Repin culture facts for kids
Materials of the Repin type.
|
|
| Geographical range | East European forest steppe and Pontic–Caspian steppe |
|---|---|
| Period | Eneolithic |
| Dates | 3900–3300 BC |
| Type site | Repin |
| Major sites | Repin, Kyzyl Khak, Turganik |
| Preceded by | Khvalynsk culture, Sredny Stog culture |
| Followed by | Yamnaya culture, Afanasievo culture |
The Repin culture was an ancient group of people who lived in parts of Europe between 3900 and 3300 BC. This time is called the Eneolithic period, which means "Copper Age." They lived in the Pontic–Caspian steppe and East European forest steppe regions.
The Repin culture grew out of older local cultures. Later, it helped form the well-known Yamnaya culture. The people of the Repin culture mainly raised animals, which is called pastoralism. They also hunted to get food. Some experts think the Repin culture was actually an early part of the Yamnaya culture.
Contents
Where Did the Repin Culture Come From?
Scientists use radiocarbon dating to figure out how old things are. This method shows the Repin culture existed from about 3900 to 3300 BC. It likely started near the lower part of the Don River.
Some researchers believe the Repin culture was an early stage of the Yamnaya culture. They call it the Repin stage of the Yamnaya culture. Other experts now see it as its own distinct culture from the Copper Age.
The Repin culture developed from earlier local cultures. Things like their burial customs and pottery styles show they were connected to cultures like the Khvalynsk culture and Sredny Stog culture. This suggests that different groups mixed together before the Yamnaya culture fully formed.
Important Places They Lived
Archaeologists have found several important sites where the Repin people lived. These sites help us understand their daily lives.
Repin Khutor: The Main Site
The main site for this culture is called Repin Khutor. It's located near the Don River. This area was excavated in the 1950s.
At Repin Khutor, scientists found many animal bones. More than half of them (55%) were horse bones! This suggests that horse meat was a very important part of their diet. They also ate cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, and red deer.
Kyzyl Khak: A Hunter's Camp
Another site is Kyzyl Khak, found on the lower Volga River. This was a camp used by Repin people who hunted antelopes. They lived there around 3700–3600 BC.
At this camp, most of the bones found were from saiga antelopes (62%). They also hunted cattle, sheep, horses, and onagers (wild donkeys).
Turganik: Where They Made Tools
At the Turganik site, archaeologists found over 2,000 pieces of pottery. They also found signs of metallurgy, which is the art of working with metals. This included copper ore, stone molds for shaping copper, and copper tools and ornaments. They got their copper from local sources.
The animal bones at Turganik were mostly from farm animals like cattle, dogs, and horses. They also found some bones from wild animals like moose and beaver. The horse bones are very important because this area is thought to be one of the first places where horses were domesticated, meaning they were tamed and used by humans.
Repin Culture Pottery
The pottery made by the Repin people is special. They made tall pots with shaped necks and round or flat bottoms. They used clay mixed with silt, crushed shells, and other natural materials. The pots were smoothed and decorated with patterns made by pressing a comb into the clay. They used molds to shape their pottery.
Their pottery style shows connections to other cultures from the Copper Age. It also suggests that different groups were mixing their ideas and technologies. This mixing happened before the Yamnaya culture fully developed. Some early Yamnaya pottery looks very similar to Repin pottery.
How They Buried Their Dead
The Repin people had specific ways of burying their dead. They would bury skeletons lying on their backs with their legs bent. The head usually pointed towards the east. They often sprinkled red ochre powder on the bodies. Many burials were found in simple flat graves.
As the Repin culture grew and spread, they started burying individuals under large mounds of earth called tumuluses. Sometimes, these mounds even had circles of stones, known as cromlechs, around them.
How They Lived and Got Food
The Repin people likely got their food by raising animals and hunting. Evidence from their sites shows that raising animals was their main way of life. About 80% of the animal bones found were from domesticated animals. This is typical for groups who moved around with their herds, known as nomadic pastoralists.
Some experts think the Repin culture might have been very good at horse breeding. They might have even raised horses to trade with people in the Caucasus region.
The Repin people also had advanced skills in working with copper. They got copper from local sandstone deposits. This same copper source was important for the later Yamnaya culture too.
People of the Repin culture lived a more settled life in areas with both forests and open grasslands. In the wide-open steppe areas, they lived a more nomadic lifestyle, moving with their animals. Their settlements were usually small and temporary. Over time, their cattle herding became even more nomadic.
How the Repin Culture Spread
The Repin culture expanded over time. During its second phase, it spread to the Volga River, Dnieper River, and lower Don regions. Some archaeologists believe that the spread of the Repin culture helped form the Yamnaya culture.
Many archaeologists see the Repin culture as an early stage of the Yamnaya culture. They think that the Yamnaya culture simply grew out of the Repin culture as it expanded across the steppe.
What Language Did They Speak?
Some researchers believe that the people of the Repin culture might have spoken an early form of the Proto-Indo-European language. This ancient language is thought to be the ancestor of many languages spoken today, including English, Spanish, and Hindi.
One idea is that the Afanasievo culture, which developed from the Repin culture, might represent the separation of the Proto-Tocharian language from early Proto-Indo-European. Proto-Tocharian was an ancient language spoken in Central Asia.
Images for kids
-
Materials of the Repin type.
