Results Of Archaeological Research Research Articles

Bustanaevo Burial Mound – a New Great Migration Era Monument in the North-West of Bashkortostan

The article publishes preliminary results of archaeological research on mound No. 45, the Bustanaevsky burial mound, located on the territory of the Buraevsky district of the Republic of Bashkortostan. The monument was discovered in 2011, archaeological research began in 2015 under the leadership of A.G. Kolonskikh. Currently, excavations of the necropolis continue in the course of joint research by the Institute of Ethnological Research named after. R.G. Kuzeev and the Institute of Archaeology named after A. Kh. Khalikov Tatarstan Academy of Sciences. During excavations, one single burial was discovered under the mound. Along with the poorly preserved skeleton, the burial contained archaeological material represented by two vessels, arrowheads and elements of a belt set made in the heraldic style, horse bones and iron bits. The data obtained allow us to assume that the necropolis was left by the bearers of the Kushnarenkovo archaeological culture. The preliminary dating of the burial is the end of the 6th - beginning of the 7th century AD.

The case of a mass death of livestock in the Early Iron Age in the steppe zone of Kazakhstan

A mass burial of complete and almost complete cattle and small ruminant skeletons found in a pit within the Early Iron Age settlement of Abylai in Central Kazakhstan (49°15'N, 75°07'E) has been studied. The results of archaeological research and archeozoological contexts have shown that the animals’ burial was a single event. The aim of the work was to determine the reasons for the formation of this accumu-lation. The analysis of skeletal element composition, animal age composition, and the season of their death has been performed. A com-parison of species composition, skeletal element composition, age composition, season of animals’ death and taphonomic features be-tween samples from the pit and the cultural layer of the settlement has been made. Significant differences between these samples have been revealed. The animals from the settlement layer were slaughtered during late autumn-winter, while animals from the pit died in early spring. The bones from the pit were almost all intact, while those from the settlement layer had characteristics typical of household waste. Bones from the “layer” have significantly more postmortem modifications than those from the “pit”. The age composition and the skeleton parts ratio between the samples are different. The analysis of the obtained data shows that in the beginning of spring 89 small ruminant and 6 cattle individuals were buried in the pit in a short period of time. According to ethnographic data, this could possibly be interpreted as the burial of animals who died as a result of spring jute. In the steppe zone of Eurasia, jute is the most frequent extreme event leading to mass death of ungulates. Jutes can happen in summer, when grass burns out with drought. But the most large-scale and frequent are winter jutes, when, due to catastrophic snowfalls, grass becomes inaccessible to animals, and spring jutes, when frosts come after a thaw. During jute, many animals die from starvation in a short time. Small ruminants are the most vulnerable because they are the least adapted to breaking ice crusts with their hooves. Cattle are less vulnerable, and even less so are horses. The following archaeological situation has been observed: all animals died in early spring; many of them were buried in a short time; the remains of small ruminants prevail, there are few cattle and no horses; most animals were probably skinned. This picture is most consistent with the burial of animals killed by jute. As an alternative hypothesis, a sacrificial nature of death of the animals has been considered. However, the combination of characteristics of the archaeological and archeozoological contexts of pit filling allows us to reject the latter hypothesis.

Municipal Defensive Walls in Western Poland: The Example of Żagań

ABSTRACT Many relics of municipal fortifications are preserved in multiple cities in the Silesian — Lusatian region. Research works are mainly focused on area such a history, architecture or technical state, without correlation between these areas. The correct approach is to identify walls, or sections of them, as part of parallel, interdisciplinary research that covers the history and chronology of transformations, expansion phases, and their state of preservation which was also the primary and main goal of the research in case of Żagań municipal defensive walls. Thanks to architectural and archaeological analysis, it was possible to determine the chronology of the transformations and layers of the walls. Combining the results of the chronological analyses (C-14, dendrochronology) of wood samples from putlog holes with the results of architectural research allows hypotheses regarding the chronology of constructing objects to be confirmed or excluded. During the study it was found, that it is recommended to correlate the results of archaeological research conducted within the area of excavations next to the foundations of city walls with the results of the structural analyses of soil and water conditions. It is then possible to conduct a comparative analysis of the identified soil and anthropogenic layers. The correlation of architectural research in the field of the chronology of the construction of city walls with the results of the analyses of the cross-sectional deformation of their structure (based on 3D laser scanning) enables answers about the causes of the walls’ inclination to be obtained. The proposed algorithm for interdisciplinary cooperation in research of historical municipal walls is presented.

REZULTATELE ARHEOLOGIEI BULGARE ÎN ANII '80 AI SECOLULUI TRECUT PRIN PRISMA DEPARAMENTULUI SECURITĂŢII STATULUI DIN ROMÂNIA

The 80' are marked by a broad nationalist in historical research in Romania, a situation similar to that in Bulgaria. A large number of Romanian archaeologists have chosen to collaborate with the Department of State Security (DSS). There is a great diversity of notes made available to the DSS by them, but the ones discussed in this study draw attention to the concern of the DSS towards the results of archaeological research in Bulgaria and their use as arguments in possible future territorial claims. The case of Bulgaria is not unique in ACNSAS documents; the Hungarian archaeological research was equally focused, with the same arguments.

An Archaeology of the Pomeranian Crime of 1939: The Case of Mass Crimes in the Szpęgawski Forest (Poland)

This article presents the general historical context of the mass shootings in the fall of 1939 in the pre-war Gdańsk Pomerania, Poland, and introduces the very term “Pomeranian Crime of 1939.” The executions in the Szpęgawski Forest, where between 2,413 and 7,000 people lost their lives, illustrate of the process itself. The results of archaeological research carried out at the site of the mass killings in the Szpęgawski Forest in 2023 is used as a case study. Archaeological research is shedding new light on the crime and its cover-up through analyses of the material evidence.

Plastic Artefacts from Archaeological Investigations Carried out at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Camp Complex in 2015–2022

This article is a study of the results of archaeological research conducted at the site of the former German concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau and the Jawischowitz forced labour sub-camp attached to it. It discusses historical objects produced from plastics, as a result of chemical modification of natural products or synthesis of products of chemical processing of coal, oil or natural gas. The history of previous archaeological research at the site of the former Auschwitz-Birkenau camp complex and its sub-camps is outlined. The scope and regions of research that were carried out by the authors between 2015 and 2022 are discussed. Plastic products have been characterised by grouping them in terms of raw material and function, distinguishing among other things everyday objects and parts of clothing. On this basis, a comparative base was created, which can serve as a basis for applying a preliminary chronological division of plastic products.

ARROWHEADS OF THE SOŚNIA TYPE – A TECHNOLOGICAL AND TYPOLOGICAL PHENOMENON IN PARA-NEOLITHIC FLINTWORKING

The Sośnia-type arrowheads are an extremely interesting example of combining distinct chronological and technological elements in a single item. These arrowheads integrate technology drawing from the Mesolithic traditions and the Neolithic way of shaping the surface, which suggests that these blades should be placed between the Mesolithic trapezoids and the Neolithic arrowheads. The function of these tools remains unknown, so the name “arrowheads” is based on a functional image derived from the Neolithic traditions. Until recently, the Sośnia-type arrowheads were considered to have been related exclusively to para-Neolithic flintworking known from sites in Podlachia, Lithuania, and Belarus. This view was verified in result of archaeological research conducted in the first decade of the 21st century on Eneolithic sites from southeastern Poland, for example at the cemetery of the Lublin-Volhynian Culture in Książnice. The presence of para-Neolithic elements in the Lublin-Volhynian environment is not limited to the Sośnia-type arrowheads but represented also by other categories of insets with Mesolithic features. In addition, traces of mutual influences have also been observed in ceramic vessels.

Rezultati arheoloških istraživanja na lokalitetu Baričko brdo – Lug (prethodno saopštenje)

The purpose of this paper is to present the results of archaeological research carried out in 2022 at the site of Baričko brdo – Lug near Lukavac. Having above mentioned in mind, the methodology used during the two phases of archaeological research and the flow of work in the field is first briefly described. Next, the condition of the site prior to the fieldwork is described, followed by a description of previous archaeological research. What follows is a presentation of the results of archaeological excavations carried out during all the phases of archaeological research and geophysical surveys carried out during 2022.

Historical Topography of Tsarevokokshaysk

The article deals with analysis of the historical topography of Tsarevokokshaysk on the basis of cartographic, written and archaeological sources. The most informative cartographic source on the historical topography of Tsarevokokshaysk is the city plan of 1795, which depicts the main elements of the urban landscape. Written sources provide the most detailed descriptions of the city in 1728, 1795 and 1837. The results of archaeological research of the historical center of Yoshkar-Ola significantly refine and supplement the data of archival sources, allowing us to localize historical and topographic objects on the modern map of the city. The author describes the objects of the urban planning of Tsarevokokshaysk, starting with its central part – the Kremlin, then the prison and Zaostrozhnaya territory. The description includes information from archival sources supported by archaeological research data. In conclusion, the author characterizes the change in the main features of the urban layout of Tsarevokokshaysk during the period from the founding of the city to the beginning of the 20th century, raises controversial issues of the historical topography of Tsarevokokshaysk and concludes that further archaeological research of the historical center of Yoshkar-Ola is necessary.

Socio-environmental implications of shifting subsistence practices at Diallowali, a Late Stone Age site system in the Middle Senegal Valley

In this paper we present the results of archaeological research at the Late Stone Age site of Diallowali, located along the western edge of the Middle Senegal Valley, northern Senegal. As the occupation spans the period between 3100-2400 years BP, it is contemporary with few other West African sites, and therefore represents a unique – and uniquely detailed – archive. Excavations conducted between 2014–2017 revealed deeply stratified and dense deposits, yielding more than 5,000kg of pottery and 169kg of faunal material – the largest faunal assemblage of any site in West Africa. Thus, the present study focuses on the zooarchaeological data and their implications for shifting environmental conditions, subsistence practices, and social institutions at the site. The faunal assemblage reflects the exploitation of a remarkable diversity of wild animals, including a range of bovids, suids, carnivores, rodents, hippopotami, birds, and various aquatic resources – representing local conditions at the end of the African Humid Period. Interestingly, the consistent presence of domestic livestock, as well as Bos taurus figurines and ceramic ‘arm-bands’ throughout the occupation support a connection to Saharan agro-pastoral communities possibly escaping the Late Holocene aridification. Therefore, the keeping of low numbers of Bostaurus and Ovis/Capra, while maintaining a high reliance on hunting, fishing, and gathering wild plants, likely functioned as a risk-buffering strategy to manage against environmentally unpredictable periods.

The Significance of Annalistic Ulyches in the Early Medieval History of Ukraine

The purpose of the article is to study the habitat of the Ulych tribe on the territory of modern Ukraine, the specifics of their interaction with non-Slavic peoples, and the reasons for their confrontation with the princes of Rus. The research methodology is based on a combination of general scientific (analysis, synthesis, generalization) and special-historical (historical-comparative, historical-typological, historical-systemic) methods with the problem-chronological principle and the principles of scientificity, historicism, objectivity, comprehensiveness and integrity scientificity. The scientific novelty of the work is that, for the first time, historical information about Ulyches in different regions of our country is correlated and analyzed, and their civilizational influence on the population of Ukraine during the Middle Ages is established. Conclusions. The historical information about the habitation of the Ulyches in the Middle Podniprovya, Southern Pobuzhzhia, Podnistrovya, and the Danube region is confirmed by the results of archaeological research. Separate local zones of Ulyches’ settlement were Southern Podniprovya, Southern Kyiv Region, Southern Volyn, and Dnister Canyon. The Ulyches possessed developed for their time agricultural technologies, which were based on agriculture and homestead cattle breeding. The metallurgy, metalworking and jewelry were among the main crafts. The production of millstones from volcanic tuff was a unique technology . The main Ulyches’attractions are numerous hillforts, which were above all things a military camp and a shelter for the population. The ability to build and improve these objects quickly testifies to the presence of developed clan relations, authoritative administration and nobility. The Ulyches and the Tyvertsi were particularly close tribes and had a common area of residence in Podnistrovya. Both tribes together participated in the development of the right bank lands of the Danube mouth in the 10th-11th centuries. Counting the number of known hillforts and analyzing the Ulyches’ settlement area allows us to call them one of the most numerous tribes of Ukraine in the 9th–11th centuries. The long period of wars of the 9th–10th centuries. between the princes of Rus and the Ulyches was caused by the struggle for supremacy in the Dnipro region and possession of the Dnipro river route to the Black Sea.The Ulyches had a special relationship with nomadic peoples, that distinguishes them from other Slavic tribes. The representatives of the southern branch of the Saltiv culture were their neighbour and constant partner in interaction during the VIII–XI centuries.

في التّأويل التّاريخيّ؛ هل يُعدّ الشّعر مصدرًا للتّأريخ؟

If historical interpretation is an intellectual process whose goal is to seek to understand the truth of historical events and phenomena through analyzing the temporal, cultural, and social context in which they occurred, then to better understand the past it is necessary to uncover the driving forces that were behind the events based on the study of historical sources, and to reveal the factors that These events influenced and affected the social, economic, cultural and political conditions that shaped the lives of people and groups in the past. If we take into account that the process of history - as some believe - requires only experienced specialists, can there be room for others to express their opinions in the service of historical issues? From here we may ask the following questions: Definition of historian? Introduce the first basic sources of history, represented by the written source and document, and the second linked to the results of archaeological research, how can poetry and its interpretation serve a historical issue? Taking into account these starting points, we will try, through the example of Mahmoud Shukri Al-Alusi and his book Attaining Knowledge in Knowing the Conditions of the Arabs, to answer our questions.

The marketplace landscape in Santok in the 8th–9th century, NW Poland

Abstract The results of archaeological research carried out on the early medieval stronghold in Santok prove that from the 2nd half of the 8th century it functioned in the contact zone between Baltic trade centres and inland, as one of the points in the network of goods exchange. We present the centre in a broader context, not only from the perspective of discovered artefacts but from the natural and ideological elements of the landscape of this place created by the communities inhabiting the Warta and Noteć valleys in the 8th and 9th centuries. The settlement was founded in a convergence of waterways in a way that perfectly uses elements of the topography of the area. Wetlands were important ecological niches for residents whose lifestyle was associated with exploring both the valley and upland zones. Santok is difficult to interpret merely as a mere reflection of the practicality of power or economic activity, including manufacturing and trade. It is a clearly legible place in the landscape, with a symbolic structure that represents the concepts of the cosmological order related to the spatial organization of the exchange point and the communication node. So far Santok is the only recognized trading post on a waterway, in this part of the Slavic region, with such an early chronology. Thus we have attempted to present the landscape of this place, considering its many elements, at different levels of perception and in a broad context.

SIGNS OF DESTRUCTION OF STONE ARCHITECTURE IN THE TERRITORY OF THE UPPER CASTLE IN POLOTSK IN THE 11th – 13th CENTURIES

The article presents the results of archaeological research on signs of destruction of stone architecture in the territory of the Upper Castle in Polotsk in the 11th–13th centuries. These signs were discovered during the restoration works in 2019—2022. There were found places where the “temple on the Upper Castle” and the “princely house” were destroyed. Three previously unknown sites with construction material were also found. The article concludes that in addition to the three known monuments on the Upper Castle, there could have been two more churches and one building of undetermined purpose. One church was located near the cemetery of the 11th—13th centuries. It was discovered and investigated in the north-western part of the Upper Castle. The second temple was located near the western wall of the Red Hospital. The third monument was found in the private sector in the northern part of the Castle.

NARODYCHI IN THE MIDDLE AGES

The article attempts to summarize the existing published and known archival sources on the history of the Narodychі town, located in the north of Zhytomyr Region. The results of archaeological research of the town are also generalize, carried out in 1925—1927, 2013 and 2020.
 It is mistakenly considered that Narodychi were first made known in the revision of the Ovruch castle in 1545. In fact, Narodychi, as a domain or benefice of the Yelеts noble family, are mentioned in official documents from the 3rd quarter of the 15th century. At the beginning of the 17th century Narodychi grow into a town in which a wooden and earthen castle is built. During the 16th—18th centuries, Narodychі was successively owned to the noble families of Yeltsy, Fox-Potocki and Pavshi. After the divisions of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the town was expropriated to the treasury of the Russian Empire.
 The first archaeological researches on the territory of the town were conducted Ivan Levytskyi in 1925—1927. He explored and described the remains of three fortifications in the center of Narodychi, an adjacent unfortified settlement and a burial mound. The results of these studies remained unpublished.
 The latest archaeological researches of the town were conducted under the author’s direction. During the explorations in 2013, the ancient fortifications sites were identified, the historical topography of the town was clarified, and numerous ceramic materials from the Old Rus’ period, the post-Mongol era, the Middle Ages, and the Early Modern times were found. There were stationary works on the area of fortifications in summer of 2020. As a result, the strength and degree of preservation of cultural layers were clarified, the remains of archaeological objects were recorded (a cellar with artifacts of the 2nd part of 17th century, a wood-chemical production facility, a roaster), the assumptions about the settlement of the central part of Narodychi in the Old Rus’ period were confirmed, data on almost continuous development of town in the Middle Ages was obtained, promising areas for further archaeological research were determined.

Results of Archaeological Research in the Acropolis of Falasarna, Crete

Results of Archaeological Research in the Acropolis of Falasarna, Crete

Mausoleums in the Medieval City of Syganak

The city of Syganak was recognized as one of the major political centers in the middle reaches of Syrdarya in the 11th and 16th centuries. The city was one of the main centers of the Kypchak Khanate, the White Horde, the Abulkhair Khanate and the Kazakh Khanate. For this reason, the rulers of the above-mentioned khanates, famous personalities were buried near the city. The huge mausoleums were built for demand the city became one of the sacred and spiritual centers. The mausoleum – a monument of architecture, built on a grave or cemetery. The mausoleums were considered as the afterlife home of the deceased. According to the constructions of the mausoleum it is possible to determine the social level of people, buried in the mausoleum or to which class they belong. The identified burial grounds and the found objects allow to determine the status, level of social development, worldview, lifestyle, traditions, religious beliefs, funeral rite and social relations of ancient people. The authors set the goal to study, analyze and introduce into scientific discourse the mausoleums №6 and №7, discovered during archaeological excavations in the medieval city of Syganak in 2022. In addition, the authors consider it is important to determine the history of the creation and development of mausoleums. Basing on the results of archaeological research, conducted in the city of Syganak in 2022, the absolute chronology of the mausoleums was determined using the analysis C14, similarities and differences with the same type of mausoleums in neighboring regions were discussed, scientific observations were carried out.

Fortification of the Moscow State in the 16th Century and the Wattle Structures in Central Europe

The article deals with the use of wattle and daub structures in the Moscow state fortification of the 16th century. Presumably in the 16th century there were three possible sources of distribution of such designs in Europe – the Italian states, the Kingdom of Hungary, the Ottoman Empire. On the basis of the analysis of Hungarian archaeological research, Hungarian pictorial sources from the 2nd half of the 16th century and the beginning of the 17th century, we can conclude that wattle and daub structures were particularly popular in the Hungarian Kingdom. The Hungarian archaeological research results and Hungarian pictorial sources from the second half of the 16th and early 17th centuries show that wattle and daub structures were particularly popular in the Hungarian Kingdom. It is hypothesised that Italian technological methods, reflected in treatises on fortification, were transformed in Hungary and that a separate Hungarian technological tradition (Modus Hungaricus) of using wattle and daub in fortification was formed. We can assume a possible influence of Modus Hungaricus technology (and through it Italian technologies of erecting earthen fortresses) on the fortification of the Moscow state in the construction of fortresses in Moscow, Smolensk and some other cities.

The specificity of interaction of the vyatich ethno-political association with its nomad neighbors in the IX-XI centuries

Introduction. Relevance and dating: one of the widely known stereotypes of the interaction between the Forest and the Steppe, considered as economic and social structures, is their innate rivalry and struggle.Materials and methods. An analysis of the data available to historical science suggests that following the stereotypes described above, when considering specific events and consequences of the interaction between the Vyatichi ethno-potestar association and its nomadic neighbors (near and distant) in the 9th-11th centuries, leads to obviously erroneous conclusions.Results. Source base: the sources here are, first of all, the results of archaeological research, which indicate numerous and clear signs of cultural, economic, administrative-military interaction. Applied methods: comparative-historical, diachronic-analytical using an interdisciplinary approach. In medieval Slavic history, one can find examples of different types of interaction between Slavic societies and their steppe neighbors: permanent struggle, principled war, neutral coexistence, as well as cooperation and interaction. One of the specific examples of this kind of interaction is the history of the emergence and development of the Upper Oka Vyatichi ethno-political association, which refutes most of the stereotypes stated above.Conclusion. The period considered in this report indicates, rather, the likely symbiotic reciprocity of the interaction of the Vyatichi community with representatives of the nomadic culture, which over time was destroyed by the military and political activity of the Kievan Rurikovich. The first centuries of the existence of this community demonstrate the enviable productivity and effectiveness of the interaction of the Vyatichi with their nomadic neighbors in various aspects of interaction, ranging from economic, political and cultural enrichment to possible cooperation in the field of animal husbandry.

From Neolithic to Copper Age: two tales of change in the Carpathian Basin

Uivar “Gomilă”, a long-awaited and overdue first volume (of a planned set of three), presents, in seven chapters, a comprehensive account of the results of archaeological research on the site of Uivar, Romania. It reports on 10 seasons of investigation into the north-eastern periphery of the Vinča Culture phenomenon and the occurrence of tell settlements in the second half of the sixth millennium BC. Multiple contributors—mostly members of the original research team—present a well-defined case study of a Late Neolithic tell settlement, starting from general questions about the tell phenomenon in South-east Europe and the Neolithic of the Banat area, where “Gomilă” is located (Chapter 1).