Culture Settlement Research Articles

The Puzzle of Silesia’s Pre-Roman Iron Age: The Settlement at Graniczna Street in Wrocław

In the autumn of 2014, rescue excavations were carried out at 4A Graniczna Street in Muchobór Wielki, Wrocław. The 2-hectare excavation area yielded remains of a multi-phase settlement, including a stage from the pre-Roman Iron Age. The excavated finds primarily consisted of pottery vessel fragments, alongside a well-preserved middle La Tène Mötschwil-type brooch, daub, and animal bones. Among the identified features were pits, postholes, pit houses, and the remains of a ground-level post building with a well. However, while the structure dates to the Iron Age, its exact chronology remains a subject of debate. The discovery of this late pre-Roman Iron Age settlement in the Ślęza river zone provides further evidence that the area featured a network of settlements dating to the earliest phases of the late pre-Roman period. These settlements bridge the chronological gap between the decline of the Lower Silesian La Tène culture settlement and the earliest discoveries associated with the classical Przeworsk style.

Dog as a part of ritual space in Przeworsk culture settlements: A zooarchaeological case study of Sławsko Wielkie, Poland

So-called “dog burials” represent a common phenomenon discovered on many sites dating to the late Iron Age in Central Europe. The article focuses on zooarchaeological analysis of skeletal dog remains from Sławsko Wielkie, site 12 (Poland), a settlement of Przeworsk culture, dated to the La Tène and Roman periods (3rd century BCE – 5th century CE). Although these deposits were often discussed in the older archaeological literature regarding the ritual sphere of Iron Age societies, they still lack more systematic zooarchaeological research. In this study, we present the results of the research focused on morphotype and life conditions of the Iron Age dog population from the Polish Lowlands. A broad spectrum of methods is proposed, including biometry, age of death and sex estimations, observations of pathological alterations, and contextual and comparative analyses supplemented with radiocarbon dating.

აღმოსავლეთ და დასავლეთ საქართველოს ძეგლების ტოპოგრაფია

Today more than 70 Pre-farming cultural monuments are discovered on the territory of Transcaucasisa. On the territory of Eastern Georgia, The Pre-farming culture, known as The Shulaveri-Shomutepe culture is familiar, which is more developed and relatively better preserved than The Neolithic settlements of Western Georgia. The topography of Western Georgia with a range of peculiarities is radically different from the types of the Eastern Georgian Neolithic settlements. The Shulaveri-Shomutepe settlement, which is known as the Shulaveri culture, is discovered in Eastern Georgia. During the study of the monument the scientists discovered the homes built with muud-bricks. Their design is round or cone-shaped. The settlement types and dwelling environment proves the sign of long life of numerous populations. In Eastern Georgia only the Late Neolithic monuments are found. Because of the warm climate of Western Georgia, the Neolithic human must have lived in a wicker peasant typed house. This conditioned sign of structures is not evident in the West. Only the pits for posts and economical purposes are discovered. So, the remains found in the earth which were used for rebuilding the weaker peasant typed houses that were out of order, only helps the increase of cultural layers insignificantly. According to the topographical layout and scientific observation, consequential migration of the Neolithic settlements from the mountain to the plain is evident according to the epoch. This is the sign of the fast evolution of society. In terms of topography, Western Georgian Neolithic monuments greatly differ. Shulaveri-Shomutepe cultural settlements are presented on the man-made hills and are relatively more developed than the Eastern Georgian settlements. Only very thin layers are presented in Western Georgia. The main thing is that the monuments of all periods are confirmed in the West as well as in the East, which is very important. Today the peculiarities of Neolithic culture remain the subject of discussion and need the search of new resources. The discovery and study of new artifacts may cause the becoming out-of-date of the Neolithic Era and arising of new questions.

Ceramic Dishes Were from the Don Settlements of Gorodets Culture

The author characterizes the ceramic complex of the Gorodets culture settlements, widespread in the second half of the 1st millennium BC in the forest-steppe part of the Don basin. It consists of molded earthenware for kitchen purposes; there are practically no tableware. The pottery had both a smoothed and relief-shaped outer surface (“matting”, “mesh”, “grooved”). The main mineral impurity added to the molding mass during their manufacture was grus (crushed mineral rocks). Sand and chamotte (crushed ceramics) were often used. The dominant type of dishes were pots, the appearance of which is given by 24 reconstructed specimens. Three main and several single varieties of shape of these vessels have been identified. Less numerous are jars and cups, of which three were found in their “whole” form. A significant part of the vessels were undecorated, but most ones were decorated with finger tucks, notches, punctures. The spread of well-profiled pots in the Gorodets environment, which replaced jar forms, is explained by economic interaction with the Scythian culture, whose area covered the southern part of the region.

Spatial Distribution of Finds on the Eastern Outskirts of Poltse I, the Amur Region

On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the first excavations at Poltse IThe study addresses the spatial arrangement of features at Poltse I—a Poltse culture settlement near the village of Kukelevo. An analysis of past scholarship reveals the sources of the modern understanding of the geographic and topographic location of the site and of its present condition. Although Poltse I and Poltse II, which is located nearby, were damaged by plowing in 1968, it is possible to continue excavations and obtain new information. On the basis of published materials, field plans in the archives, and artifacts at the SB RAS Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, the first complete plan of excavations at Poltse I has been prepared, showing the arrangement of dwellings. Certain features of their design are described. Ceramic vessels found in each of the ten dwellings are listed. The vessels were placed along the perimeter of the interior, leaving free space around the central hearth and a passage to the exit. Most were concentrated in six dwellings. Only a few of them were used in everyday life, while most could have been destined for trade and barter. The abundance of ceramics (965 specimens and numerous separate fragments) makes Poltse I a key source for information on pottery manufacture, subsistence, and cultural ties. So far, it is impossible to say whether the vessels were manufactured in situ or imported.

Post-Holocaust Migrations of Empathy: My Star by Felicja Raszkin-Nowak

Felicja Raszkin-Nowak still remains a little-known witness of the Holocaust. Born in Warsaw, she found herself in Białystok as a little girl during the war. Miraculously she survived the liquidation of the ghetto and hid on a farm, from where she was liberated. After the war, she worked at Polish Radio, and after March 1968 she emigrated to Denmark. In 1991, she published her memoirs titled My Star, translated into several languages. They are a faithful and shocking portrayal of war and the Holocaust, written with rare mastery. Raszkin-Nowak’s writing strategy combines several different perspectives: that of a child and an adult, a Polish woman and a Jew, a girl and a mature woman on the threshold of old age. Raszkin-Nowak uses an innovative storytelling technique that can be called empathetic realism. It enables the author to overcome the internal and external distance between the experience of childhood and the experience of war, the experience of cultural settlement and the experience of emigration, the time of events and the time of reminiscing.

Fibule legionowe ze stanowiska w Kwiatkowie, gm. Brudzew. Uwagi na temat technik i technologii produkcji

The artefacts described in the paper come from the Przeworsk culture settlement in Kwiatków, where more than 100 fibulae were discovered. Among the artefacts acquired were three knee-shaped brooches with a semi-circular shield on the head. One of them was discovered in a well; the other two came from the surface of the site. This paper is mostly concerned with issues related to the technological aspects of the production of these items. In addition to the analysis of traces of craftsmanship found on the fibulae, XRF tests were performed to determine the material from which they were made. This approach allows one to supplement the typological findings and reconstruct the process of creating a given object. The brooches were microscopically examined for traces of craftsmanship. The attempt to determine the foundry method which had been applied failed to produce the expected results. Usually, individual instances of knee-shaped fibulae have been recorded at sites in Poland and other countries, such as the Czech Republic. In Kwiatków, however, the discovery contained as many as three such artefacts, though they had not been made in a workshop of one craftsman, although two display a high level of similarity.

Trypillia culture pottery imports with attributes of the latest phase of the Trypillia CII stage in the Funnel Beaker culture settlement Zymne, western Ukraine

Trypillia culture pottery imports with attributes of the latest phase of the Trypillia CII stage in the Funnel Beaker culture settlement Zymne, western Ukraine

중서부지역 청동기시대 후기 취락의 특징과 전개

This paper analyzes the cultural contact and cultural change process of late Bronze Age societies in the Midwest region. First of all, the late Bronze Age was divided into three periods and examined the change in the location of settlement, subsistence economy of each location, intensity of culture contact, motives of culture contact. The settlement was initially built in the highlands, but gradually expanded to the lowlands over time. These changes in location type were closely related to subsistence economy. The strength of cultural contact between the Round Clay-stripe pottery culture and the Yeoksamdong/Songgukri assemblage also intensified with time Because the number of Suseokri-type pottery increased in Yeoksamdong/Songgukri assemblage. The background of this cultural contact is presumed to be closely related to subsistence exchange between assemblages, as can be seen from the use of utilitarian pottery.
 Next, This study traced the emergence and change process of exotic elements in Yeoksamdong and Songgukri assemblage settlements. In the first period, it was confirmed that a set of Round Clay-stripe pottery and Black burnished long-necked jar were mainly buried in the graves of indigenous people. It can be seen that the Yeoksamdong and Songgukri assemblage accepted foreign culture to a certain extent, but it is highly likely that the cultural contact between assemblages was once-off event such as a one-time migration rather than a continuous cultural contact since the number of Suseokri-type pottery found in the settlements is small. In the second period, the Round Clay-stripe pottery culture settlement begin to expand the hilly location, and contact between assemblages also increases. a number of Suseokri-type pottery or a imitation pottery are found in some villages. Evidence of production of Suseokri-type pottery has been identified. These trends are believed to be associated with the resolution of conflict between assemblages and the initiation of a symbiotic relationship, leading to the activation of subsistence exchange. As a result, it is thought that cultural contact has diversified and various cultural acculturation have appeared. In the third period, the process of change to the Round Clay-stripe pottery culture beyond the symbiotic relationship between the assemblage is confirmed. In the Yeoksamdong and Songgukri assemblage settlements, foreign material culture such as Suseokri-type dwelling and wooden coffin tomb with stone mound appeared, and the proportion of foreign pottery is also higher than that of indigenous pottery. Thus, The societies in the late Bronze Age of midwest region gradually show a resolution oftombs of Pyoungyang Jinpari of Koguryo Kang, Hyun-sook conflicts and an increasing intensity of cultural contact over time, resulting in various forms of cultural acculturation. Ultimately, it can be summarized that cultural changes occurred in the Round Clay-stripe pottery culture.

House unit of the Linear Pottery culture?

The aim of the article is to critically evaluate the existing approach toward the Linear Pottery culture (LBK) settlement space in terms of the character of the pits, their fill and pottery decoration style. It is traditionally and implicitly assumed that the pits in the vicinity of a house (so-called house unit) are of the same period of formation, filling, and demise, so their testimony is usually considered comparable. However, research into the formative processes of ceramic material from pits with a spatial association to the house no. 88 in Bylany near Kutná Hora (CZ) shows that individual features differ significantly in terms of structure, and each in its own way is taphonomically unique. At the same time, formative processes have a strong influence on our current perception of the decorative style of Neolithic pottery and its relative chronology. The house unit thus becomes an optimistic assumption in the case of multiphase settlements, which cannot be applied without a better understanding of archaeological sources.

A gold coin from Jastrzębniki, Kalisz district (PL). On the late Celtic coinage in north-central Europe

Abstract Attempts were made in several locations in Central Europe to continue minting in gold, following the Celtic Boii tradition which began to fade after the collapse of the Bohemian-Moravian oppida at the turn of the LTD1/D2 phases (ca. 60/50 BC). The main center for the continuation of this activity was in the lands of the Pannonian Boii, in the Bratislava area, and probably in the Bratislava oppidum itself. This paper focuses on three other minting centers which were established north of the Carpathians and Sudetes among the northern barbarians and which imitated late Boii gold coins: one in the Tyniec group near Kraków, and two in the main Przeworsk culture settlement zones on the middle Prosna River near Kalisz and in Kuyavia. These northern mints, undoubtedly operated by experienced Celtic minters, recycled extremely popular shell staters with solar and lunar motifs that were reintroduced into circulation with a renewed stamp or after having been legalized by adding small additional marks. They also issued various small coins made of electrum alloys, significantly varying in weight (mostly about 1/8 of a Boii stater), with an abstract knob-and-rib ornamentation reminiscent of the motifs featuring on the youngest coins minted at the oppidums in Staré Hradisko (Moravia) and Bratislava. The nominally gold coins issued in the Oder and Vistula basins must have provided the equivalent in supra-regional prestige exchange, which is indicated by their extensive circulation zone. One of the reasons for the disappearance of the local minting traditions among the northern barbarian elites might have been the massive influx of Roman coinage into the Central European Barbaricum in the second century AD.

Active Utilization of Linear Cultural Heritage Based on Regional Ecological Security Pattern along the Straight Road (Zhidao) of the Qin Dynasty in Shaanxi Province, China

Linear cultural heritage—a heritage system spanning time and space—is a large-scale cultural settlement that accommodates various heritage types. Here, we comprehensively explored the Straight Road (Zhidao) of the Qin Dynasty in Shaanxi Province, China, as a gene of traditional cultural connotations and geographical features, and provided holistic conservation strategies and effective utilization paths. From an ecological security pattern perspective, 4399.89 km2 of ecological sources and 19 ecological nodes were identified based on the importance of four ecosystem services—carbon sequestration and oxygen release, water conservation, habitat maintenance, and soil retention. Then, 45 ecological corridors with a total length of 2938.49 km were determined using the minimum cumulative resistance model. The intersections of ecological corridors were distinguished and the key areas of cultural landscape construction were extracted by taking into account the spatial distribution of existing relics as well as the spatial network relationship of prohibited-development areas and existing gray corridors (roads), blue corridors (rivers), and green ecological corridors (shade zones, green belts, recreational greenways). A plan was proposed to construct 98.45 km2 of new parks (country parks: 28.38 km2, forest parks: 70.07 km2) and 101.26 km of new landscape corridors (urban type: 32.08 km, countryside type: 26.49 km, ecological type: 42.69 km). Multilevel landscape complexes should be built to form a functional and networked ecological–cultural spatial structure system. Findings of this study could provide ecological ideas for promoting the reservation and active utilization of linear cultural-heritage corridors on a regional scale.

Corded Ware Culture Plant Gathering at the Narva-Jõesuu IIB Settlement and Burial Site in Estonia

ABSTRACT Plant use of the Corded Ware Culture (2800–2000 cal BC) communities in Estonia and more broadly in the eastern Baltic area has not been systematically studied using archaeobotanical methods. This article presents the first archaeobotanical study from a Stone Age context in Estonia, and discusses plant use at the Corded Ware Culture settlement and burial site of Narva-Jõesuu IIB in the north-eastern part of the country. Analysis revealed the first occurrence of water chestnut (Trapa natans) from a Stone Age context in Estonia and numerous common hazel (Corylus avellana) nutshells. Otherwise, the plant material preserved in the sandy soils of Narva-Jõesuu IIB consisted of charred remains of conifers and heathland species, as well as plants from scrubs or forest edges. The plant species that were found reflect the mosaic nature of the environment surrounding the site. Only wild plants were gathered and used at Narva-Jõesuu IIB; no domesticated plants or signs of plant cultivation were identified.

Copper technology at the Early Iron Age fortified settlements near Lakes Itkul and Irtyash, middle Trans-Urals

During the EIA (7th-3rd c. BCE), the middle Trans-Urals were populated by the Itkul culture of metalworkers. Most of the Itkul sites were excavated in 1960-1980′s, and ever since then the copper smelting technology, and exploited ore sources remained limitedly understood. To provide insight into these questions, we consider the archaeological context of copper production and apply methods of OM, SEM-EDS and LA ICP-MS to analyse copper slag, technical ceramics and ores from the Itkul culture settlement of Dautovo-1 (Itkul-1). This data is considered against the analyses of ores from the EIA sites and the Gumeshevsky mine in the Polevskoy area located 35 km from Dautovo, and the formerly investigated copper slags (Stepanov et al., 2021) from the site of Irtyash-1 located 50 km apart. The obtained results confirm that secondary copper ores of the Gumeshevsky mine, long regarded as the main ore source of the Itkul culture, were smelted at the site of Dautovo-1. We also identify the plate slag as the residue attesting to the most frequently used smelting technique, which consisted of the smelting of secondary copper ores in shallow open furnaces or crucibles and under moderately reducing conditions. The smelt ended with the removal and fast-cooling of slag outside the furnace. In contrast to Dautovo-1, only slags from secondary metallurgical operations were found at the site of Irtyash-1, which aligns with the dominance of secondary copper-working remains at the latter site. The production probably was likely performed on a seasonal basis, the metalworking society was divided into smelters and copper-workers, and the copper supply was likely oriented at both domestic and external (nomadic) markets.

A complex case of trade in metals: The origin of copper used for artefacts found in one hoard from a Late Bronze Age Lusatian Urnfield Culture in Poland

Metal artefacts from Bronze Age hoards have routinely been used to study interregional contacts. Their stylistic and typological features helped distinguish local products and imports by appearance. In the last 40 years, combined lead isotope and chemical analyses of metals have been widely applied to verify hypotheses based on style and typology. This paper is a comprehensive typological and analytical study of a metal item hoard discovered in Paszowice, SW Poland. In the Bronze Age, the area was inhabited by the Lusatian Urnfield culture (ca. 1350/1300–800/750 BC) communities. We expected that at least some of the artefacts would be local products fashioned according to foreign stylistic patterns. The research aimed to determine whether a ‘classical’ stylistic analysis combined with provenance studies of metals would allow more decisive conclusions. This combination of methods could also show how the metal reached the Lusatian Urnfield culture settlement zone. We conducted a detailed typological and chronological analysis to map the distribution of similar artefact types. It demonstrated that stylistic matches for the artefacts from Paszowice occur mainly in NE Hungary, S Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Romania. Selected metal artefacts (both tin bronze items and raw copper objects) from Paszowice were also analysed for their chemical (EPMA) and lead isotope (MC ICP MS) compositions. The study revealed many copper sources used for their production, ranging from the nearest copper mines in the Slovak Ore Mountains, through Eastern Alps and mines in Sardinia, to possibly the Iberian Peninsula. In this way, we identified the potential trade routes by which metal could get to SW Poland: the southwestern and southeastern routes and the Mediterranean-Danube route. The Iberian metal might have also reached the study area from the north – through its redistribution by Scandinavian traders. Our results show that metal from many sources circulated in central Europe during the Late Bronze Age. The Lusatian Urnfield communities were part of a pan-European exchange network and maintained extensive long-distance contacts, allowing metal acquisition from various sources.

Spatiotemporal pattern of Neolithic-Bronze Age settlements and its driving mechanisms in Northern Haidai Region, China: Natural environment, social organization, and subsistence strategies

The spatiotemporal distribution of settlements and their environmental context since the Neolithic is one of the vital components for exploring past changes in human-land relations. However, little attention has been paid to the relationship between the evolution of the social organization, settlement patterns, and the corresponding environmental settings. In this study, the spatiotemporal distribution and rank-size of settlements revealed crucial aspects of the hydrogeomorphic conditions, cultural inheritance, and social evolution in northern Shandong Province based on the GIS analytical methods. The prehistoric settlements were primarily distributed in the pre-mountain plains and low mountain hills due to the change of water volume of big rivers and sea level fluctuations until the expansion to the northern plains during the Longshan period. Determined cultural sequences were demonstrated to be accompanied by different settlement development patterns. Most settlements in an older period were abandoned in the subsequently younger period except the Shang-Zhou period, indicating poor inheritance. The emergence of a middle and high-rank regional settlement system in the Dawenkou-Longshan period suggests a fundamental change in social organization, reflecting the transition from complex chiefdoms to early city-state kingdoms. Such a regional social stratification was intensified during the Shang-Zhou periods when a four-tier settlement system emerged. In addition, the solid cultural importation from the Dawenkou-Longshan period to the central and southern regions brought about the exchange and advancement of production technologies, which once established a solid position in agriculture. However, this was broken by drought and cold climatic events, and the complexity of the Yueshi cultural settlement system that subsequently emerged was substantially weakened. As an important area of Haidai culture, the natural driving force and social organization of ancient culture development from the Neolithic Age to the Bronze Age are of great significance for understanding the interrelationship between the origin and process of Chinese civilization and environmental evolution.

Únětice culture settlements in Rybníky, Znojmo District

Interesting finds from an Únětice culture settlement were rescued in the town of Rybníky in the Znojmo District. The first pit contained a storage vessel with a band at the transition from the neck to the body and a second one in the lower part of the vessel. A similar division of the vessel body into three parts is known only from the Proto-Únětice culture. Also found in this same feature were four primitively rendered clay weights with a horizontal perforation (five more were found several years later). Two bowls and a pot with two handles on the rim (the first specimen of this type in Moravia) were preserved from another feature. The character of the finds from the first pit are very ancient and it is possible to consider their association with the Proto-Únětice culture. While dating the pottery from the second pit is more complicated, with a certain degree of probability it can be attributed to the Late Únětice period.

Consequences of Lake Expansion and Disappearance for the Complex of Bronze and Iron Age Settlements at Bruszczewo (Western Poland, Central Europe)

ABSTRACT The archaeological microregion in Bruszczewo located along the middle course of the Samica River, was inhabited during the Bronze and Iron Ages by Únětice and Lusatian Urnfields culture people. Earlier literature emphasised that the valley floor was an extensive lake during the Bronze Age. Our research aimed to reconstruct the Bronze and Early Iron Age development of the lake and its transition into peatland. Using environmental archaeology methods, we marked the significant turning points in the lakes history. During the Early Bronze Age, a deep eutrophic lake was present on the valley floor, which supported the defensive nature of the nearby Únětice culture settlement. Around ca. 1880–1690 cal. BC, the lake underwent transgression, forcing people to create a fascine in the shoreline zone of the settlement. Terrestrialization of the lake began ca. 790–540 cal. BC with a gradual overgrowing that ended around the threshold of the eras. When compared to the results from other sites, it seems that these turning points were probably instigated by local triggers rather than global climatic events.

Limitations and potential of analyses of cremation remains - Anthropological analysis of bone remains from a Lusatian culture cremation cemetery in Paszowice (Lower Silesia, Poland).

The main aim of the study was to identify which components of the skeleton are best identifiable after cremation, because only few publications pay attention to the best-preserved bone structures in cremation burials. However, such knowledge offers potential for further analysis and methodology development. One of the most frequently and best-identifiable parts of the skeleton were fragments of vertebrae and long bones epiphyses. Similarly, well preserved are structures made of compact bone tissue, for instance, temporal bone pyramids considered as the hardest components of the mammalian skeleton. Analysed cremated human bones remains came from a Lusatian culture settlement burial site situated in Paszowice (Lower Silesia, Poland). The research has been carried out on material consisting of remains of at least 673 individuals found in 649 burial pits. Among them, 279 burials belonged to adults and 102 to children. It was possible to identify sex in the case of 25% of adult individuals - 40 males and 33 females. In the remaining cases, the attempts to determine the sex and age-at-death have failed. During the analysis some degenerative changes were noted. The analysed material also included 23 multiple burials, usually double and one triple. The study was also aimed at illustrating the elements of the funeral rite. The material excavated from 27 burials suggested that the remains had been retrieved from the pyre with particular care - in some of those urns, the arrangement of remains was modelled on the anatomical system of the human skeleton. The grade of combustion of most bones remains in the necropolis in Paszowice ranged from high to very high. In few cases in the grave were found burned animal remains.

Mapping the Settlements of Slavic Tribes of the Zarubyntsi Culture of the 3rd Century BC — 2nd Century AD

Ethnological studies of the Slavic tribes of the Nevrians, Scythians-farmers and Scythians-ploughmen of the 7th–3rd centuries BC in the Middle and Upper Dnieper region on the territory of Ukraine, Belarus and the Russian Federation, which were published in the previous issues of the "Ukrainoznavstvo" journal, approved a new method of socio-cultural anthropology – the method of tribal geography. It was established that in the social life of East Slavic tribes, the main participant was the clan, and not the patriarchal family, family or neighborhood community. Despite the appearance of the works of Bachofen, McLennan, Morgan, Kovalevsky, Kosven and other researchers, Soviet ideas about the patriarchal family as the embryo of society have not yet disappeared in archeology, and the relationship to the community, family and tribe has not yet changed. Archaeologists are still investigating the ethnically undefined bearers of archaeological cultures.But archaeologists know that the tribal system and the placement of ancestral settlements in nests existed on all continents of the planet since the Paleolithic era. Therefore, tribal geography opens up new opportunities for researching the lands inhabited by Slavic tribes - the ancestors of the Ukrainian people, which is of great interest all over the world. Elements of historical geography in the study of the ethnogenesis of the Slavs at the beginning of the 20th century used by V. Khvoika, researching about 500 settlements of different times in Ukraine. L. Niederle developed a map of the resettlement of Slavic tribes from the areas of initial residence, which, according to B. Rybakov's observations, corresponds to the main contours of the territory of the settlement of the Slavs for two millennia. Systematic cartographic studies of the settlements of the Slavic tribes of the Upper Dnieper region were carried out by L. Pobol, a supporter of V. Khvoika's autochthonous theory of the origin of the Slavs. The St. Petersburg school of archaeologists (M. Shchukin, V. Yeremenko, K. Kasparova), which adheres to the migration theory, still opposes the autochthonous theory. Ukrainian researcher S. Pachkova successfully proves the fallacy of the migration theory. We have collected the material of the nest cluster of Zarubyntsi culture settlements in the period of the 3rd century BC – 2nd century AD on modern maps at a scale of 1:850,000 for Belarus and 1:250,000 for Ukraine and the Russian Federation and it confirms the autochthonous theory of the origin of the Slavs and, including, the autochthonousness of the Ukrainian people. These and subsequent similar studies make it possible to reveal the characteristic features of the ethnogenesis of Ukrainian Slavs from the annalistic tribes of Kievan Rus to the Iron, Bronze, and Copper Ages.