Mysteries of the South Ural “Stonehenge”

Mysterious stone structures scattered across the Chelyabinsk region. They are hidden in forests and swamps, erected on mountain tops… All of them are cult objects. Perhaps ancient burial places.

One of his scientific articles Chelyabinsk paleoarchaeology, an employee of the regional center of additional education of children Vladimir Yurin dedicated to megalithic structures of the southern Urals.

The impetus for the study of stone objects began excavations on the island of Faith (lake Turgoyak), conducted by Stanislav Grigoriev and Elena vasinoj. Scientists have determined that man-made caves are much older than the old believers, who lived there in the nineteenth century.

Dissenters have used the already finished buildings. “Caves” refers to the copper-stone age.

For ten years Vladimir Ivanovich has collected a rich collection of stone objects, built by the ancient Urals. Among the man-made megaliths: dolmens, pyramids, menhirs single, hermitages and dwellings schismatic communities, arranged in the rocks.

The first reports of the stone buildings, like the stove, went to Vladimir Yurin from Chelyabinsk biologist Nikolay Avdeev in 1996. Megalithic structures were discovered under the Kyshtym.

Later, the participants Sikes-Temaxcal complex expedition of the regional Museum (2003-2005) and South-Ural centre of complexmagazine caves “Pathfinder” (2006) under the leadership of Vladimir Yurin found new to the Chelyabinsk region, the types of megalithic structures — dolmens.

Scientists made discovery after discovery, information about “some kind of stone masonry” have been received from local residents, local historians, hunters…

But when, by whom and for what purposes these objects were built? What is a preform or quarry stone family tombs of ancient ancestral cemeteries?

Maybe it’s a burial and ritual complexes or stone stove vanished dwellings?

Stone “boxes” of Arakula

According to the information of the Chelyabinsk tourists was inspected rocks and stone scree on the top of a small ridge, located West of lake Arakuly.

Earlier in places worked a detachment of Ural branch of RAS, opened Alakolskoy inscriptions themselves, and the expedition of the Chelyabinsk state pedagogical University Chelyabinsk and archaeological NC, who discovered two camps and two localities of the middle ages.

However, both squads found no stone structures…

Paleoarcheologist squad of Vladimir Yurin the survey examined and described the cave 11 small objects (caves, grottoes, canopies), as well as six types of megalithic structures.

On Arakula stone “boxes” and are combined with menhirs dolmens and “stoves”. There is an underground “shelter” in the form of a man-made grotto.

A huge boulder was the roof “cellars” with two entrances. Under the plate are two chambers filled with loose sediments and is inundated with contemporary household waste.

Probably during the bronze age — middle ages — under the oven was a single chamber, which could accommodate a small group of hunters, using an underground facility as a shelter or a sacrificial place.

Just as mysteriously looked and the Foundation of the pre-existing stone buildings, surrounded by rock on three sides.

— The most surprising, — says Vladimir, — that construction is oriented strictly North — South. In the interior of the building has two perpendicularly disposed wall partitions, apparently bounding the basement. This object I pre-date the XVIII — XIX centuries.

We should also mention the stone bowls that were carved in the granite on the tops of mountains. Probably, in ancient times they were used as campfire pits.

The question of what the vertex lit bonfires to gather the tribe or for the prevention of danger, is still open.

Karabash dolmen

A lengthy study of Vladimir Yurin holds on the shores of the two lakes under Karabasha.

The first complex of stone buildings was discovered by the resident of Chelyabinsk Veniamin Vasiliev. The complex consists of a dolmen, a simple structure and a small obelisk, triangular in cross section.

The dolmen is built on a huge flat block slightly protruding from the ground. The building is oriented along the line East — West.

The building consists of three huge flat slabs, two of which are vertical and parallel to each other, and the top third covered.

In the Urals similar dolmens are found only in Pyshma district, Sverdlovsk region. First, these monuments are dated XVII — XIX centuries and carried to the funeral-memorial.

But Stanislav Grigoriev, looking around Pyshma dolmens, the dates of their III Millennium BC — concludes Vladimir Yurin. That means that our dolmen the same time.

This cultural tradition inherent in the dolmens of the Caucasus, early types which are simple structures made of plates and belong to the Eneolithic.

…On a large promontory of one of the lakes discovered the remains of which existed almost to the middle of XX century the old believer monastery.

On its territory there are caves and rock shelters, some of which are artificial extensions, reminiscent of the cells.

Walls dry stack of large flat stones of rectangular shape. A portion of the wall of the canopy presents a large boulder, set on edge.

Next to the cave complex on a modern potato field detected individual objects of stone and fragments of pottery, tentatively dated to the epochs of the Eneolithic — bronze.

Consequently, the conservatives again took advantage of megalithic buildings Dating back to ancient times.

Similar stone structures have been found under Yuryuzan, and in the upper reaches of the river Miass, in the Ilmen reserve. Since ancient times stone blocks were used in the Urals for ritual, burial and domestic structures. This is not surprising…

Dolmen (“stone table” from the Celts) — sepulchral monuments of the stone and copper-stone ages. They are constructed of several vertical blocks or walls constructed of dry masonry, on which rests a large stone plate.

Dolmens found in Western Europe and also in Algeria, Tunisia and Syria. Russian dolmens are mainly represented in the Caucasus.

Megaliths (from the Greek mega — “a lot” and lithos — “stone”) — buildings made of large blocks of wild or roughly processed stone. These include dolmens, menhirs, cromlechs…

Megaliths are common throughout the world, except Australia, mainly in coastal areas. Their age four or five thousand years.

Menhirs (Celtic menhir — “stone”) — a type of prehistoric (megalithic) monuments are found in Brittany, England and Scandinavia. The obelisk is a rough stone pillar, on which are carved sometimes mysterious signs. Served as a place of worship.