Orsk (Russian: Орск) is the second largest city in Orenburg Oblast, Russia, located on the steppe about 100 kilometers (62 mi) southeast of the southern tip of the Ural Mountains.

[citation needed] From 22 June 1847 to 11 May 1848, the fortress of Orsk was home of the exiled Ukrainian poet and painter Taras Shevchenko.

[citation needed] In the 1930s, the construction of large industrial enterprises, which drew their resources from the mineral rich soils of the region, started.

Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, chronic under-investment, sanctions and lack of reforms led to the loss of 50,000 jobs and 30 plants, Forbes.com reported.

Some of the landmarks of industrial Orsk are 40 archeological monuments including ancient settlements, mass and single grave sites.

For instance, grave sites in Kumak, that date back to the Bronze Age provide convincing evidence to the hypothesis of Eastern European roots of Indo-European peoples.

In the grave sites that date back to the early Iron Age (7th–6th centuries BCE) left by "savromatian" or "sormatian" tribes scientists found many ancient items including a clay vessel bearing the name of the Persian ruler Artaxerxes I, the sixth such vessel found in the world.