Multi-cordoned Ware culture or Multiroller ceramics culture, translations of the russian: Культура многоваликовой керамики, ''Kul'tura mnogovalikovoj keramiki'' (KMK), also known as the Multiple-relief-band ware culture, the Babyno culture and the Mnogovalikovaya kul'tura (MVK), are
archaeological names for a
Middle Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pr ...
culture of
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is a subregion of the European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. The vast majority of the region is covered by Russia, whi ...
.
Distribution
From approximately the 22nd to 18th centuries BCE, it occupied an area stretching from the
Don to
Moldavia
Moldavia ( ro, Moldova, or , literally "The Country of Moldavia"; in Romanian Cyrillic: or ; chu, Землѧ Молдавскаѧ; el, Ἡγεμονία τῆς Μολδαβίας) is a historical region and former principality in Centr ...
, including
Dnieper Ukraine
The term Dnieper Ukraine
(: "over Dnieper land"), usually refers to territory on either side of the middle course of the Dnieper River. The Ukrainian name derives from ''nad‑'' (prefix: "above, over") + ''Dnipró'' ("Dnieper") + ''‑shchyna'' ...
,
Right-bank Ukraine
Right-bank Ukraine ( uk , Правобережна Україна, ''Pravoberezhna Ukrayina''; russian: Правобережная Украина, ''Pravoberezhnaya Ukraina''; pl, Prawobrzeżna Ukraina, sk, Pravobrežná Ukrajina, hu, Jobb p ...
, and part of the modern
Ternopil Oblast
Ternopil Oblast ( uk, Тернопі́льська о́бласть, translit=Ternopilska oblast; also referred to as Ternopilshchyna, uk, Терно́пільщина, label=none, or Ternopillia, uk, Тернопілля, label=none) is an obl ...
, and was bordered by the
Volga
The Volga (; russian: Во́лга, a=Ru-Волга.ogg, p=ˈvoɫɡə) is the longest river in Europe. Situated in Russia, it flows through Central Russia to Southern Russia and into the Caspian Sea. The Volga has a length of , and a catch ...
to the east.
Origins
KMK succeeded the western
Catacomb culture
The Catacomb culture (russian: Катакомбная культура, Katakombnaya kul'tura, uk, Катакомбна культура, Katakombna kul'tura) was a Bronze Age culture which flourished on the Pontic steppe in 2500–1950 BC.Par ...
.
Characteristics
In 1929, the archaeologist Ya. Brik studied four
kurgan
A kurgan is a type of tumulus constructed over a grave, often characterized by containing a single human body along with grave vessels, weapons and horses. Originally in use on the Pontic–Caspian steppe, kurgans spread into much of Central As ...
s of this culture near Ostapye village, currently in
Ternopil Raion
Ternopil Raion ( uk, Тернопільський район) is a raion in Ternopil Oblast in western Ukraine. Its administrative center is Ternopil. It has a population of
On 18 July 2020, as part of the administrative reform of Ukraine, the n ...
, Ukraine. He found ceramics, flint tools, bone and bronze decorations. Bottoms, walls and ceilings of the graves are layered with rocks. Skeletons are laid in contracted position towards the east.
The name of this culture is related to its
ceramic
A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcelain, ...
goods, such as pots, which were decorated with multiple strips of clay (cordons) before
firing. The culture also featured various other distinctive ornaments
KMK tribes practiced
herding
Herding is the act of bringing individual animals together into a group (herd), maintaining the group, and moving the group from place to place—or any combination of those. Herding can refer either to the process of animals forming herds in ...
and made widespread use of
chariot
A chariot is a type of cart driven by a charioteer, usually using horses to provide rapid motive power. The oldest known chariots have been found in burials of the Sintashta culture in modern-day Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia, dated to c. 2000&n ...
s. According to Anthony (2007), chariotry spread from the Multi-cordoned ware culture to the
Monteoru,
Vatin and
Ottomány cultures in southeastern Europe.
200 or more Multi-cordoned Ware settlements have been documented, some with cultural deposits 1 metre thick (e.g. Babino III). Occasional fortified settlements are known, pointing to higher interregional conflict than in previous periods. Houses included sunken earth-houses and ground-level wooden-post buildings with a rectangular plan.
Physical type
The physical type of the Multi-cordoned Ware culture has been designated as
dolichocephalic.
Ethnicity
Circumstantial evidence links KMK to the spread of one or more
Indo-European languages
The Indo-European languages are a language family native to the overwhelming majority of Europe, the Iranian plateau, and the northern Indian subcontinent. Some European languages of this family, English, French, Portuguese, Russian, D ...
.
Leo Klejn identifies its bearers with the early
Thracians
The Thracians (; grc, Θρᾷκες ''Thrāikes''; la, Thraci) were an Indo-European speaking people who inhabited large parts of Eastern and Southeastern Europe in ancient history.. "The Thracians were an Indo-European people who occupied ...
. Other scholars suggest that KMK may have been connected to the
Bryges and/or
Phrygians
The Phrygians ( Greek: Φρύγες, ''Phruges'' or ''Phryges'') were an ancient Indo-European speaking people, who inhabited central-western Anatolia (modern-day Turkey) in antiquity. They were related to the Greeks.
Ancient Greek authors use ...
.
Successors
It was increasingly influenced, assimilated and eventually displaced by the
Timber grave or Srubna/Srubnaya culture.
[Евразийская степная металлургическая провинция // БРЭ. Т.9. М.,2007.] In – 1800 BCE bearers of KMK migrated southward into the
Balkans
The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...
.
Notes
References
Sources
*
*
Literature
Куштан Д.П. Памятники Культуры Многоваликовой Керамики В Среднем Поднепровье (По Материалам Разведок В Зоне Кременчугского Водохранилища)* Тернопільський енциклопедичний словник. — Тернопіль, видавничо-поліграфічний комбінат «Збруч», том 1, 2004.
* Тернопілля: сторінки історії. — X, 1995;
* Словник-довідник з археології. — К., 1996.
{{Authority control
Archaeological cultures of Eastern Europe
Archaeological cultures in Moldova
Archaeological cultures in Russia
Archaeological cultures in Ukraine
Bronze Age cultures of Europe
Indo-European archaeological cultures