TREASURES OF THE SACRED RIVER*

The article describes a valuable historical source - a "hoard" of medieval imported silver and local bronze artifacts dating from the beginning of the New Era to the XIII-XIV centuries. The presence of late engravings and additional holes on them indicates the cult use of objects in the territory of Western Siberia. The "treasure" was found on the site of an ancient settlement located at the mouth of the Yalbynya River (north of the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug). The basin of this river has long belonged to the sacred territories of the Mansi people.

According to the author, the Yalbyn basin was inhabited already in the first centuries of the new era; metal artifacts and pottery fragments found on the site could serve as the basis for the mythologization of the territory by its later inhabitants - the Khanty and Mansi. A "treasure" with items of a cult nature indicates the existence of a sanctuary on the island. Archaeological sources are considered in the context of mythological representations of the northern Mansi.

Keywords: bronze, sanctuary, treasure, hoard, myth.

Many natural sacred sites are known on the territory of Mansi: yalpyng-ya "holy river", yalpyng-tur "holy lake", yalpyng-ner "holy mountain", yalpyng-nel "holy cape", etc. The sacredness of these places is connected with the ideas of local patron spirits or other supernatural beings living here. This territory is forbidden for economic activity of people: you can't hunt, fish, pick berries, or cut down trees here. Many" holy " sections of the river were forbidden to be passed by boat; it was dragged along the bank. Women in this case went around in a special "female" way. In other places, it was possible to use only a pole instead of paddles, it was not allowed to swim in a tarred boat, etc. There is a well-known group of" holy " sites associated with ancient settlements that were once located on this territory (Kannisto, 1958, p.239-250). Yalbynya (Yalpyng-ya) "Sacred/The "Holy River" flows from the right into the North. Sosva is 25 km below the village. Sartynya (Berezovsky district of Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug). Representatives of the northern Mansi group live here.

The Yalbynya basin was considered the habitat of Tagt-kotil-torum (Tagt-kotil-oiki), "God of the middle course of Sosva", one of the sons of the Supreme God Numi-Torum. According to some sources, it was a hero in the image of an "iron hawk, silver hawk", according to others-a warrior in fine cloth clothes, in chain mail, with a saber, bow and arrow. Once Tagt-kotil-torum fought with 60 heroes, then with the huge forest spirit menkeom, defeated them and made the place of battle holy. After defeating the lion, Tagt-kotil-torum became involved in all wars and battles. This angered his father: he ordered Tagt-kotil-torum to be lower than his brothers and only manage the place located near his home [Munkacsi, 1910-1921, p. 022,025-026; Gondatti, 1888, p. 22-25; Rombandeeva, 1993, p.52]. The deity was in charge of snakes and water animals [Sources..., 1987, p. 240].

Location of the Tagt-kotil-torum habitat in the middle reaches of the North. Sosva allowed him to control the administration of Kul-otyr (Prince).

* The author is grateful to N. V. Fedorova for valuable advice in preparing the article and attribution of a number of archaeological materials.

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Lower world) people to the next world from above down the river. According to mansi's ideas, Tagt-kotil-torum, seeing that a person passes away prematurely, could force Kul-otyr to take him back [Gemuev, 1990, p. 161].

The location of the sanctuary of Tagt-kotil-torum is not exactly known; there is no information about whether it has survived to this day. Over the years, information appeared about its location at the mouth, middle and even upper reaches of the Yalbynya. V. N. Chernihiv was told that in the early 1930s there was a forest fire in the upper reaches of the Yalbynya, trees burned out on both banks of the river, the Tagt-kotil-oika barn remained intact-only both pillars were slightly singed. There was quite a lot of silver in the barn, but it was stolen in the mid-1920s [Sources..., 1987, p. 242].

According to N. L. Gondatti, women were forbidden to go to the sanctuary. During the trip to worship, even if it took three days, sleep was not allowed; upon arrival, the gifts brought were given to the shaitan, who carried them to the deity's dwelling, surrounded by wary bows and traps. Next to the barn was a tree surrounded by iron arrows, and every person who came in had to bring at least one arrow and a few coins. The figure of Tagt-kotil-torum in the second half of the XIX century was a wooden sculpture decorated with "various shiny and rattling objects" [1888, p. 25].

In the middle or upper reaches of the Yalbyn River in the middle of the XX century. the sanctuary of the Horthan-oika "Old Man's Hawk"was located. It can be assumed that this was one of the names of the sanctuary of Tagt-kotil-oiki, which, as indicated, had the image of"iron hawk, silver hawk". The bird figurine itself was made from silver coins. The silver hawk had a saber as an attribute (Gemuev, 1990, p. 153).

In 2005, a resident of the village. Sartynya V. I. Bespamyatnykh found a bronze figure of a bird on one of the ridges of the Yalbynya River in its middle course (Fig. 1). It may have been from a sanctuary, and the local population identified it with the hawk deity. The size of the figure is 10.8 x 8.7 cm. The maximum width is 3.3 cm. The product is cast from bronze in a double-sided shape with a core. The bird stands on a curved base, the upper part of which rests on the beak. A cast seam strip runs along the back, neck and head. There is a round hole in the bird's back. When casting, a defect was allowed; in three places there are traces of repair in the form of black metal pouring; there is a bronze lintel in the head. The bird's eyes are conveyed by circular depressions. The feathers are decorated with indentations in the form of traces of bird's feet.

The bird figurine can presumably be dated to the X-XII centuries. The closest analogue (in particular, in terms of size) can be considered a large bronze figure of a bird from the Khanty sanctuary in the village. Ovolyn-gort on the Synya River (Baulo, 2002, p. 150, Fig. 6, a).

N. L. Gondatti wrote that local residents, passing by the mouth of the Yalbynya, "always throw money into the water; here you can only row with oars, but not push off with poles or pull with a string" [1888, p. 25]. According to the materials of A. Kannisto, Voguls do not fish in certain places of Yalbynya, do not take drinking water there, and do not cut down trees on the shore. There is a sacred place in the middle of the riverbed; here strangers were forbidden to push the boat with a pole, they had to take it from the neighboring village. Toboldino one or two men and drag the boat on a rope through a deep and rocky channel with a length of about 10 fathoms (Kannisto, 1958, p. 245, 250). Tagt-kotil-oika was especially revered in the nearby villages of Sartynye and Toboldino, so only their inhabitants could use a pole when rafting, land on the shore and fish at the mouth of the Yalbynya [Sources..., 1987, p. 240].

At the mouth of the river, G. F. Miller noted in 1740, there has long been a shapeless stone, which was revered by voguls and ostyaks as an idol. By order of the Siberian Metropolitan Philotheus, such idolatrous stones were thrown into the river, and the trees considered sacred there were cut down or burned [Siberia of the XVIII century..., 1996, p. 240]. According to legend, Tagt-kotil-torum struck the huge menkea with an arrow from a bow; the body of menkea fell apart, forming small islands in the vicinity of the battle site, in particular the island of Simtump ("Island of the heart" of menkea) at the mouth of the Yalbynya (Gondatti, 1888, p. 24). According to V. N. Chernetsov, spruce cape is approx. 5 km above the mouth of Yalbynya was considered a saint; at the mouth of Yalbynya there were three anthropomorphic wooden statues [Sources..., 1987].

The highest status was also given to the high right bank of the Yalbyn River near the mouth, known as the Us-nel hillfort "City (fortress) Cape" (Fig. 2). This place in the Mansi legends is famous for "a fortress as high as a running cloud, as high as a floating cloud; it stands in the middle of a river along which rowboats pass" [Munkacsi, 1910-1921, p.021]. The legend of the battle of Tagt-kotil-oiki near his fortress with the Ostyak hero is recorded by B. Munkachi: the hero" puts on a military shell on his shoulders covered with marten fur, beaver fur"; he likes to shoot" an arrow with three hooks"; he has" a glorious saber, a famous saber", which, when "it is not necessary to use it". they put it on the floor in the middle of the house, it burns like fire", so much does it shine [Ibid., pp. 024-025]. At the end of the XIX century, the ancient settlement was examined by N. L. Gondatti, and in 1948 - by V. N. Chernetsov. Finds from the ancient settlement are kept in the MAE RAS.

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Figure 1. Bronze figure of a bird.

Fig. 2. View of the Us-nel hillfort.

3. Fragments of pottery from the ancient settlement.

4. Items made of bronze, a-ring; b-owl figurine.

Figure 5. Round badge with a mask surrounded by animals and birds, a-front side; b - drawing images on the front side; c-drawing a figure on the reverse side.

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According to visual inspection data in 2007, the bank with a height of 1-2 m is collapsing for 150 m, there are many fragments of ornamental ceramics on the sand near the water (Fig. 3). In the collapse, our guide found an iron spearhead, a bronze ring and an owl/owl figurine. According to N. V. Fedorova, the monument is most likely multi-layered, ceramics are mainly of the Zelenogorsk type, VI-VII centuries.

The abundance of bronze and iron products on the shore may have been the basis for the creation of the Mansi legend about Tagt-kotil-torum as a skilled craftsman who made axes, knives and other metal objects in his forge (Gondatti, 1888, p.23).

Ring (Fig. 4, a). Bronze. Dimensions 4x1. 8 cm. The ring is broken off. The product is oval in shape, curved along the long axis. The front side is decorated around the circumference with a strip of small "pearls", in the center - a longitudinal strip of six large round" pearls", separated by three small ones. On both sides of the large "pearls" are belts of small ones, followed by semi - ovals with geometric ornaments.

According to N. V. Fedorova's oral report, the ring has analogs in the materials of a burial ground dating back to the first centuries AD, near the village of Adzva, Intinsky district, Komi Republic (excavations by I. O. Vaskul). A ring similar in shape and ornamentation was found by V. S. Andrianov on Ust-Poluy [Ust-Poluy..., 2003, p. 26, cat. 45].

Figure of an owl (Fig. 4, b). Bronze. Dimensions 4,6 x xS cm. The product is slightly curved along the long axis. It represents an image of a bird with its tail and wings lowered, its legs tucked up to its chest. The edges of the wings are decorated with triangular notches, the tail - three pits in the form of semi-ovals. On the bird's chest is a crescent-shaped hryvnia. On the reverse side there is a loop for fastening.

* * *

A few years ago, one of the residents of the village. Igrim found a "treasure" of several silver and bronze items on the ancient settlement. The man did not want to talk about the circumstances of the discovery, only noticed that the things were wrapped in birch bark and were at a shallow depth. We managed to get acquainted with the most interesting items of the collection.

A badge with a disguise and animals. Diameter 8 - 8.5 cm. White bronze or base silver. The badge is round and convex. The edges are not filled in in two places. The outer rim of the badge is decorated with a pseudo-embroidered cord. A narrow roller separates from it a wide strip of animal figures. The inner rim of the band consists of round convex "pearls". Above the mask, two sitting birds are depicted with their heads turned to each other. In the left and right part of the strip, three figures of fur - bearing animals (possibly hares) are shown moving towards the figures of birds; in the lower part of the strip, two more figures moving to the right (the right one resembles the traditional version of the image in bronze casting of a bear). In the center of the badge on a smooth field is an anthropomorphic pear-shaped mask. The mouth is open; a mustache and possibly a beard are highlighted. Under the guise of a thin cutting tool, a later drawing is applied - the image of a bird (capercaillie?) 5, a, b). On the back of the badge in the upper part there is a loop, in the center is scratched an anthropomorphic figure with an oval head, arms spread out to the side, in wide clothes (possibly a fur coat) with a highlighted hem (Fig. 5, c).

The date of the badge from animal images is probably X - XII centuries; the engravings may refer to approximately the same period.

Direct analogues of the badge are not known. The plot with the placement of animal figures on the edge of flat vessels is known in the art of Central Asia and Volga Bulgaria. Among the finds in the north of Western Siberia, we mention a Central Asian dish with the image of King David (VIII-IX centuries): here, in particular, a pair of sitting birds is depicted in the lower part (Baulo, 2000), as well as a bowl with the image of two birds (shown in the upper part), animals and an anthropomorphic figure (X-XI century), which was found in the North. Sosve [Treasures of the Ob region..., 2003, p. 64, cat. 27]. A bronze ring with nine zoomorphic figures arranged in a circle (the turn of the first - second millennium AD) was found in the Vychegda River basin (Konakov, 1990, p. 104).

Badge (medallion) with the image of a horseman and a defeated warrior (Fig. 6). Silver, embossed on the matrix, chasing. Diameter 6.2 cm.

The badge is round, thin, the edges are bent on the reverse side and clamp the copper wire that serves as a frame. In the upper part, a loop with three relief rollers is soldered. The central medallion is surrounded by a band of ornament in the form of a bindweed with spiral processes. In the center of the badge is a picture of a rider sitting full-face on a horse. The rider holds the horse's bridle with his left hand, and perhaps the handle of a whip in his right. The upper part of the rider's clothing is divided by vertical and several horizontal lines; perhaps this is how the carapace is transmitted. Under the horse is an anthropomorphic figure with a saber in his right hand. The horseman's whip reaches the body of the fallen man. In the edges of the badge on the front side, three (late) holes were punched, with the help of which the product could be sewn to the clothing of the figure of the patron spirit.

Two similar plaques were previously in a private collection in the village. Shuryshkary [Fedorova, 2005; Baulo, 2007, p. 147, Fig. 5], a fragment of another badge (it shows the croup of a horse) was sent to the Museum in 2006-

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6. Silver badge with the image of a horseman and a defeated warrior.

7. Silver badge with the image of a horseman.

no-exhibition complex named after Shemanovsky (Salekhard). N. V. Fedorova refers these items to the products of craft workshops in Volga Bulgaria of the XII-XIV centuries [2005].

Badge (medallion) with the figure of a horseman (Fig. 7). Silver, embossed on the matrix, chasing. Diameter 6.4 cm.

The badge is round, thin, the edges are bent on the reverse side and clamp the copper wire that serves as a frame. A loop was soldered in the upper part. The central medallion is surrounded by a band of ornament in the form of a bindweed with spiral processes. In the center of the badge is a rider on a horse, sitting in the full face, wearing a conical helmet. The rider's right hand is holding the horse's bridle, and his left hand may be resting on the hilt of a dagger. The rider is belted, the clothing in the upper part resembles a carapace made of rectangular plates, the lower part is decorated with vertical rollers.

Two similar plaques were delivered to the IMC in 2006. Shemanovsky. N. V. Fedorova refers such products to the products of craft workshops in Volga Bulgaria [2005].

A disk with images of animals. Bronze, forging, engraving. Diameter 6 cm.

Initially, the reverse side of the plaque is decorated with a rosette of six petals, made using a circular cutter (Fig. Later mesh strokes are applied over the petals with a thin cutting tool.

On the front side, two holes are drilled along the edges of the upper part. On the front side, two animals are depicted: at the bottom-possibly a beaver, above it - a three-headed animal with a beaver's tail and branched horns (Fig. 8, b, c).

This product belongs to the group of bronze mirrors of the Central Sarmatian culture of the end of the II century BC.-

Figure 8. A disk with an image of animals, a-reverse side; b - front side; c-drawing images on the front side.

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9. Fragment of a bronze plaque with anthropomorphic faces.

la II century A large collection of such mirrors is kept in the collections of the State Museum of Nature and Man in Khanty-Mansiysk. The museum collection was formed in 1936, 1937, and 1944 from the attributes of the destroyed Khanty and Mansi shrines in the basins of the Kazym and Sev rivers. Sosva, Lyapin. It is believed that mirrors came to the Ob region through carriers of the Sargat culture, which occupied the northern area of steppe cultures and served as an intermediary in contacts between the North and the South (Chernetsov, 1953; Priposta, Starodumov, and Yakovlev, 2002). The museum's collection includes, in particular, a disk with a diameter of 6.1 cm with a six-petaled rosette and later engravings; another similar disk was published, but lost [Priposta, Starodumov, Yakovlev, 2002, pp. 48-50]. The lower figure on the disk from the "treasure" resembles the image of an animal with a beaver's tail on one of the mirrors of this collection [Chernetsov, 1953, p. 157, Table XIV, Fig. 3]. A copper plaque with an engraved image of a seven-headed monster was previously discovered in the Syni River basin [Baulo, 2002, p. 154-155].

Fragment of a plaque with an image of anthropomorphic masks (Fig. 9). Dimensions 1,7x2 cm. Bronze, casting, polishing, engraving with a sharp tool.

The closest analogue (probably one author) is a plaque depicting seven anthropomorphic figures from Ust-Poluy (excavations by N. V. Fedorova in 1993-1995) [Ust-Poluy..., 2003, p. 18, cat. 21]; plaques depicting stylistically similar anthropomorphic figures were also found there [Ibid., p. 19, cat. 22-24].

Thus, the collection presents items of various times: from the beginning of the new era to the XIII-XIV centuries. The presence of late engravings and additional holes indicates, most likely, the cult use of imported items on the territory of Western Siberia.

In general, we can say that the Yalbyn basin was inhabited already in the first centuries of the new era; metal artifacts and fragments of ceramics found on the ancient settlement could once have served as the basis for the mythologization of the territory by its later inhabitants - the Khanty and Mansi. A "treasure" with items of a cult nature indicates the existence of a sanctuary on the island.

List of literature

Baulo A.V. Serebryannoe dish s Maloy Obi [Silver dish from the Malaya Ob River]. - 2000. - N 4. - p. 143-153.

Baulo A.V. Drevny metall iz svyatylishch obskikh ugrov (novye nakhodki) [Ancient metal from the shrines of the Ob Ugrians (new finds)]. -2002. - N 2. - p. 144-155.

Baulo A.V. Srednevekovye izdeliya iz serebryany na severo Zapadnoy Sibiri: novye nakhodki [Medieval silverware in the North of Western Siberia: new finds]. - 2007. - N 1. - p. 145-150.

Gemuev I. N. Mirovozzrenie mansi: Dom i Kosmos [Mansi Worldview: Home and Space]. Novosibirsk: Nauka Publ., 1990, 232 p. (in Russian)

Gondatti, N. L., Traces of pagan beliefs among non-native peoples of North-Western Siberia, Moscow: [Tip. Potapova], 1888. - 91s.

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Konakov N. D. Promyslovyi kalendar v mirovozrenii drevnykh komi [Commercial calendar in the worldview of the ancient Komi people]. Novosibirsk: Nauka Publ., 1990, pp. 103-121.

Prystupa O. I., Starodumov D. O., Yakovlev Ya. A. Window to Infinity. Bronze mirrors of the early Iron Age/ ed. by Ya. A. Yakovlev. Tomsk: GalaPress Publ., 2002, 88 p. (in Russian)

Rombandeeva E. I. Istoriya naroda mansi (vogul) i ego dukhovnaya kul'tura [History of the Mansi people (Voguls) and its spiritual culture]. Surgut: Severny Dom Publ., 1993, 208 p.

Siberia of the XVIII century in the travel descriptions of G. F. Miller / / History of Siberia. Primary sources. Novosibirsk: Sibirskiy Khronograf Publ., 1996, issue 6, 310 p. (in Russian)

Treasures of the Ob region: Western Siberia on the Trade Routes of the Middle Ages: Exhibition catalog. - Salekhard; St. Petersburg: [B. I.], 2003. - 96s.

Ust-Poluy: I century BC: Exhibition catalog. - Salekhard; St. Petersburg: MAE RAS Publishing House, 2003. - 76 p.

Fedorova N. V. Srednevekovoe serebro Volzhskoy Bulgarii [Medieval silver in Volga Bulgaria]. Svetozarnaya Kazan: Album-catalog of the exhibition. St. Petersburg: ARTEGO Publ., 2005. - P. 20-21.

Chernetsov V. N. Bronza ust-poluiskogo vremeni [Bronze of the Ust-Poluisk time]. MIA. - 1953. - N 35. - pp. 121-178.

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The article was submitted to the Editorial Board on 16.10.07.

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