Dolmens in the Caucasus. Megalithic structures of the Ancient World


Many scientists have tried in one way or another to resolve the issue of the origin of dolmens, to find out the details of their origin and appearance in the Caucasus. Among the antiquities of the Kuban region and the Black Sea region, such monuments have not yet been found that would be structurally close and at the same time precede them. Obviously, they will not be found. It turns out that the dolmen culture does not have its genetic roots among the antiquities of the Kuban and Black Sea regions. There was no “long-term previous development of local culture” in the Western Caucasus that could have led to the independent emergence of dolmens, even if we try to connect the evolution of the “stone industry” from the Paleolithic to the Bronze Age with a continuous line.

An attempt to explain the emergence of dolmens in each part of the world independently, in the case of the Caucasus, finds no basis. Jacques de Morgan writes about the autochthonous origin of dolmen structures: “... it is not at all necessary to be influenced by distant centers in order to erect large stones and cover them with a roof.” mistook for dolmens, and famous theory, that the dolmen structure could have arisen “from a grotto that served as a tomb, the artificially reproduced form of which was the dolmen.” This “cave theory” had many supporters among Western European scientists (Gabriel de Mortillier, K. Schuchhardt, Christian Cervos, etc.). Our compatriots who were involved in Caucasian archeology (D.N. Anuchin, M.M. Ivashchenko) also leaned toward it. However, if the position about the transition from burials in rocks (caves, grottoes, under canopies) is to a certain extent true for some islands Mediterranean Sea(Corsica, Sardinia, etc.), where buildings are known that are half-grottos - half-dolmens, then the features of the monuments of the Western Caucasus indicate a different path of development.

The lack of initial routes for the appearance of dolmens in the Kuban and Black Sea regions led some researchers to search for directions along which the “idea” of a dolmen could come to the Caucasus. In the 70s years XIX century, the scientist S. Bayern, collecting information about them, was surprised that all the dolmens were located either near the Black Sea or not so far from the coast. Having studied the map of the location of dolmens, we can come to the conclusion that in the Caucasus they could only appear from the sea.

Famous archaeologist B.A. Kuftin also intensively searched for ways to clarify this issue of interest. He believed that it could be resolved only “on the basis of taking into account real engines historical process and their relationship with geography natural forces to the extent of mastering the latter economic activity person." Using the concept of “cultural-production groups”, B.A. Kuftin believed that for dolmens such a “group” could exist in the Mediterranean, on the Deccan Peninsula and in the Southern Caspian region. L.N. Solovyov, highlighting the “southern dolmen culture,” assumed that the bearers of this culture came to the construction of dolmens not independently, but using “ ready-made forms”, widespread in “Asia Minor”, ​​especially in Syria and Palestine. This construction, in his opinion, arose early “under the influence of connections with Asia Minor cultural world carried out by sea"". L.N. Solovyov paints quite vivid pictures of the life of the bearers of the “southern dolmen culture.” They had peaceful relations with the population of the Kuban region, which “was reflected in the spread of the construction of dolmens to this part of the Caucasus.” Further, at the turn of the 3rd - 2nd millennia , according to L.N. Solovyov, from Asia Minor there is an invasion of the Kashki - tribes “in all likelihood related to the southern Dolmen” population, while the Kashki (according to L.N. Solovyov they are carriers of the “Proto-Colchian culture”) were introduced into the local environment new types of utensils and skills in metallurgy.

A number of other well-known scientists connect the appearance of dolmens in the Western Caucasus with the development of trade and military navigation among coastal peoples in the Neolithic and Bronze Age, when “Caucasian masters” could see dolmens in other countries and then erect them in their homeland. It is also worth recalling the statement of Academician B.B. Piotrovsky, who noted that “the shape of the Caucasian dolmens coincides so much, even in detail, with the Mediterranean and European ones that the question of their connections is quite natural.”

megalithic cromlech dolmen architecture

The article is devoted to the dolmens of the Western Caucasus, which are considered not only as monuments of ancient material culture, but also as significant tourist sites that have become a real brand of Olympic Sochi. The author provides interesting information about mystical power dolmens, comparative parallels are drawn with famous megaliths abroad and the reason for people’s interest in the monuments of dolmen culture is revealed.

Dolmen culture of the Western Caucasus: geography and heritage

According to the ancient legends of the mountaineers, at the same time as the Narts - the ancient giants - tiny people lived in the Caucasus, weak and helpless, riding hares... Out of pity for this small people, the Narts erected impregnable fortress-houses for them from huge stone slabs, where there were small holes in the front that only very small people could get into. That is why the Circassians called dolmens “ispun”, that is, houses for dwarfs.

Ancient dolmens in the life and epic of the highlanders

Dolmens are the oldest religious buildings, the name of which comes from the Breton words “taol” and “taep”, which mean “stone table”. And indeed, the design of the dolmens looks like a table, since a powerful, smooth stone slab rests on several supports standing on the earthen surface. Dolmens are classified as megalithic structures or simply megaliths - structures made of large hewn stones, used mainly for tombs. Ancient megaliths have long been of interest to researchers and simply ordinary people, but if the former deeply and systematically study megalithic culture, the latter consider dolmens as a picturesque part of the landscape, giving them special mystical properties, using them mainly as objects of tourist display.

At the same time, it is very interesting and useful to trace people’s attitude to dolmens and to the entire dolmen culture within any one territory.

As you know, dolmens are found in the most different corners planets: in North Africa, Europe, South Korea and others, but we will try to explore some facets of the manifestation of dolmen culture in the Western Caucasus and in particular Greater Sochi.

The dolmen culture developed in the territory modern city Sochi in the Middle Bronze Age. It mainly includes dolmens - monumental tombs, corresponding deposits in the Big Vorontsov Cave and individual objects scattered throughout different areas of Greater Sochi. The territory which

At the entrance to the Big Vorontsov Cave in the Khostinsky district of Sochi (photo by the author)

Now occupied by a famous Russian resort, it has always differed from other areas of the Black Sea region in its ruggedness due to the highly dissected terrain. Most likely, for this reason, the Sochi dolmens became known to the scientific community later than similar structures in other regions.

Alexander Miller, a famous Russian explorer of the Caucasus, ethnographer and archaeologist, was one of the first to describe and sketch the Sochi dolmens in detail. In 1907, he described and sketched several dolmens in the valley of the Ashe River and a trough-shaped monolith in the Mamedov Gorge in the territory of the present Lazarevsky district of Sochi. Although

Composite dolmen in the courtyard of the Museum of the History of Sochi (photo by the author)

Trough-shaped monolith “Healer”

Most likely, he was not the first to discover this monument, since even now one can clearly distinguish on it an image of a Maltese cross carved in stone with the date next to it - 1906.

Today this dolmen is especially famous and revered in these parts; it is called the “Healer”, attributing a special energy that can endow people and animals with rare vitality. People living nearby claim that on May 19, 1986, they were awakened by a strong rumble at night, although the weather was clear and calm. In the morning it was discovered that three powerful trees, pulled out of the ground like light blades of grass, lay near the dolmen, and the fourth, half burned, was still smoking and had a bizarre shape. These trees still lie near the dolmen today, enhancing the extraordinary impression made by this mysterious megalith, shaped like an Egyptian pyramid.

Local residents even notice an increase in the number of wild animals in this place and their quite peaceful attitude towards people. They say that hares are especially fond of the dolmen and love to sunbathe on it. Or maybe it’s not about sunbathing at all, but about the mysterious dwarfs who, according to legend, lived in dolmens and rode hares...? Then it is quite possible to assume that the hares continue to patiently wait for “their owners.”

In general, the local residents of the Sochi coast cannot be denied talent and resort ingenuity. Any interesting object or the phenomenon quickly becomes the basis for a new excursion route. For example, an esoteric route has been formed to the “Healer” dolmen, where everyone is invited to experience the special rejuvenating energy of the dolmen. Of course, promises of rejuvenation are nothing more than resort advertising, but the power of Caucasian nature is truly amazing!

In this regard, we should pay tribute to the numerous researchers of the dolmen culture of the Western Caucasus, who have been observing these mysterious monuments of ancient material culture for two centuries. The work of several dozen scientists was summarized and systematized in 1960 by researcher L.I. Lavrov, who created a complete catalog of dolmens. There were 1139 dolmens in it, and a scientific classification of dolmens of the Western Caucasus was proposed, which remains relevant today.

Lavrov divided the entire variety of existing dolmens into four groups:

  • 1. A group of ordinary tiled dolmens. This is the most common type of megaliths, structurally representing a quadrangular box, each side of which, as well as the bottom and roof, is a separate monolithic slab.
  • 2. Group of composite dolmens. These are structures with one or more walls made of smaller slabs.
  • 3. A group of trough-shaped dolmens.
  • 4. Group of dolmen-monoliths.

In 1978, researcher V.I. Markovin updated the catalog of dolmens, expanding it to 2308 objects. Thanks to painstaking research work The era of dolmen culture, which flourished in the first half of the 2nd millennium BC, has become more understandable and closer to us - modern people.

Carefully studying the features of the development of dolmen culture, scientists pay attention to the fact that at the peak of its development, trapezoidal tiled structures with profiles of clear proportions became widespread. This design gave dolmens greater stability and facilitated the assembly of walls and the installation of ceilings. During this period, dolmen openings take on various shapes (round, arch-shaped, etc.). Under the tiled dolmens, carefully crafted heel stones appear - a kind of foundation for the dolmen. Many buildings are leaned against the slopes and even slightly sunk into them. In addition to tiled dolmens, trough-shaped ones were also created during this period - they were carved into the rocks, giving them the appearance of a dolmen only from the facade. Towards the end of the heyday of the dolmen culture, dolmen-monoliths appear. Such changes in the design of these religious buildings, according to scientists, occur in connection with changes in funeral rites. In the later periods of the dolmen culture (mid-2nd millennium BC), trough-shaped dolmens were supplemented with chambers of round outlines and jug-shaped outlines, and false portal structures were also noted.

In general, dolmen culture different regions world has a lot in common. In particular, researchers of the megaliths of the Western Caucasus note their close similarity with the tiled dolmens of the Mediterranean, as well as megalithic monuments of Catalonia, France and North Africa. However archaeological heritage The dolmen culture in Sochi and the Tuapse region is so large and diverse that it undoubtedly indicates its temporal duration, and the dolmens found and described represent the full range of all known designs of these samples of the megalithic era.

In general, the territory of the Sochi resort can be safely called the “Dolmen Capital of the World”, since there are three most important signs of its superiority over other regions rich in monuments of megalithic culture:

Firstly, on the territory of B. Sochi there are all known types monuments of dolmen culture.

Secondly, some of the dolmens are completely unique in architectural terms and have no analogues in other regions: dolmen-monolith, dolmen-shaped well-shaped tombs (tholos), dolmen complexes (Psynako-I).

Thirdly - such design features, like the surrounding of dolmens with a ring of stones (cromlech), the presence of corridors - dromos, tiled false-portal structures, “reverse” dolmens and dolmens with two facades are found in the Sochi region in much greater numbers than in other areas with a developed dolmen culture.

As already mentioned, the area of ​​the current city of Sochi in its poorly developed areas is difficult to navigate. The dense Colchis forest protects many secluded corners of the resort from modern barbarism, but civilization is steadily advancing and crowding out protected natural areas, represented in particular by monuments of dolmen culture. Unfortunately, many magnificent examples of megalithic complexes have been lost forever. In particular, they are broken into crushed stone and building stone, ruined by summer residents and private entrepreneurs who display huge monolithic stones in the form of decorations and alpine slides in cafes or private home gardens. Such “aesthetes” are not embarrassed by the fact that these stones are part of funeral structures. Of course, this happens due to ignorance and some kind of pagan craving for worship of the forces of nature, contained, according to their ideas, in huge megaliths.

However, one way or another, over the past few decades, they were destroyed: the dolmens of the “Glinische I” group, the dolmens of the “Soloniki II” group were broken, when laying a logging road, the end of the side slab of the dolmen of the “Nikhekh I” group, on which was depicted a rare zigzag ornament, and in 1997, during the construction of a gas pipeline in the Chernomorka tract, a unique tiled dolmen was filled with a dump and this sad list, unfortunately, can be continued.

At the same time, about two hundred dolmens are currently known on the territory of Sochi (189). Of these, 141 were examined, 48 were not examined.

If we talk about the departmental ownership of the lands on which the monuments of dolmen culture are located, which is also important for ensuring their safety, then a quarter of them are located on the lands of the Sochi city administration, and the rest on the territory of Sochi national park. Geographically, Sochi dolmens are located both on mountain slopes and at the mouths of mountain rivers. The greatest proximity of dolmens to the sea is noted in the basin of the Ashe and Psezups rivers, as well as the Godlik stream in the Lazarevsky district, where the largest and most famous Volkonsky dolmen-monolith on the coast is located, which has become a real archaeological brand of the Olympic resort of Sochi.


Volkonsky dolmen-monolith - tourist brand Sochi-2014

In general, the Lazarevsky district of Sochi is the most saturated with monuments of dolmen culture. A large number of dolmens are found on the way from Tuapse towards the village. Golovinka to the Shakhe River. Beyond the Shakhe River towards the center of Sochi, few dolmens have been noted and, as a rule, they are located in mountainous and inaccessible places. There are no dolmens in Sochi itself, except for the dolmen brought from Lazarevsky to the territory of the Museum of the History of the resort city of Sochi.

In the Khostinsky district of the city, only one composite dolmen was discovered, the so-called “cult stone with seats” near the village. Kudepsta. In the Adler region, dolmens are located mainly in the area of ​​the village. Krasnaya Polyana and Medoveevka. There is another interesting pattern in the location of the dolmens in the city of Sochi - they are all located in close proximity to springs or streams, since most of them were made of sandstone, the layers of which were formed in close proximity to reservoirs.

  • Narts are heroes of ancient epic tales of many Caucasian peoples.


In the Caucasus Mountains, somewhere between the cities of Gelendzhik, Tuapse, Novorossiysk and Sochi, there are hundreds of megalithic monuments, which are called dolmens. The age of all these megalithic dolmens dates back to approximately 10,000 - 25,000 years, and what they were intended for is currently debated by both Russian and Western archaeologists.

There is no single point of view regarding dolmens in the Caucasus - some archaeologists believe that the age of these megalithic structures is actually from 4000 to 6000 years. Thousands of prehistoric megalithic monuments are known all over the world, but those located on the territory of the former Soviet Union(including in the Caucasus) are little known in the West.


Dolmens are mainly located in the Western Caucasus (Russia and Abkhazia) on both sides of the mountain range, covering an area of ​​approximately 12,000 square kilometers. Caucasian dolmens represent unique type prehistoric architecture - buildings created from perfectly fitted cyclopean stone blocks. For example, there are stones in the shape of a bull “G”, which were used on the corners of dolmens, or stones in the shape of a perfect circle.


Although such “fragments ancient era» generally unknown in Western Europe, these Russian megaliths are no less significant for science than the megaliths discovered in Europe - both in terms of age and in terms of the quality of architecture. And the most amazing thing is that their origin is still unknown. Scientists note that despite the diversity of Caucasian stone structures, they show striking similarities with megaliths from different parts Europe and Asia (Iberian Peninsula, France, Great Britain, Ireland, Holland, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Israel and India).


A number of hypotheses have been put forward to explain such similarities, as well as guesses about the purpose of the construction of megaliths, but for now all this remains a mystery. On this moment In the Western Caucasus, approximately 3,000 such megalithic monuments are known, but new megaliths continue to be found constantly. At the same time, unfortunately, many of the Caucasian monoliths are in an extremely neglected state and will be completely lost if they are not protected from vandals and natural destruction.


Most of the megaliths, dolmens and stone labyrinths that are found in the Caucasus Mountains (but they are little studied) look like rectangular structures made of stone slabs or carved into the rocks with round holes as an entrance inside. However, not all dolmens look like this. In fact, you can find very diverse examples of architecture here: multi-story stone buildings, square, trapezoidal, rectangular and round.


What is noteworthy is that in all such buildings there is a hole on the façade leading inside. Most often it is round, but occasionally square ones are found. Also often stone “plugs” are found in dolmens, which were used to close the entrance hole. Sometimes such stone plugs have a phallic shape. Inside the dolmen there is most often a round platform onto which light falls through a round hole. Scientists believe that some kind of rituals may have been carried out at such sites. Such a site was surrounded by large stone walls, sometimes more than a meter high.


It was in this area that archaeologists found Bronze and Iron Age pottery that helped date these burials, as well as human remains, bronze tools and jewelry made from silver, gold and semi-precious stones. Typically, the repertoire of decorations for such graves is not particularly diverse. The most common types of carvings found on stone blocks are vertical and horizontal zigzags, triangles and concentric circles.


One of the most interesting megalithic complexes is a group of three dolmens, which is located on a hill above the Zhane River on the Black Sea coast in Krasnodar region near Russian Gelendzhik. This area has perhaps the largest concentration of all types of megalithic objects, including settlements and dolmens.

Photo: thelivingmoon.com
Based on materials from ewao.com

Dolmens of the Western Caucasus- megalithic tombs left by representatives of the dolmen culture of the Middle Bronze Age. Distributed from the Taman Peninsula (Cape Tuzla) and further in mountainous areas Krasnodar region and Adygea. In the southern part they reach the city of Ochamchire in Abkhazia, and in the north they reach the Laba River valley. But previously there were in the area of ​​​​the city of Zheleznovodsk in Stavropol region and perhaps in other places. A separate closed region of distribution of peculiar dolmens or “dolmen-shaped crypts” of late construction is the Upper Kuban region (the basin of the Kyafar River in Karachay-Cherkessia).

Only a small part of the dolmens has been studied. Practically, all of them are not protected, suffer from vandals, and are also destroyed for natural reasons. Built west Caucasian dolmens at the end of 3 - the second floor. 2 thousand BC e. To date, about 3,000 Western Caucasian megaliths have survived, including partially destroyed ones. Megalithic burial mounds of the Novosvobodnaya culture are often also called dolmens. The status of the tombs in Karachay-Cherkessia is still quite uncertain. It is now believed that they were built by people of the late period of the dolmen culture, and the medieval Alans simply inserted their stone boxes into them.

In addition to classical dolmens, small structures assembled from random stones are also common on the southern slope of the Main Caucasus Range. There are also small underground well-shaped composite tombs. They are covered by an incomplete false vault and a cover slab. There is even a known above-ground tomb with a real dome covered with small tiles. If the well-shaped tombs clearly belong to the dolmen culture, then the chronology of the others is not yet completely clear.

Origin

Regardless of their origin, dolmens in the Western Caucasus did not appear out of nowhere. More ancient stone tombs are known in the mounds of the Maikop and Novosvobodnaya cultures (or in another way - in the early and late periods of the Maikop-Novosvobodnaya community). But still, the closest analogues to the Caucasian dolmens, in architecture and, to some extent, in the inventory contained in them, are found in the Mediterranean basin. Temporal correspondence is also observed. The path of the bearers of the dolmen tradition can be traced in reverse order approximately as follows. Western Caucasus and the Western Black Sea region - the coast of Asia Minor - Sicily and North Africa - Sardinia - Portugal. This is, of course, just a preliminary outline.

At the same time as the dolmenniks, their neighbors in the west and north-west - representatives of the Kemi-Oba culture - built stone boxes, sometimes with grooves in the slabs, and even painted them. In general, throughout the Caucasus (including in the steppe regions) graves were lined with stone slabs, and in some places huge megaliths were built (Armenia, Georgia). The only question is whether there is mutual cultural influence in each of these cases.

Location of dolmens

There are some regularities in the location of dolmens: they are usually located on flat areas on the peaks or on the sunny slopes of ridges (mostly at altitudes of 250-400 m above sea level, maximum height is more than 1000 m) or on river terraces. The vast majority of dolmens are oriented down the sunny slope, which implies a fairly wide range of directions. If this was impossible, then the dolmen was oriented at least towards a sunlit area on the opposite ridge. In addition, orientation to specific astronomically significant points on the horizon is noted.

Purpose of dolmens

As a type of tomb, dolmens of the Western Caucasus stand on a par with many similar structures of all times and peoples. Of course, they also had to perform the function of a sanctuary, most likely a family or clan one: this is evidenced, for example, by the discovery of a stone altar during the reconstruction of the dolmen complex on Zhan (located in Gelendzhik local history museum). The newly reconstructed complex on the Zhane River, as well as many dolmens with “courtyards,” allow you to imagine the ceremonies that once took place there.

Some dolmen complexes were clearly designed to be visited by a significant number of people. This is, first of all, the megalithic mound of Psynako I near the village of Anastasievka in the Tuapse region, the Silver Mound in the Klady tract near the village of Novosvobodnaya and the same complex on the Zhane River. They could well serve as common tribal objects of worship. Unfortunately, the museumification of the first was not carried out, and the second was practically destroyed.

Construction of dolmens

For the construction of dolmens, whenever possible, stone from the closest deposits was used. If there were suitable slabs of natural origin nearby, they were collected. But if there was no choice, then the cut slabs could be transported several kilometers away.

Used for buildings different kinds sandstones and limestones. One building could combine different rocks, for example, limestone, yellow sandstone and reddish ferruginous sandstone, or yellow sandstone and the same, but with layers of shell rock, etc. In the quarry, the force of wooden wedges swollen from water was used to break stone.

Fresh stone from the quarry is softer and can even be processed with stone tools. But the builders of the dolmen culture also had bronze chisels in their arsenal, whose clear traces are constantly encountered when studying buildings. It is assumed that the treated slabs could have been kept for some time before use to gain sufficient hardness. Grinding of surfaces and grooves was carried out with stone trowels, which are found in construction sites. The cover slab was dragged along the inclined embankment behind the dolmen.

Dolmen architecture

Design

It is rare, but it happens that horizontal grooves are found inside the chamber - grooves for a wooden shelf. And there is one case of the presence of a round recess above such a shelf, directly opposite the inlet.

Composite dolmens may differ from tiled dolmens only in that not all of their slabs are solid. But they can be assembled from individual blocks to a large extent or even completely. Trough-shaped dolmens, hollowed out in a rock or a separate large stone, usually have an imitation of a tiled dolmen portal on the facade. And they can also be false portals. The rarest type - monolithic dolmens differ only in that they do not have a removable roof, as they were hollowed out through the entrance hole. For dolmens of the latter type, only sandstone that was weakly cemented in its thickness was used. To date, one relatively intact (Volkonsky dolmen) and one unfinished monolith have survived.

A dolmen is often located on a slope, and its portal can form a terrace. There is one known case when several extended terraces form something like a ziggurat. But more often the area in front of the facade of the dolmen is decorated in the form courtyard. This various kinds paved areas are sometimes even surrounded by walls made of large slabs. The height of such a wall can even reach the level of the roof of the dolmen itself. Sometimes a dolmen is surrounded by a circle of stones dug into the ground - cromlech, which can also play the role of a crepida (kerb) for the mound floor. Rare for Caucasian dolmens is dromos- a covered corridor, with parallel or converging walls, leading into a dolmen opening. It happened that the corridor was formed by an alley of menhirs. Naturally, in these options the courtyard was located further away from the dolmen. Unfortunately, not all architectural delights have survived to this day.

Not all dolmens are open. Many were covered with stones up to the roof or even ended up inside a high mound. Sometimes only the façade of the dolmen remained open. Sometimes a dromos led to him. There is one known case when a dolmen ended up not in a pile of stones - a cairn, but in an empty space, that is, in a tholos (Psynako I). Although in some places there are also possible traces of such structures.

After the cessation of burials, dolmens in mounds, but with an open facade or with a dromos, still ended up in the thickness of the mound. They were deliberately filled up or earth and stones simply flowed in over time. It is not at all necessary that mounds over dolmens were always built by people of the dolmen culture. This could also have been done by those who came later and reused the tombs.

The tombs in Karachay-Cherkessia are distinguished by the fact that they have a rectangular shape in plan and are built from well-processed smooth slabs. Long sides Each of the stone long slabs or bars was assembled. End plates can be rectangular, with grooves for connection to the side panels, and consist of one or two parts or have the shape of a stepped triangle. The floors are flat, made of two long slabs or in the shape of a house. In the second option, the roof is made up of long bars and starts from the very bottom. Everything is connected using the corresponding grooves. Sometimes a dowel connection is also used. There is a round inlet hole that is closed with a plug. Inside this structure is a smaller stone box, crudely assembled from flagstone.

Ornamentation

“Flowing water” pattern on the wall of a composite dolmen from Mount Nexis

Ornamented dolmen, Zhane River valley

Compared to the total number, quite a few dolmens are decorated with engraved and even relief ornaments. But, probably, many of them simply did not survive to our time due to erosion of the stone. Ornaments are located throughout the portal and inside the chamber. There is a known image on the front plate with a cross in a circle and a comb-like labyrinth-like pattern with a zigzag extending from it and the inlet. Sometimes there are simply rows of vertical zigzags. On the front slab there is sometimes an image of another dolmen portal, as well as one or two pairs of large convexities. Rows of vertical and horizontal zigzags can have the ends of side plates. And the attached portal slabs on the inner plane are sometimes decorated with a landscape consisting of a series of triangles (mountains) and vertical rows of zigzags (rivers). The sun is placed above the mountains in the form of an oval with a cross. Sometimes the entire portal slab is covered with horizontal stripes, each of which is formed by a herringbone pattern of chisel incisions. Side plates can also be decorated in this way. Recently, a dolmen was found, whose facade is decorated with relief diagonal stripes, forming a large “Christmas tree”, enclosed in some kind of frame or image of a portal. The inside of the dolmen chamber is sometimes surrounded by a horizontal zigzag of a wide stripe and a straight line above the horizontal zigzag. In the second case, you get a series of hanging triangles or scallops. In another version, the zigzag, on the contrary, is located above the straight line, whose role is played by the seam in the horizontal masonry. This design can be further complemented by areas with vertical zigzags. Stone plugs can also have raised concentric circles on the cap, a nipple-like appearance in the center, four bulges around the circumference and one in the center, or a raised cross.

Sometimes on the roof of a dolmen there are numerous small bowl-shaped depressions or holes, scattered randomly across the surface or forming short rows and circles with crosses inside. Similar signs are also found on the side and front slabs of dolmens. And also on individual stones near dolmens, where they may also have rings around them.

Several simple engraved petroglyphic drawings on dolmens are also known. Their meaning is not yet clear, just as the time of their application is unknown.

Two subject engraved images have recently been discovered. These are scenes of a deer hunt and two people fighting (or dancing?). The second scene from the dolmen in the village of Dzhubga fully corresponds famous images on anthropomorphic steles of the Kemi-Oba culture. Which, of course, is extremely important.

The crypts with medieval Alan burials in Karachay-Cherkessia stand apart, almost completely covered with wavy grooves and various symbols. It is believed that it was the Alans who decorated the more ancient buildings. The so-called “royal mausoleum” especially stands out for its subject images, in which Christian motifs are found.

There are almost no dolmens that have traces of colorful painting in the chamber and on the facade. The poorly preserved painting in the dolmen of the Silver Mound has now been completely disfigured by vandals. And the color drawings in the two two-chamber Novosvobodnaya tombs are not directly related to the dolmens themselves. Although some parallels can still be found in the megalithic art of Europe.

List of some notable dolmens

Gallery

see also

Notes

Literature

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  • Lavrov L. I. Dolmens of the North-Western Caucasus // Proceedings of Abiyali. - Sukhumi, 1960. - T. 31.
  • Markovin V. I. Dolmen monuments of the Kuban and Black Sea regions. - 1997.
  • Markovin V. I. Dolmen buildings in the Kyafar River basin // SA, 1983. - No. 2. - P. 90-109.
  • Markovin V. I. Dolmens of the Western Caucasus. - M.: Nauka, 1978. - 328 p. 1
  • Markovin V. I. Dolmens of the Western Caucasus // Bronze Age of the Caucasus and Central Asia. Early and Middle Bronze Ages of the Caucasus. - M.: Nauka, 1994. - Archeology from ancient times to the Middle Ages, in 20 volumes. - P. 226-253. - ISBN 5 02 009723 3
  • Markovin V. I. Ispun - houses of dwarfs: Notes on dolmens of the Western Caucasus. - Krasnodar: Book. publishing house, 1985. - 112 p.
  • Rezepkin A. D. On the issue of classification of dolmens and funeral rite“dolmen culture” // Man and antiquity: in memory of Alexander Alexandrovich Formozov (1928-2009). - Tula: Grif and K, 2010.
  • Rezepkin A. D. Typology of megalithic tombs of the Western Caucasus // VAA. - Maykop, 1988. - pp. 156-163.
  • Rysin M. B. Dating of complexes from Esheri // SA, 1990. - No. 2 (with a similar title and text, also see: KSIA, 1990. - Issue 199).
  • Semenov V. A. Primitive art: Stone Age. Bronze Age. - St. Petersburg: ABC-classics, 2008. - P. 370-378. - ISBN 978 5 91181 903 3
  • Teshev M.K. Megalithic architectural complex Psynako I in the Tuapse region // VAA. - Maykop, 1988. - pp. 164-169.
  • Trifonov V. A. What do we know about the dolmens of the Western Caucasus and what does the history of their study teach us // Dolmens - witnesses of ancient civilizations. - Krasnodar, 2001.
  • Felitsyn E. D. Western Caucasian dolmens // Materials on the archeology of the Caucasus. M., 1904.

List of abbreviations

  • Abiyali - Abkhaz Institute of Language, Literature and History named after. D. I. Gulia. Sukhumi
  • VAA - Issues of archeology of Adygea
  • KSIA - Brief messages about reports and field research Institute of Archeology of the USSR Academy of Sciences
  • SA - Soviet Archeology
  • USU - Ural State University

Links

Dolmens- These are tombs of the Middle Bronze Age, built by the bearers of the dolmen culture and consisting of megaliths. At the moment, scientists are expanding the time frame for the creation of these structures to the Late Bronze Age, but there is little evidence for this, since a significant part of the dolmens has already been destroyed.

Where and when were dolmens built?

The geography of dolmen placement is determined by the following boundaries: from the cape Tuzla(Taman Peninsula), mountainous part of Adygea and Krasnodar Territory to the Abkhazian city Ochamchira in the south and the Laba River valley in the north. Traces of the existence of these structures remained in Stavropol and Zheleznovodsk.

A kind of “corner” of the crypts is dolmen-shaped different shapes there is Karachevo-Cherkessia (Kyafar River basin).

As a rule, dolmens are located 250-400 m above sea level ( highest height- 1 km.) on sunny side ridges, at the top on a flat area or on a river terrace. The orientation towards astronomical objects and down the solar slope can be traced.

The time of construction of the majestic buildings is approximately determined by the end of the 3rd - second half of the 2nd millennium BC. e. This dating applies to the largest megaliths (there are now about 3000 of them, including those destroyed). While there are certain disagreements and problems in determining the time of construction of other buildings of this type (tombs under mounds, Karachevo-Cherkess crypts, small dolmens, underground parts of crypts in the form of wells, above-ground domes of tombs).

Who built the dolmens in the Caucasus?

The peoples of the Western Caucasus are not pioneers in the construction of stone tombs. More ancient parallels to the dolmen tradition can be traced throughout the world. The approximate distribution trajectory looks like this: Portugal - Sardinia - North Africa and Sicily - Jordan and Syria - Asia Minor and the Balkans - Western Caucasus. In addition, almost all Caucasian peoples used stone for burials.

What were they used for?

In addition to their direct purpose as burial places, there is indisputable evidence of the use of these structures as family sanctuaries, and some as common objects of worship (Psynako I mound in the Tuapse region, the Silver Mound in the Klady tract and the complex on the Zhane River).

Features of construction

The main material in the construction process was stone from the surrounding area (it was split using soaking wooden wedges, softer ones - with stone and even bronze tools). Suitable slabs were also used, both nearby and transported from several kilometers away. Various sand rocks served as connectors for stone parts. The surfaces were polished using stone trowels. The cover slabs were transported along an inclined embankment behind the dolmen.

Architectural specificity of dolmens

Basically, dolmens are houses consisting of slabs, the front openings in which are closed with stone plugs.

Depending on the design features, several types of dolmens are distinguished (classification by L. I. Lavrov): ordinary (consist of solid slabs), composite (have walls consisting of small slabs or stones), trough-shaped (carved into a huge stone or rock and a krishy slab or upside down), monoliths (made through the entrance to the rock, Volkonsky dolmen). This list does not include the later discovered Novosvobodnensky tombs.

Archaeologist A.D. Rezepkin proposed dividing dolmens into:

  • rectangular,
  • horseshoe tombs
  • and the dolmens themselves.

The immediate predecessors of the dolmens of the Caucasus are the stone crypts of the Maykop culture, which did not yet have a foundation and thick slabs.

Almost each of the monoliths has some of its own design features that correspond to the time and customs.

Tile buildings can be rectangular, square or trapezoidal, while composite buildings can be round or completely round. Curved slabs can be installed straight or at an angle (often projecting like a canopy), connected (or not) by a groove. Often the side slabs, protruding forward, form a portal, which may have its own overlap.

There are also many differences in the design of the floor, side plates and other elements (for example, supports).

As a rule, there is an entrance hole of different shapes at the bottom. It may not exist (false portal dolmens), then the hole is located at the back or side. There may be remains of fastenings for a wooden shelf on the walls.

Often the portal of a building has the shape of a terrace, but more often it is a paved courtyard. It can be surrounded by fairly high (up to the level of the dolmen itself) slabs. In some cases, there may be a cromlech (stones dug into the ground around a structure) or a dromos (covered corridor). There have been cases when dolmens were completely covered with stones up to the roof.

The Karachay-Cherkessia tombs are distinguished by an order of magnitude higher level of craftsmanship.

Decoration of dolmens

The main ornaments of dolmens are engraved and convex. Few of them have survived, apparently due to erosion. Where the drawings have been preserved, they are located inside and along the portal. On the front plate there was a cross in a circle, a labyrinthine pattern with an outgoing zigzag, vertical zigzags, or a pattern of another portal and a convexity. There may be other geometric designs indicating rivers, mountains, and the sun.

The inside of the dolmens is decorated with a horizontal zigzag and a straight line or stripe, sometimes complemented by vertical zigzags. And also with many unsolved ornaments and plot drawings (a deer hunt and a fight between two twins).

The surface of dolmens in Karachay-Cherkessia is almost completely filled with various symbols and wavy grooves.

A characteristic feature of the dolmens’ ornamentation is the absence of colorful designs on the façade and in the chamber.



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