К вопросу о природных условиях киевских и черняховских памятников среднего Поднепровья
Approach to the problem of natural conditions of Kiev and Chernijakhov settlements middle Dnieper region

Summary/Abstract: The materials for the article were obtained during the long-term expedition of Kiev Teachers’ Training Institute on the territory between the rivers Stugna, Irpen, Krasnaja and Dnieper (fig.l).The correlation of late Roman settlements of Kiev (32 settlements) and Cherniakhov (91 settlements) cultures using the landscape science terminology in geography is examined. The settlement landscape characteristic allows choosing 5 «biokhor» types and 32 «biotype» versions (Table). The coefficient of the correlation stability and distribution histogram by landscape elements shows greater selectivity in making choice of the spot for settlements of Cherniakhov culture. The settlement of Kiev culture embraces the greater circle of suitable for habitation lots and are distributed on them more evenly. Such a high stability of the Cherniakhov culture sites is bound up with the steady tradition of field agriculture, which stipulated the economic effectiveness of this culture, and it flourished in the second half of the 3rd to the 4th centuries. However, the prolonged (150 years) utilization of lands in agriculture results in loss of humus up to 50%, soil degradation, decrease of its fertility. Besides, it got colder about the 400 year A.D., which shortened the vegetative period. All these factors predetermined the environmental and demographic crisis of the Cherniakhov culture, which influenced its fortunes. On the contrary, «ecological valency» of the Kiev culture sites gave the possibility to adapt its economy more effectively to the conditions of the third quarter of the first millennium A.D.

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