THE SETTLEMENT OF VYSHENKY 1 ON DESNA RIVER

Abstract

In 2013, the Livoberezhna Archaeological Expedition made the rescue excavations at the Vyshenky 1 settlement near the Vyshenky village Korop district of Chernihiv region. The settlement is located on the edge of the high right bank of the Desna River. In the excavation area of 120 m2 more than 20 ancient household pits, a number of post-holes and the part of building 1. In addition to some finds of the Bronze Age and Kyiv Rus the main materials date to the 1st millennium AD.
 The lower horizon (building 1, pits 4, 12, 20, 21, 23) belongs to the Kyiv culture of the Late Roman period. The building was probably square semi-dwelling house with a central pillar. Pottery is represented mainly by pots of weakly profiled and ribbed forms. The flattened biconical spindle whorls with a large hole, as well as single fragments of pottery were occurred in the objects. In addition to fragments of typical Chernyakhiv pottery, the fragment of a red slip bowl of the second half of the 4th and the beginning of the 5th centuries, unique for Desna basin region, was found. Obviously, this is t the possible final date for the layer of Kyiv culture.
 The upper horizon of the settlement belongs to the sites of the Sakhnivka-Volyntsevo circle. Pits 6, 17—19, 22 contained the fragments of convex-sided pots with bent rims, usually ornamented with finger impressions on the edge, and frying pans. The flattened-rounded spindle whorls and fragments of clay ovoid blocks belong to the same period.
 The hand-made pottery from sites of the Sakhnivka type is practically indistinguishable from significant part of the ceramics of the Volyntsevo culture, so the pottery of different types which often occurs in complexes with the hand-made ceramics usually becomes the diagnostic sign. In Sakhnivka sites there are sometimes pottery of the Pastyrske type, and in the Volyntsevo sites dating a little later there are so-called “pots of the Volyntsevo type”. However, in the settlement of Vyshenky 1 the household pits of this horizon contained only hand-made pottery, so it is difficult to draw a final conclusion about its cultural and chronological identification.