There are a lot of popular tourist destinations people are eager to visit. They

travel thousands of kilometers to see wonderful landscapes and historic landmarks,

but sometimes they aren’t aware of local attractions.

Have

a look at this historic place in the Zeya district.

The district of Zeya covers the largest area in the

Amur region. It is larger than the territories of Israel,

Belgium and Switzerland combined. People appeared

on this territory more than 2000 years ago. Its vast

area

was

inhabited

by

small

ethnic

groups.

They

engaged in reindeer herding, hunting, fishing, and

farming. Material traces of their stay can still be seen

today.

The Arbin Pisanitsa is an archaeological monument,

exhibiting rock paintings and altars. It is located 60

km

from

the

town

of

Zeya.

You

can

see

this

archaeological site on a steep 30 meter rock granite

massif. The ochre petroglyphs depict fences, animals,

birds,

snakes,

and

anthropomorphic

figures

with

superhuman features. Tiles with drawings, iron plates,

silicon beads, bone and iron arrowheads, a bronze

button and fragments of pottery were all found in the

altars. These materials, in addition to a Chinese coin

from the time of Wang Mang (approximately 14 AD),

gave scientists a reason to date the monument to the

early iron and middle ages.

There was a site of the Evenki tribe near the ancient

petroglyphs, where the natives performed religious

rites.

They

fed

the

spirits

with

meat

and

fat

of

sacrificed deer. The meat was used for food and the

animal's skin was hung on a pole between two trees. A

ritual dance was then performed around the fire, thus

cleaning not only themselves, but also their weapons.

Visiting

this

place

you

can

admire

the

wonderful

landscapes as well as peace and quiet.

Rock paintings are a window into the vanished world,

through which you can see the ancient culture of

mankind.

Cultural Exchange

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DISCUSS

Find

out

about

the

historic place in your

part

of

Russia. Write

and tell us about it.

In

pairs,

discuss

what

y o u

f i n d most

impressive

about

t h e

Arbin Pisanitsa.