeks.
However, the treasures testify to the lost civilization of the Scythians. They were culturally more advanced as it was once assumed. Experts suggest that there were Scythian craftsmen who made the daggers and arrowheads found in the burial. The techniques used in embroidery and earring making are similar to those used close to the Aral Sea, about 3,600 km from the burial site. Remains of fruits and plant seeds found in Argens 2 also come from more distant regions.
What do anthropological studies say?
“Most of the studied groups of the Scythian time, when compared with the prefabricated series representing the Caucasians and Mongoloids, correspond to the frequencies of the ZI, ZSSH, and ISNS inherent in the Caucasians (Fig. 1). A stable shift in the“ east ”direction is demonstrated only by the series from the so-called Tsarist burial mound Arzhan-2. At the same time, the average value of HO frequencies for the prefabricated series, except for those buried in Arzhan-2, Pazyryks and Tagarians (Kuznetsk Basin), exceeds this indicator for modern Mongoloids. BUT are also characteristic of a number of Bronze Age populations from the steppe and forest-steppe zones of Western and Southern Siberia [Gromov, Moiseev, 2004]. Taking this into account, as well as the absence of a noticeable “eastern” tendency in other characters in the Pazyryk and Tagar people of the Kuznetsk depression, I believe that It is premature to talk about the significant participation of Mongoloid groups in the genesis of these populations. However, this feature can be considered as a consequence of the relationship the connections of these groups with the Caucasoids of Southern Siberia of the Bronze Age. The assumption about the participation of Mongoloids in the formation of the group from Arzhan-2 has more grounds, since, as already noted, it demonstrates a stable “eastern” trend in almost all traits that are significant for the differentiation of modern Caucasian and Mongoloid populations. However, it should be borne in mind that the extreme frequency values \u200b\u200bcharacterizing the series may be due to the small size of the group. It is also necessary to take into account possible kinship relations between individuals buried in this burial ground, which was the ancestral tomb of the top of the early Scythian society ...
The beginning of a qualitative change in the relations between the Central Asian groups and the Caucasoid population of the steppe zone of Siberia is evidenced by the pronounced “eastern” shift of the group from Arzhan-2. A similar shift for an earlier time was traced only in individual individuals, which means that the migration process was not yet massive at that time - we could talk about the infiltration of small Mongoloid groups, which were completely assimilated by Caucasoid populations... The uniqueness of the cranioscopic characteristics of the series from Arzhan-2 is an indicator that a radical change in the dynamics of interaction between the ancient European and Mongoloid populations did not occur in the Scythian period. The process of mass migration of Mongoloid groups of Central Asian origin fell on the subsequent, Hunnic, period.
In the forest-steppe zone of Western Siberia at this time, another direction of interpopulation relations prevailed. Here assimilation of the numerically predominant Caucasoid populations of the local taiga population took place, in the cranioscopic characteristics of which traces of similarity with modern Ugric and Samoyed groups ."
Half an hour up the hill under the hot July sun. There is no path, but walking is quite simple and even pleasant. It smells of thyme and mountain herbs. A lizard slips out from under his feet. Grasshoppers chirp. The view from above is mesmerizing: there is a huge sky over the foothills of the Sayan Mountains. The Usinsky tract stretches between the hills as a thin thread. For four thousand years, people have been walking along the ancient path. Here the Scythians roamed, the troops of Genghis Khan set off to conquer the world. At the beginning of the last century, under the onslaught of the Bolsheviks, the White Guards were looking for a way of retreat to Mongolia.
Archaeological excavations are currently underway on the territory of the Krasnoyarsk Territory and neighboring Tuva. Some of the largest in Russia and the world. This is due to the construction of the Kyzyl-Kuragino railway, part of which will pass along the ancient track.
Valley of the Kings
Back in the 60s and 70s of the last century, the Institute for the History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences conducted archaeological research on the territory of Tuva and the south of the Krasnoyarsk Territory. At this time, a large number of historical monuments were discovered.
A real sensation, comparable in importance only to the discovery of Schliman's Troy, happened in 1974. Then a burial mound was discovered in Tuva (it was named as a neighboring village - Arzhaan), with a huge number of artifacts. This place was immediately called the Valley of the Kings.
Excavations of another mound - Arzhaan-2 - in the same area in 2001 made a splash. Here they found the royal couple, accompanied by many companions. The leaders left for another world with a huge amount of precious things: jewelry, utensils. Even the clothes were all covered with golden scales.
Nikolay Bokovenko, now the head of the second detachment of the Sayan archaeological expedition, working in the construction zone of the Kyzyl-Kuragino railway, was part of the group that conducted excavations at the legendary Arzhaan-2. He says that those finds made an unforgettable impression on him: there were truly unique things. For example, just one of the women's 20-centimeter deer stilettos is estimated at about two million dollars. And almost 25 kilograms of such gold jewelry were found!
However, the conclusions that led to these findings are priceless.
Previously, it was believed that the territory of Tuva and the south of the Krasnoyarsk Territory is the distant periphery of the powerful Scythian empire. But the results of the excavations confirm the hypothesis: the ancient civilization originated here. By the way, Herodotus spoke about the Central Asian origin of this legendary people.
Homeland of the Scythians
I must say that this territory is the south of the Krasnoyarsk Territory and, in general, Central Asia is a unique region that was a real generator of peoples, ”explains Nikolai Bokovenko, associate professor of the St. Petersburg Institute of Culture and Arts. - We study the paleoclimate (that is, the ancient climate), compare different regions according to the peculiarities of the weather. For example, it turns out that the most prosperous place in those ancient times was the Sayano-Altai region. Here, in the Minusinsk Basin, there was a real ecumene (a region especially favorable for life). This is an incredibly interesting area in all respects, its research is very important for science.
There was a high population density about three thousand years ago. In the south of our region and in Tuva, peoples concentrated, and then moved to the west - right up to Central Europe. From here, starting from the first millennium BC, there was a migration of the Scythians, Huns, Turks, Tatar-Mongols. Why they moved west is unclear. Perhaps in search of a better life. Maybe they were led forward by those who were young, active and energetic (passionaries, according to Lev Gumilyov's definition). Perhaps they obeyed the instinct of conquerors, as in the case of Genghis Khan.
All these peoples, who have long disappeared from the face of the earth, moved along the ancient road - now it bears the name of the Usinsk tract. Along this unique path, excavations of ancient sites, burials and a kind of "campgrounds" are being conducted (and three, and two thousand, and a hundred years ago, our ancestors, like us, traveled and had picnics on the sidelines). Each such parking lot is "multi-layered": if the place is really convenient, it will always be used. Therefore, it often happens like this - archaeologists begin to excavate, for example, a cellar of the 19th century, and under it they discover artifacts from the Bronze Age.
Cauldron of Nations
The amount of work to be done is huge. Therefore, they decided to attract volunteers to help archaeologists. The international volunteer camp "Valley of the Kings" has been operating in Tuva for the third year already. Since extensive excavations are being carried out in the south of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, it was decided to create a second volunteer camp here. So, last year on the territory of the Ermakovsky district, another camp appeared - "Ermak".
“The Valley of the Kings and Ermak were organized because the idea arose, with the help of the Russian Geographical Society, to make the Kyzyl-Kuragino project not only scientific,” explains Denis Gergilev, director of the Ermak international volunteer archaeological camp. - Children from all over Russia and from other countries of the world come to us in Siberia.
Historians, archaeologists, geologists, geographers are primarily selected from the volunteers, for them participation in excavations is a unique practice. However, everyone has a chance to take part in the project. For example, oceanologists and journalists are now working at Ermak. Several students from Colombia came at once - a friend who came here last year was advocating.
Many of those who have been here once strive to return again. Because this is an opportunity to see an amazing land and a chance to gain unique knowledge.
The guys work on the excavations in the morning. In the second, they go in for sports, communicate, - says Denis Gergilev. - For them, the leading teachers of the Siberian Federal University give lectures on the history, geography and ethnography of our region. The guys go on excursions, go hiking in Ergaki.
Every day for young people is scheduled by the hour. All of them are busy with big, interesting business. It is the involvement in it that makes many re-evaluate their lives. Someone after a trip to the "Valley of the Kings" and "Ermak" quit their unloved job, someone begins to seriously engage in science. After all, one of the goals of archeology is to answer simple, human questions. What color did our distant ancestors have hair and eyes? Did they like to travel or were they couch potatoes? How did you dress? What were you interested in? To understand what the people who lived here three thousand years ago were - and all in order to understand themselves.
REFERENCE
In the early 2000s, archaeologists presented the world with a real sensation. On the territory of Tuva, two barrows were excavated - Arzhaan-1 and Arzhaan-2 in the Valley of the Kings, not touched by robbers. Burial Arzhaan-2 belongs to the VI-V centuries. BC e. And this is the earliest historical monument of the Scythian culture.
Kurgan Arzhaan-2 has become a real Klondike for archaeologists. More than 20 kg of 990-fine gold were recovered from it. This collection of gold items is tacitly called the main archaeological discovery of the 21st century.
The Tuva Valley of the Kings is known far beyond the borders of the republic. At its core, it is a huge accumulation of the most ancient burial mounds. In other words, the ancient graves of the leaders of various tribes are concentrated in a hollow surrounded by a chain of mountains. These burials were attributed to the Uyuk cultural period. The valley is located about seventy kilometers to the north-western side of the capital of the republic - Kyzyl and is divided into two zones, the territories of which are called "Arzhan No. 1" and "Arzhan No. 2".
History
The famous Valley of the Kings, or, as it is also called the Tsarskaya Valley, is located in one of the most picturesque regions of the republic - Piy-Khem. It is surrounded by mountains and seems full of historical secrets and treasures. The names of the burials reflect the name of the nearby settlement - Arzhan. Mounds are considered the oldest and largest territory of all similar zones of the Scythian period, and date back to 4-7 centuries BC. Based on this fact alone, one can imagine what archaeological value they have. And archaeologists do not miss the opportunity to carry out survey work on the territory of the mounds. Excavations are carried out almost all year round, with the exception, perhaps, of the winter season.
Features:
The most explored of the two territories is considered "Arzhan-1". Its in-depth study was carried out in the period from 2001-2003 with the help of the Russian-German society. It was then that it was precisely established that the burial places belonged only to the royal dynasties. Luck smiled at the archaeologists, and an undisturbed crypt was found in one of the underground rooms. As it turned out, at least seventeen people and one hundred and sixty horses were buried here, which it was customary to bury with their owners. In the course of the research, it was also revealed that the Tuvan burial mounds are older than the Black Sea embankments. This fact gave scientists reason to believe that it was the burials of the Valley of the Kings that were the original, and from them the famous Scythian era began, which spread to more distant regions. After the completion of the work, most of the items found during the excavations became the property of the National Republican Museum, which is kept today.
The Valley of the Kings was and remains the largest North Asian burial ground, and its research has made a huge contribution to history. After all, those unique things that have been found in the entire history of excavations make it possible to judge a lot. Despite the fact that the mounds were partially looted several hundred years ago, it is believed that many future museum exhibits remain on their territory. Many archaeologists of Tyva and other Russian regions are in search of these artifacts.
How to get there
A famous Tuvan landmark - the Valley of the Kings is located in the Piy-Khem region of the Tuva Republic, not far from the village of Arzhan.
Valley of the Kings in Tuva
Not far from the villages of Arzhan and Tarlyk of the Piy-Khem kozhuun of the Republic of Tuva, in the Turano-Uyuk depression surrounded by mountains, there are a large number of chains of large mounds, which are the graves of clan and tribal leaders of Scythian times. The chains probably reflect the kinship of the people buried in them. Scientists attribute the burials to the Uyuk culture of Tuva.
Due to the large number and size of ancient burial mounds, the locals call this place "Valley of the Kings". The Tuvan Valley of the Kings, like its Egyptian "namesake", is full of historical secrets and treasures. After all, barely starting the excavation of ancient burial mounds, archaeologists made amazing finds: golden armor, unique structures and unusual burials - not the whole list of discoveries.
The largest and most famous the Valley of the Kings mounds - Arzhan-1 and Arzhan-2.
Located 70 kilometers northwest of Kyzyl and 26 kilometers from Turan, the Arzhan-1 mound got its name from the village of the same name, Arzhan, located nearby. This is perhaps the largest known in northern Asia royal burial of the Scythian period, dating back to the 9th-7th centuries BC The diameter of the mound was 120 meters and a height of 4 meters. The excavation of the mound was carried out by an expedition led by M.P. Gryaznov in 1971-1974. Under the earthen embankment, a complex wooden structure with a log ceiling was discovered, consisting of a central frame and another 70 log cabins located around it. Their construction took about 5,000 massive larch logs. In the central blockhouse, the burial of the "king and queen" was found; all in all, 16 people and more than 160 horses were buried in the mound. All these people were buried with due honors in individual decks and special log cabins. Despite the fact that the mound was plundered in antiquity, many graves have preserved unique items that have all the signs of the still emerging Scythian "animal style". Discovered items of gold and silver are indisputable proof of the noble origin of the buried.
Kurgan "Arzhan-2" is part of the same "chain" of four visually similar embankments as "Arzhan-1", and is located in close proximity to it. It was investigated in 2001-2003 by a Russian-German expedition. The mound has truly impressive dimensions: 80 meters in diameter and up to 2 meters in height. The enormous size of the kurgan made it possible to assume the presence of "royal" burials in theirs. The result exceeded all expectations. This, indeed, was the burial place of a Scythian leader of the second half of the 7th century BC. The mound was also once plundered, and the central stonework was disturbed. Fortunately, in one of the rooms of the mound there was an undisturbed burial of, presumably, the ruler of the tribe and his wife. And in the adjacent room, household items, weapons and gold jewelry were found. The total weight of the gold recovered from the tomb was about 30 kilograms. As in the "Arzhan-1" mound, 17 people and about 160 horses were buried here. Some of them were killed by hammering a wooden stamp into the head. By the way, a woman dressed as a queen was killed in this way.
The value of the discoveries in the mounds "Arzhan-1" and "Arzhan-2" lies primarily in the fact that for the first time the undisturbed burial complex of the highest social stratum of the ancient steppe nomads became the property of science. In addition, it turned out that the mounds of the Tuvan Valley of the Kings are much older than the Black Sea Scythian mounds. This gave scientists reason to believe that it was from here that the era of the Scythians began, and only then it spread to the Black Sea region.
(modern), named in the "sacred". She is mentioned in the Qur'an in the context of the story of the prophet (Moses).
Background
On the way to Egypt, one of the cold nights, the Prophet Musa and his family got lost. Musa tried to light the fire with his flint, but he failed. At that moment, when the darkness thickened, and the cold intensified, he thought that, on the right slope of the mountain, a fire was burning, he headed in this direction. Musa set out with the intention of bringing a brand of fire and finding people who would tell him the right path. He approached the fire, which he saw from afar, and it turned out that in reality it is not fire, but light.
Prophet Musa in the Tuva Valley
In the Tuva valley, the Lord called Musa in a quiet voice. He told Musa that he was the Lord and ordered him to take off his sandals as a sign of respect for this blessed place.
According to some sources, Musa was ordered to take off his shoes, because in order to receive the blessing of Allah, the faithful, as a sign of the lowest submission, must touch the sacred ground only with bare feet. Other sources cite as an argument the following statement of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, which they characterize as credible: “ His shoes were made from donkey hide (that is, they were not clean)» .
In the Tuva Valley, Musa learned that the Lord had chosen him as a messenger who should follow what was suggested to him: Indeed, I am your Lord. Take off your shoes. You are in the sacred valley of Tuva. I have chosen you, and therefore listen to what is suggested to you in revelation. ... Here the prophet Musa received a command from the Lord to meet with a stubborn and despotic ruler, before whom none of the inhabitants of Egypt dared to argue: Here his Lord called to him in the sacred valley of Tuva (Tova): “Go to Pharaoh, for he has overstepped the boundaries of what is permitted. [
