Results Of Archaeological Research Research Articles

Animal remains from the late medieval Chornobyl hillfort (12–13th cent. AD) in Ukraine

The paper presents the results of archaeological research on animal remains found in the territory of Chornobyl hillfort and its surroundings. The Medieval Chornobyl was an important settlement of the sparsely populated Kyivan Polesia, a vast land of peat bogs and boreal forests. Today, the city is the centre of Chornobyl Exclusion Zone that was established after the 1986 nuclear disaster. Archaeological surveys have been conducted in this restricted area since 2003 and a significant amount of materials has been amassed during excavations of Chornobyl hillfort. In this paper, we analyse 1060 specimens of fish, birds and small mammal remains in order to reconstruct the economy of the Chornobyl hillfort and the environmental conditions of the surrounding area. The obtained result allow to suggest that (1) fishing and hunting played a considerably higher role in life of the settlement as opposed to animal husbandry, (2) the latter was insignificant because of the surrounding environmental conditions, in particular due to the predominating areas of wetlands and forests, and the small portion of arable lands. When comparing the current species composition of the Chornobyl area with the list of identified medieval remains, we can notice that species dynamics have been affected by both natural (warming, shifts of natural zones) and anthropogenic (fishing, hunting, deforestation disturbance, wetland drainage) factors. In general, our results suggest that the Medieval Chornobyl was surrounded by a typical boreal faunal assemblage with a predominance of water-related (waterfowl and semi-aquatic) species among its terrestrial component.

Brama zamku „Golesz” w Krajowicach w świetle badań archeologicznych i prac zabezpieczająco-restauratorskich prowadzonych w latach 2010–2019

The subject of the article is a gate of the medieval and modern period castle “Golesz” in the former Sandomierz land. First of all, there is a description of the gate as the only element of the castle that survived on the surface in a degenerate form and was described in this form at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. Later, the results of archaeological research and conservation work carried out in 2010–2019 have been presented. A gate system (12×10 m) was recognized, with a thickened section housing two small rooms on the right, a 4-meter-wide passageway in the centre and an outer wall with a buttress on the left. The exposed walls were secured and left in the form of a permanent ruin. Both stages of work at the site have been thoroughly documented on the basis of 3D laser scanning technologies.

Фараб оазисіндегі Оғыз мемлекетінің саяси орталықтары

In the early Middle Ages, urban culture flourished in the southern regions of Kazakhstan. The middle flow of the Syr Darya River, where settlement and nomadic culture were found, had become a homeland for many tribes. Many states founded in the Middle Ages planned to annex the lands of the Syrdaria, where agriculture and trade flourished. The states of Samanits, Karluks, Karakhanids asserted their dominance in these areas and focused on the development of urban culture. When the Oghuz tribes conquered the lands in the middle flows of the Syr Darya and founded a great power, they perceived the culture of the city as a great driving force behind the growth and prosperity of the state. In the X century, the Oghuz state, which subjugated the lands in the middle flows of the Syr Darya, in order to strengthen its power and improve the management of the conquered lands turned several cities of the Farab oasis into their political centers. Oghuz rulers did not begin to destroy cities with developed urban culture; on the contrary, they contributed to their development. It is necessary to note that in medieval Arab and Persian written sources there is information about the state of Oghuz. The political centers of state of Oghuz state were the cities in the lower flows of Syr Darya. There is information about the city of Zhankent (Dikh-i-nau, Shahrken), the political center of the Oguz state in the X-XI centuries. However, the lack of information in medieval written sources about the Oghuz cities located in the middle flow of the Syr Darya encouraged the authors to write this article in order to determine the political centers of the Oghuz state. The article analyzes the results of archaeological research and written sources related to the political centers of the Oghuz state. Structural analysis of the urban culture of the Oghuz state, allowed to determine their role and place in the geographical space of Farab.

Zniszczenie Wiślicy w 1135 roku w świetle przekazów źródłowych i literatury historycznej (część I: źródła)

Article titled Destruction of Wiślica in 1135 in light of source records and historical literature (part 1. Sources) is the first part of a two-stage cycle dedicated to the presentation of source records and historical research related to the invasion of the city in 1135. The author analyses messages from medieval chronicles and annals, and records the results of archaeological research conducted in the area of Wiślica over several decades. When it comes to narrative sources, the original story about the city's disaster is contained only in the Polish Chronicle by Wincenty Kadlubek. Other chronicles (Dzierzwa's, Greater Poland's, Dlugosz's) present shortened or extended versions of the original. Therefore, they don't have the values of independent records. The situation of Polish annals looks similar. Valuable content, from a historical point of view, are contained only in the oldest annals, derived from the so-called Annales regni Polonorum deperditi –Annals of the Krakow Chapter and the Short Annals. The late fourteenth-to-fifteenth century annals provide information that is the effect of the authors' conjectures. Most probably, the lost old annals were also the basis of the story by Wincenty Kadlubek. The chronicler, known for showing off rhetorically, extended the one-page message from the annals into an extensive (3 chapters of the third book of the chronicles) narrative about the destruction of Wiślica by the son of the Russian prince Volodar. According to the author of the article, the colourful tale of revenge, betrayal, bloody slaughter and punishment for infidelity is the product of the chronicler's imagination. The plot of the account was based on themes drawn, above all, from the biography of Piotr Wlostowic. In this situation, Kadlubek's account can't be the foundation for the reconstruction of events in Wiślica in 1135. The basis of knowledge about the city's fate will remain mentions in the oldest annals, supplemented by the results of archaeological explorations. The results of the search so far, abounding in interesting finds require, however, a thorough study. A modest message from annals can get significant support, after reconciling, among others, chronology of relics of buildings and artefacts discovered in Wiślica and surrounding areas.

Підплитові могильники на Волині та Галицько-Волинському пограниччі: верифікація і каталогізація

Based on the elaboration of a wide range of sources and literature, several archaeological sites, which represent the under-slab burial grounds of princely age on the territory of Volhynian land and Galician-Volynian borderline are distinguished. The source base has verified, new and little known facts of the results of archaeological research carried out during the end of XIX-XX centuries are introduced to the academic community. The proposed work is based on the principle of cataloging, rather than interpreting highlighted material or determining their genesis etc. Instead of that, an attempt was made to delineate as closely as possible the circumstances of the discovery, the study history and, most importantly, the topography, shape and context of the burial object in all its possible aspects. The problems of the presence under the slab burial grounds on the territory of the Ukrainian Sub-Carpathian region has repeatedly attracted the attention of Ukrainian, Polish and Slovak researchers, and consequently produced different theories as to their origin. However, the main focus of scientists is still concentrated mainly on the sites of the highest accumulation of under the slab burial grounds in the Dnister River Basin. The necropolises, which have been found in the territory of Volhyn (Western Bug, Styr and Horyn basins), either skip the attention or concisely note the presence of only separate under the slab graves within the cemeteries. Fair to say, the main reason for this tendency is the lack of comprehensive information on the subject of research in the scientific literature. It is determined the expending of such works in this area, the embodiment of which is the proposed article. It was investigated that a significant part of under the slab burial grounds was accidentally discovered or did not attract the attention of the scientists during stationary studies, so information on them is extremely limited. Despite this, there is still a noticeable tendency to found luxury objects in under the slab burials. Information about the location of individual burials, their amount, and characteristic are managed to expand. Their topography is represented by the southern part of Volhynian land. Key words: Middle Ages, Rus’, Volhyn, under the slab burials, necropolises, grave, funeral culture.

THE ROLE OF SOUTHERN UZBEKISTAN IN THE SYSTEM OF BRONZE AGE TRADE ROADS

This article analyzes the role of Southern Uzbekistan in the system of Bronze Age trade roads. Results of archaeological researches and information of scientific literatures were analyzed in historical aspect

Trench art between memory and oblivion: a report from Poland (and Syria)

ABSTRACTThis paper summarises some of the results of archaeological research on twentieth century military heritage in the Polish woodlands, namely the discovery of artefacts made, remade, and personalised by soldiers, prisoners of war, and civilians during military conflicts. Such objects are examples of so-called ‘trench art’. I draw attention to the universality of trench art, a phenomenon that is usually associated with the past conflicts such as the Napoleonic Wars and the First and Second World Wars. Nonetheless, trench art is, in its complexity, diversity and affectivity, an integral part of modern warfare, including the recent tragic conflict in Syria. After presenting the project and some examples of trench art documented during the research, I discuss a unique artistic intervention entitled Painting on Death to illustrate the affective, aesthetic, and political value of modern trench art.

Origins of the crop production in Ukraine (on the materials of historical and archeological research)

Aim – on the basis of literary sources analysis and results of archaeological research, to define sortiment of cultivated plants were grown in the most ancient known period of agriculture in the territory of Ukraine – Trypillia culture, and also the state of agriculture in that time. Results. There is determined that the agriculture on the territory of Ukraine arose on the basis of a crops introduced from the South West Asian cultivated plants origin center through Balkans and Caucasus. The Trypillia tribes growed hulled wheats - emmer and eincorn, barley hulled and nacked, leguminous plants – peas and vetch ervilia. These crops were well adapted by their biological characteristics – resistance to climatic conditions, tolerance to soil conditions and resistance to fungal diseases – both to natural conditions and to primitive griculture level: tillage with horn and wood tools, harvesting not by sickles but by special devices for breaking off ears etc. At the same time, they satisfied people with nutritional and qualitative properties. Use by ancient growers of wild flora – herbaceous, fruit, nutty, berry plants, grapes, forest species is considered. These crops were the start from which agriculture began in Ukraine. In the modern period in Ukraine, as in the whole world, interest in ancient crops as sources of "healthy nutrition" is renewed. On the basis of ancient forms of spelt and emmer, domestic breeding varieties were created. Conclusions. The most ancient known period of agriculture on the territory of Ukraine is Trypillia culture. The Trypillia tribes grew hulled wheats, barley, peas and ervil vetch. These crops were well adapted both to natural conditions and to the primitive agriculture level. Plants of wild-growing flora were used also. Ukraine is not included in the primary or secondary cultivated plants origin centers. But the talent and industriousness of the population in combination with various, predominantly favorable natural conditions conditioned the development of of the cultivated plants diversity through the creative role of the initially folk and then scientific breeding, in which Ukraine occupies leading positions in the world.

Krugovi i keramika kroz stoljeća

U radu se prikazuju rezultati arheoloških istraživanja na osam nalazišta sopotske kulture na području sjeverno od Đakovštine. Nalazišta su u raznim stupnjevima istraženosti – od zračne daljinske prospekcije i rekognosciranja, do arheološkoga iskopavanja te primjene magnetometrijske metode. Istraživanjima se ustanovilo kako su nalazišta sopotske kulture mnogo većega opsega i mnogo kompleksnije strukture nego što se to do sada smatralo te se predlaže reevaluacija dosadašnjih spoznaja. Sva su naselja omeđena s jednim ili više opkopa, osim naselja Đakovo – Grabrovac/Ciglana za kojega nije moguće utvrditi da li je imalo opkop, budući da je veći dio nalazišta uklonjen aktivnostima ciglane. Nalazi s osam naselja analizirani su tipološki i kronološki u kontekstu ostalih nalazišta sopotske kulture na području Slavonije.

“THIS CASTLE WAS THE STRONGEST ONE IN RUS SINCE ANCIENT TIMES…”, – BELZ IN MARTIN GRUNEWEG’S TRAVEL NOTES

Part of Martin Gruneweg’s notes dedicated to Belz which was graciously given to the author by the outstanding Ukrainian historian Yaroslav Isaevych is analyzed. Martin Gruneweg (1562 – after 1615), who was born in Gdansk in family of German merchant, serve the Armenian merchants, became a member of the Order of Dominicans and became famous as the author of very interesting travel notes. Page of the Notes, which contains the references to Belz, is in the second part of Gruneweg’s description, where he talks about visit to cities and villages of Poland, Ukraine, Russia, the Balkan countries. A brief description of the city from 1582 is considered in the context of other written and cartographic sources and the results of archaeological studying of Belz. Through information from the Notes data on urban fortifications, authenticity of which is well consistent with written sources older and later than Gruneweg’s description is obtained. It was confirmed that connection between different parts of the city, separated by water flows and swamps, was maintained by wooden dams and platforms, mentioned by Gruneweg and evidenced by results of archaeological researches. This feature of communications was also characteristic for neighboring city of Cherven. On the basis of Gruneweg's reports, date of the first mention of town-hall in Belz, which existed more than a century earlier, was revised. Settlements, listed in the context of the report about Belz, visited by Gruneweg during his travel allow us to partially reconstruct the route of his arrival to Belz, and further way to Lviv. It was established that direction of roads from the northwest from Lublin through Krasnostav, Tishivtsi to Belz and from there through Kulychkiv, Mosty, Kulykiv, Zashkov to Lviv almost did not change from Early Middle Ages till now. Gruneweg's notes about the Częstochowa icon confirm constant historical tradition, which relates one of the main relics of Poland precisely with Belz. Other messages, which also show importance of retrospective analysis of late medieval sources for the studying of Early Medieval cities, are interesting too. Key words: Martin Gruneweg, Belz, written and archaeological sources, planning structure, retrospective analysis.

ANNUNCIATION CHURCH IN ANNALISTIC HALYCH

Results of archaeological research of the complex of remains of wooden and stone Annunciation church, preserved on the level of foundations on the territory of the former Podil of annalistic Halych of ХІІ–ХІІІ centuries, which were conducted under the direction of I. Sharanevych and L. Lavretskyi during the final of XIX century and by the author (final of ХХ century). On the basis of analysis of planning structure of the sites, building-technical and technological peculiarities of construction of them, remains of white-stone decoration and mosaic floor, consisting of ceramic glazed tiles, nearby cemetery, collected archaeological material, and described stratigraphy, comparisons with the series of analogues dating of the objects and their functioning are specified (wooden church – during the middle – second half of XII century and stone one, built in the interval between last third of ХІІ – beginning of ХІІІ century). Several hypothetic graphical and archaeological reconstructions are made: 1) plan of wooden church; 2) plan of stone temple on the level of foundation of walls; 3) part of the plan of mosaic floor, consisted of glazed tiles; 4) technological process of producing of complex-shaped polychromatic tiles; 5) volumetric-spatial image of stone shrine. At the conclusion some issues, which should be solved during future studies are emphasized, preservation of survived unique relicts in purposely built closed museum pavilion is suggested. Key words: Annunciation church, Middle Ages, temple architecture, planning structure, archaeological-architectural reconstruction.

Zamek w Świeciu. Topografia i technika budowy zamku krzyżackiego.

The construction of the castle in Świecie began around 1335. It was located on the fork of the Vistula and Wda rivers. The Vistula initially passed directly under the southern walls of the castle, while the Wda was sepa�rated from it. The outer ward protected the wide moat from the west. The next moat surrounded the upper castle on three sides. The outer ward had a plan similar to that of a rectangle. To the west there was a gate with a tower and a cowshed, from the south – the house of the commander and stables, and from the north perhaps also the armoury and infirmary. Surrounded by the parcham, the convent house was built on a square plan with a cylin�drical “bergfried” (tower) in the north-west corner and three lower cylindrical towers in the other. It had two fully raised wings – in the north it housed, amongst others, a chapel and refectory, and in the eastern wing a brewery, bakery and dormitory. From the south and west there were single storey buildings present in the Middle Ages, housing a kitchen (in the south) associated rooms and a basement (in the western wing). Based on the analysis of architecture and the results of archaeological research it is possible to reconstruct the stages and techniques of construction. After setting the proportions of the building by the “ad quadratum” method, a perimeter curtain wall was first built. Subsequently, the internal buildings were successively constructed from the main (northern) wing. The area of the courtyard and the parcham were raised by 2–3 metres. Subsequently, the upper floors of the “Bergfried”, the parcham wall, and, finally, the outer ward were erected.

Culto y Peregrinaje Inka en el Nevado de Cachi, Salta, Argentina. Nuevos datos en Arqueología de Alta Montaña

This work presents new results of archaeological research carried out in a mountain massif known as Nevado de Cachi (Salta, Argentina). We will focus on an Inka ceremonial platform located near the summit of Cerro Meléndez (6020 masl), which is one of its most prominent peaks, and integrate this information with data collected on two archaeological settlements located on its hillsides to the east. We will argue that a complex system of archaeological settlements and sacred places which included local and Inka enclosures, was designed not only for mountain worship but also as the manifestation of the Inka conquest of the North Calchaquí Valley. Thus, the existence of a complex system of settlements and sacred Inka sites in the Nevado de Cachi is highlighted.

ABOUT THE THREE HILLFORTS OF SCYTHIAN TIME AT PUTYVL’S AM SEYM REGION

Nowadays, the archaeological excavations conducted on the three hillforts — two of them are situated near Vorgol village and one of them near Shiryaevo, at Putyvl’s am Seym region. Vorgol hillfort was explored by D. T. Berezovets. The fortified settlements are located on the surrounding capes of the high right riverside of the Kleven. About 300 square meters were investigated and conducted the transverse section of a shaft on the Eastern hillfort, in 1949. The researcher was a specialist of antiquities of the Slavic-Rus period, and therefore the materials of Scythian time were beyond his control. There are only clay sparrows of Early Iron Age, in the collection, which is partially stored in the funds of the Institute of Archeology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.
 D. T. Berezovets conducted excavations on the Shiryaevo hillfort, in 1948—1949. Unfortunately, the results of that works have not been published, and some information of that excavations are published in this article for the first time. The researches on the hillfort was continued by V. A. Ilyinskaya, in 1950. This archaeology site is dated VI—IV centuries BC. The results of archaeological researches were publicated on the «Archeology» journal. It was not possible to cover all the material at that time, regarding to objective reasons. At least the two horizons were extract on the Shiryaevo hillfort, as result of analysis of the collection of excavations in 1949—1950. The first, oldest of them, is dated VI, maybe the beginning of V century BC. The second, according to the material, is dated the second half of the V—IV centuries BC. The total investigated area, during the years 1948—1950, is about 300 square meters.

Digital Management of Rock Art: the African Archaeology Archive Cologne (AAArC)

Archaeology is a costly and object-affine practice requiring sophisticated technical equipment, and therefore is largely initiated and run from industrialised countries. Accordingly, also data and objects are largely lodged in these countries. In rock art, this leads to the paradoxical situation that many motifs and sites with outstanding prehistoric art are better known and more often shown in northern hemisphere urban centres than in the global south rural areas where the art in fact is found. This paper will focus on the possibilities and benefits of a digital archive in making pictures, data and other archaeological source material accessible anytime from everywhere. An open online archive will in the long run flatten the hierarchical order of access to the results of archaeological research and heritage archiving. Today, this is still concentrated in the western metropoles and rarest in African hinterlands. The open access to thousands of pictures will facilitate dissemination of motifs in particular since the distribution of smartphones and network coverage are ever growing particularly in Africa’s rural areas. The African Archaeology Archive Cologne (AAArC), being licenced under Creative Commons, provides open access to tens of thousands of rock art photos and to the enormous Brandberg-Daureb Data Base that contains 39,000+ rock art figures. Additionally AAArC stores all kinds of digital archaeological products from across Africa (mainly Sudan, Algeria, Chad and Namibia), including audio and film documentary.

The map is not the territory: Applying qualitative Geographic Information Systems in the practice of activist archaeology

In response to concerns regarding the social relevance of North American archaeology, it has been suggested that the tenets of ‘activist scholarship’ can provide a framework for a more publically engaged archaeological discipline. Maps have long been employed in the public dissemination of archaeological research results, but they can also play a role in enhancing public participation in heritage management initiatives. This article outlines how the goals of activist archaeology can be achieved through the mobilization of qualitative Geographic Information Systems practices, with an example of how ‘grounded visualization’ methods were employed in assessing the vulnerability of Inuvialuit cultural landscapes to the impacts of modern climate change.

Результаты археологического обследования местонахождения Усть-Мана в 2018 году (в рамках работ по паспортизации объектов археологического наследия Красноярского края)

Результаты археологического обследования местонахождения Усть-Мана в 2018 году (в рамках работ по паспортизации объектов археологического наследия Красноярского края)

Paisajes agrarios del segundo milenio de la era en el sector norte del Valle de Tafí (Tucumán, Argentina)

This paper proposes to discuss the results of archaeological research carried out in thenorthern sector of the Tafi valley, specifically focusing on evidences correspondingto the first half of the Second Millennium of the Christian Age. During this period,the agrarian landscape is segregating of household area which has generated severalexplanations in the archaeological literature of the Northwest Argentina. We came tothe preliminary conclusion that the valley acquires a spatial logic, typical of this periodin the region, but would not have been caused by factors that traditional archaeologyusually attribute, this are population pressure, conflict or environmental changes.

Поселение Когончинское-19: первые результаты археологического изучения

Поселение Когончинское-19: первые результаты археологического изучения

SAVING ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH IN DERBENT IN 2015: EXCAVATION AREA XXXIII

The article presents the results of archaeological research carried out within the framework of saving operations in excavation area XXXIII, located outside the medieval shahristan of Derbent - within 130 meters from the northern defensive wall of the town. The excavations have revealed thick cultural strata (four layers with a total thickness of up to 2.4 m), with a large number of fragments of glazed and unglazed pottery, fragments of glass vessels and bracelets, copper coins, stone tools, etc., belonging to Arab and pre-Mongol periods (8th - early 13th centuries). The dating of the layers was based on ceramic complexes of the layers (especially on glazed ceramics) and on chronologically indicative individual finds (glass bracelets, bronze tip of the belt, coins from layers 3 and 4 - coinage of the Umayyads and early Abbasids). They give evidence of active use of this area of the medieval town located to the north of the architecturally marked shahristan. Despite the presence of thick cultural strata with numerous artifacts interbedded with ash-coal and organic interlayers, no architectural, economic and household constructions (rubbish-heaps, grain pits, bread-baking stoves - tandoors, waterways, wells, hearths, etc.) have been identified in this area. The character of the layers allows drawing the conclusion that household waste dump was located here - outside the shahristan. Termination of functioning of this site near Derbent, as well as many other objects in the town, should be associated with the Mongol invasions in the early 13th century, which resulted in significant reduction of the population and of the territory of the town. In the excavation area were revealed two levels of medieval Muslim burials representing two chronological periods: 15th - 17th centuries (burials 1, 2) and late 8th - early 9th centuries (burials 3-27).