The stages of interaction of Mordovia's ethnos with the surrounding landscape in the Holocene

The article discusses the features of interaction of Mordvinian ethnos with the natural landscapes throughout the Holocene. In examining of the interaction between nature and society in the early stages of the Holocene there is a number of methodological and methodical problems associated with the heterogeneity and incompleteness of obtained source data. Information about modification of bioclimatic conditions in the Middle Volga region, accumulated so far, allowed to identify the main phases in the development of vegetation, and according to it to reconstruct the annual average temperature and precipitation. The documentary evidence appears in the end of Holocene, which shows the development of certain natural processes in a range of particular years, seasons or even the particular months. It significantly expands the knowledge base of the researcher. It also holds true for the evidence of material culture of antiquity and activities of ancient settlers. In the article the authors analyze the impact of natural bioclimatic conditions on activities of people during various stages of ancient cultures' development on the territory of the ethnogenesis of people of Mordovia. Until the beginning of the Late Holocene changes in the nature of the rivers Oka and Sura occurred almost exclusively under the influence of natural factors in the conditions of subfossil landscapes. Mesolith-ic era is broadly consistent with a significant warming. Anthropogenic influence affected some areas along the river systems. In the Late Mesolithic forests were becoming richer and more diverse, there are some changes in topography of sites: they have moved to lower hypsometric levels. This is due to the spread of the dry climate. Besides, there is a significant decline in the level of water in the hydrological network in the center of the Russian Plain. The authors note that a significant impact on ancient cultures was created through the natural environment and rhythmic variations in climate. It should be noted that settlements of the ancient representatives belong to the certain types of landscapes.