Pages: 15-39
The paper analyzes the issue of the spatial and ecological niche of the nomadic population of the south of the Kiev principality (“Black Hats”), as well as the dynamics of the settling in the Ros’ river basin in the 11th—13th centuries.
An important part in the spatial organization of the Ros’ river basin was the multi-row system of long walls, which divided the steppe zone into closed sectors. Nomadic burials were not discovered yet in the large northern sector (“Perepetovo Pole”), it was used as a buffer between nomads and farmers of the Stugna river basin.
The area of burial mounds concentration is characterized by a lower amount of precipitation and a higher winter temperature, which makes it suitable for winter pastures. The more humid northwestern part with single burials was used for seasonal migrations in summer.
There are four main episodes of the nomad influx in the Ros’ river basin detected. The wave of the 11 th century were Torks and Pechenegs, they occupied the space between the Rosava and the Dnieper. Migrants of the 12 th century wave were added to the Rosava basin, but they also left burials near Vyshgorod. The third big wave of the Cuman origin came in 1223—1241. They occupy both the main area of the “Black Hats” and new sectors along western Ros’.
The Yablunivka burial ground of the 2nd half of the 13th—14th centuries should be withdrawn from the list of the “Our Pagans” sites. It arose after the migration of a group of the North Caucasian population during the Golden Horde stage.
Keywords: Early Rus’, Black Hats, Torks, Pechenegs, Cumans, burial mounds, nomads, Ros’ river basin
Information about authors:
Oleksii Komar (Kyiv, Ukraine). Candidate of Historical Sciences. Institute of Archaeology, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. Heroiv Stalingradu Ave., 12, Kyiv, 04210, Ukraine.
E-mail: [email protected]
Artem Borysov (Kyiv, Ukraine). Candidate of Historical Sciences. Institute of Archaeology, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. Heroiv Stalingradu Ave., 12, Kyiv, 04210, Ukraine.
E-mail: [email protected]