History of the Ural Mountains

Ural in the fragment of von Herberstein's map

The History of Ural - covers the period starting from the ancient Stone Age (300-100 thousand years ago) to the present days.

The Ural Mountains run the Arctic Ocean to the Eurasian steppes (between the Aral Sea and the Caspian). In this area, the indigenous population are the peoples of Ural-Altaic language families (Finno-Ugric - Komi, Udmurts, Khants, Mansi; Samoyeds - Nenets; Tyurks - Bashkirs and Volga Tatars).

Earlier, starting from the Bronze Age to the middle of 1 millennium a.d. Southern Ural enters the zone spread of Indo-European peoples (the Indo-Iranians and others). Since the XVI-th century, with the beginning of the colonization of the Russian Empire - in the Ural widely settled Russians, Ukrainians, Germans and others peoples.

Ancient period

The first inhabitants lived in Ural about 300 thousand years ago, and they left his mark on the stone tablets of the harsh edges. World famous ancient art in the Kapova Cave - has received close to their subjects to Western sanctuaries that suggests a commonality of cultural processes from the Atlantic to the Ural in the Paleolithic era.

Bronze Age

On waterways of Ural in southern taiga zone was the way of the trade - the prestigious bronze artifacts from Lake Baikal to the Mycenaean world in West. With the development of industry was due to the formation of the Southern Ural proto-urban civilization (Arkaim, Sintashta) of the ancient Indo-Aryans in II millennium b.c. (the Andronovo culture).

Iron Age

Starting with the II millennium b.c. Ural has become one of the leading centers of steel production in North Asia. At this time in the Southern Ural lived the descendants of the tribes of Andronovo culture and Srubna culture - these were the Scythians and Sarmatians.

In the Middle Ural and Northern Ural in these ancient centuries lived the Paleo-European, Samoyed and Finno-Ugric tribes, which were a hunters and fishers.

Historians of antiquity wrote about Riphean Mountains (Ural), which was a boundary between two worlds: the civilized Europe and distant, mysterious Asia. Here, on the border of the two continents, were crossed the fates of the world's different civilizations that have left an indelible mark on the history and culture of Eurasia.

In I millennium a.d., the era of the Great Migration, in the east of the Ural steppes were waves of nomads - the Aorsen, Alans, Huns, which went through Eastern Europe and which came to Central Europe. These ancient tribes, like their predecessors, will significantly influence the formation of the indigenous peoples of the Ural region - the Bashkirs and Bulgars. But the other indigenous peoples of the Ural: Khants, Udmurts, Komi, Nenets and Mansi are descendants ancient Finno-Ugric and Samoyeds tribes of Ural.

The Middle Ages

in the Middle Ages in the Urals appeared the complex archaeological cultures, which characterized by ethnic descendants as the Sarmatians and Huns. At this time in the Southern Ural formed the ancestors of the Hungarians - ancient Magyars (Kushnarenkovo and Karayakupovo archaeological cultures), and ancestors of the Bashkirs - ancient Badzhgards (Turbasli archaeological culture). Here in the Southern Ural was the legendary birthplace of Hungary - Great Hungary (Magna Hungaria) and the great country of the Bashkirs - the Badzhgard (Bashkurd).

In this time were the migrations of nomads from the Southern Ural or through the Southern Ural in the west to Central Europe. These were Avars-Warhonits, Turks of Ashina, the Pechenegs, the Guzs, the Hungarians-Magyars, and the Kipchaks.

But In the Middle Ural and the Northern Ural since ancient times up to the present time there is no significant change in the economy - the northern Ural tribes have been, and remain largely famous as the hunters and fishermen.

Now, the indigenous people of the Southern Ural region - Bashkir people these are a nation with Turkic language, but the other indigenous peoples of the Ural (Khants, Udmurts, Komi, Nenets, Mansi) have Finno-Ugric and Samoedic languages.

But the descendants of the Bulgars from Volga and Ural there are mostly modern Volga Tatars, Chuvash and part of Bashkirs.

In the XIII a.d. through Ural passed the hordes of Mongols. After the Mongols the Southern Ural entered in Jochi Ulus, then - into the Golden Horde and the Nogai Horde.

The Colonization period

After XI a.d. at sable and other furs arrived on the ground Yugra arrived the Russians, and who have mastered this region, adopted here of the Russian State. Gradually, through the efforts of many generations of the Urals was a transition from commercial and agricultural to industrial development. In the XVIII - first half of XIX century. Ural create the largest mining and metallurgical base, the famous "mountain kingdom" from Demidov. This was the "golden age" of the Ural metallurgy, when it acquired world fame.

In the Southern Ural, along the river Yaik (Ural) at this time settled Cossacks.

During the colonial period, the South Urals is becoming known as region with the Bashkir wars against the tsarist regime and the colonizers.

The last major uprising was associated with the name of Don Cossack - Yemelyan Pugachev and his companions - Salavat Yulaev.

Modern Ages

In XX century. Ural has become a powerful bastion of the defense industry of the USSR. He played a major role in two world wars, especially in the second when set to the needs of the vast number of domestic front arms and thus contributed to the victory, not only in the Great Patriotic War, but turning point in the Second World War in general. During the Cold War in the Ural to create a reliable shield nuclear missiles of Soviet Union, which allowed to stand in the nuclear confrontation with the United States and its allies. It was here the first time were started and produced the bulk of the top-secret nuclear production enterprises of the USSR.

The value of the Urals in Russia's history is not limited to the results of material production. He made a significant contribution to the spiritual culture of the motherland. Suffice it to mention the names of the outstanding administrator and historian - V.N.Tatishchev; writers - D.N.Mamin-Sibiryak, S.Yulaev, P.P.Bazhov, M.Gafuri, Y.Vella, M.Karim, Yu.N.Shestalov, Ashalchi Oki, K.Mergen, I.V.Kodanyov; scientists, academicians - A.P.Karpinsky, I.P.Bardin, V.S.Vonsovskii, G.A.Month, R.Nigmatullin and many others.

History decreed that on the threshold of the third millennium, in spite of the significantly depleted natural resources, Ural continues to play an important role in the fate of the Russian Federation. From here we went many democratic initiatives of our time. Ural nominated from among themselves the leaders of the reform and the first President of Russia - Boris Yeltsin.