The fortified settlements of Demidovka and Vyazovenki in Smolensk land: hierarchy, chronology and cultural attribution
Городища Демидовка и Вязовеньки: об иерархии, хронологии и культурной атрибуции
Résumé
The article examines finds from two fortified settlements located near Smolensk. New radiocarbon
dates are given that prove the demise of the fortified settlement of Demidovka at the turn of the
5th–6th centuries AD. The analysis of the distribution of prestigious silver items and armament on
the sites of the “Demidovka circle” and the presence of a large long house provide grounds for an
assumption about the central position of this settlement in Smolensk district and the presence of
a “German component” in it. The data of spore-pollen analysis are used for the reconstruction
of the landscape surrounding the fortified settlement. The authors suggest that in the late period
when militarized “elite” resided in the settlement its vicinity was used for grazing. As a result
of the study, a hypothesis is proposed that the fortified settlements of Demidovka (the 3rd–4th
centuries) and Vyazovenki (the 6th–7th centuries) were centers of power in Smolensk land during
the two periods of time preceding the transition of this function to Smolensk (Cathedral Hill) and
Gnezdovo.
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