Stadtarchäologie - Workshop 7

Southern Trans Urals Region in the Middle Bronze Age

On the brink of the third and second millennia BC a strong center of cultural genesis have been formed in the South Urals. It involved Proto-Indo European population of significant territories of steppes and forest steppes of Central Eurasia.
Here, for the first time in the history of Eurasian steppes appeared the fortified urbanized territories (proto cities) with a clear inner and adjacent space organization.
The powerful copper-ore base of the Trans-Urals plain and the achievements in the field of metallurgy have made up a basis for a rapid economic development of the area and a military progress.
The invention of the chariot and a rigid bridle with tenoned cheek pieces have determined military success of the Sintashta people.
The economy of the "Land of cities" made it possible to get a significant amount of surplus products used for the construction of fortification systems, dams, waterworks, temple and funeral installations and cult activity.
The culture of the "Land of cities" can probably be related to the category of the early civilizations having no written language with a sacralization of memory. Cultural and ethno-genetic flows concentrated on small densely populated area of the "Land of cities" have given flight to mythological thinking and ritual activity that are archaeologically defined in the settlement architecture, fortification and burial constructions. The most ancient layers of Rigveda and Avesta have probably been given birth in these conditions.
The Sintashta society can be related to the middle-range one which, however, made a significant progress in its development and came to the threshold of civilization.
In our scientific work computer technologies are basically used for:
· - Creating database on CDs (drafts, archaeological items, photos and dia-slides)
· - Ceramic complexes as recognizable and dynamic images of archaeological culture
· - A virtual atlas of the geography of the southern Trans-Urals.
· - Creating an interactive audio-visual museum exposition.

Gennadi B. Zdanovich/Dmitriy Gennadyevich Zdanovich
Chelyabinsk State University Russia

Southern Trans Urals Region in the Middle Bronze Age On the brink of the third and second millennia BC a strong center of cultural genesis have been formed in the South Urals. It involved Proto-Indo European population of significant territories of steppes and forest steppes of Central Eurasia. Here, for the first time in the history of Eurasian steppes appeared the fortified urbanized territories (proto cities) with a clear inner and adjacent space organization. The powerful copper-ore base of the Trans-Urals plain and the achievements in the field of metallurgy have made up a basis for a rapid economic development of the area and a military progress. The invention of the chariot and a rigid bridle with tenoned cheek pieces have determined military success of the Sintashta people. The economy of the "Land of cities" made it possible to get a significant amount of surplus products used for the construction of fortification systems, dams, waterworks, temple and funeral installations and cult activity. The culture of the "Land of cities" can probably be related to the category of the early civilizations having no written language with a sacralization of memory. Cultural and ethno-genetic flows concentrated on small densely populated area of the "Land of cities" have given flight to mythological thinking and ritual activity that are archaeologically defined in the settlement architecture, fortification and burial constructions. The most ancient layers of Rigveda and Avesta have probably been given birth in these conditions. The Sintashta society can be related to the middle-range one which, however, made a significant progress in its development and came to the threshold of civilization. In our scientific work computer technologies are basically used for: · - Creating database on CDs (drafts, archaeological items, photos and dia-slides) · - Ceramic complexes as recognizable and dynamic images of archaeological culture · - A virtual atlas of the geography of the southern Trans-Urals. · - Creating an interactive audio-visual museum exposition.