Всего в Башкортостане сейчас выявлено почти 5000 различных археологических объектов, из них на территории геопарка «Торатау» — немногим менее 100. В ближайшей округе полосы шиханов, вытянутой по правому берегу р. Белая, известно 30 памятников древности.
As far as it is known, early human settlements of the Sterlitamak shikhan area date back to the Bronze Age (probably the monuments of a more ancient time - the Stone Age - have not been found yet). The general dating of this period is the first half - the middle of the 2nd millennium BC. During that time the shikhans surroundings were inhabited by the cattle-breeding population of the Abashevo (Middle Bronze Age) and Srubnaya (Late Bronze Age) cultures. There are very few monuments of the Abashevo culture in the area, but there are much more monuments of the Srubnaya culture. Most Bronze Age monuments were small camps (settlements) with seasonal or short-term residence.
There are several monuments of the Kurmantau culture appearing from the middle reach of the Kama River and from the lower reaches of the Belaya River to its mountainous upper reaches (Shulgan-Tash or Kapova cave area) since the initial period of the Early Iron Age (first half of the I millennium BC). These are Kushtau West and Yuraktau-3 settlements, as well as Urnyak soil burial ground, the only known Kurmantau burial ground in the Belaya River basin.
The Southern Urals foothill forest-steppe was a part of the summer settlement area of the Sarmatians Scythian steppe nomads, since the middle of the 1st millennium BC. The nomads’ invasion started from the opposite, left bank of the Belaya River, where the Sarmatians left behind a large number of mound graves, as well as individual finds (most often swords and daggers). The most actively the Sterlitamak Shikhans surroundings were developed by nomads in the 3-1 centuries BC. Recently obtained materials claim the Mount Toratau was turned inro a sanctuary in 4-3 centuries BC.
Next stage of the active territory development is dated 3-5 centuries AD. The territory south of the Zigan River mouth was taken up by the Late Sarmatians nomads. The left large burial mounds as Akhmerovsky and Salikhovsky. The ceramics found in the burials and settlements bears evidence of the newcomer Late Sarmatians having close and long-term contacts with the local East Finnish Late Kara-Abyzpeople.
Along with other natural monuments, Late Sarmatian materials were found on the tops of the Toratau and Yuraktau shikhans. They could have been also found on Shakh-Tau. The materials of the Late Sarmatian about the "sacrificial place" on the top of Yuraktau are the only ones. The top of the shikhan was not used during another historical periods.
The Early Middle Age on the Geopark territory is represented by a few settlements of Turbasli, Kushnarenkovo, and Kara-Yakupovo cultures, and individual burials. Scattered funerary and settlement monuments in the western foothills of the Southern Ural belong to the Late Middle Age (the era of the Golden Horde). Scattered funerary monuments include ground burial mounds of the Early Muslim Chiyalik culture (Shakh-Tau) and stone mounds of steppe nomads from Central Asia (Aznayevo-2). Chiyalik ceramics was also found on the top of Toratau mountain.
