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ARCHEOLOGY OF THE ALTAI REPUBLIC
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(1390 total words in this text)
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The ancestors of modern human beings lived o要 the territory of Gorny Altai many hundreds of thousands years ago. The found archeological materials are the evidence of this.
The most ancient site of primeval people o要 the territory of Gorny Altai is the unique monument of Ulalinka, situated o要 the territory of today's Gorno-Altaisk - the capital of the Altai Republic. During excavations of this site, there were found various stone tools, made of blanks manufactured by means of fire technique, i.e. by way of heating and abrupt cooling of stones. Ulalinka materials are dated within 150 thousand up to 1,5 mln. years B.C.
A great amount of the materials found during excavations of cavern sites were referred to later periods of Stone Age: Cavern of Denissov, Ust-Kanskaya Cavern, as well as the materials of excavations of open-type sites: Kara-Bom, Ust-Sema and many others. All in all, Paleolithic monuments indicate that Gorny Altai is closely connected with the most ancient stages of evolution of human beings - from Paleonthrops to modern type.
At the end of IV millenium B.C. Stone Age finishes its history in Gorny Altai and a new period starts - the Age of Paleometal. Copper was the first metal, bronze appeared later. Copper and bronze were widely used by the ancient Altaians in manufacturing of arms, tools, household utilities and ornaments. Archeological monuments of Paleometal Age are referred to Afanasyevskaya and Karakolskaya cultures.
Afanasyevskaya culture monuments are presented by sepulchral vaults, settlements and cult monuments: Balyktuyul, Yelo, Yelo-Bashi, Nizhni (Lower) Tyumechin, Semisart, Pervy (First) Mezhelik, Kara-Koba, Bolshoi (Big) Tolgoyek and others. Sepulchral vaults of this culture are of the greatest interest; these are small enclosures called "cromlechs". In cromlechs there are usually oval or rectangular pits with ceilings. The buried people lie in these pits o要 their backs or o要 the side, with their legs bent. There may be found household articles such as sharp-bottomed and flat-bottomed ceramic vessels, smocking vases, work tools and ornaments.
Karakolskaya Culture - is a peculiar archeological culture of the end of III - beginning of II millenium B.C. Rectangular enclosures, as well as cemetery, stone boxes and polychrome pictures o要 box slabs are a characteristic feature of this culture.
At the Age Paleometal, the population of Gorny Altai passed from hunting, collecting and fishing to productive forms of economy such as farming and cattle-breeding. From that period o要, the Altaians took to building of melioration constructions, cultivation of ploughed fields, growing of millet, barley, rye, etc. Domestic herds consisting of sheep, goats, cows, horses were shepherded in the Alpine meadows in summers and were taken back to the valleys for winters.
In the first millenium B.C. the Bronze period in Gorny Altai gave way to that of Iron. The flourishing of the period is connected with the monuments combined into Pazyryk archeological culture of Skythian type. These monuments are known all over Gorny Altai - these are the famous burial mounds of Pazyryk, Bashdar, Tuyekta, Shibin, Ulandryk, Ukok, and thousands of others.
Usually, Pazyryk culture sepulchral vaults are chains of burial mounds stretching from the north to the south. Under stone embankments there are frames of logs with wooden ceilings or stone boxes. Accompanying burials of horses may as a rule be found in the northern part of the pit. In the mounds o要e may find metal stamps, knives, daggers, mirrors, bit, buckles and various bone articles. In permafrost burial mounds, articles of wood, leather, felt and fabric are preserved. Embalmed bodies found in the burials of Pazyryk culture are still considered a world sensation (to read about Ukok princess - a world sensation, CLICK HERE)
commemoration and ritual constructions, stellas, petroglyphs, irrigation constructions, etc. are referred to Iron period.
The monuments of the subsequent Hun-Sarmat period of Gorny Altai were almost unknown until lately. However, about 20 monuments of the period of VI centuries B.C. were found and explored during the last two decades. Here belong the burial mounds of Ust-Edigan, Tchendeck, Verkh-Uimon, Sary-Bel, Bulan-Koby, Airydash, Kuraika and others. Other archeological monuments such as settlements, shrines, production centers are also known.
 The found materials certify that Gorny Altai Pazyryk culture did not disappear completely, but transformed into Hun-type culture, which was later called "Bulan-Kobinskaya". The Bulan-Kobins, in their turn, took an active part in the formation of Altai population of Medieval epoch, which started with the Turkic period.
The Turkic period of Gorny Altai is presented by various archeological monuments. The most famous o要es are burial mounds and commemoration complexes of Kuderge, Kurai, Tuyekta, Yakonur, etc. Burial monuments are round mounds with soil pit, where man's body and a horse are buried. Commemoration complexes include a stone enclosure of a rectangular or square form, a stella or a statue - a sculpture of a warrior - and relatively small stones dug vertically and in rows.
Famous monuments of Runic script are also referred to the Turkic period. There are approx. 100 of such monuments found in Gorny Altai. They are written in three Runic alphabets. The Turkic period also covers a considerable amount of petroglyphs performed in the stamp or graffiti technique, production centers and other monuments: ancient town sites, irrigation canals, roads, passages, etc.
"Petrified" Ancestors.
Every epoch leaves its unique traces to posterity preseving historical memory and preventing generation link from breaking up. The Old Turkic epoch that occupied a distant period of time o要e thousand years ago has its traces too. They are stone fences obscured by vegetation, mysterious burial mounds, enigmatic petroglyphs and characters o要 wind-carved cliffs, stone sculpture. All this was left by the nomads who lived o要 the vast territories of Siberia and Central Asia. The nomads founded powerful states, had their own written language and established close contacts with the civilizations of the South -from China to Bysantine. Their images are found in valleys scattered between mountains. The Dark silhouettes of stone statues seem to grow from the ground themselves.
Stone statues are also found in the heart of Asia -the Altai Mountains.
"Petrified" ancestors. To keep the memory of o要e's dead fellow-men is probably o要e of the ancient human traditions. Memorial pillar o要 burial places of the Turkic-speaking tribes are mentioned in some medieval Chinese chronicles.
The design of memorial pillars varies from rough unpolished stone pillars with vague anthropomorphic features to real masterpieces of sculpture. Kezer Tash, a statue that used to tower in the Kurai Step is o要e of these masterpieces.
The man has a placid tranquil face, a long moustache and a pointed beard. There is a small hat o要 the top of his head. In his right hand the man holds a vessel that reminds of silver pitchers found in burial mounds by archeologists. Whom is the drink of Kezer's symbolic vessel for? For himself, for the funeral repast, with his relatives? Or is it a gift to the Supreme Yod of Sun? It is significant that the statues face the East where the Sun rises.
His left hand is o要 the decorative belt. Metal, siver and golden plates of such belts are found in burials. In ancient society they indicated the social status of their owner. Judging by his beft Kezer belonged to the Old Turkic elite.
There is a small bad attached to the belt. Ethnographers say that the bags specially designed for keeping small things in them have been used up till relevantly late Middle Ages. A saber in sheath attached to the belt is a necessary attribute of a medieval ruler and warrior.
The majority of other statues are much plainer. Some of them have o要ly carved faces, the other have also some items of clothing and weapon. Sometimes instead of a statue a big rock vaguely resembling a man was installed o要 burial place.
Studing the old stone sculpture of the Altai Mountains, o要e can learn a lot about the appearance of people who died centuries ago, about their beliefs and mentality and characteristic features of their masonry."Petrified" ancestors. For a thousand years they have stood in secluded areas of the Altai Alpine valleys to witness our life ironically or perhaps sadly with their eternal eyes and to remind us there is no future without the past. The thread of time must be preserved.
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