ARCHAEOLOGY

The article deals with the activity of V.A. Gorodtsov, an outstanding Russian archaeologist, in terms of the history of archaeology of the Lower Volga Region. His papers are of fundamental importance for investigating the Bronze Age monuments and artifacts of the Gorodets culture. He used to cooperate with the amateur archaeologists from Saratov and was the first one to recognize availability of the monuments of the Bronze Age pit, timber and Khvalynskaya cultures in the region. Gorodtsov gave special attention to the Sosnovo-Mazinskij hoard.

The article considers the ethnical situation in remote regions of Eastern Europe at the edge of Antiquity and Middle Ages as it was reflected in Jordan’s Getica. It shows limits and capabilities of traditional philological and historical analysis of this source. The most doubtful are the ethnonyms mentioned in the list after Merens (‘Merya’), Mordens (‘Mordva’) и Imniskaris (‘Cheremis’). The author demonstrates capabilities of a new approach to the problem with the use of archaeological data.

Substantiation is provided for a model of culture genesis in the Lower Volga Region during the Late Bronze Age (LBA). Three phases corresponding to the succeeding archaeological cultures are recognized in the LBA of the region. The first phase (LBA 1) – the Pokrovsk culture, the second one (LBA 2) – the timber-grave culture, the third one (LBA 3) – the Khvalynsk culture of beaded pottery. At the change of phases, monuments of mixed types occur, with combined elements of the preceding and of the subsequent archaeological cultures.

The paper deals with the history of studying and interpreting the monuments of the Late bronze Age in the Lower Volga region. Viewpoints of various archeologists are analyzed concerning the archeological objects of crucial importance for modeling the timber-grave cultural-historical area.

The paper deals with scientific, pedagogical and museum activities of F.V. Ballod who was a professor at Saratov State University for nearly five years (1918–1923). The paper is dedicated to the 95^th anniversary of the first archaeological expedition organized and accomplished by  Saratov State University in June 1919 at the Uvek settlement. The expedition was led by professor Ballod.