There are many legends surrounding this place. Scientists consider the discovery of Arkaim as a sensation in the scientific world. Esotericists flock here in huge masses to receive energies, vibrations, initiations and something else that an ordinary person is not able to understand. Ordinary people come to this place to recover from their illnesses, to join something "high", in the end, just for new experiences, to eat a barbecue and live a couple of days in primitive conditions. TV presenters break their spears in fierce battles with scientists. So what is this city? Why is it so unusual? Who were its inhabitants? Where did they come from and where did they go? What kind of place is this - a unique archaeological site, a place of power, the cradle of the Aryan peoples? Probably everyone who is somehow connected with this place has its own Arkaim.
In November 1986, the construction of the Bolshekaragan reservoir was started in the valley of the Bolshaya Karaganka and Utyaganka rivers. In the spring of next year, an archaeological expedition from the Chelyabinsk University appeared here, whose task was to conduct archaeological exploration in the bed of the future reservoir. During the work of the expedition, the Arkaim settlement was discovered - the first monument of a then new type of settlements of the Bronze Age of steppe Eurasia.
The unusual nature of the monument, the connection of its materials with the materials of the Sintashta burial ground that did not fit into any concept at that time, and the high degree of preservation prompted specialists to enter into an unprecedented struggle with the Ministry of Land Reclamation and its structures to stop the construction of the reservoir and preserve the settlement.
As a result, the Council of Ministers of the RSFSR made a decision to allocate land for the reserve. In May 1992, the Chelyabinsk Council of People's Deputies decided to create a network of branches of the reserve ("Country of cities").
What was so unusual about this city. Firstly, age. The monument dates back to the 2nd quarter of the 2nd millennium BC. (17-16 centuries BC). Radiocarbon dates - 3600-3900 years ago. Arkaim is older than Troy, the same age as the Egyptian pyramids. The discovery of such an ancient city on the territory of our country completely overturns the ideas of scientists about the ancient history of our country and the whole world.
Some argue whether it can even be considered a city. Let's figure it out. The population of Arkaim (according to scientists) is about 2.5 thousand people. It is a lot or a little. For example, in modern Denmark, a city is considered a settlement of more than 250 people. Most of the cities of medieval Europe numbered several thousand people.. About 4 thousand years ago, the cities of the whole Earth could be counted on one hand. So, in terms of population, Arkaim was undoubtedly a city. Some scholars refer to the small area of Arkaim. It is really small (the diameter of the circular wall of the Arkaim citadel is 85 meters). The thing is that its structure is not the same as that of our modern cities. There were no streets or separate houses in it. Arkaim is a single engineering structure, a common fortress house for all residents.
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More often it is called not a city, but a structure that was first conceived, then drawn with the smallest details on the plan and only then built. Arkaim was not built up spontaneously, like other ordinary cities - the design work was preceded by thorough research in the field of engineering hydrogeology and soil properties, undoubtedly, the volumes of earthwork and the timber required for the construction were calculated in detail (thousands of trunks of coniferous and deciduous trees!).
It seems to be the simplest structures, a kind of poor stone birdhouse. However, in reality Arkaim is not just a complex structure, but a sophisticated one. If experts can only guess about some of its functions, then there are no versions about others. Obviously, we, contemporaries, simply lack intelligence and knowledge. Scientists themselves admit this.
Arkaim was not the only city. Today there are 17 known settlements with 21 fortified settlements, as well as numerous settlements and burial grounds. The fortified centers were located at a distance of 40-70 km from each other. Thus, the average radius of the developed territory for each such center was approximately 25-30 km, which corresponds to the distance of one day's crossing. Within these limits, in the vicinity of the “city” there were seasonal camps for cattle breeders and fishermen, small unfortified settlements of people were built, which were closely connected in economic, military and religious terms with the “fortress city”, with the “temple city”.
Aerial photographs show that the “cities” of the Southern Urals have different layouts - oval, circle, square. Most often, a circle and a square are combined with each other, but any one of the geometric shapes is always the leading one. The location of houses, outbuildings, streets is always determined by the layout of the outer defensive wall. The earliest of the surveyed monuments of the "Country of cities" are probably settlements with an oval layout, then circular and square settlements appear. Various geometric symbolism in the plans reflects, most likely, the distinctive features of the religious worldview. Each city was the center of a district, a kind of rural area, with many, like modern, villages.
The "cities" are remarkably similar to each other. Necessarily surrounded by walls and ditches (by the way, quite complex fortifications). There are six “oval” cities: Bersaut, Aland, Isinei, Kizil … The same number of round ones, Arkaim from among them. Most of all "angular": Stepnoye, Ustye, Rodniki … There are also those, in terms of which the contours of the fortifications overlap each other. For example, all three figures are visible on aerial photographs of Steppe and Kuisak. The fortifications were rebuilt here three times. It is believed that at first they were erected along an oval, then round, and at sunset the Country of Cities - a rectangle. Whatever form the city was, it was built according to a standard design. An area is required in the center. One or two streets are paved with logs around them, under them is a storm drain, and there is also drainage from the domestic sewage system. In houses (these are, rather, apartments, their walls are common,a kind of one-story house for 10-30 "apartments") - wells, storage rooms, kitchens with hearths and a "feast", bedrooms. See how many amenities! "Apartments" are huge - up to a dozen bedrooms. The total area of each "apartment" is 100-180 sq.m. Apparently, they were clan, bedrooms according to the number of families, but only 60-70 relatives. Each "apartment" has a utility yard and a workshop. Carpenter and assembled war chariots (the oldest in the world). There were many metalworkers - bronzers, blacksmiths and foundry workers. The townspeople did not keep cattle. The city was the center of a rural area with several villages where cattle were raised and cereals were sown. Even traces of irrigation were found.bedrooms according to the number of families, but only 60-70 relatives. Each "apartment" has a utility yard and a workshop. Carpenter and assembled war chariots (the oldest in the world). There were many metalworkers - bronzers, blacksmiths and foundry workers. The townspeople did not keep cattle. The city was the center of a rural area with several villages where cattle were raised and cereals were sown. Even traces of irrigation were found.bedrooms according to the number of families, but only 60-70 relatives. Each "apartment" has a utility yard and a workshop. Carpenter and assembled war chariots (the oldest in the world). There were many metalworkers - bronzers, blacksmiths and foundry workers. The townspeople did not keep cattle. The city was the center of a rural area with several villages where cattle were raised and cereals were sown. Even traces of irrigation were found.
Today the most widespread opinion is that “cities” were spiritual centers, priests lived and performed rituals here, tribesmen from all over the area gathered here for sacred festivities. The square in the center of the city was their open-air temple. The fortresses were garrisons of the warriors of the tribe, under their protection the tribe took refuge during the raids of enemies. The cities were industrial plants. Artisans lived under protection for a reason: their skill was valued, especially the creators of metal and tools made of it. There is an opinion that the Country of Cities arose precisely here because of the available and high-quality copper ores. And the fortresses were delivered to protect the mines and metallurgical "factories".
This settlement is interesting in that it was built by Indo-Aryan tribes even before their split into Indians and Iranians. Before the discovery of Arkaim, scientists tried for a long time to prove that these tribes had been on our territory for a long time. Their opponents said that these tribes were here for a very short time, as if in transit, and therefore could not leave anything significant.
The discovery of Arkaim showed a clear picture - these tribes not only stayed on our territory for a long time, but also formed a religion here, which later became Zoroastrianism, a world religion.
Now the reserve has a cluster nature and includes a base area of 3761.4 hectares and 14 branches with a total area of 653.2 hectares.
Even then, experts from Moscow, Leningrad, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk and other scientific centers took part in the study of the settlement. The foundations were laid for scientific directions that are developing today in the Arkaim Museum-Reserve.
The discovery of Arkaim, the struggle to save him, the first scientific results were widely reflected in the media. This greatly contributed to the formation of public interest in the monument. Guided by distorted information, a crowd of "wild" tourists rushed here. The only way to "fight" this phenomenon was the organization of professional excursion services. Therefore, the regulation and excursion service of the flow of tourists has become the second direction of the museum-reserve.
Today the reserve "Arkaim" is known as an object, first of all, of historical tourism. In total, there are more than 70 archaeological sites in the base area of the reserve. The most famous is the Arkaim settlement.
Arkaim, who has already become a celebrity, overgrown with legends; known to the entire scholarly world and giving the name to the archaeological culture of Sintashta; less known, but already sufficiently studied Ustye; overgrown with fame according to the results of the latest excavations of Kuysak and Aland - all this is the South Ural Country of cities. The scientific name of this cluster of fortified settlements of the 18th-16th centuries BC is the monuments of the proto-urban civilization of the Bronze Age in the Southern Urals. A country of cities is a name for a common use, understandable and not versed in archaeological terminology, best of all corresponds to the essence of the Chelyabinsk phenomenon. Was already in the Middle Ages Gardarik, and everyone understood that this is the Country of Cities - Russia.
Were the Countries of cities the same age and similar to the Chelyabinsk one? Surely there were. They did not descend from space to the Southern Urals during the time of the Egyptian pyramids. And after a century and a half (rounded off), they did not fly into space. And they came to us and left on the ground. Remnants of fortified cities like Arkaim and his neighbors are found thousands of kilometers away, mostly younger. For example, the figurative title of Arkaim - "grandfather of Troy" - was given because he is older than the city in Asia Minor praised by Homer for many, many centuries. Cities, or rather proto-cities of the Bronze Age are found, but so that a whole "country" of almost four thousand years ago … not yet. Or maybe they won't find one more. Millennia of civilization more than once or twice destroyed the past to its foundations. Perhaps the rest of the "countries of the Arkaim" were erased without a trace. Ours was just very lucky. Only a century and a half ago, rare villages appeared here. And then not all of our Country of cities survived, and no one will name the city in one piece, like Arkaim.
The country of cities has well-defined boundaries. There are 17 points of cities on the map of the "country", but there are already more than twenty of them, while there are dozens of Sintashta villages. Each city was the center of a district, a kind of rural area, with many, like modern, villages.
The Country of cities flourished in the South Urals for about a century and a half. Then the people of Sintashta left. Their place was not left empty, it was taken, apparently, by related tribes. But nothing like this has ever been here. There are many different opinions about who the Sintashta people were, why and where they went. Not surprising! The discovery and exploration of Arkaim and the Country of Cities are by no means ordinary. “Should be considered as a scientific event of an epochal order,” says N. Ya. Merpert, an authoritative expert on the ancient settlements of Eurasia. There is nothing to add to his opinion.
Now it is already recognized: here is the ancestral home of the ancient Aryans, which scientists have been looking for for so long on a vast territory from the Danube steppes to the Irtysh area … legendary like Buddha or Mohammed.
A. ZHDANOV
