ANCIENT BACTERIAN BRONZE AGE FIRE WORSHIP

Аннотация

This article gives a brief overview of the results of research on the monuments of the Sopolli culture in northern Bactria, as well as the origin, shape, size, functions, stages of development, geography of distribution, geography of other cultures. comparisons with the findings of the eneolithic and Bronze Ages and comments on their periodic dates. It has also been scientifically substantiated that double-fire fire- worshiping furnaces in the eneolithic period continued as a tradition in later periods, i.e. in the Bronze Age, and that these furnaces were observed not in centralized temples but in family houses. KEYWORDS: - Ancient Bactria, Eneolithic, Chopontepa, Geoksyur, Altyndepe, Sapalli, Jarqo'ton, Dashly, Gonur-depe, Yassitepa, Chakmakli, Pessedjik, Togolok, Keleli, altar, fire, hearth, temple 1999]. At the same time, Zoroastrians base their I NTRODUCTION beliefs on the struggle between two gods. Ahuramazda is a symbol of goodness, Ahriman is Furnaces found in the Stone Age sites were not a symbol of evil. The fire, which is a symbol of only for food processing, but also for the creation salvation, is supposedly created by Ahuramazda, of comfortable living conditions, but also as a and the fire serves as a reliable tool in the fight socio-cultural center that reflected the economic, against the giant Ahriman. industrial and ideological unity [1, p. 161]. The worship of eternal fire was apparently The peoples living in these areas have not widespread among the peoples of Indo-Europe, practiced their religious rites without fire since who saw some kind of divine power in the time immemorial. This process began in the burning flame. Eneolithic period, when the custom of divine worship around special devices. This ritual is It is known that the peoples of Central Asia from reflected in the material sources studied in the ancient times began to believe in the sun, that is, monuments of the Eneolithic period Sarazm, fire as a part of it. The worship of fire, its Geoxyur, Changtepa and Aynatepa. During this temples, and Zoroastrianism originated on the period it was discovered that there was one basis of a fire-worshiping religion. common place of worship for the whole The main religious deity of Zoroastrianism is the community. Similar rooms have been discovered sun and its fragment is fire, which is the main in the Naked, Yassitepa, Chakmakli, Pessedjik, purifying element in Zoroastrianism, and its Geoxyur and other monuments of southern traces have played an important role in religious Turkmenistan [3, p. 44-45; 4, p. 87-89; 5, - p. 12- sites, burial rites, lifestyles and religious 13]. ceremonies of ancient ancestors[2, p. 1995- CURRENT RESEARCH JOURNAL OF HISTORY 71 ISSN – 2767-472X https://masterjournals.com/index.php/CRJH CURRENT RESEARCH JOURNAL OF HISTORY 2(5): 71-77, May 2021 DOI: https://doi.org/10.37547/history-crjh-02-05-17 ISSN 2767-472X ©2021 Master Journals Accepted 25th May, 2021 & Published 31th May, 2021 Archaeological excavations of Bronze Age number of miniature, dwarf fires were found in monuments have shown that the fires were of Boston VI Cemetery. They are in the shape of a two types, namely circular and square [6, p. 70- circle, completely replicating the shape of real 78]. The circle has been accepted by many fires. researchers as a symbol of the sun [6, p. 74; 7, p. Rectangular fires are observed in the Bronze Age 47-51]. The rectangle, on the other hand, strata of Sarazm, in monuments such as represented the four elements of the world, "fire Oltintepa, Ilk Tulkhar, Dashli, and in terms of - water - earth - air", and thus a solid system, a distribution do not occupy a much larger area whole was achieved, uniting the basic lines of the than circular fires and are numerically deficient. universe [8, p. 630]. Therefore, fires of this type In the case of Jarqo'ton, it is difficult to believe are considered sacred. The discovery of a that the square-shaped fires were divine in circular altar in a woman's tomb Although nature. Because it is located in the center of a Mother Earth is revered close to the sun, which simple utility room, the walls are burnt like a shares energy and heat, we can interpret the man furnace and seem to have served as a furnace as the guardian of the four sacred elements, rather than a natural divinity. In general, circular namely, the sanctity and purity of the earth, fresh fireplaces are characteristic of Sopolli culture, air and water. The walls of the fireplaces are and its earliest specimens, i.e. prototypes, are made of specially baked clay, they are made of also found in tombs. clean earth, there are no additives in the composition. They are mainly made on sofas The coals burned in the fires were kept in special built at a height of 50-60 cm in the central part of pots, and the inhabitants of the Bronze Age the rooms. considered the fire sacred and regarded the ashes as its product. For this reason, the Circle-shaped fires have been known in Central inh