On the origin of the Caspian culture

Introduction. The territory of Lower Volga occupies a special place in studying the cultural genesis of Eastern Europe. Prominent cultures of the Eneolithic and Early Bronze Age were formed there and played an important role in the formation of the Volga-Ural hearth of cultural genesis. Equally important is the problem of the origin of the Caspian culture, with which researchers associate the beginning of the spread of cattle breeding and the emergence of the first copper products in the Volga steppe. Methods and discussion. The researchers expressed quite similar views on this issue. The process of Caspian culture origin in the Lower Volga region was considered as autochthonous with the participation of northern components. The substrate basis was the Oryol culture, and the superstrate was the societies of the Volga region forest-steppe. The comprehensive analysis of Volga steppe materials allows offering an alternative view of the Caspian culture genesis. The appearance of several features (collar-like thickening, a combed stamp, the technique of increased spin, producing economy, the dominance of quartzite raw materials for the manufacture of tools, the technique of forced squeezing in the receipt of logs, the emergence of producing farming in the form of cattle breeding, etc.) is associated not with the northern forest- steppe and forest-steppe, but with western components. The comparative analysis of radiocarbon dates of the forest-steppe and steppe Volga, Northern Caspian Sea and Don area supports this version. The chronological priority is fixed for materials of the Don area and Azov region. It is in these areas that the leading features characteristic of the Caspian culture appeared earlier. Results. The earlier complexes of the Caspian culture were formed in the Northern Caspian about 5700 BC. Later its penetration into the Lower and forest-steppe Volga Basin was recorded.