Tyragetia

7-22

Authors: Denis Topal, Martin Golec

In 2016 authors of this paper obtained information about three Scythian daggers from the territory of Moravia. They were found by unknown persons with the help of metal detectors in the vicinity of Brno, near Horákovský hrad. The dagger no. 2 is the earliest one and due to its features like triangular blade, massive kidney-like hilt and narrow elongated pommel could be attributed to the of Vettersfelde type of the second half – end of 6th century BC. Daggers №1 and №3 are characterized by small segment-like hilts which could date back these items to mid 6th – mid 5th centuries BC. Scythian swords and daggers were totally unknown on the territory of Czech Republic, thus the finds from Horákovský hrad greatly expand the geography of Middle Scythian akinakai. Moreover, this discovery in Moravia allows to connect Lusatian and Vekerzug areas of distribution of Scythian weaponry and could outline the pathways of bladed weapons far to the west of the main territory of the Scythians.

35-54

Authors: Natalia Burdo

Bernshevka I is located SW of the same name village, on the bank of the Dniester River. It was explored by V. Zbenovich in 1969-1975 (1000 м², remains of 7 houses) and D. Chornovol in 2009 and 2013-15 (2000 м², remains of 9 houses and 3 pits). Thus, the total area explored at Bernashevka I is 3000 м², there were excavated remains of dwellings of different sizes and constructions, pits and cultural layer areas in few horizons. Also, we have plan of explored part of this site. Bernashevka I now is the earliest Trypillia A – Precucuteni II site known east of the Dnister. Analysis of the whole available data shows the picture different from other Trypillian sites. It is possible to suppose that fragments of animal bones, many clay figurines and other finds are connected with some rituals performed at this place. These rituals probably were connected with the ritual of abandonment of the village and burning the dwellings. Perhaps, this was associated with the performance of sacrifices.

67-74

Authors: Yuri Rassamakin

A burial of a young woman belonged to the Pit Grave culture revealed a cast of a nose made of a resinous substance on the face of a badly crushed skull; the cast was covered with a layer of bright red ochre. It had been formed as a result of the fact that shortly before her burial a nose of the deceased, below the bridge, was carefully covered with a thin layer of liquid resin and painted over with red ocher. The cast retains well-defined details that perfectly reflect the natural shape of the deceased’s nose: its shape, size, nostrils, transition into the upper lip and to the nasal bridge. Due to the decomposition of soft tissues and hardening of resin, the shape has been slightly deformed but, nevertheless, it reflects anatomical features of one of the bearers of the local Pit Grave culture. A short resin plaque clamped between the teeth of the deceased is less informative. It shows the prints of several teeth and a fold which, probably, delineates the imprints of closed lips. In connection with these finds the author discusses other cases of presence of resinous substances in graves of the Early Bronze Age (burials of the Pit Grave culture and burials of the early Catacomb type); also cited are examples from the burials of the earlier Late Eneolithic period. Analysis of resinous substances from the latter defined them as tar. Therefore, the author suggests that in the late Eneolithic and the Early Bronze Age the population used resinous substances for therapeutic and magical purposes.

83-85

Authors: Elena Izbitser

Погребение новосвободненской культуры (или новосвободненского этапа майкопской культуры), сопровождавшееся деревянной повозкой, было открыто в одном из курганов, раскопанных в 1985 г. в станице Новокорсунской экспедицией Крснодарского краеведческого музея. При первичной публикации была допущена ошибка, и название станицы обозначено как Старокорсунская. В дальнейшем, другие неточности при публикации погребения привели некоторых исследователей к выводу о существовании двух погребений с разными названиями и на разных территориях.

93-106

Authors: Mariana Sîrbu, Stanislav Țerna

The article publishes archaeological materials found on the surface of a settlement with the “ash lenses” of the Noua culture discovered during the investigation of the nearby large Cucuteni-Trypillia settlement by the village of Stolniceni in the Edinet District. The finds are represented both by characteristic pottery and by various crafts made of clay, stone, flint and horn, among which there is a fragment of the mold or part of the mace head. Along with the introduction of findings from the Stolniceni II site into scientific use, an attempt is made to illustrate its local and regional context by mapping the settlements of the Noua culture from the territory of Moldova and the subsequent GIS processing of data on their distribution. The use of some algorithms of spatial analysis made it possible to allocate about 20 clusters of sites, each of which includes 5-9 settlements and is located on an area of 25-70 sq. km. It seems that such a distribution of sites marks the presence of clearly delineated territorial entities that served as an arena for cyclical movements of specific cattle-breeding communities, and a consistent change in the grazing area.

119-135

Authors: Igori Prochnenko

In the scientific literature, 13 hillforts of Transcarpathia are referred to the Hallstatt period, of which only five are credible: Shelestovo, Ardanovo, Irshava, Bila Tserkva, and Seredne Vodyane. With the exception of Seredne Vodyane, which is of particular interest in terms of studying the early stage of the settlement of the mountain zone of the region, they are all located on the hills in the foothill zone. By the area, the fortified points are divided into sites of medium size (2-10 hectares): Shelestovo, Ardanovo, and Irshava and small ones (up to 2 hectares): Bila Tserkva and Seredne Vodyane. Fortifications are represented by ramparts and ditches. The ramparts reach a height of 2-3 m with a base width of 6-10 m, and ditches reach a depth of 1.5-2 m and a width of 5 m and more. In some cases, there is no rampart in the hard-to-reach places (Bila Tserkva), and additional lines of fortifications were erected in easily accessible places (Irshava). According to the structure of the embankment, the ramparts are divided into earthen and stone-earth. Sometimes for the strengthening of ramparts, stacked structures of logs (Irshava) or stone walls of dry masonry (Shelestovo) were used. Among the structures on the crest of a rampart, we note the palisades detected by the pits in Ardanovo. In the course of the small-scale excavations of the hillforts, the presence of a very weak cultural layer and the almost complete absence of economic structures were observed that, before carrying out large-scale works and obtaining materials that disprove these data, allows classifying these sites as shelters. It should be noted that, in Shelestovo, Ardanovo and Irshava, a relatively large amount of ceramic material was found directly in the embankments of the shafts, which indicates that the fortifications were created already after the settlements began functioning on the mountain tops.

165-181

Authors: Ivan Vlasenko

This publication presents the results of investigations, which had began in 1980 at the Rudi XX settlement in the Soroca District of the Republic of Moldova, obtained in 1982. There was confirmed the multi-layered structure of the site and the horizon of the Iron Age was first identified. But because of the small number and inexpressiveness of the ceramic findings, this layer was previously dated by a rather long period of time – from the late Hallstatt (7th-6th centuries BC) to the Getic culture (4th-3rd centuries BC). The discovered structure in the form of a heavily burned pit was attributed, as a hypothesis, to the Getic crematorium. The production character of the early medieval settlement has been confirmed (presence of iron slag, fragments of ceramic blowing nozzles and iron ore). The remains of three ovens of the 8th-9th centuries were investigated. The collection of medieval pottery of the 6th-11th centuries and individual findings of iron, stone and bone objects was assembled.

201-206

Authors: Dumitru Boghian, Alexandru Berzovan, Sergiu-Constantin Enea

The present article discusses the Getic fortress from Criveşti. Situated in a strategic location on a hill, it has an oval shape, approximately 190×120 meters. Archaeological materials allow it to be attributed to the period from 4th to 3rd centuries BC, and, therefore, it, at least in part, is a contemporary of other Getic fortress of the Moldavian Plateau. Our research is designed to shed more light on the chronology and importance of this fortress.

213-225

Authors: Igori Sapozhnikov

The article is devoted to the results of the application of cartographic stratigraphy to a single micro-region – the Danube crossing area near Lake Kartal. The author, using old topographic maps, has identified several previously unknown structures (walls, dams, and roads) and a defensive area consisted of four lines of field fortifications (dated 331 BC). It is concluded that the core of the Roman defense of the Danube crossing was a ramparts along the banks of the river. In addition, the author linked an unfinished late Roman road near the Novoselsky II hillfort with the penetration of the Visigoths into Thrace in 376.

235-251

Authors: Stela Doncheva

This article discusses the metric parameters of over twenty religious structures built during the Early Middle Ages on the territory of the Byzantine Empire. An emphasis is made in this paper on basilicas that were the most numerous temples after Christianity became the official religion of the empire. Well-proportioned and irrational system was accepted for the construction of the early Christian religious buildings, reflecting the meaning of the Christian philosophy and symbolic nature of liturgical practice.

265-280

Authors: Boris Raev, Maxim Belov, Anna Zhadaeva

The Kislyakovskiy 13 kurgan cemetery was excavated in 2008 by an expedition of the Southern Scientific Center, RAS. Kurgan 2 contained two graves – one dated to the first centuries AD, the other to the Middle Ages, when the North Black Sea steppes were inhabited by the nomadic Polovеts tribes. This article discusses grave 2. The burial was made in a chamber in the form of a niche. Robbers destroyed one of the grave’s walls but the burial remained undisturbed. The buried woman of 35-40 years old was laying extended on back, head to west. Decayed wood from the funerary stretchers preserved under the skeleton. The rich grave goods included a bronze cauldron, an iron knife, two silver torques, hair rings, and a mirror. Fragments of the wooden frame, felt, textile, and gilded silver foil from a headdress preserved in area of the woman’s chest. The kurgan was encircled by a ditch; its northern part had two ledged niches made in the outer wall. Animal bones and ceramic shards with remains of the funerary feast were unearthed on the ditch bottom. The ditch was thoroughly made and has unique construction features. Judging by its lower layers, the dug-out soil was stacked not only on the kurgan’s surface but also round the ditch’s outer perimeter. The ditch remained opened for a long time and was gradually filled with flooded soil. Grave goods are typical for the Cuman graves of the 12th - early 13th centuries. The assemblage suggests a high social status of the buried woman. It is possible that for some time the area surrounded by the ditch was used as a sanctuary; afterwards the burial of a noble woman was performed, the kurgan was covered with a layer of soil.

293-300

Authors: Ana Boldureanu

The author introduces into the scientific circulation the coins, which were registered during the second half of 2016 and the first half of 2017. Most of them were discovered as a result of archaeological excavations, and some coins were brought to the National Museum of History of Moldova to attribute them. The earliest of the antique coins are several specimens of drachmae from Istros, the place of which finding is unknown, as well as the golden stater of Mithridates VI Eupator (120-63 BC), minted in Callatis. Into the Chronicle there are also included 9 coins of the Roman period. Among them is the denarius of Trajan (98-117 AD), dated between 114-117, which was found in the village of Cobîlea of the Şoldăneşti District, and two coins of the times of Septimius Severus, one of which was minted in Tiras. Medieval finds are represented by coins found during excavations at the 17th century church in the village of Căuşeni, near the Soroca Fortress, during the rescue excavations in the territory of Old Orhei, etc.