Culture of the Don Land. Учебное пособие
.pdf2)My beautiful Quiet Don in the future;
3)Charming places on the Don;
4)The one who doesn’t know the history of his land will never create his happy future.
2. Prove that Rostov region is an interesting place to visit: a) its scenery;
b) its legendary past;
c) its places of rest (interest).
3. You are going to have a quiz on the topic «Rostov Region. Now and Then». Get ready to give the most information on these:
1)First People on the Don;
2)The «Wild Field» – explain the name of our land;
3)The names of the river Don in the past;
4)Great people about our land;
5)The origin of the word Don;
6)Geographical position of Rostov region;
7)The climate of our region;
8)Wealth of Rostov Region.
SOME HISTORICAL FACTS OF THE DON LAND
Find the answer to the following questions:
1.When did the inclusion of the land of the Don Army into the Russian Empire start?
2.When did the town of Rostov appear?
3.What territories did the North Caucasian Territory include?
4.What other experiments touched the Rostov Region?
It is common knowledge that the inclusion of the land of the Don Army into the Russian Empire started in the 18-th century. In the 1740-1760s a number of customs outposts and fortresses (the Fortress of Saint Dmitri of Rostov among these)
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served as the major advanced posts of the Russian State on the Don land. Thus, the administrative border was originally located at a large distance from the capital of the Don Cossacks.
Since 1763 the Fortress of Saint Dmitri of Rostov had been in charge of the Voronezh Governor. In the year 1775 the Azov Province was established, and it comprised the Don-Land Army Zone, Azov, Kagalnik and the Fortress of Saint Dmitri of Rostov.
1806 is considered to be the year when the town of Rostov appeared (for 29 years the Fortress of Saint Dmitri of Rostov and Rostov itself had been existing apart from each other, until the Fortress was absorbed by the fast growing town).
According to the Order of the Government Senate, the land of the Don Army was altered into the Don-Land Army Zone, which name was retained until the year 1918.
The Civil War that swept over the Don land in 1918 made the authorities of the Don Army Zone establish a new unit – the Don Cossack Republic. During its one and a half year long history this Republic had been existing in the circle of battle lines and surrendered in the beginning of 1920 under the blows of the Red Army.
In the year 1920 the Soviet Power gave the «liberated» Don land the name of the Don Region, its centre now being Rostov. This territorial unit was included into the Revolutionary Council of War of the South-East of Russia. Besides the Don Region, the South-East embraced the Terek and Stavropol Provinces, the Kuban Region and Dagestan.
In November 1924 the North Caucasian Territory with its administrative centre in Rostov was formed. It included the Don and Kuban Regions, the Stavropol Territory, a number of national areas and regions of the North Caucasus, as well as the Areas of Taganrog and Shakhty. Due to the termination of
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the Don Region, Rostov became the central city of the Don Area of the North Caucasian Territory the same year.
In October 1927 Rostov was made an independent administrative unit governed directly by the North Caucasian Territorial Executive Committee. Rostov was thus no more included in the Don Area, the District centre now becoming Novocherkassk. In the year 1930 the administrative division of the Territory into areas was abolished. Instead, districts appeared.
Since 1934 the North Caucasian Territory had been divided into the Azov and Black Sea Territory (with Rostov-on- Don as its centre) and the North Caucasian Territory (with the centre in Pyatigorsk).
On the 13th of September 1937 the Azov and Black Sea Territory was in its turn divided into the Krasnodar Territory and the Rostov Region.
Those experiments with the alterations of the administrative borders which N.S.Khrushchev was so fond of while being the head of the Soviet State touched the Rostov Region as well. In the year 1954 the latter was divided into the Rostov and the Kamensk Regions, the border between these lying in 150 km to the north of Rostov. However unlike the Crimea attached to the Ukraine in the same period, the Rostov
Region restored its former territory within the boundaries of 1937. This happened in the year 1958.
Today the Region occupies over 100 thous. square kilometres, a territory equal to the areas of Denmark, Holland and Belgium put together. It stretches from the Voronezh lands to Kuban and Stavropol.
Vocabulary notes: inclusion – включение
to be in charge of – быть ответственным за ...
to be absorbed by – быть поглощенным кем-либо
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Executive Committee – исполнительный комитет to be abolished – быть упраздненным, отмененным
Activities:
1.Make up questions to the text and ask your groupmates to answer them.
2.Discuss the given text in the form of a group dialogue.
THE PAST OF THE ROSTOV REGION
Find the answers to the following questions:
1.What words in your opinion can we use to describe the history of the Don Land?
2.What do the archaeologists say about the first people on the Don Land?
3.What was the Don called in ancient times?
4.What did our Don lands look like in the times when it was called «the Wild Field»?
5.What other names did our region have in ancient times?
6.When did the Slavs begin to settle on the Don Land?
7.Where is the monument to Igor's warriors situated?
8.What legends about our Don Land do you know?
9.What was the river Don called in ancient times?
10.Did many people sing the beauties of the Don Land?
11.How did our great countryman A.P.Chekhov call the Don Land?
The history of the Don Land is very interesting and thrilling. The archaeologists suppose that the first people appeared on the Don lands about 100-150 thousand years ago and the first Russian settlements came into being in X-XI centuries.
There are many legends about our wonderful land. In the 5-th century B.C. the Don had the name of Amazoniya because of the warlike tribes of the Amazons. Later it got the name of
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Tanais. The Wild Field was called Tanais too by ancient Greeks and Romans. There is an interesting legend concerning the origin of this geographical nomination. They say Tanais was a son of an Amazon Lizina and he liked wars. But he mocked at the war talents of these skilful women-warriors. Goddess Venus decided to punish him and made him fall in love with his mother. He couldn't bear this and rushed into the river which got its name after him – Tanais.
In the уеar 965 Kiev prince Svyatoslav put to rout the Khazars and seized the old fortress Sarkel. It was situated in the place of the present-day Tsymlyansk Storage Lake.
After this victory the Slavs began to settle on the Don Land. But their life was full of danger and they had even to sleep with their arms because different tribes constantly raided their domains. They courageously defended their sacred lands. These events were vividly described in the poem «The Song of Igor's Campaign». The author states that this battle took place on the Don.
Now near the town of Belaya Kalitva there is a monument to the glorious Igor's warriors. It is a huge memorial stone weighing 17 tons. The inscription on the stone reads: 'To the Warriors of Igor's Host - the Brave Russians, 1185». This memorial stone rises on the top of the mountain Karaul.
Some scholars suppose that Igor was captured by Khan Kobyak who had disposed his troops on the territory of the pre- sent-day town of Aksai. The Don Land was devastated and being a part of Khazariya it was called «The Wild Field» or «The Great Meadow».
Голубые просторы, туманы, Ковыли, да полынь, да бурьяны..., Ширь земли да небесная лепь! Разлилось, развернулось на воле
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Припонтийское дикое поле, Темная киммерийская степь!
This is an extract from the poem «the Wild Field» by Maximilian Voloshin. At that time the luxuriant vegetation covered the virgin soil. A rider was buried in verdure like in a green sea. Along the rivers one could see thick forests with oaks, elms, maples, ash-trees, poplars, hornbeams, wild appletrees...
A gigantic oak, a mute witness of the former thick forests, grows in Kolundaev forestry near stanitsa Vyoshenskaya. They say it is about 400 years old. The oak's height is 23 metres, the diametre of the trunk is 2,5 metres and it is 6,5 metres in the circumference.
These thick forests were full of wild animals. Bears and wolves, swift-footed goats, predatory ounces, hares and red foxes found a shelter there. These thick forests also gave shelter to people who struggled for their homes and families. But these splendid lands, this wild field were a place of constant fierce fights for the right to be independent.
In different documents of XVI–XVII centuries we meet another name «The Land of the Don Cossacks». Since 1920 up to 1924 it was a part of Don Region, later a part of north Caucasian region and then a part of the Azov – Black Sea Territory. And only since September, 13, 1937 it bears its present name – Rostov Region.
Many great writers and poets sang the beauties of the Quiet Don Land. The greatest Russian poet Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin passing through the Don Land wrote:
Блеща средь полей широких, Вот он льется!.. Здравствуй, Дон! От сынов твоих далеких
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Япривез тебе поклон. Как прославленного брата, Реки знают тихий Дон; От Аракса и Евфрата
Япривез тебе поклон.
Thus he greeted the Don Land. He admired the scenery, the cordial people living there. But I want, to draw your attention to his another poem where he described a curved seashore. Everybody knows Pushkin's words:
«У лукоморья дуб зеленый, Златая цепь на дубе том ...»
But do yоu know where this curved seashore is? Since olden times the people called the Taganrog Bay «a curved seashore». So the Don writer Vladimir Molozhavenko expressed an opinion that it was this amazing place that Pushkin described in his poem. « Our great countryman A.P. Chekhov called our native region «a fantastic land». I am sure all people who have ever lived on the Don or visited it fall in love with our beautiful Don Land. Beyond all doubt you will like with all your heart this marvellous land and you will never forget it.
Vocabulary notes: archaeologist – археолог
gigantic– гигантский
Goddess Venus – богиня Венера (римская богиня любви и красоты) the Greek Aphrodite
diameter– диаметр circumference – окружность ounce – барс
marvellous – изумительный, удивительный beyond all doubt – вне всякого сомнения
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prince – великий князь
to put to rout – разгромить наголовуdomain – владение scholar – ученый
to capture – захватить в плен
to devastate – опустошать, разорять
to admire the scenery – любоваться природой
luxuriant vegetation – пышная (буйная) растительность cordial people – радушные люди
storage lake – водохранилище
TSAR PETER I ON THE DON
Find the answers to the following questions:
1.Have you ever been to the places connected with the name of Peter I?
2.What places impressed you most of all?
3.What new information did you get during your excursion to Taganrog?
4.What feeling and thoughts does the monument to Peter I arouse?
5.What other facts about Peter I on the Don would you like to tell your friends about?
6.What contribution did Peter I make to the development of the Don Land?
Peter I decided to raise the siege. During the winter of 1695–1696 Peter I built a new and very strong fleet and prepared his army for new military operations. In spring of 1696 Peter I came to Cherkassk. He himself marked the places of future ditches and ramparts. Being under the fire side by side with ordinary soldiers and Cossacks, he digged the ditches and fulfilled all kinds of work. Generals and atamans tried to persuade him not to expose himself to danger but the young Tsar
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was firm and usually answered that he wouldn't spare his life for the Motherland and would share all difficulties and hardships with soldiers and Cossacks.
By the 17-th of June everything was ready. Peter I himself fired a cannon at Azov fortress starting the storm of the Turkish fortress and the siege. Russian soldiers and Cossacks showed heroism and valour. On July, 17 about two thousand Don Cossacks burst into the Turkish fortress. They were supported by the Dnieper cossacks and Streltsy. They weren't able to capture, the whole, fortress but managed to seize two bastions and four cannons. The Turks found themselves in a hopeless situation. After the negotiations on the 20-th of July, 1696 the Turkish Pasha handed Peter I the keys from the fortress and together with 3700 janizaries and 5900 civilians left the fortress for their motherland. Copper and silver plates, and dishes, carpets, clothes, brocade and silks – all these things were given by Peter I to ataman Frol Minaev for his Cossacks.
Peter I was greatly pleased with the victory. He ordered to celebrate it on the 18-th of August 1696 in Cherkassk.
Frol Minaev arranged the feast and for the first time in the Russian history they fired a salute and fireworks. This victory was of great importance for home and foreign policy of Russia. It appeared to be the beginning of limiting the rights of Cossacks and as A.M. Radishchev said «Peter I exterminated the sings of wild liberty of the Fatherland.» In 1698 they began criminal investigation of fugitives on the Don.
At the same time this victory enhanced the international prestige of the Russian state. But this was not the ultimate end for Peter 1. Azov was only a base for the future struggle for the Azov and the Black Seas. Peter I ordered to begin the construction of sea-going ships. The Russian Tsar wanted to build a new capital of the Russian state on the shore of the Azov Sea.
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In 1696 he ordered to lay the new fortress Troitskaya (Taganrog) as a new capital. But soon he left the shores of the Azov Sea. Peter I visited the Don Land in 1704. One day he walked along Cherkassk. As you know, he liked public merry-making and, when he saw a naked Cossack with a sabre and a gun in his hand straddling a barrel he stopped in amazement. «A Cossack can sell everything but not his arms» – this was his reply to Tsar's question. The Russian Tsar liked it and later he granted a new seal to the Don Cossacks but I should say the Cossacks didn't like it though it was their seal for almost 100 years.
Peter I liked the beautiful and rich Don Land and did much to develop it. In 1721 he sent a serf miner A.A.Kapustin who discovered many deposits of coal. The Tsar sent some French wine-makers who brought new sorts of grape-vines and crops... There are many places in Rostov connected with the name of Peter I. During the war between Russia and Turkey he stopped at the mouth of the river Temernik to repair the fleet. They say that Peter I planted an oak on the high Temernik Bank in commemoration of his visit to the Don. Even at the beginning of our century it was seen from distant places on the territory of Panchenko's paper-mill factory. Then the owner of the factory ordered to saw it and to make chairs out of it. He put labels on them stating that the chairs were made of the oak of Peter I.
And Bogatyanovka on «Bogaty Kolodets» is considered to be almost the first settlement on the steep Don bank where later Rostov was founded. According to the legend it was Peter I who called this place «Bogaty Kolodets». The Tsar stopped there during his Azov campaigns of 1695-1696 and he liked the water of the spring. So as you see, the Russian Tsar Peter I
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