For many, the treasure is "gold, diamonds", but for the Mari archaeologists there is no greater treasure than evidence of the life of our distant ancestors. And recently they were received, and what are they!
Alexander Akilbaev, Candidate of Historical Sciences, demonstrates the finds.
FROM A POINT ON THE MAP - TO A MONUMENT OF CULTURE
If someone had told one of the residents of the Krasnogorsky village in the Zvenigovsky district, Vladimir Iryagin, that a discovery would be made with his light hand, he would not have believed it. It all started everyday. Krasnogorets dug a hole not far from the house to get sand, and brought to the surface … human remains, and with them - very ancient oxidized female jewelry.
Our hero was law-abiding, and therefore reported the find to the police. From there she was redirected to the Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee of Russia for Mari El. Investigators, in turn, informed archaeologists from the Mari Research Institute of Language, Literature and History (MARNIIYALI). They left, laid a trench next to the pit and … revealed another burial, this time a man's. So the most common point on the map of the republic turned into a cultural monument "Krasnogorsk burial ground". Yes, not simple, but truly unique!
EVIDENCES OF COLOR
As established by archaeologists, the buried man had a rather high social status. This is indicated, for example, by a rich belt with bronze overlays in the form of squares and hearts, as well as a bronze cauldron installed directly on the legs tied with a belt. The contents of the cauldron have yet to be determined - it is heavily mixed with sand, and painstaking work is needed here.
Men's ring.
However, two dozen items have been identified to date. These are, in particular, the already mentioned cauldron and belt, an iron socketed ax, six bracelets, three rings, an earring, and a neck ornament - a grivna. On a belt hung a purse made of a beaver's tail, and in it was found an iron chair - a device for carving fire.
Arrowhead.
As it turned out, work at the facility has not yet been completed. As of today, three trenches have been laid, and at least two more are needed to identify the boundaries of the burial ground. According to the law, the objects already found can remain at the disposal of archaeologists for up to three years, and then, most likely, they will find refuge in the museum (“It would be nice in Zvenigovsky!” - Tatyana Nikitina wished).
It remains to be glad that such a rich material fell into the hands of scientists. Let's hope there are even more impressive discoveries ahead of them.
VLADIMIR MARYSHEV