In 2017 the new burial ground on the right bank of Ros river between Puhachivka and Ostriv villages, in Rokytne district, Kyiv region was discovered. During 2017—2019 67 burials have been excavated there. Diverse and spectacular archaeological objects discovered during excavations — the spiral torques, cross-bow ladder fibulae of type Bliujiene V, penannular brooches with rolled terminals, poppy-head terminals, funnel-shaped terminals, star-shaped terminals and widening terminals, bracelets with zoomorphic terminals, chains, temporal-rings and rings — all these grave goods are typical to Western Baltic tribes (Old Prussians, Curonians, Skalvians). The burial assemblages with weapons compose the notable number. Buried men were equipped with axes, spears, pila. As M. Plavinsky stated using of the pillum was the feature of Baltic military-technic tradition. In generall the weapons discovered in the Ostriv burial ground points to the prevalence of infantry in that community. This allows suggest that people buried in the Ostriv burial ground were the warriors of Ros defensive line. From historical point of view archaeological finds well illustrate and prove the chronicle evidences about activity of first Kyiv princes, first of all of Volodymyr the Great and Yaroslav the Wise, directed to the strengthening of the southern borders of Kyiv Rus. The lands of Ros basin historically were the border with steppe and the Ros river was a proper, natural defensive factor, the frontier between the world of settled farmers and steppe nomads. Kyiv princes traditionally placed here their military forces, defending the capital of Rus from nomadic charges. We believe that the Ostriv burial ground could be associated with the garrison of Stari Sukholisy hill-fort consisted of Western Baltic people.
The article is devoted to the ceramic complex from the inner moat of the Pastyrske hill-fort (plot, investigated in 2017). At the site fragments are at least 20 ceramic vessels — 16 hand-made vessels and 4 whell-made vessels. Chronological indicators found on the object allow to determine the chronological date of creation of the complex within the middle of the 7th — the middle of the 8th century. The nature of the layer in which the ceramics was found indicates that the ditch was purposefully filled in a short time after the fire on the territory of the settlement. This ceramic crockery is most likely to come from structures located on the territory of the «citadel» of the settlement and were destroyed during a fire.
In the continuation of the paper on a funeral rites of the Ostriv graveyard the features of burials without grave goods, burials in coffins fastened with nails, burials with buckets and the accompanying items of male burials are considered. Burials without grave goods, as well as burials in dominiums fastened with nails and burials in which buckets were placed, can be interpreted with great care as an indicator of the worldview of a community that was at a certain stage of Christianization. Regardless of Christian ideas about the equality of everyone in the afterlife, there was no imperative prohibition on burial with objects. After Christianization, individual objects took on new functions and became a part of the so-called Arma Cristi (instrument of the Lord’s Passion — tools for fight against Satan) and already in this capacity are used in the funeral rite. Male burial assemblages in general have much less ethnic indicators than female ones. Rather, their grave goods point not to a specific ethnic group but to a specific macro region of the origin of tradition — Scando-Baltic and Northern Rus as well as to a social focus on military subculture. This is evidenced by the presence of weapons, certain types of fibulae, details of the belt set, which have a lot of parallels just in the North of Europe and sharply dissonant with the antiquities of Southern Rus. The presence of weapons was typical for male burial assemblages of the Ostriv graveyard. The main type of weapon the battle axes can be considered of so-called IV type according to A. Kirpichnikov, most of which were placed near the right knee with the handle up but other weapons were also discovered — axes of type III according to A Kirpichnikov and type M according to Y. Peterson and lancet-shaped spear-heads. In the burials the elements of a belt set — buckles and portupey rings — were found. At the same time the absence of other details of the men’s belt set, first of all, the applique plates for status belts which have been worn according to the Orient tradition and became widespread in the Eastern and Northern Europe during the Viking Age draws attention. It is notable that living on the border with the steppe led to the appearance in the burial practice of certain objects inherent in the material culture of nomads, first of all, primarily the single mouth-piece bit.
In 2017—2018 researchers of Architectural and Archaeological Expedition (Institute of Archaeology of Ukraine) conducted investigations in the Ostriv village Rokytne district Kyiv region. As a result, 53 inhumation burials of the graveyard unique for Southern Rus were investigated. Analysis of the burial equipment allowed us to date the graveyard to the end 10th — 11th c. Funeral rite detected in the graveyard differs considerably from usual Kyivan Rus burials of this period. Vast majority of burials were oriented to the north with small season deviations. There were individual burials oriented to the south and to the west. Most were buried lying on their back with outstretched limbs in variety of wooden structures (coffins). Remains of a stone structure have been discovered. It can be reconstructed as the remains of an altar. Remains of funeral food were found in burials, among them chicken bones, eggshells, buckets for liquids and powders. The graveyard is characterized by wide range distinctive accompanying equipment, not typical to synchronous Kyivan Rus graveyards, but close to funeral rite of people living in the southern-east coast of Baltic sea, basically the Western Baltic tribes of Curonians, Prussians, Scalvians. It should be noted that the funeral tradition recorded on the Ostriv graveyard does not fit directly into the synchronous antiquities of Eastern Europe. It has no direct analogies among the Baltic sites known today either. This looks a bit odd, as the grave goods discovered at Ostriv cemetery have direct analogies in the Western Balts monuments. The absence of cremation burials typical to the Western Balts is still under the question here. This situation can reflect the restrictions of Kyiv princely Christian administra-tion. Possibly Ostriv cemetery illustrates Primary chronicle reports on state activity of first Kyiv dukes, particularly Volodymyr the Great and Yaroslav the Wise, who straightened and pushed further the southern borders of Kyiv Rus.
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