Yuliana Yu. Gordova
Institute of Linguistics
of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Moscow, Russia
Toponymic Stratigraphy of the Middle Oka Region: The Results of a Comparison of Substrate Toponymy Areas and Archaeological Culture Areas
Voprosy onomastiki (Problems of Onomastics), 2014, Issue 2 (17), pp. 35–53 (in Russian)
Received 12 May 2014
Abstract: The article explores the potential of an integrative approach to ethnohistoric reconstruction. Using both onomastic and archaeological data, the author makes an attempt to reveal the correlations between the substrate toponymy of the Middle Oka Region and the areas of the archaeological cultures found on this territory. The results of the research show that the main types of non-Slavic place names of the region correlate with some important archaeological cultures: Fatyanovo-Balanovo culture, Shagar culture, Gorodets culture, cultures of Merya, Muroma, Meshchera and Mordva. Taking into account the most recent etymologies, the paper provides a toponymic stratigraphy of the territory in the remotest periods: Neolithic Era, Bronze Age and early Iron Age. The author argues that the formation of the basic hydronymic systems of the Middle Oka Region may be dated to the Bronze Age and reliably ascribed to the regional corded ware and battle axe cultures (Fatyanovo-Balanovo, Shagar) whilst the formation of the basic toponymic areas of the North-Eastern part of the region may be attributed to a later period (late 1st — early 2nd millennium AD). The article points out that the toponymic data are crucial for the ethnocultural attribution of the population of the settlements poorly studied by archaeologists. They acquire a particular importance when the interpretation of archaeological materials is disputable or insufficient.
Key words: Russian language, substrate toponymy, Middle Oka region, toponymic area, toponymic stratigraphy, archaeological culture area
References
Ardeev, I. D. (2002). Foneticheskie protsessy v drevnem finno-ugorskom iazyke i ikh otrazhenie v toponimii Volgo-Okskogo mezhdurech’ia [Phonetic Processes in the Ancient Finno-Ugric Language and Their Reflections in the Toponymy of the Volga-Oka Interfluve Area]. Moscow, Penza: Izd-vo PGPU.
Gordova, Yu. Yu. (2012). Regional’nyi toponimicheskii atlas [A Regional Toponymic Atlas]. In R. Yu. Namitokova (Ed.), Problemy obshchei i regional’noi onomastiki: Materialy VIII Mezhdunarodnoi nauchnoi konferentsii [Problems of General and Regional Onomastics. Proceedings of the 8th International Conference] (pp. 78–80). Maykop: Izd-vo Adyg. gos. un-ta.
Gordova, Yu. Yu. (2014). Toponimicheskii atlas Riazanskoi oblasti [A Toponymic Atlas of Ryazan Region]. Moscow: Sputnik+.
Otkupshchikov, Yu. V. (2004). Drevniaia gidronimiia v basseine Oki [Ancient Hydronymy in the Oka River Basin]. In V. V. Ivanov (Ed.), Balto-slavianskie issledovaniia. XVI [Balto-Slavic Studies, 16] (pp. 83–114). Мoscow: Indrik.
Matveyev, A. K. (1970). Tipy bytovaniia geograficheskikh terminov v substratnoi mikrotoponimii russkogo Severa [Types of Functioning of Geographic Terms in the Russian North Substrate Microtoponymy]. In E. M. Pospelov, N. I. Tolstoy (Eds.), Voprosy geografii. Sb. 81: Mestnye geograficheskie terminy [Problems of Geography. Issue 81. Local Geographic Terms] (pp. 106–119). Moscow: Mysl’.
Matveyev, A. K. (1997). K lingvoetnicheskoi identifikatsii finno-ugorskoi substratnoi toponimii [On the Ethnolinguistic Identification of the Finno-Ugric Substrate Toponymy]. In V. V. Ivanov (Ed.), Balto-slavianskie issledovaniia 1988–1996 [Balto-Slavic Studies, 1988–1996] (pp. 30–39). Мoscow: Indrik.
Pospelov, E. M. (2002). Geograficheskie nazvaniia mira: Toponimicheskii slovar’ [Geographic Names of the World: A Toponymic Dictionary]. Moscow: Russkie slovari: Astrel’: Ast.
Sedov, V. V. (1972). Gidronimicheskie plasty i arkheologicheskie kul’tury Tsentra [Hydronymic Strates and Archaeological Cultures of the Centre]. In E. M. Pospelov (Ed.), Toponimiia Tsentra (Tezisy dokladov) [The Toponymy of the Centre. Abstracts] (pp. 3–4). Moscow: Tip. UPP MID.
Sedov, V. V. (Ed.). (1987). Finno-ugry i balty v epokhu srednevekov’ia [Finno-Ugric and Baltic Peoples in the Middle Age]. Moscow: Nauka.
Sedov, V. V. (1997). Kontakty baltov s finnoiazychnymi plemenami v epokhu rannego zheleza [The Contacts of Baltic People and Finnish-Speaking Tribes in the Early Iron Age]. In V. V. Ivanov (Ed.), Baltoslavianskie issledovaniia 1988–1996 [Balto-Slavic Studies, 1988–1996] (pp. 73–80). Мoscow: Indrik.
Shilov, A. L. (1997). Areal’nye sviazi toponimii Zavoloch’ia i geograficheskaia terminologiia zavolochskoi chudi [Areal Ties of Zavolochye Toponymy and the Geographic Terminology of Zavoloshka Chudes]. Voprosy jazykoznanija, 6, 3–21.
Smolitskaya, G. P. (2002). Toponimicheskii slovar’ Tsentral’noi Rossii [A Toponymic Dictionary of Central Russia]. Moscow: Armada-press.
Toporov, V. N. (1997а). Baltiiskii element v gidronimii Pooch’ia. III [Baltic Elements in the Hydronymy of the Oka River Region. III ]. In V. V. Ivanov (Ed.), Balto-slavianskie issledovaniia 1988–1996 [Balto-Slavic Studies, 1988–1996] (pp. 276–310). Мoscow: Indrik.
Toporov, V. N. (1997b). Baltiiskie sledy na Verkhnem Donu [Baltic Traces in the High Don River Region]. In V. V. Ivanov (Ed.), Balto-slavianskie issledovaniia 1988–1996 [Balto-Slavic Studies, 1988–1996] (pp. 311–324). Мoscow: Indrik.
Toporov, V. N. (1997c). K voprosu o drevneishikh balto-finnougorskikh kontaktakh po materialam gidronimii [On the Ancient Contacts of Baltic and Finno-Ugric Peoples according to Hydronymic Data]. In V. V. Ivanov (Ed.), Balto-slavianskie issledovaniia 1988–1996 [Balto-Slavic Studies, 1988–1996] (pp. 325–331). Мoscow: Indrik.
|