FARMSTEADS OF THE SALTIV CULTURAL HISTORICAL COMMUNITY ON MOKHNACH П SETTLEMENT: SELECTION CRITERIA AND HOUSEHOLD STRUCTURE

Abstract

Farmstead planning of Mokhnach П settlement during the time of existence of the Saltiv cultural historical community within the second half of the 8th — mid-9th centuries is analyzed in the paper. The settlement was included into the residential agglomeration (microregion) with the center in Mokhnach hillfort. Some categories of household living buildings and ways of their location in relation to this or other dwelling are distinguished within the bounds of the largest excavation site 1. Generally, 36 Saltiv sites were identified on the mentioned area; among them there are 4 dwellings, 4 slightly deepened household buildings, 3 summer kitchens, 4 constructions for harvest storage (1 vault, 2 cellars and 1 box room) and 21 household pits (two of them were used to prepare clay for ceramics production). The planography analysis of the present complexes of the excavation site 1 allows to admit that in the south eastern part of the settlement there were 4 farmsteads that belonged to separate families which did their own housekeeping. The usable area was not large (12—18 m2). It points to the fact that a so-called «small family» consisting of 4—6 persons owned a certain household. Borderlines of these farmsteads do not overlap one another — it shows that they coexisted together at the same time. There is enough space for passage of people or transport vehicles between the farmsteads. Structure of household buildings is generally similar. The dwelling was accompanied by a slightly deepened household building, a summer kitchen, a construction for harvest storage, and a certain amount of household pits.
 At the same time, some differences are also can be observed. In two cases (farmstead 2, 4), a small household pit located very close to a household building has been discovered. In the farmsted 3 no summer kitchen was identified, and in the farmstead 1 no construction for harvest storage was found as well. In three other cases (farmsteads 2—4), buildings for harvest storage differed between one another by a form, construction and storage capacity. In the each farmstead the amount of household pits that could coexist at the same time did not exceed 5 units.
 Thus, it can be noticed that the square of the identified farmsteads, the characteristics of the household buildings, amount of supportive household pits and their location point to the quite convenient organization of the living space and the opportunity to do housekeeping successfully.