History of studying Sauromat sites of western Kazakhstan (to the problem of formation and development of culture of early nomads)

Abstract

This article is devoted to the history of the study of Sauromat sites in the Southern Urals, which mainly addresses the formation and development of the culture of the early nomads. Data on the history of the early nomads and the areas of their geographical location originate in the works of ancient authors. In particular, the Greek historian Herodotus in his History writes that the Sarmatian tribes inhabited the lands adjacent to the eastern border of Scythia. In general, ancient literature presents valuable information about the tribes of the Sauromat-Sarmatians, corresponding to the topic we have chosen. Nevertheless, the ancient tribes that lived in the Ural steppes in the early Iron Age remained unexplored for a long time. Only since the 19th-20th centuries, this problem begins to attract the attention of researchers. During this time, scientists such as F.D. Nefedov, I.A. Castanye, M.I. Rostovtsev, B.N. Grakov, P.S. Rykov, M.K. Kadyrbaev, and others carried out archaeological excavations of sites of Sauromat-Sarmatian culture and made great changes in the study of it. Also, the opening in 1887 of the Orenburg Scientific Archival Commission contributed to the further study of the history of nomads.