We kindly inform you that, as long as the subject affiliation of our 300.000+ articles is in progress, you might get unsufficient or no results on your third level or second level search. In this case, please broaden your search criteria.
The paper is the first monograph dedicated to the aforementioned antiquities in the region. The analysis of the sites of VIII-X cc. in the Dniester-Pruth interfluve shows that the found antiquities are culturally homogenous, and that they can be rightly attributed to the same archaeological culture according to all criteria. These antiquities belong to the East-Slavic culture, spread between the Dnieper in the East and the Carpathians in the West, Pripyat’ in the North and the mouth of the Danube and the Black Sea in the South, which was called Luka-Raikovetskaya type. The integrity of features of this culture is clearly brought out by the types of settlements, dwellings, ceramics, funeral rite, etc. The integral nature of the Luka-Raikovetskaya type culture, which includes in its area the Dniester-Pruth interfluve as well, is conditioned by the common historical routes followed by its bearers in the studied period.The pursued research enables a firm periodisation of the Luka-Raikovetskaya cultural type in the Dniester-Pruth interfluve, which also finds certain proof in other regions where this culture got spread.An analysis of pottery and other objects enabled the author to argue that there were no grounded reasons to talk about a new wave of the Slavic migrants who could bring the Luka-Raikovetskaya type into the studied region on the turn of VII-VIII cc. The cultural development in this territory was based on the local Prague-Korchak antiquities of VI-VII cc.Besides, it is noted that the current level of our knowledge enables us to believe that the antiquities of the Penkovskaya culture in the Dniester-Pruth interfluve do not get further development.With general integrity of the Eastern Slavic culture of the Luka-Raikovetskaya type in this region, it suffers certain changes on its last stage of development and grows into the early Russian culture in the northern part of the interfluve, which is typical of the whole area of antiquities of this type. In the southern forest-steppe part, at the same time, the studied antiquities lay the foundation for development of the sites typical of the contact zone.The attempts to distinguish local features of the Luka-Raikovetskaya culture in the Dniester-Pruth interfluve have not yielded any objective positive results. A correlation of the evidence from the dated chronicles and data of the synchronous Luka-Raikovetskaya antiquities of VIII-X cc. enabled the author to infer that the latter belong to the tribal union of the Tiverians.
More...
The article is dedicated to some debatable issues of archaeology and history of the Early Slavs. At the moment, historiography distinguishes three main directions attracting researchers seeking correspondences to the ethnic groups mentioned in written records among the bearers of archaeological cultures found in the Eastern Europe. The first one, “Cherniakhov” or “Southern” direction, interprets the Ants as bearers of the Cherniakhov culture. The second one, “Zarubintsy” or “Northern” direction, interprets the Venedi as bearers of the Zarubintsy culture, and the Ants as tribes of the Kolochinskaya or Penkovskaya cultures genetically tied with the “post-Zarubintsy” groups. The third, a “compromise” one, recognises polyethnicity of the Przewor and Cherniakhov cultures, rather than being purely “Venedi” or “Ants”, yet author links the main line of the Slavic ethnic genesis with the specific elements of these cultures.A comparison of evidence provided by the written records, archaeology and linguistics enable the author to draw the following conclusions: the Cherniakhov sites with Wielbark tradition can belong to the Goths, the tribes of the Kiev culture can correspond to the Slav-Venedi, and be direct ancestors of the Slavic groups of VI c. egistered by Iordannes and Procopius. The period during which the Cherniakhov-Wielbark and Kiev tribes contacted in the Middle Dnieper basin embraces the early IV c. and in general lines coincides with the period of military clashes between the Venedi and Hermanarich’s Goths reported by Iordannes. Later in the same period the Cherniakhov-Wielbark population practically drives the Kiev tribes away from the forest-steppe area. A part of the Slavic population is likely to have fallen into political and economic dependence on Hermanarich’s holdings, which seems to have led to cultural and ethnic assimilation of these Venedi groups. Besides, the period witnesses “Slavicisation” of the Cherniakhov population which happened to be on border of these two communities, as well as advancement of the Cherniakhov imports and, probably, also some small groups of the population into the Kiev area. This archaeological situation can be connected with the war of “Boz’s Ants” and Vinitharius’ Goths.The first half of V c. saw decay of the Cherniakhov culture, with the Visigoths, and later the Ostgoths and a number of other tribes leaving westwards inside the Empire. It also saw the end of the Kiev culture, which gave birth to the early medieval Kolochinskaya and Penkovskaya cultures. Other sites located in the basin of the Pripyat’ river and related to the Kiev ones served as a foundation for development of the Prague culture. Later the sites of the Penkovskaya and partly the Prague cultures reached as far as the inner parts of the forest-steppe and occupied most of the former Cherniakhov area, for the Byzantine writers to report appearance of the Sklavins and Ants on the left bank of the Danube already by the early VI c. The period saw expansion of the Prague and Penkovskaya cultures westwards and south-westwards into the Central Europe and Danube basin, and the Kolochinskaya northwards, into the Dnieper river head.By the early VII c. the names of the Venedi and the Ants given to these tribal unions by their neighbours were merged into their own ethnic name “Slavs”, which got spread over the whole Slavic world. A confluence of cultural and economic complexes, common language, development of identity enable the author to speak about the completed process of the Slavic ethnic genesis by the middle of I millennium A.D. From then on, one can deal with the ethnic history of the Slavs, concurrently with the ethnic genesis of the Eastern, Southern and Western Slavs, and later about the ethnic genesis of the Ukrainians, Russians, Byelorussians and other modern Slavic peoples.
More...
According to the last materials, the problems for discussion are examined for research of antiques of Volyntsevo type, the main part of which is situate in pointed region (fig.1). They examined the cultural components which were found in the pointed places, their origin, chronology, and as the result, the reconstruction of ethno-cultural processes in the left bank of Dneperis during the end of 7 – 9 cc. are proposed. According to the study of some such places we can consider that native culture of the third quarter of the first millennium A.D. (like Kolochin and Pen’kovka) took part in formation of Volyntsevo though the degree and the forms of influence of these cultures heritage in different territories were different. At the end of 7 c. or at the beginning of 8 c. at the Dneper’s left bank appeared the new cultural elements characterizing by ceramic like «Sakhnovka, dwellings with stone stoves, ornaments like treasures in Kharevka and Fativige, as well as by new types of agricultural tools. These elements became leading in the places of memory like Volintsevo and they are connected with migration of Slavonic tribe («Severny» by name) from Danube region after the year of 670.The third component of such places is stipulated by the presence of Saltovo cultural elements and special vessels, may be connected with Volga region and the South Ural, what is reflected the submission to the Khazar Kaganat and the migration policy of subdued people (which was common in ancient empires). At the beginning of 9 c. there was crisis in Khazar Kaganat, which was connected with passing of Judaism by its leaders, the inner destruction and the rebellion of subdued people. All this leads to the weakness of its influence also at the pointed territories, make it possible to develop more complete to the Slavonic culture of «Severny», connected with traditions like Sakhnovka, archeological equivalent of which is the formation of such kind as Romna culture 9 –11 cc.
More...
The article is devoted to the problems of agriculture of the Early Middle Ages, which are examined at the example of the archaeological complex in Verhniy Saltov villages. Archaeological and palaeobotanical materials which have been examined show us high level of agriculture in Khazar State. It is confirmed by dig range of qualitative tools and by the list of agricultural forms such as cereals, crops and so on. Palaeoethnobotanical composition in Verhniy Saltov gives us an opportunity to formulate the question about the role of agriculture, in particular cereals in different natural and climatic zones of the Saltovo-Mayatsk culture Analyzed materials confirm the opinion about outstripping development of ploughing of Saltov population by comparison with neighbouring tribes of the Slaves.
More...
The object of research is a part of a vessel found on the river Dniester on a city boundary of Bender in 1992. A detailed study has shown that it is a boat made of one stem of tree (dugout), which seems to have been made in XV c. by means of thermal processing, which is confirmed by the radiocarbon analysis. Using available archeological and written records, the author considered questions connected with manufacturing techniques of such boats, and some moments of their using by men in the Mesolithic. A certain attention is paid to the role of boats made from one stem of tree (dugout) in history of the Dniester area. Special interest represents practical experience of manufacturing and testing a boat made of one stem of tree (dugout).
More...
The article describes an ancient bronze statuette of a rather rare type - «Hermes-Mercurius with Patera» from a private collection in Odessa and probably originating from the North Black Sea area. By a number of stylistic and technological features, the artefact can be dated by 1 c. BC – 1 c. AD and attested as a work of Italic workshops.
More...
The complete material publication of the author’s excavations in 1978 of the settlement Kamenevo-2 (the Tuskar river basin, the Zolotukhino district, the Kursk region) is offered. The area of the settlement equal to 200 by 70 – 80 meters was excavated (fig. 1). The dwelling and household constructions on the excavated plot were ring-shaped. Such a configuration is found in a number of Dnieper settlements dated by the late first millennium B.C. (the Pilipenkova hill) and the first millennium A.D. The studied constructions were partially deepened into the earth and had a squared shape and, in one case, a rounded one. Open hearths and, in the central part, post hole slumps were found in almost every construction. The greater part of the household pits is rounded or oval in plan, their average depth is 15 – 20 cm. All of these constructions have some correspondence to the Kolochin culture sites.The main part of the findings is hand-made pottery which is analogous to the Kolochin culture forms in the Sejm river basin (fig. 8), both with the settlement similar to the published material chronologically (the right column of the Table) and partly with the sites of the 7th century (fig. 8, column 2 and 3). Small amount of ceramics (about 2%) was made on the potter’s wheel, its forms are typical of the Cherniakhov culture. The oval frame of the buckle (fig. 6, 8) finds also parallels among the Cherniakhov culture materials. The fragment of a corrugated amphora and a glass vessel having analogs in the second half of the 3rd to the middle of the 4th centuries (Table) belong to the Black Sea imports. Two iron fibulae (fig. 6,6; 4,8) according to Lithuanian analogies are dated by the 5th – 6th centuries. The whole complex of finds suggests dating of the settlement by the end of the 4th to the 5th centuries, and perhaps, the beginning of the 6th century A.D. All the peculiarities of the given settlement continue the local traditions of the Roman period which were examinated, for example, on the Kiev culture settlement of Bukreevka (the 3rd – 4th centuries) with the distinct Cherniakhov influence. The materials of the settlement Kamenevo-2 allow to place it among the earliest sites of the forming Kolochin culture which are important for studies of its origin, ethnic and cultural attribution.
More...
It is a study of the well-known epigraphic document of III c. BC, the so-called Testamentum Epictetae found on the island of Thera (Santorini). The text served in numerous researches as a source for dialectal peculiarities of the Ancient Greek and history studies of the Hellenistic law. The present research is a different approach to the document, which provides evidence for such a phenomenon in the ancient culture as museum and the cult of muses associated with it.
More...
The article is dedicated to funeral ceremonies and studies the cults of the «River of Death» and the boat, practiced by the ancient and the medieval population of the Eastern Europe. The authors infer that the concept of the «River of Death» and the boat as the means to overcome the barrier between «the world of the alive» and «the world of the dead» appeared on the huge Eurasian area during the Neolithic epoch, and some of its vestiges are well preserved even nowadays.
More...
In the article the authors characterizes two anthropomorphic wares discovered at the settlement of the Precucuteni culture in Izvoare (Neamţ county) in 1988. The first of them represents the lower part of a large hollow figurine with open conical base, which is decorated in traditional style of the Precucuteni III culture (figs. 1 and 2). The second find is the representation of a human face pressed out in the wall of a clay vessel (figs. 3 and 4). In the context of new finds the author discusses the problem of anthropomorphic vessels and human representations in general in the Precucuteni and Cucuteni A cultures. The analysis of existing evidence allows tracing significant impact of the Precucuteni culture in the formation of the stylistic traditions of the Cucuteni culture. At the same time the author emphasizes the role of Balkan cultures (respectively Karanovo VI and Gumelniţa) in the spread of these and other traits in northern direction.
More...
The article is devoted to the characterization of ritual groups, which are distinguished during the comparison of grave goods and disposal of the deceased. Investigators have often united the binary oppositions in a common group. Their analysis shows distinctions among the deceased on a right and on a left sides. Different disposals are connected with different ethnical roots of Pit-grave culture tribes. The ritual groups may represent different social layers of the Pit-grave culture community.
More...
The Homer ethos reveals an extremely sophisticated, ramified structure of the sign symbolic, which is, most often, designated by the terms of σκηπτρον and ραβδον and their derivatives. This symbolic is virtually characteristic of all the possible levels of the public life and on the divine level – of the representatives of the Pantheon, and on the earth – of all the mortals in their everyday secular life under the circumstances of war and even in the underground realm of Aid. This work is devoted to revealing the social and cultural function of this symbolic at all the levels of its use and to the characteristic of the rituals, associated with this symbolic. The functioning of the scepters under the circumstances of the war expansion – the Trojan cycle is of interest. Its complex of data allows working out the model of the possible reflection of the symbolic in question in the archeological complexes.The survey is aimed at revealing the main trends, which can, under certain pretexts, be used in estimating social processes, characteristics of ancient communities, studied on the basis of archeological remains and revealing the similar symbolic.σκηπτρον и ρα
More...
The archaeology and paleoecology of the Steppe Zone of Southern and Eastern Europe are critical to understanding of prehistoric adaptation in this enormous but poorly known region. An essential element of this research is the reconstruction of paleoenviroments and their relation to subsistence practices and settlement systems on local and regional levels. This article is an example of such a research for the Don river delta and immediately surrounding area. This delta and the adjacent coast of the Azov Sea contains one of the richest known concentrations of Russian Upper Paleolithic sites, the Kamennaya Balka sites. In this article we discuss the available paleoenviromental data (stratigraphy, evolution of the vegetation cover and paleosoil layers) and propose a model for the reconstruction of the living conditions at the site Kamennaya Balka II. Many of traditional ideas and views about Pleistocene time in the Noth Black Sea area are revised and replaced with a new model.
More...
The images on the coins of the Artukids can be conventionally split into two groups: the first one will include coins imitating mint type of other states; the second – coins with rather independent images created by seal carvers. In his paper, the author follows a system of classifications developed by St. Lane Poole. The author brings several examples of Artukids’ coinage and minutely studies the sixth type of the seven that were emitted. The type is related to the second group.
More...
The article debates a generally accepted opinion that the Lviv Mint did not emit coins in 1385-86. According to the same opinion, Władysław Opolski emitted coins with his name only in 1372-77. The author affirms that the Lviv Mint did operate in 1385-86 and Władysław Opolski did coin there the Red Russian groshes with the image of eagle on them.
More...
The year 1983 saw publication of the book by E. I. Solomonik, which gathered all Latin epigraphic records found during over 170 years of excavations in Chersones Tauricos (Solomonik 1983). But after this edition many of Latin epigraphic records were reedited, a lot of information was added and interpreted in a new way. And during excavations in Chersones, Balaklva and Charax new inscriptions were found, which were published in various scientific editions. That is why this article gathers together all the Latin epigraphic records of II – middle III cc. found, edited and reedited in 1984-2000. They are very important source for a researcher of a complex of questions connected with the Roman military presence in Taurica. It seems that publication of these inscriptions will help further deeper studies of history and culture of the Northern Black Sea area in the first centuries A.D.
More...
The article studies the frame of a bronze signet ring found in filling of one of the features (No. 37) on the Old Orhei (Moldavian town of XV c.). The emblem of the signet is a schematic figure, which can be related to the “town gate” category (its destination in the Moldavian heraldry being so far debatable). It is inscribed into the Slavic ring legend, which contains the name of the ring’s owner, pan Galesh (Sir Galesh). it was Galesh the comis (groom), whose son Ieremia the visternik (treasurer) was married to Annushka, who was daughter of Vlaicu, the uncle of Steven the Great (Ştefan cel Mare). This Vlaicu was member of gospodar’s council and in various periods used to carry out the duties of a pircalab (governor) of the fortresses of Cetatea Alba, Hotin and Orhei (1480-1484). It is supposed that the surname of Galesh, the family of Galesh mentioned also in a gravestone inscription in the Old Orhei used to carry out military and administrative functions in the region till 1499 when the Tatars ruined the town.
More...
The article attempts to systematize the regular army’s award and memorable medals kept in the numismatic collection of the Moldavian National Museum of History. The medals are dedicated to the Russian-Turkish wars and embrace a period from 1735-1739 to 1877-1878.The collection contains 52 medals and objects of medal-work art. The author succeeded in determining designers and medal masters, the time when the medals were introduced and rules of wearing award medals. Designers of many medals are well-known masters of European fame: Iohann Karl Hedlinger, Timofei Ivanov, Samuil Yudin, Iohann Kaspar Eger, Iohann Baltasar Hass, Karl Leberecht, D. Loos, A. Gube.The published medals are a peculiar record owing to which the history of Carpathian-Danube lands in XVIII-XIX cc. discloses its new pages.
More...
The article is dedicated to recently edited book about relations between the science and the society in Germany in XX century. It focuses on problems which make this experience especially important for contemporary Central and Eastern Europe.
More...