Проблема интерпретации системы «ров-вал» по археологическим источникам и обороноспособность синташтинско-петровских поселений
Towards the Archaeological Interpretation for the Ditch and Wall Systems and the Issue of Defensibility of the Sintashta-Petrovka Forts

Summary/Abstract: The system with an inner wall and a ditch is one of the most common architectural solutions in fortification, as well as a wat to form artificial ecological niches or a symbolic cosmos. However, in archaeology, such systems are often interpreted solely as fortresses. On the basis of Sintashta-Petrovka Late Bronze Age settlements, we attempt to show that in some cases such system is not necessarily related to hostile social environments. Our data on local soils and results of GIS modeling suggest that adaptation to the environment can be another important factor contributing to building such refuges, and that not every archaeological source can witness in favor of a violent human nature. We believe that attempts to explain hillforts solely by an aggressive social environment will undermine heuristic possibilities of archaeological sources and will place all researchers on the Procrustean bed of skewed interpretations. We can obtain more or less plausible answers about purposes of such structures, as well as any other architectural forms, only if we consider all factors and check various hypotheses.

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