The North of Western Siberia and the Cultural Worlds of Eurasia at the Turn of the Eras

Abstract

The article studies the problem of the cross-cultural influence and contacts along the North-South trade route: from the West Siberian forest-tundra to the nomadic communities of the Eurasian steppe, the Black Sea centers and the ancient states of the Middle East and Central Asia during the period of “the turn of the eras”. The authors raises a question about the translation of the alien cultural elements into the local environment, as well as about the readiness of the forest and the forest-tundra communities to respond to these influences reflected in the numerous replicas and imitations of the imported items. The existence of the imported items in the local northern environment, which was also reflected in the creation of their replicas and imitations, was a distinct demonstration that these items despite their originating from an alien culture, in addition to being perceived as the signs of prestige, were also re-interpreted locally and found their place within the system of the cultural values of the North, where they became a significant factor of the local social and religious attributes.