Is it true that Derbent is 5000 years old?

In June 2023, with the filing of Vladimir Putin, the leadership of Dagestan decided to add age to one of the oldest cities in Russia. We checked how reasonable such a decision is.

On June 28, during his trip to Derbent, Russian President Vladimir Putin at least twice Specked On the topic that the city, which recently celebrated its 2000th anniversary, is actually two and a half times older.

Two days later, the head of Dagestan Sergey Melikov declared: “You probably heard on the live Vladimir Vladimirovich enthusiastically spoke about Derbent and even corrected me when I reported on the celebration of the 2000th anniversary of the city. The president emphasized that, probably, it is worth referring to another historical date and milestone and to consider that Derbent is 5000 years old. We took this, including as an indication, and I congratulate all Dagestanis and even all Russians on the fact that we now have a city with a 5000-year history. Derbent is indeed a cradle of worldwide and Russian history. ”

Derbent, located on the shores of the Caspian Sea, in Media And popular literature is often called the ancient city of Russia. And this has its grounds. According to the official site Derbent, the first settlement Kuro-Araks culture appeared here in the era of early bronze - at the end of the 4th millennium BC. e. (that is, just 5000 years ago), “which is confirmed by the conclusion of the Academy of Sciences of the Russian Federation (probably refers to the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS).-Approx. Ed.) Dated 04.12.2010 signed by academic secretary Derevyanko.” The very first fortifications, approves the city site, appeared on the Derbent Hill in the VIII - VII centuries BC. e.

Nevertheless, even in the "Great Soviet Encyclopedia" (3rd edition, 1969-1986) It is said About the Persian citadel built in the 5th century, consisting of a fortress of Naryn-Kala and two walls stretching to the Caspian Sea. From this moment, the compilers of the BSE count the existence of the city.

Putin, who in 2023 claimed that Derbent was 5000 years old, previously held a completely different opinion. November 21, 2012 he signed the presidential decree On the celebration of the 2000th anniversary of the city-celebrations with a large scale passed Three years later.

What is the reason for such a discrepancy in the age of the city? The dispute about this has been conducted for several decades, and archaeological finds affect the course of discussion. It all started with expeditions The Dagestan branch of the USSR Academy of Sciences, which began work in Derbent in 1971 under the leadership of Alexander Kudryavtsev and extended until 1991. In 1987 researchers Found Terracotta figurine, which is called "Derbent Madonna." According to scientists, it was made at the turn of the IV - III millennia BC. e., that is, about 5000 years ago. And although they discovered a figure in the cultural layer of the I - III centuries. e., she and several other finds (stone grains and an ax) allowed scientists to suggest that the settlement here existed long before that.

Thanks to the finds of archaeologists under the leadership of Kudryavtsev, Derbent was Included In the list of monuments of the World Cultural Heritage of UNESCO. Professor Kudryavtsev himself in 2023 welcomed The decision of the authorities to reconsider the age of the Dagestan city, for which he fought for many years.

However, according to the results of excavations by the approximate time, the foundations of Derbent not just declared the 1st century n. e. The reason for this decision is repeatedly told A participant in that expedition, and since 1996 - the head of the following, Doctor of Historical Sciences and Head of the Department of Archeology of the Institute of History, Archeology and Ethnography of the Dagestan Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences Murtazali Gadzhiev. According to him, there is no consensus in the academic environment as a whole among the scientists about the age of Derbent. The discussion, Gadzhiev believes, goes among non -professionals - officials, bloggers and journalists reflecting certain interests and public opinions. A few years ago, in an interview with Kommersant, Gadzhiev said that he was meeting with a large number of speculations about the age of Derbent, sees this politicization and nationalization of the issue.

Indeed, in the second half of the 1980s in the fortress of Naryn-Kala, the expedition led by Alexander Kudryavtsev (Gadzhiev was his deputy) found the remains of three dugouts with ceramic products and stone objects of the era of early bronze, the so-called Kuro-Arass archaeological culture (IV-III millennium BC). This proves that about 5000 years ago people lived at this place. However, as Gajiyev says, the principle on the basis of which the age of one or another settlement is determined is the chronological continuity of its development. And the ancient settlement of Derbent has continuously develops over the past 2000 years, from the 1st century BC. e. Between the settlement that Kudryavtsev discovered and the above chronological abyss is almost 3000 years. Archaeologists for more than 40 years of excavations have not discovered any traces of life in this place in the specified period. The exception is several tips of the Scythian arrows (VI - V centuries BC), which still do not say that there was a settlement in this place.

Nevertheless, in a public, unsuccessful field, the principle of continuity of the settlement and in Soviet times was poorly observed. When Alexander Kudryavtsev suggestedthat Scythian arrows can be associated with information about the campaign of this tribe at the end of the VIII - beginning of the 7th century BC. e. To the north along the Caspian Sea, and on the basis of this, the thesis about the 2700 years of Derbent put forward, this was perceived by the republican authorities as a fact. They even appeared Jubilee icons And other paraphernalia.

At the same time, since the late 1980s, after new finds, the popularization of another idea began, about the 5000th anniversary of the city. In 1989, edited by Alexander Kudryavtsev, an illustrated guide was released "Derbent - 5000 years " circulation of 50,000 copies.

And in June 2010 and. O. mayor of Derbent Imam Yaraliev, securing the support of the leadership of the republic, signed Decree on the celebration of the 5000th anniversary of the city, previously scheduled for 2013-2016. The idea was brought to at that time Prime Minister Putin, who supported Negotiation. However, as mentioned above, he signed in November 2012 after returning to the Kremlin, the decree contained the mention of “only” 2000 years.

The fact is that in the fall of 2010, in the framework of the preparation of the legislative act, the authorities sent the corresponding request to the scientists. On behalf of the Department of Historical and Philology of the Russian Academy of Sciences at the Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, they compiled conclusion About the age of Derbent.

It is especially emphasized in it that the continuous existence of a settlement on the Derbent Hill has been proved only from the 1st century to the present. In other words, scientists from the Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences fully confirmed the words of their colleagues Murtazali Gadzhiev.

Soon after, to the same conclusion (“The settlement of the era of early bronze, whose age is about 5000 years, cannot serve the initial for determining the age of Derbent”) came at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences. It should be noted that, in addition to scientific literature, here scientists relied on the aforementioned document from the Institute of Archeology, as well as on a brief historical Help "The age of Derbent" compiled by Gadzhiev.

Finally, in your own conclusion Departments of historical and philological sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences (it is precisely this authority that is referred to on the official website of Derbent) says that “there is no sufficient evidence of the development of a settlement in this place in this place in the III - II millennium BC. e. ”, and“ the question of the existence of a settlement complex in the territory of modern Derbent in the V - I centuries BC. e. It remains debatable. "

Thus, at once the three units of the Russian Academy of Sciences in 2010 came to the conclusion that there was no reason to call Derbent a 5,000-year-old city, and this led to the adjustment in the presidential decree two years later. However, there is no doubt that the first settlement on the site of the city really arose 5000 years ago.

The condition for the continuity of development, voiced by the Academicians of the Russian Academy of Sciences regarding Derbent, was not a new word in science, such an approach is accepted everywhere. So, in Moscow exist The remains of the Iron Age settlements (I millennium BC), but the history of the city counting Since 1147, when the settlement was first mentioned in the annals. In the area of ​​modern Saratov, people lived at least 4000 years ago, but in Discourse The age of the city is mentioned at best of the XII - XIV century and Slavic settlers. On the territory of Kazan Found The remains of a settlement, which, according to various estimates, from 10,000 to 12,000 years, but even the age of the city at 1000 years (the anniversary of the pomp is celebrated in 2005) is disputed by many scientists.

Here are a few more examples from the history of other cities in the world, when the time of the appearance of a continuous settlement was taken during the date of the foundation of the city, although archaeologists also discovered the oldest traces of life at this place.

Thus, 3000 years BC. e. As a reference point of the history of Derbent, it does not comply with modern scientific standards and is not consistent with the generally accepted practice of determining the age of settlements.

Photo on the cover: Wikimedia Commons

Not true

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