Household Pit Research Articles

CHRISTIAN BURIALS ON THE TERRITORY OF CHERNIHIV «TRETIAK»

The cemetery of the Pokrova Church on the territory of Tretiak was archaeologically explored from 1995 to 2021, where cultural layers, buildings and pits of the 10th—13th and 17th—19th centuries, and also more than 350 ground burials of the 17th—19th centuries were discovered. During the research in 2021, a part of the buildings (constructions) of the second half of the 17th — the first half of the 18th centuries was discovered. At that time and before the fire of 1750, there was a production center of potters and blacksmiths here, as evidenced by ceramic and physical material from buildings 1, 2, 16, 19 and several household pits. Later, the cemetery of the Pokrova Church expanded to the vacated site. In several excavation areas it has been found a demarcation ditch (building 10) of the southwestern border of the cemetery, which could have been dug in the 1760s. While superimposing the location of building 10 on the plan of 1787 it almost coincides with the southwestern border of the cemetery. Digging a ditch along the borders of cemeteries and church lands was a characteristic feature of demarcation in Chernihiv in the 18th century. Between the graves in the southwestern part of the cemetery a light wooden (?) sacral structure could have stood. The rounded site, free of burials, with a diameter of up to 7.0 m was recorded in two excavation areas. Of the more than 350 discovered burials most were directed to the southwest with their heads, which could correspond to the orientation of the church building. A significant number of child and adolescent burials was recorded. Thus, during 1995 they accounted for more than 43 % of all burials, which is related to the epidemics of the 18th century. Also, children’s burials are grouped close to each other, which may be related to the family ties of the deceased, or to special places of such graves. Numismatic material and grave goods (body crosses, buttons) from burials and grave fillings indicate its functioning in the second half of the 17th — mid-19th centuries. After the cemetery ceased to be used, the planned direction of the street was built at the end of the 19th or the beginning of the 20th century, as evidenced by building 29 (19th—20th centuries), which destroyed several burials.

The settlement of Konoplyanka 2: a new site of the Cherkaskul’ Culture in the steppe Trans-Urals (results of research on line 1)

This article presents the results of chronostratigraphic analysis of cultural deposits in a sector of line 1 of the Konoplyanka 2 settlement in the southern Trans-Urals. During the excavations, materials of the Srubnaya (its Srubnaya-Alakul’ variant) and Cherkaskul’ Cultures were obtained. The Srubnaya-Alakul’ population was actively settling across this territory in the first third of the 2nd millennium BC. The Cherkaskul’ population came into the region later from the northern areas. Identification of Cher-kaskul’ objects in the multilayer steppe sites is a topical scientific problem. During the excavations of the Konoplyanka 2 settle-ment, the remains of house 1, which contained four wells, a household pit and a sacrifice place were studied. Intriguing was the discrepancy between the obtained data and the results of the geophysical survey. While the intensive rounded magnetic anomalies, as expected, matched the wells and a household pit, the linear magnetic anomalies did not correspond to the con-tour of the house walls. Studies have revealed that house 1 was erected during the Srubnaya-Alakul’ building phase. Investiga-tion of the spatial distribution of pottery was undertaken to clarify the position of the Cherkaskul’ deposits. The study included three analytical stages: the distribution of shards by depth, correlation of pottery types with soil layers, and the planigraphic distribution of fragments. As a result of this exercise, another structure — Cherkaskul’ house 2 — was found above the Srub-naya-Alakul’ house 1. Comparing the contours of this structure with the results of geomagnetic mapping suggests that the linear anomalies mark the walls of the actual Cherkaskul’ house. As such, two houses attributed to two building phases were identified at Konoplyanka 2; their dimensions and configuration were established, and the organization of the internal space has been considered. Noteworthy, the settlement does not contain layers of the final period of the Bronze Age. Due to this, we are dealing with a rare example of the satisfactory preservation of the Cherkaskul’ deposits. Thus, the settlement of Konoplyanka 2 contri-butes to the list of the known sites of the Cherkaskul’ Culture in the steppe Trans-Urals, representing a prospective object for further archaeological research.

Microbial community function and bacterial pathogen composition in pit latrines in peri-urban Malawi

Despite the widespread global reliance on pit latrines as improved sanitation systems, the decomposition of waste within pit latrines is poorly understood. One area needing elucidation is the characterization and function of microbial communities within pit latrines. To address this gap, we characterized the microbial communities of 55 lined pit latrines at three sampling layers from two communities in peri-urban Malawi. The microbial communities of the fecal sludge samples were analyzed for beta diversity, pathogen presence, and functional profiling. Household surveys were conducted and used to compare microbial community patterns to household characteristics and pit latrine use patterns. Compared to activated sludge, anaerobic digestion in municipal wastewater systems, and human gut microbiomes, pit latrines were found to contain unique microbial communities. While the microbial community composition as a whole did not vary by sampling depth, pathogen composition varied by sampling depth, location, and household water source. The inferred microbial function also varied by depth (e.g., increase in methanogens and decrease in aerobes with depth). The richness of lined pit latrines determined from surface samples from eight latrines was found to be representative for a given area. Samples from middle and lower depths collected using a Gulper pump did not provide more information on richness, a result that informs future sampling designs. These findings are important for improving waste-based epidemiology (WBE) approaches to understand community health and waste degradation characterization of lined pit latrines.

Новые исследования Бесланского курганного катакомбного могильника

This article publishes the results of archaeological excavations of five kurgans discovered using geophysical methods at the Beslan kurgan catacomb burial ground in the Republic of North Ossetia – Alania. Smallscale excavations in different parts of the vast Beslan necropolis make it possible to draw some conclusions. Firstly, the development of the necropolis proceeded in the east direction from the Zilgi settlement. Traces of an unfortified settlement were revealed 230 m from the eastern outskirts of the settlement which was identified by presence of several household pits. In this study, the eastern boundary of the settlement of Zilgi has demonstrably been traced at the time of its maximum expansion most likely dating back to the 3rd century AD. A total of 5 kurgans surrounded by small ditches and containing 6 burials were excavated. The earliest is the kurgan 878, which can be broadly dated back to the late 2nd and early 3rd century AD in terms of its construction design of the funerary structure. The kurgans 874 and 875 located on the eastern periphery of the necropolis can be dated back to the second or third quarter of the 4th century AD according to the characteristics of the strap set and obviously they reflect a period of maximum expansion of the burial area. In the second half of the 6th century AD, burials again occurred in the part of the necropolis adjacent to the fortress, as evidence by the kurgans 876 and 877 containing objects of that time. It is most likely that the population abandoned Zilgi fortified settlement in the 7th century AD, which is confirmed by both the known finds from the cultural layer of the monument, and the materials from the burial mounds published in this work. The reasons for this phenomenon have yet to be established; for the time being, it can be suggested that it might be connected both with environmental changes and with the military and political situation in the North-Eastern Caucasus at that time.

SCYTHIAN SETTLEMENTS ON THE PUTIVL PROMONTORIES

Twenty-six sites of the Early Iron Age are known in the middle flow of the Seim River. There are more than four dozen unfortified settlements here. They are located very close to the residential settlement, on the dunes in the floodplain, on the first promontories above the floodplain. Settlements within the modern city of Putivl are somewhat distinct. First of all, it is extremely difficult to ascertain their size. Powerful layers of later time are traced on them. Research is difficult because of the massive building-up of the city.
 Materials of the Scythian Age were found on six sites: Kopteva Gora settlement, Monastyrsky Cape, Kinder House settlement, Gorodok, Nikolskaya Gorka and Molokozavod settlement. The sites were discovered on three capes, one household pit on each. The cultural layer was preserved only within the Molokozavod.
 All settlements are located on the promontories. It is possible that some of them had fortifications in the Early Iron Age, which were destroyed tracelessly by the late reconstruction. The existence of a settlement on the cape of Nikolskaya Gorka is most probable. A lot of Scythian ceramics were found here. The Molokozavod settlement was probably synchronous, and it was a single complex together with the fortified site. Judging by the ceramics, it ought to be preliminarily dated to the 5th—4th century BC.
 Some settlements of Putivl Seim basin are located in pairs. One of them simultaneously remained uninhabited or unfinished. It is possible that such a pair of settlements existed within Putivl. Perhaps the uninhabited satellite of Nikolskaya Gorka was a hill-fort Gorodok.
 Six sites of the Scythian Age are considered within the modern Putivl. The conclusions made in the paper are no more than an assumption. This is primarily due to the paucity of material and the degree of preservation of monuments of the Early Iron Age. The most promising for future research are Nikolskaya Gorka and Molokozavod settlement. However, we can’t hope for significant results in the study of Early Iron Age antiquities on the territory of Putivl.

АРХЕОЛОГІЧНІ ДОСЛІДЖЕННЯ НА ТЕРИТОРІЇ БІЛЬСЬКОГО МІКРОРЕГІОНУ В ПЕРІОД ВОЄННОГО СТАНУ

The article presents brief summaries of protective and rescue archaeological research conducted on cultural heritage sites in 2022 by specialists of the Communal Institution «Historical and Cultural Reserve «Bilsk» of the Poltava Regional Council. The works were carried out on the territory of the modern left bank of the Vorskla River (Kotelva territorial community, Poltava district, Poltava region). The materials highlight the results of archaeological studies of 2 multi-layered settlements – Kotelva II and Staryi Karier. The article presents information about the research history of the sites selected for study in 2022. The reasons that prompted large-scale archaeological research of cultural heritage sites during the Russian-Ukrainian war era are outlined. According to the results of the field work, a preliminary description of the discovered objects and antiquities is given. On the settlement Kotelva II, during the activities of the expedition of the «Bilsk» reserve in 2022, 350 m2 were discovered. 39 objects of the Scythian period were found. The vast majority of them are household pits. In 2022 2 excavations with a total area of 295 m2 were laid at the settlement Staryi Karier. In the first excavation, 16 household objects, a cellar of the Scythian time, were founded and investigated. A Bronze Age dwelling was also discovered. In the second excavation, 12 objects were founded. Among them are 2 dwelling and a household pits of the Final Bronze Age and Scythian time. Important attention is paid to clarifying (determining) the cultural and chronological positions of the studied settlement monuments. It has been established that the Bronze Age layering from the Kotelva II settlement can be attributed to the XIII–XII centuries B.C. During the Scythian era, the village functioned in the 6th – at the beginning of the 5th centuries B.C. Large-scale excavations made it possible to find out that the antiquities of the Scythian period from the territory of the Staryi Karier settlement can be dated to the end of the 6th – the first half of the 5th centuries B.C. Materials of the Bronze Age belong to the bearers of the Bondarikha, Ivanivka and Lebedivka cultures.

RECONSTRUCTION OF PARTICULARITIES OF ANCIENT HUMAN ACTIVITY BASED ON GEOCHEMICAL AND SOIL MICROBIOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION OF SOTK-2 SITE (REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA)

The article presents the results of the first joint soil-archaeological investigations on the territory of the Republic of Armenia. The cultural layers of the Sotk-2 site, located on the southeastern coast of Lake Sevan, were chosen as the object of study. The Sotk-2 played a special role in the settlement system in the region, as it is located on the way to the Bronze Age gold mine. A multi-layered settlement has been recorded here, which settled from the early Bronze Age until the early Iron Age (with certain interruptions). However, only the Bronze Age layer was characterized by the presence of anthropogenic deposits, while only scattered artifacts identified other periods of occupation. As part of joint research, samples were taken from the previous excavated trenches at the archaeological site in August 2021 for laboratory analysis. Analysis of the chemical and microbiological properties of cultural layers made it possible, for the first time on the archaeological monuments of this type, to identify periods with the lowest and highest intensity of human activity, as well as to establish the infrastructural features of the settlement. The strongest anthropogenic impact took place during the formation of the Middle – Late Bronze Age layer. Places for cooking and household pits were localized, where an increased concentration of organic phosphorus, copper, manganese, lanthanum was observed, as well as high microbial biomass and lipase activity. In another site of the settlement in the layer of the Middle – Late Bronze Age, an increased concentration of calcium, strontium and magnesium was revealed, which indicates the possibility of butchering fish in this place. The lowest residential load on the Sotk-2 site, according to soil analysis, took place in the early Bronze Age.

Использование хозяйственных ям для устройства погребальных сооружений на территории могильника Левадки в Центральном Крыму

The cemetery of Levadki located int eh vicinity of present-day Simferopol existed from the mid-/second half of the second century BC to the mid-third century AD and belonged to the Late Scythian and Sarmatian populations. The many-year-long researches uncovered 193 funeral structures. Moreover, 33 storage pits were discovered in different cemetery areas. The household complex with the said pits probably was a peripheral area of the nearby fortified settlement of Zmeinoe. There were two cases of the household pits used as burial structures. These graves resemble the earliest grave type documented in the cemetery in question, i. e. chambered graves (catacombs). The datable materials in possessions confirms this suggestion. One of the graves was cut by an undercut grave from the second half of the first or the first half of the second century AD. The discovered assemblages allow the one to clarify the succession of events related to the history of the area in question. Therefore, this paper introduces into the scholarship the materials discovered in the burials of the cemetery in question.

Royal Palace of Nanyue Kingdom (Materials for the Educational Course “Archaeology of Foreign Asia”)

Purpose is to present a description of the complex of archaeological sites associated with the palace complex of the Nanyue kingdom, and thereby emphasize the importance of regional centers in the formation of Chinese civilization and attract the attention to understudied topics. Results. The palace district in the capital of the Nanyue kingdom was located on the territory of Yuexiu district in Guangzhou, covering an area of approx. 400 000 sq. m. The complex included the remains of various buildings, household and waist pits, wells, a palace park with a pond and an artificial meandering stream. The nature of some earlier finds remains unclear (stilt dwellings or shipbuilding workshop). The palace complex was built no earlier than the 170s BC and existed until the fall of Nanyue in 111 BC. The palace park is one of the oldest monuments of landscape art in China; it probably served not only as a place for recreation and entertainment, but also as a space for ritual ceremonies.Conclusion. In matters of organizing the space of the palace district, the Nanyue elites were guided by the standards adopted in the capitals of the Qin and Han empires, adapting them to local conditions. The studied archaeological complexes demonstrate a high level of production technologies, urban planning and landscape art. One of the most promising areas of research is the analysis of the semantics of the spatial organization and architectural objects of the palace park.

ABYLAI SETTLEMENT — SITE OF THE EARLY IRON AGE IN CENTRAL KAZAKHSTAN

The Abylai settlement was discovered by the author in 2006, and in 2016 the excavations of this site began. This settlement is located in the Karkaralinsky district of the Karaganda region of the Republic of Kazakhstan. In 2016-2021 six field campaigns headed by the author were carried out, the total area of which is more than 1200 m2 (fig. 1). The materials of the 2020 excavation, as well as the overview of the main multidisciplinary studies are published in the paper.
 Excavation area 5 was 185.5 m2. In this area, the remains of five structures with stone foundation walls, as well as household pits were discovered (fig. 2, 3). One pit has large dimensions: 5.9 × 3.45 m along the top, 5.3 × 2.9 m along the bottom (fig. 4). It was filled with three layers of ash and the soil mixed with ash. Perhaps this pit was used to drain the rain and melt water. The burial (fig. 5, 6), which does not belong to the inhabitants of this culture, was found in the excavation area. Such burials belong to the «Korgantas type» and date to the 4th—5th centuries BC.
 Fragments of ceramics (fig. 7), numerous stone tools (fig. 8), among which there are objects for grinding grains and other plant residues, hoes, graters, etc., were found in the excavation area.
 Materials, found in 2020, supplement the information previously received about this site. A large amount of data has now been accumulated. In this regard, the complex of multidisciplinary studies has been launched in recent years. Archaeozoological and traceological analyzes have yielded important results. Based on more than 11,000 animal bones found at the settlement, the composition of the herd, having consisted of sheeps, cows and horses was ascertained. A more important result is the determination of the slaughter season: it turned out that the entire mass of livestock was slaughtered in the period from late autumn to early spring. This conclusion proves the author’s hypothesis about the winter character of such settlements. Part of the bones (over 6000) was found in a large pit measuring 8 × 4 × 0.9 m. These were the bones of sheep and cows, thrown into the pit and covered with ashes. Analyzes showed that all the bones were thrown into the pit at the same time and belong to animals that died in the early spring. This fact is the first case in Kazakhstan of finding the remains of animals that died as a result of spring starvation or epizootic. The entire results of the archaeozoological analysis are now preparing for publication.
 More than 500 stone tools were found at the site of Abylai. In 2020, 150 items were subjected to trace analysis, as a result of which the functions of 139 tools were determined. Of these, 130 turned out to be tools that were intensively used in various cases: earthworks, vegetation processing, work with livestock products, as well as the processing of metal surfaces (whetstones). Moreover, all bars have traces of iron objects (Beisenov, Gorashchuk, Duysenbay 2021). In 2021, a new group of stone tools was covered by traceological analysis. Out of 250 items, 202 had a function determined. Thus, there is a good prospect to study the economic structures of the Abylai settlement. The few grains of cultivated cereals found by carpological analysis, including millet, barley (fig. 9) and wheat, provide additional information about the life of the ancient inhabitants of the settlement.
 The Abylai settlement, like other sites of the Tasmola culture, dates back to the period of the 8th—5th centuries BC (Beisenov et al. 2016; Beisenov 2017). Terminus ante quem of the settlement is additionally confirmed by the burials of the Korgantas time. These burials are dated within the period of the 4th—2nd centuries BC. The presence of them proves that closer to the 4th century BC the Abylai settlement had already been abandoned. A more accurate dating of the settlements of the Saka Age of Central Kazakhstan should be expected in future studies.

Preventive archaeological studies of Neolithic settlement Modrychi 1

The article presents the results of protective excavations and surveillance on the Modrychi 1 archaeological site, located near the south-eastern outskirts of Modrychi village, Drohobych district, Lviv region. During the construction of a new highway bypassing the town of Truskavets, three excavation trenches were placed on a total area of 1,745.5 m2 on the section passing through the western edge of the monument. During the excavations, 137 archaeological objects were discovered, including 3 large amorphous household pits, 4 structures in the form of narrow ditches, and 130 pillar pits. Most objects are grouped and composed of two large overground buildings, once erected on the pillar supports. Considering the likeness with similar structures, which were discovered in the settlements of the Linear Pottery culture all over Europe, these objects are defined as the remains of residential buildings – the so-called «longhouses». The collection of archaeological finds was gathered in the cultural layer, in the perimeter of residential buildings, and in the fillings of objects, which consists of hand-made pottery, flint, obsidian and stonewares. Pottery is predominantly represented by kitchen utensils and there are only a few examples of tableware ceramics. Collapsed vessels and separated fragments were found in very poor condition, which may be due to the alkalinity of the soil at the excavation site. An abundant collection of flint and obsidian artifacts has been collected as well, including nuclei, retouched plates, and flakes. A stone tool (axe or adz) in the shape of a «shoe pad» was also found in the settlement. All these items clearly allowed dating the prevailing cultural layer of the excavated site Modrychi-1 to the Neolithic era. Key words: settlement, Neolithic, Linear Pottery Culture (Linearbandkeramik, LBK), longhouse, flint artifacts, obsidian artifacts.

RESULTS OF ANALYSIS OF OSTEOLOGICAL MATE RIALS OF SCYTHIAN TIME FROM THE HILLFORT BOLSHOE STOROZHEVOE: LATEST RESEARCH

The article analyzes osteological materials obtained during the latest excavations of one of the largest hillforts of the Middle Don culture of the Scythian time – Bolshoye Storozhevoe. The collection under study dates back to the end of the 5th - 4th centuries BC. and has 3650 bones, 1180 of which have been identified to species. The bones are kitchen remains associated with the butchering and consumption of animal meat directly on the site. The analyzed samples are represented exclusively by the bones of domestic animals. Among them, the remains of cattle (36.4%) predominate, fragments of the skeleton of a horse (23.1%) and small ruminants (23.2%) were found equally, pig bones (15.8%) were found somewhat less frequently. The bones of a dog were found, almost all of which were found in one of the household pits. Among the slaughtered animals, as a rule, adults prevailed, which indicates that people were engaged in animal husbandry directly on the hillfort. According to the proposed by E. E. Antipina method, the volume of consumption of meat products was calculated and the herd composition was reconstructed. The basis of the meat diet was beef and horse meat. Goat, lamb and pork supplemented the meat diet. The herd apparently consisted mainly of horses and cattle. There were few pigs, goats and sheep in it.

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

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.

THE SETTLEMENT OF VYSHENKY 1 ON DESNA RIVER

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.

Development of Models for the Rational Design of Different Shapes of Pit Latrine

Specific models for the rational design of pit latrines of different shapes and sizes are presently non-existent. What exist are general design models irrespective of the shape and size of latrine which may not give the actual design parameters needed. This research was limited to the derivation of models that will aid the design of the capacity of pit latrines of different shapes and dimensions for different population of users and under different soil formations and ground conditions. The objective of this research was to derive models for the rational design of pit latrines of different shapes using data collected from 500 different household pit latrines already filled up. Thus, models were derived for different latrine pit shapes and sizes using data collected through the administration of designed questionnaire on 500 households having pit latrines already filled up. Models were developed specifically for different latrine shapes whereas those of other researchers were generalized. These models were calibrated and verified for the rational design of pit latrines of different shapes and sizes. The regression coefficients for calibration were 0.75, 0.65, and 0.50 and for verification are 0.97, 0.98 and 0.99 for square, circular and rectangular pits respectively. The implication of this research is availability of design models for the construction of different pit latrine shapes.

Development of Models for the Rational Design of Different Shapes of Pit Latrine

Specific models for the rational design of pit latrines of different shapes and sizes are presently non-existent. What exist are general design models irrespective of the shape and size of latrine which may not give the actual design parameters needed. This research was limited to the derivation of models that will aid the design of the capacity of pit latrines of different shapes and dimensions for different population of users and under different soil formations and ground conditions. The objective of this research was to derive models for the rational design of pit latrines of different shapes using data collected from 500 different household pit latrines already filled up. Thus, models were derived for different latrine pit shapes and sizes using data collected through the administration of designed questionnaire on 500 households having pit latrines already filled up. Models were developed specifically for different latrine shapes whereas those of other researchers were generalized. These models were calibrated and verified for the rational design of pit latrines of different shapes and sizes. The regression coefficients for calibration were 0.75, 0.65, and 0.50 and for verification are 0.97, 0.98 and 0.99 for square, circular and rectangular pits respectively. The implication of this research is availability of design models for the construction of different pit latrine shapes.

Dwellings of the Kama culture in the Middle Cis-Urals

The paper describes the dwellings of the Kama Neolithic culture, which were studied on the territory of the Middle Cis-Urals. In total, six dwellings are known in the region at the sites of Ust-Bukorok, Khutorskaya (2 dwellings), Levshino, Chernashka and Ust-Zalaznushka II settlements. They belong to different stages of the Kama Neolithic culture. The huts were located either on terraces or in the floodplain. All dwellings had a quadrangular shape. Inside the dwellings, 1 to 6 household pits of the sub-oval or sub-circular shape are distinguished. Hearths are known only in dwellings of the early and Khutorskaya stages Kama Neolithic culture. All huts had no more than one exit. As a rule, it was located on the longitudinal axis of the structure. Dwellings belonging to the Kama Neolithic culture are known on the territory of North-East Europe, the Kama-Vyatka interfluve, the Lower Kama and the Middle Volga Region. The main type of dwellings are structures under a quadrangular shape, deepened into the mainland by 0,20,6 m, with 12 exits, 13 hearths, 16 household pits.

КЕРАМИЧЕСКИЙ КОМПЛЕКС ЭПОХИ БРОНЗЫ СВЯТИЛИЩА МАЛАЯ СОПКА НА НИЖНЕМ ДОНУ

The paper contains an analysis of the ceramic collection of the bronze age sanctuary Malaya Sopka. The sanctuary is located in the Oktyabrsky district of the Rostov region and was investigated in 2017. A little more than 10,000 square meters of the cultural layer of the сentral part of the monument were studied, which is about two-thirds of the total area. On the entire territory of the excavation, there were no dwellings, buildings, household pits, and hearths. However, 10 religious complexes were studied on the site, in the form of a system of ditches of various configurations (ring, rectangular, double ring), 12 objects (stone slabs and layouts, ruins of vessels), which gave reason to call Malaya Sopka a place of worship or a sanctuary. The weakly saturated cultural layer contained tools and products made of stone, bone and bronze. The main part of the finds is represented by ruins and fragments of bronze age ceramics and fragments of cattle bones. The ceramic complex of the site was formed at the turn of the middle and late Bronze age at the base of two different cultural traditions: the local Babino (multi-ribbed) and the newcomer Don-Volga Abashevo culture. The syncretic ceramic complex marks the stage of formation of the early Srubnaya (Timber-grave) culture and supplements the data on the cultural genesis of the middle-late Bronze age with the materials of the cult site.

СЕЛИЩЕ БАРСОВА ГОРА II/42 (КОМПЛЕКСЫ НЕОЛИТА, ЭНЕОЛИТА И БРОНЗОВОГО ВЕКА)

The settlement Barsova Gora II/42 is located in Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug-Yugra, 15 km west of Surgut, on the high bank of the Ob' River. The settlement is being actively destroyed due to the activities of oil companies. More than 20 objects and structures were investigated in 2011 during rescue excavations, some of them are pits of ancient dwellings (sites 1, 2, 6, 15, 19), some are household outbuildings and pits (sites 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 20), two objects have a cult purpose (sites 5, 12). An important feature of the monument is that archaeological structures of different epochs and cultures overlap each other, allowing us to trace the sequence of settlement of this part of the Ob River bank. During the Neolithic Age the constructions of Bystrinsky and Barsovogorsky cultural types were located here, the cultural layers containing ceramics of Vakhovsky type belong to the Eneolithic Age, and the constructions and household pits of Kulugansky type belong to the Bronze Age. An ochre storage pit and a ring ochre structure represent a unique object, which is probably related to ancient rituals. The revealed objects (Nos. 15, 19, 18, 2, 1, 5, 17, 13) are partially investigated and require further excavations.

ORGANIZATION OF THE LIVING SPACE ON THE SEVERIAN VODYANE HILL-FORT

The organization of the living space in the Romenska culture part of Vodyane hill-fort in Zmiiv district of Khakiv oblast is analyzed in the paper. The hill-fort occupies the edge of plateau and a high cape of the right bank of Uda River; it existed during two periods: the Early Iron Age — mid. 5th—4th cent. BC (the forest-steppe culture of Sсythian Age) and Early Middle Ages — the Romenska archaeological culture. In the latter period only the northern part of the site was inhabited (0,5 ha). The Severian neighboring community lived here for 50—60 years (within the 10th — beginning of 11th centuries). A total of 11 dwellings, 2 household buildings, 3 open heating systems (cookhouses), vault, 6 household pits (one of which was used for food storing) were discovered on the hill-fort.
 In the Severian time the hill-fort was built by rows/lines of houses from the southern east to the northern west with the consideration of the topographic level of each separate row. Three building lines are watched and the southern one was probably the earliest. First researchers recorded the entrance to the hill-fort on the west edge of the cape with a rampart. The absence of objects and, practically, of cultural layer in the south-western corner of the yard and along the considerable part of the western edge of the cape provide an opportunity to offer the organization of the living space of the settlement. From the entrance to the hill-fort, the road ran along the western edge of the cape, and the passes between rows of houses were located to the south from this road.
 At least 6 homesteads stand out on the hill-fort. 3 more homesteads can be defined based on the presence of cavities on the site surface. It points to the fact that the organization of the living space on Vodyane hill-fort in the end of the 1st millennium is defined by linear character (by rows) with elements of homestead building. It corresponds to the late period of the Severians’ development, when clan community was replaced by neighboring one.