Arkaim, Bronze Age settlement in Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia
Arkaim is a Bronze Age archaeological site in Chelyabinsk Oblast that includes two circular wall rings with many connected residential units. The buildings open toward a shared square at the center, and earthen ramparts still trace the outer boundary today.
The settlement arose about 4,000 years ago and was inhabited for a few centuries before its residents left. It was only discovered in the late 1980s, just before a planned reservoir would have flooded the area.
The place shows traces of a society that worked metal and used the flat land around it as pasture and workshop. Visitors see reconstructed furnaces and tools that explain how people here melted and shaped bronze thousands of years ago.
The site lies far out in the steppe, so a personal vehicle or organized tour is needed. The best time to visit is during summer when the paths are dry and the days are long.
The four gates of the circle follow the cardinal directions and let the sunlight fall directly through the openings on certain days of the year. This arrangement likely helped residents determine seasons and festival days.
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