House-Building of the Population of the Forest Volga Region in the Bronze Age in the Works of Russian Researchers of the Late XVIII-Early XX Centuries

When studying the initial stages of house-building structure of the Forest Volga region Finno-Ugric population, the works of Russian researchers of the late XVIII- early XX centuries are of considerable interest. In the late XVIII - early XX centuries the archaeological surveys observed on the territory of the Forest Volga region had a random, episodic character. However, it should be noted that the problem of building long-term structures on the given territory was also of interest to geologists, natural scientists and ethnographers. The result of archaeological discoveries on the territory of the Forest Volga region was the opening and work of the IV Archaeological Congress in 1877 in the city of Kazan, which decided to publish the annual scientific journal "News of the Society of Archeology, History and Ethnography (IOAIE)". The pages of the journal did not only provide the information about newly discovered archaeological artifacts and objects, but also contained a scientific discussion on the possibility of developing house-building among the population of the Forest Volga region.  In this regard, the purpose of the article is to analyze the scientific works of late XVIII - early XX centuries devoted to the study of the origins and development of house-building among the population of the Forest Volga region in the era of primitiveness. The leading approach to the study of this problem is the historical-comparative and structural-systematical method. The analysis of the researchers’ works of the late XVIII - early XX centuries makes it possible to state that archaeological researches and ethnographic realities represented in the evidence of the late XVIII-early XX centuries have eternal source-study value in the study of various life aspects of the Forest Volga region most ancient population. The materials of the article can be useful to journalists, local lore specialists, those who deal with problems of house building and the oldest history of the Forest Volga region population.