THE ASSEMBLAGES OF THE ROMNY CULTURE ON THE SETTLEMENT ZAMKOVA HORA

Abstract

This paper is devoted to the assemblages of the Romny culture discovered in the settlement Zamkova Hora in Lubech. Three residential buildings in total were excavated. One of them was discovered by the expedition of Academician Boris Rybakov, the other two buildings were excavated by the expedition headed by the author. They were located in one row, along the long axis of the settlement at a distance of about 10—12 m from its south-eastern edge.
 The most northern building was excavated in 2011. Its 4 Ч 4 subsquare pit is oriented by corners on the cardinal points and deepened into the virgin soil to 0.3—0.5 m. In the Southern corner at a distance of 0.4 m from the South-West wall of the structure, the collapse of a stove of roller construction with dimensions of 1 Ч 1.7—1.8 m was found.
 The next residential building of the Romny culture was located 5 m South-West of the previous one and was excavated by the expedition of Rybakov in 1958. Its remains are represented by a pit with a subrectangular shape measuring 3.5 Ч 3.2 m, deepened into the virgin soil by 0.6 m. The structure is oriented by corners to the cardinal points. In the South-West corner was a rectangular well-preserved stove. In 2011, the remains of the stove were researched further and additional information about its design was obtained. The stove was built close to the virgin soil wall of the building. Its surviving dimensions were 1.35 Ч 1.20 m. The hearth was measured at 0.7 Ч 0.45 m. The clay walls of the stove of 0.45—0.60 m thick were built on a backfill of black sandy soil with a lot of coal and stone.
 The third building with Romny pottery was excavated in 2012 and recorded 9 m South-West of the building excavated by Rybakov. Its pit measuring 4 Ч 4 m was oriented by corners to the cardinal points. Near the Southern corner the remains of the adobe stove were discovered. The size of the stove was 0.9 Ч 0.65 m. The hearth and its inner part were made of stone and covered with clay.
 Thus, the residential buildings of the 10th century consisted of one row of dwellings of the Romny culture has been found in the settlement of Zamkova Hora. All three constructions were oriented in the same way by corners to the cardinal points and had clay stoves located in the Southern corner and built either using clay rolls or stones. Fragments of the hand-made Romny culture’s pottery prevailed in ceramic material from all buildings. However, there were also fragments of early fine pottery from the 10th century.