Archaeological Objects Research Articles

Textiles in a Viking Age hoard: Identifying ephemeral traces of textiles in metal corrosion products

This paper presents a novel method and terminology to identify and describe textiles from ephemeral traces in metal corrosion products. Since the 1980s, mineralised textiles (positive and negative casts in Janaway’s terminology) have been an important source of archaeological evidence. A major issue now is the identification of textiles in metal corrosion products when only faint traces remain. These traces no longer appear like textiles and are vulnerable to misinterpretation. Confused with metal dendritic structures or the form of corrosion products themselves, they are often lost through handling or cleaned off through conservation practices. This loss is cumulatively significant. To remedy this issue, this paper defines and characterises the form and structure of ephemeral traces of archaeological textiles through examination of metal corrosion products on a Viking Age hoard from Scotland. It defines a new terminology to supplement Janaway: petal shapes, remnant textile surface, ghost textile surface. The analysis follows an investigative inquiry from assessment to laboratory analysis using a Dinolite portable digital microscope, optical light microscopy with Z stacking and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results allow the secure identification of textiles from previously unidentified corrosion features. The method has wide applicability to corroded archaeological metal objects and has the potential to significantly increase the identification of textiles associated with metals and transform current understanding of hoards.

A simplified sample preparation for hair and skin proteins towards the application of archaeological fur and leather

Conventional protocols for proteomics analysis usually start by extracting or solubilizing the proteins from their substrates. This step can be challenging for archaeological proteins, when they are heavily contaminated or decayed. The remains of animal fur/leather objects from an early medieval burial in Trossingen (580 CE) from Southwest Germany were submitted to proteomics analysis for species identification. One leather sample (TS3) yielded enough proteins to be identified as cow using a urea-based extraction (method “U”), confirming the microscopic identification. But two other samples (TS1 and TS2), compacted in a greyish brittle matrix with embedded hair visible only under microscope, could not be characterized with that method. A series of tests was performed using reduction/alkylation with tris(2-carboxyethyl)phosphine/chloroacetamide at 95 °C directly on the matrix (method “95C”), with or without the use of paramagnetic beads as cleaning procedure (from the single-pot solid-phase-enhanced sample preparation or SP3). Hair keratins were best recovered in the fur samples when digestion was performed directly on the insoluble fraction after reduction/alkylation. For both samples TS1 and TS2, an ovicaprine species was identified, with TS1 firmly identified as sheep due to the exceptional preservation of keratins and keratin-associated proteins. The simplified protocol also showed improvements on the identification of collagen in the leather sample TS3. SignificanceNorth European burials had a strong tradition of bodies wrapped or covered in animal skins; textiles, furs, items of leather and other organic materials were essential parts of grave furnishings (as part of the deceased's clothing as well as grave goods) but are mostly only preserved as residues, uncharacterized layers or stains. Even well preserved finds like the waterlogged organic remains from Trossingen show strong limitations for visual identification. Because the traditional protocol was unable to extract proteins efficiently from the soil matrix in which the samples were embedded, a new method was devised that enabled the determination of the sampled fur remains as sheep and the leather fragments as cow leather. Analyses showed that the key step for accessing the proteins in the soiled archaeological samples was heating for 10 min at 95 °C with a solution of tris(2-carboxyethyl)phosphine/chloroacetamide (TCEP/CAA). The protocol proposed in this study offers to work on minute samples (1 mg of sample or less) and overcame the challenge of separating the proteins from their archaeological matrix. It offers interesting perspectives for archaeological sites or objects where clothing are suspected but hardly detectable, such as burial sites.

Війна в Україні: нові виклики для археології

As a result of the Russian aggression, which began in 2014, hundreds, if not thousands, of cultural heritage sites were destroyed or damaged to one degree or another. Against this background, the objects of archaeological heritage, which include settlements, hillforts, barrows, burial mounds (kurgans), etc., stand out. Work on collecting information on damaged archaeological sites began back in 2014. In 2016, after a monitoring mission to study the state of archaeological heritage in the war zone within the territory of Luhansk region, information began to be collected somewhat more actively. Starting from February 2022, when even more Ukrainian territory was subjected to military action, even more archaeological heritage sites were damaged or completely destroyed. Identification and analysis of cases related to the destructive impact of the war on the archaeological heritage is the main task for the near future. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop methodological recommendations. The publication proposes the allocation of three conditional groups of locations of archaeological heritage objects: group A - objects in the zone of cessation of hostilities or in the zone of active hostilities in the unoccupied territory (controlled by Ukraine); group B - objects in the zone close to the front line, military operations were not carried out, but archaeological objects were damaged by the military (territory controlled by Ukraine); group C - objects in the zone where hostilities are no longer taking place, or in the zone of active military operations in the occupied territory. Given the existing information, a preliminary typology of the nature of damage to archaeological heritage objects was developed, which includes 6 items: 1. mounds with partially destroyed embankments as a result of shelling (presence of ruptures from explosions); 2. mounds damaged as a result of the arrangement of protective structures/support and observation point or firing points with the help of machinery or hand tools; 3. settlements, hillforts, and ground necropolis, on the day surface of which there are ruptures from explosions (the integrity of the object is damaged); 4. settlements, hillforts, and ground necropolis that were damaged or destroyed as a result of the construction of protective structures; 5. mined areas; 6. areas with objects of archaeological heritage allocated for large-scale construction of military infrastructure (Crimean Peninsula). The construction of civil infrastructure in the occupied territories is a topic for a separate study. In all cases, the degree of damage is indicated separately. The possibility of supplementing or correcting the data is not excluded, since the research process is at the stage of development. It also offers 4 ways of obtaining information about the facts of the destruction of archaeological heritage sites, including private messages, monitoring of social networks and specialized forums, visual monitoring, and research of satellite images. Key words: archaeological heritage, war, Ukraine, methodology.

НОВЫЕ МАТЕРИАЛЫ ПО АРХЕОЛОГИИ ГОРНОЙ ШОРИИ

The article publishes and examines an archaeological collection of seven fragments of ceramic dishes, found in 2022 in the Kriminalnaya cave, which is located on the territory of Gornaya Shoria in the upper reaches of the Mrassu river. Archaeological objects were found in one cluster with animal bones and the remains of a fire pit near the entrance to the cave and probably make up a single cultural and chronological complex of finds of human life. Fragments of ceramic utensils, of which four were ornamented and two were corollas, probably belonged to three vessels. According to the results of comparing the described elements and motifs of ornamentation of fragments of the collection of ceramic dishes, a preliminary conclusion was made that these finds can be attributed to the circle of post-Andronian cultures of the transition from developed to late bronze.

КАМЕННЫЕ ПЕСТЫ И ЗЕРНОТЕРКИ НА КОМПЛЕКСЕ АРХЕОЛОГИЧЕСКИХ ПАМЯТНИКОВ ТОРОПОВО-7 В КУЗНЕЦКОМ ПРИСАЛАИРЬЕ

The article publishes and examines the archaeological collection of stone objects found during excavations at the Toropovo-7 archaeological site complex in the Kasma River valley in the Kuznetsk Prizalairye. The archaeological objects under investigation have been found in different excavations, which are dated to two chronological periods of the Late Bronze and Developed Middle Ages and correlate with the circle of antiquities of the Irmen and Shandin archaeological culture. The stone pestles and grain grinders found are indirect evidence of agriculture among the population who built this site. The grain grinders found are of the “saddleshaped” type, which were used before the advent of millstones. The studied collection of finds of primitive stone grain grinders and pestles allows us to raise the question of the emergence of agriculture during the Late Bronze Age and conclude that the population of the developed Middle Ages has agriculture in the valley of the middle reaches of the river Kasma.

Методика выделения парных астрагалов Ovis aries в закрытых археологических комплексах (на примере средневекового клада альчиков из Торопово-7А в Кузнецкой котловине)

The article examines a collection of dice, of 91 talus bones or astragalus from domestic sheep (Ovis aries), found during the excavations at the Toropovo-7A cult site in the valley of the Kasma river in the Kuznetsk basin. These archaeological objects were found in one cluster in the upper filling of the soil pit. The archaeological site according to analogies of the totality of finds was dated back to the 11th–14th centuries and attributed to the Shandin archaeological culture. The preliminary analysis of the astragalus collection from the Toropovo-7A cult site showed that it was formed by versatile bones, of which 44 were left and 47 were right, and on 20 bones there were traces of artificial damage. These data led to the question of the real number of sheep that could belong to the found alchiki, since their number could range from 47 to 91. To solve this problem, based on the approach of L. Lyman, a method was developed to identify versatile paired astragalas potentially belonging to one individual. It is based on the classification of bones by cluster analysis, taking into account morphometric differences between the left and right astragalus belonging to the reference individual. The Euclidean distance, calculated from two dimensions: the length of the astragalus along the lateral side and the width of its lower articular block, was used as a measure of distance in the construction of the similarity dendrogram by the arithmetic mean method. As a threshold value, the level of association of reference astragalus served, below which versatile astragalus, united in separate clusters, were considered as potentially belonging to one species. As a result of cluster analysis, versatile pairs of astragalus were singled out from a sample of 75 samples, which hypothetically can belong to 9 animals. Taking into account the results obtained, it is assumed that the minimum number of rams whose astragalus appeared in the collection at Toropovo-7A was at least 80 species.

Методологические исследования Г. И. Медведева

The article deals with the methodological concept of the Siberian archaeologist G. I. Medvedev. The central element of his thoughts was the analysis of the features of the archaeological material. He thought quite original for his time, questioning the main thesis of Soviet archaeology about an archaeological object as an objective source of sociohistorical information. The artifact indicates only the fact of the activity and the time of stay of the subjects of the ancient society, and also provides information about the “physically reliable” parameters. It turns out that any social reconstructions, even of the functions of fossil artifacts, are conjectural, and sometimes fantastic. The rationale for this conclusion is based on an understanding of the specific conditions for the formation of artifacts. This conclusion logically led to the interest of Medvedev, a scientist and methodologist, in the question of how to ensure the reliability of the knowledge produced by archaeologists. His research in this area led him to the project “geoarchaeology”. Medvedev's methodological concept has been formed for several decades and has been presented in scientific papers of different years. In the 1970s, the author and a group of like-minded people in the archaeological laboratory of the Irkutsk State University accumulated experience in conducting morphological and technological studies of stone and ceramics, offered justification for their compliance with the features of archaeological sites. In the candidate's and then doctoral dissertations, practical experience was collected and comprehended, some theoretical ideas were formulated. Even then, Medvedev identified two areas of his research – geoarchaeological and cultural-historical, dividing them not only by subject, but also by the degree of reliability of the results. In the 1990s and 2000s, there was a comprehension and theoretical formulation of the concept of geoarchaeology, which Medvedev considered as a condition for overcoming the difficulties of archaeological knowledge, achieving reliability, objectivity, and reliability of the knowledge produced. The elements of this concept can be considered the definition of geoarchaeology as a science, the definition of its subject area and cognitive boundaries, the analysis of geoarchaeological objects and directions of their study, the identification of the structure and methods of research, the concept of “recognition threshold”, the steps of presenting the author's conclusions.

Група моніторингу археологічних ландшафтів — презентація діяльності та перші результати роботи

In conditions of active military operations in Ukraine, scientists and activists drew attention to the fact that the archaeological heritage of Ukraine is suffering great damage. Archaeological objects cannot be restored after destruction, the information contained in them disappears forever. That is why it is important to draw society’s attention to such issues as the protection and preservation of archaeological heritage. That is why the Archaeological Landscape Monitoring Group was created. Members of the organization actively spread information about cultural monuments in Ukraine during the war and participate in Ukrainian and international events aimed at highlighting this information. In particular, a scientific and practical seminar was held, at which representatives of various educational and scientific institutions participated. The fact that the seminar was interrupted by Russian shelling became symbolic. Much attention was paid to the monitoring of archaeological sites and their museumification. Unfortunately, even in the pre-war period, the archaeological heritage was in a state of crisis, which is manifested in the lack of documentation and the algorithm of actions in emergency situations. During the work, the Group focuses on the problems of the current state of archaeological research in Ukraine and cooperates with scientists in this field at the national and international levels. Keywords: archaeological heritage, military operations, monitoring, museumification, scientific and practical seminar.

МАТЕРИАЛЬНАЯ КУЛЬТУРА ТАТАР УСТЬ-ИШИМСКОГО РАЙОНА ОМСКОЙ ОБЛАСТИ ПО МУЗЕЙНЫМ КОЛЛЕКЦИЯМ

Famous ethnographic collections on the Tatars of the Ust-Ishim region are listed and characterized. Materials on the school museum in the village of Ashevany, obtained during the authors’ expeditionary trip in the summer of 2023, are introduced into scientific circulation. The museum’s exposition is described, ethnographic exhibits and archaeological objects (weight lead, fragments of ceramic vessels) are characterized. Rare and interesting ethnographic objects (elements of a traditional clothing set, a cradle, a dish) were also attributed

Volyn regional Museum archaeological collection on scientific periodical pages of Independence time

The article examines Volyn regional Museum archaeological collection (hereinafter – VRM) through the prism of scientific researches published in domestic periodicals during the period of Ukraine's independence. The relevance of the research is related to the necessity of study and popularization of the transitive archaeological heritage, which performs important sociocultural functions, such as the restoration of historical memory and the preservation of cultural self-identification of identity, which is especially relevant due to modern events, the influence of neighboring cultures and growing globalization. During the research, author characterized the quantitative composition of VRM archaeological collection. At the end of 2022, it had 23,880 registration numbers, which makes the collection one of the largest archaeological collections in Western Ukraine. The author noted that the accumulation of archaeological objects inVRM collections did not go unnoticed by scientists from various cities and institutions. The results of their researches were usually published in the form of articles and reports in domestic scientific periodicals and magazines. The main tasks followed by the researchers were the involvement of the archaeological collection objects to the scientific circulation, their attribution clarification, comprehensive analysis of the incomes. The author assorted all scientific publications related to the VRM archaeological collection according to several criteria. One of the main ones is their writing form and style. Reviews and analytical publications are highlighted. In the first ones, authors described collections or selections of objects, characterized their external features and functional purpose. Most of them are written in short informative messages form. On the other hand, in analytical publications objects from different monuments were compared, was presented their in-depth interpretation, and were drown conclusions about particular ethno-cultural or ethno-historical issues. Almost all analytical publications are written as large scientific articles. Another important criterion for the publications systematization of the VHLM archaeological collection is the scientific publications type in which they were published. Conventionally, they can be divided into informative archaeological collections, regional historical and local history publications, all-Ukrainian specialist publications on archeology and ancient history. The largest number of articles written about the VRM collections belong to H. Okhrimenko, and they were also actively researched by the State Enterprise "Volyn Starozhytnosti" employees. Researchers paid special attention to materials from the Neolithic, Bronze Age, Middle Ages, and early modern times. Despite a significant number of publications, most objects from the VRM archaeological collection have not been introduced into scientific circulation, and many artifacts require re-attribution.

ЧУГУННЫЕ НАДГРОБИЯ XVIII - 1-Й ПОЛОВИНЫ XIX В. ИЗ МУЗЕЙНЫХ СОБРАНИЙ АЛТАЙСКОГО КРАЯ И НОВОСИБИРСКОЙ ОБЛАСТИ (К ВОПРОСУ О МУЗЕЕФИКАЦИИ НАДГРОБИЙ И ПОПОЛНЕНИИ СВЕДЕНИЙ О РУССКОЙ ПАЛЕОГРАФИИ)

Information about unique cast-iron tombstones of the 18th-19th centuries is introduced into scientific circulation. Daria Timofeevna Sutupova from the collections of the Museum of Local Lore of Altai State Pedagogical University and Andrey Mikhailovich Zalesov from the Kolyvan Museum of Local Lore. The epitaphs presented on the plates have been analyzed. The attention of the scientific community is drawn to the underestimation of tombstones as significant objects of Russian archaeology at the turn of the 18th-19th centuries, as well as to the need to study Russian paleography from material sources. In the course of the study, the authors come to the conclusion that tombstones are a sign of the well-todo part of society and a valuable multidimensional historical source.

Дифференциация туристских центров Алтая при формировании сети маршрутов

The article deals with the problems of creating networks of routes for the successful differentiation of the tourist centers of Altai by functional elements. Based on the results of the analysis of existing attractors for tourism and their geography, the features of creating networks of tourist routes in the Altai region are revealed. One of the results of the work was the consideration of the scalability phenomenon when creating an optimal network of routes for the region within the Altai Republic, as well as the southern part of the Altai Territory in the area of its foothill and mountainous parts. The differentiation of service areas of tourist centers in the study was carried out along the administrative boundaries of the regions, in some cases - along mountain ranges separated by wide river valleys and watersheds. The paper proposes a model for constructing a destination complex: a tourist center - an administrative district subordinate to it - a complex of attractors. A “tourist center” is a locality where catering and accommodation organizations, tourist administrations, tourist information or visitor centers, as well as control and rescue services are located. „Subordinate administrative regions“ are administrative regions that include mountain ranges, plateaus, hills or plains within their borders, on which there is a dense network of various tourist destinations that are integral parts of mountain, water, walking and horse routes. On the territory of these regions there are „attractors“ - systems of geographical (lakes, rivers, remnants, peaks, passes, water structures, waterfalls, rapids) and cultural and historical (archaeological and ethnographic) objects.

Территориальные производственно-экономические структуры: типы и их отношения в региональном развитии

The article deals with the problems of creating networks of routes for the successful differentiation of the tourist centers of Altai by functional elements. Based on the results of the analysis of existing attractors for tourism and their geography, the features of creating networks of tourist routes in the Altai region are revealed. One of the results of the work was the consideration of the scalability phenomenon when creating an optimal network of routes for the region within the Altai Republic, as well as the southern part of the Altai Territory in the area of its foothill and mountainous parts. The differentiation of service areas of tourist centers in the study was carried out along the administrative boundaries of the regions, in some cases - along mountain ranges separated by wide river valleys and watersheds. The paper proposes a model for constructing a destination complex: a tourist center - an administrative district subordinate to it - a complex of attractors. A “tourist center” is a locality where catering and accommodation organizations, tourist administrations, tourist information or visitor centers, as well as control and rescue services are located. „Subordinate administrative regions“ are administrative regions that include mountain ranges, plateaus, hills or plains within their borders, on which there is a dense network of various tourist destinations that are integral parts of mountain, water, walking and horse routes. On the territory of these regions there are „attractors“ - systems of geographical (lakes, rivers, remnants, peaks, passes, water structures, waterfalls, rapids) and cultural and historical (archaeological and ethnographic) objects.

АРХЕОЛОГИЧЕСКОЕ СОБРАНИЕ АЛТАЙСКОГО ГОСУДАРСТВЕННОГО КРАЕВЕДЧЕСКОГО МУЗЕЯ: ОСНОВНЫЕ РЕЗУЛЬТАТЫ НАУЧНО-ФОНДОВОЙ РАБОТЫ ЗА 2018-2022 ГГ.

The article presents the results of the acquisition, accounting, restoration and use of the archaeological collections of the Altai State Museum of Local Lore for the period from 2018 to 2022. The main sources of receiving the objects in the stock collection of the institution for the specified period are considered, and a brief description of the finds is also given. Special attention is paid to the restoration and conservation of products that are important for future exhibition projects. As part of accounting activities, the collection in question is entered into the State Catalog of the Museum Fund of the Russian Federation. It has been established that three quarters of the archaeological objects of the main fund of the AGКM are included in this system. In addition, the author of this publication presents the results of using the collection’s potential in research, exhibition, cultural and educational activities.

Cultural Heritage Protection in the Notes of the Ural Society of Devotees of Natural Science (Late 19th — Early 20th Centuries)

This article analyses the practice of public presentation of the cultural heritage protection problems in the printed materials of the Ural Society of Devotees of Natural Science (Ekaterinburg) between the second half of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Currently, the civil society structures are actively involved in the system of cultural heritage protection which makes the study of such historical experience relevant. The author comprehensively analyses the materials of Zapiski Uralskogo Obshchestva Lyubitelei Estestvoznaniya (Notes of the Ural Society of Devotees of Natural Science) (40 volumes) related to the discussion of issues of cultural heritage protection, which has never been done previously. The study uses research tools of the historical-anthropological and procedural methods. The article refers to different sources: published office documents of the Society (minutes of meetings, reports), scientific notes and papers, catalogs. The analysis of the sources demonstrates that Zapiski dealt with the problems of preserving all the main categories of cultural heritage (immovable, cultural properties, intangible). The publications pay significant attention to the problems of preserving book rarities and museum collections, disseminating their own and world experience in this area. The regular topics of Zapiski were the discussion of the problems of archaeological objects protection (registration, methods of study), information about excavations, and random archaeological finds. The important topics of the Zapiski were the popularization and actualization of objects of Ural cultural heritage. This was achieved through the publication of catalogs of the society’s collections and reviews of archaeological sites. Zapiski contains a lot of articles about the ethnography of the Ural population (everyday life, traditions, folklore). Nevertheless, the problems of preserving the intangible heritage were raised very rarely. The experience of protection activities was promoted by printed materials on the interaction between the Society and the Imperial Archaeological Commission, the provincial administration, and foreign organizations. The author believes that the materials of the Notes of the Ural Society of Devotees of Natural Science performed an important function of disseminating scientific and practical experience in the protection of cultural heritage, its popularization, and actualization.

ПОСЕЛЕНИЕ ЕЛУНИНСКОЙ АРХЕОЛОГИЧЕСКОЙ КУЛЬТУРЫ В ПОЙМЕ ОБИ У С. КИПРИНО (АЛТАЙСКИЙ КРАЙ)

Near the village Kiprino in Shelabolikhinskiy district of Altai Krai a series of archaeological objects has been revealed. The main part of these sites is located in the Ob floodplain on the territory of the upland, which was formed during the erosion of the left bank of the river. This earthwork is called “Kiprinsky Borok”. By now, 10 places have been marked on its southwestern edge and in its immediate vicinity, where lifting material was collected after permanent destruction associated with natural and climatic and anthropogenic influences. Cultural layers are found in the blowout and bluffs. In one of such places, conditionally designated “Blowout №5”, fragments from the ceramic ware which analogies can be easily found among materials from settlement and burial sites of the Forest-steppe Altai Elunino archaeological culture of the early Bronze Age were found.

Southern territories of the Chernigov-Ryazan boundary in the XII-XV centuries

Introduction. In investigations of our science project features of historical development of the boundary territory of the South-East of the Chernigov and South-West of Ryazan lands are considered.Materials and methods. More than 450 monuments of the XI-XIV centuries are known on the territory. Among the most known archaeological objects the archaeological complex of Lavy on the Bystraya Sosna River is most important. In the late of the 11th c. this complex became the center of own rural area and the center of trade and craft activity.Results. We come to conclusion, that political borders of principalities were defined by various sources of settling of territory in the Pool of the Top Don. The analysis of the system of settlement at the microregional level allowed studying of settlements both in the system of landscape and within the settlement expanse.Conclusion. From the end of the 11th – till the middle of the 13th cc. the lands of the Right bank of the Top Don were occupied from the principality of Chernigov-Severskiy. The lands across the Don River and its Left bank were occupied from territory of the principality of Ryazan. During the second half of the 13th – 14th cc. the Right bank of the Top Don was in structure of the principalities of Verkhovskye, and its Left bank was in the structure of the principality of Ryazan. To the middle of the 12th century in Top Don the border between principalities was established passed from source of the Don River to the mouth of the Bystraya Sosna River.

Пам’ятки археології під час війни: польовий досвід та юридичний аспект (на прикладі робіт МАЕ у м. Києві та Київській області у 2022 р.)

The issue of recording the damage caused to cultural heritage as a result of unprovoked aggression of the Russian Federation is extremely relevant. The process of monitoring the destruction of objects takes place both at the state level and thanks to the activities of civil initiatives. However, at the present stage, the analysis of losses focuses mainly on objects of architecture, monumental art and religious buildings. On the other hand, recording the destruction of archaeological sites, due to certain features, faces significant difficulties. This situation is related to the unrevealed state of the archaeological objects themselves, the detection of which is possible due to significant landscape transformations. Among the main factors that make it difficult to record the loss of archaeological heritage, the following should be mentioned: problems related to the accounting of archeology objects, issues of limited remote and direct access to sites in the de-occupied and front-line territories, immediate risks to life and health when conducting field research. In order to solve problems in the field of documenting damage to the archaeological heritage, representatives of a number of domestic scientific, educational and museum institutions created an interdisciplinary Archaeological Landscapes Monitoring Group, whose task is to record losses at archaeological sites. Currently, the work of the group is carried out in the territories of Kyiv and Chernihiv regions within the framework of the German Archaeological Institute (DAI) project 'Ukrainian Archaeological Heritage, threatened by war: saving and protection'. One of the conclusions obtained during the work of the Group was the understanding of the need for direct field studies of destroyed areas of landscapes, given the limited use of remote methods of studying and the need for production site-protection documentation, which provides for the cultural and chronological attribution of objects. The article provides a brief summary of the Group's work in Kyiv region and analyzes the compliance of monitoring activities with international standards. One of the conclusions of the proposed study is the statement about the need for a long-term state program for compiling the archaeological cadastre of Ukraine. The crisis in the archaeological heritage accounting system and the existing need to record losses in the field of archaeology during the war allows to restart the system of sites registering at a modern level and with the use of international experience. Key words: cultural heritage, archaeological monitoring, recording of damages, war, archaeological landscape, accounting of sites.

HYPOTHETICAL RECONSTRUCTION OF THE PLANNING STRUCTURE AND ARCHITECTURE OF THE HIGH DEFENSIVE WALL OF THE MIDTOWN OF LVIV FOR THE 13th-14th CENTURY

Lviv is one of the cities in Ukraine that had a highly developed system of medieval fortifications. This system of fortifications was built in the XIII-XIV centuries, modernized many times and served until the 18th century. However, today in Lviv, only small remains of the medieval fortifications of the city center have been preserved in the form of architectural objects - several fragments of the defensive wall and only one defensive tower, which was rebuilt into a tower in the 16th century. These preserved objects belong to the so-called High defensive wall. These are: a fragment of the lower part of the defensive wall on 16 Svobody Avenue, a fragment of the wall and the Povoroznyk tower (connected to the building of the City Arsenal), a fragment of the wall on the Pidvalna Street (to the Royal Arsenal is attached), a fragment of the wall and the remains of the corner Rymarska tower, the remains of the foundations of the corner Shevska tower, a preserved and superimposed fragment of the wall near the Vienna coffee house (12 Svobody avenue), the remains of the wall in the basements of the building on 9 Mickiewicz Square. The rest of the remains of the High Wall are underground in the state of archaeological objects. These unique objects of military construction are not registered as architectural monuments. Also, they are not listed as monuments of archeology. Every fragment of city defense fortifications preserved today is, as a rule, a valuable document of its era and requires careful protection and preservation. Therefore, the study of the architecture of the medieval defense complex of the Lviv city center, which was created before the appearance of firearms, is important both for the history of the city and for the history and theory of domestic military architecture. This paper presents an analysis of the first stage of the construction of the High Defense Wall around the Lviv midtown and presents a hypothesis regarding its architectural solution. Special attention is paid to the issue of the planning structure of the fortified belt. The hypothesis that initially the defensive contour of the High Wall had a rounded shape has been substantiated. The argumentation about the towerless nature of the defensive belt at the first stage of the development of its fortifications is presented. There were two gates at the first stage of the construction of fortifications, which were called Tatarska and Halytska. The architectural solution of the gates was specific. The gate was formed by two towers (semicircular in plan). The gate-entrance with drawbridge was located between two high towers. At the second stage of development, the defensive High Wall was modernized, raised and a number of defensive towers were built. At the third stage, the planning scheme of the fortified belt changes. The line of the High Wall in the eastern span acquires a rectangular character with outward-projecting towers and corner towers.

Topography Staraya Ladoga: Actual questions

Medieval Ladoga (after 1704 — the village of Staraya Ladoga) was the first urban centre of Northern Russia. It emerged no later than the middle of the 8th century AD. The medieval city boasts a unique archaeological and architectural complex, comprising a stone fortress, an extensive settlement, stone temples and monasteries, and various funerary sites such as hills, mounds, ground burial grounds, and Christian cemeteries. Scientific archaeological research has been intermittently conducted at this site for over 150 years. Researchers have repeatedly investigated the topography of the Ladoga complex, whose history reflects the formation of the medieval city. Ladoga grew from a small settlement in the river floodplain, involved in the processes of trans-European interaction, into a major centre with developed craft production. However, it is still debated whether the settlement had a single nucleus or was formed over time from several closely spaced, isolated farms. Another unresolved issue is the nature of interaction between Ladoga and its immediate neighbourhood. Although archaeological research has a long history, there is currently insufficient data to definitively address the questions posed. The article reviews the main works on the history of settlement development. It argues for the need to revisit the internal topography of Ladoga, considering the accumulation of new archaeological material. The article presents the initial findings of the field research conducted between 2021 and 2023. Utilizing new technical resources, a contemporary archaeological map of Staraya Ladoga and its surrounding areas, comprising 55 sites, has been produced. Aerial photography and airborne laser scanning complement each other to create topographic plans, build digital elevation models, and search for previously unknown or destroyed archaeological sites. Unlike aerial photography, which is effective in open terrain, airborne laser scanning allows for the detection of small differences in relief regardless of the degree of forest cover. When processing laser scanning results, only the ground surface is left visible, revealing all relief irregularities, including archaeological objects such as burial mounds, ditches, ramparts, and old excavation contours. The Zemlyanoye Gorodishche (Earthen Castle) is considered the most valuable archaeological site, spanning from the 8th to the 17th centuries. Several generations of archaeologists excavated the site intermittently between 1909 and 2013, covering an area of over 2000 square metres. Despite extensive archaeological research, there are still unresolved issues regarding the development of general stratigraphic and planigraphic schemes for the entire studied area. The imperfection of the methodology used to fix past years is the reason for this. A considerable amount of data remains in archives. Publishing the complete results of excavations, which span over 100 years, is a task for the future.