Don Land

INTRODUCTION «Those who didn’t want to resign themselves to the tsar’s and landowner’s tyranny, who couldn’t stay in their place became Cossacks. Warriors and ploughmen they developed virgin lands of the state fortified them and defended them, extended the borders of Russia. Russia, whose borders have been stretching from the Black Sea to the Pacific Ocean is much indebted by it to Cossacks.» (A. Guliga) «The Wild Field» that was the name of the land where we live now. M. Voloshin described it in his poem «The Wild Field». He called so «the blue expanse, mists, feather-grass, wormwood and tangle of weeds» of the Don Region. Our land has a long and remarkable history. More then two thousand years ago the Scythians lived there. There are a lot of skithian tombs here. In some of them archaeologists found many beautiful gold pieces of jewellery. Some Greek towns may be found in our land at that period. One of them was Tanais. It grew out of a small settlement. Tanais was an important trade centre; several centuries later it was destroyed (4th century B. C.). «The Wild Field» saw many nomad tribes of Sarmatians, Khozars, Hunns, Avars, Pechenegs, Polovetz and later Tatar tribes. It was the witness of the Russian Army’s glory in the Battle of Kulikovo. Cossacks appeared there only in the 16th century…

Tanais

NATURE OF THE DON REGION From the earliest times the Don Cossack land has been conditionally divided into lying plains, hills and mountains. The low plain lies on the left bank of the Don, stretching from the Medveditza River up to Saratov and Astrachan lands in the East and North Caucasian Mountains in the South. The other part of the Don land is comparatively elevated, especially, in the northern part. So called “mountains” are in the Mius district near Taganrog. The Don remains a decoration and a bread-winner of our region. Its source is in Ivan Lake. The Don’s middle width on the territory of the Don region is about 200 metres and in the mouth – 260 metres: It’s depth here is 21 metre. There are several big rivers, which nourish the Don. They are the Aksai, the Seversky Donez, the Mius, the Chir, the Choper, the Medveditza, the Manich, the Ilovlya and others. Moreover, there is a great amount of small rivers, streams, lakes on the Don land. Some years ago spring and summer floods (in April and June) were the common phenomenon on the Don and often they had the destructive character. But now dams and electric-power stations built on the Don regulate its water throw and there are no more big floods.

Don river

CLIMATE Talking about climate of the Don land, the famous historian of the 19th century V. Suchorukov noted its contrasts: “In one part of the land you can see a beautiful sky and smell the air of South European countries, but being in other parts, you may suffer from sea dampness and unbearable heat”. And in our days the climate of the Don region is still the same… The coldest month is January and February when frost is more than 30 degrees below zero. July is the hottest month; the highest temperature is about 40 degrees above zero. Winds are frequent guests in the Don land. They blow, on the whole, from the East and South East in December and February. But in spring winds blow from the west and from the east. In summer main winds blow from the west. Sometimes horrible hurricanes come down to our land. In historical chronicles one can find some interesting facts connected with destructive hurricanes, which rushed along the upper Don in March 22, 1811 and in June 17, 1820. They brought enormous distractions and sank a lot of ships in the lower Don. The Don land even didn’t escape such an untypical disaster for steppe zone as an earthquake. Historical chronicles fixed two earthquakes – in October of 1762 and in March of 1816, which brought distractions to the Cossacks Capital of that – Cherkassk. But, on the whole, nature has provided the Don land with favourable climate and abundance. Cossack’s ancestors used to say: “The God feeds us. Like birds we don’t sow and reap, but we always have enough.”

VEGETATION AND WILDLIFE In ancient times the Don forests and steppes were full of woodfruits, tasty berries and eatable roots. Peaches and cherries, nuts and apple-trees and pear trees were growing there. Currant, raspberry and gooseberry appeared later. Mushrooms could be met there too. Swarms of industrious bees may be seen in the hollows of ancient trees. Fierce wolves, cunning foxes coward jackals and noble bears could be found there. High and rich grass fed numerous herds of elks, deers, and wild horses. Steppes were swarming with snakes. Eagles, falcons, eagle owls, pigeons, swans, geese could be found there. The river Don was full of fish. It was easy for Cossacks to feed themselves and their faithful friends-horses. Cossacks treated nature of their native land very carefully. They called steppe as their Mother and the Don as their Father. They understood that it was their life, the future of their children and grandsons. Nowadays the Don nature has became poorer, some rivers have dried or disappeared, the amount of animals, and birds and fish have shortened. Careful treatment of our nature is a saint duty of every person. To love native nature and to take care of it – is to love Motherland.