With support from the University of Richmond

History News Network

History News Network puts current events into historical perspective. Subscribe to our newsletter for new perspectives on the ways history continues to resonate in the present. Explore our archive of thousands of original op-eds and curated stories from around the web. Join us to learn more about the past, now.

Bronze Age civilisation discovered in Russian Caucasus

Traces of a previously unknown Bronze Age civilisation have been discovered in the peaks of Russia's Caucasus Mountains thanks to aerial photographs taken 40 years ago, researchers said on Monday.

The sites are spread over about 100 kilometres (60 miles) between the Kuban river in the west and the city of Nalchik in the east.

The decorations and forms of bronze items found in the area indicate the civilisation is linked to the Kuban civilisation, which was discovered at the end of the 19th century at the foot of Mount Kazbek and is known for its artistic bronze works.

Using modern research methods such as global positioning systems, the archeologists were able to use the photographs to uncover the sites, which are at a height of between 1,400 metres (4,620 feet) and 2,400 metres (7,920 feet). Valentina Kozenkova, an archeologist specialising in the Caucasus at the Russian Academy of Sciences, said the discovery was of historical importance....

Read entire article at Telegraph (UK)