Pages: 283-301

Watland of Novgorod the Great is located on the northwestern border of Old Rus’. Its territorial basis was the fertile Izhora plateau. The autochton peoples of the region was the Baltic-Finnish tribes Chud’ and Vod’. They took part in the forming of the Old Rus’ state since 10th c. and experienced its cultural influence. The small hillfort Pillovo 2 dates 10th — early 11th cc. Its cultural stratum contains remnants of buildings and traces of fires. In the cremation graves of the Viking age have been found many examples of high-quality professional weapons, including swords. This indicates a high militarization of the population. At the beginning of the 12th c. the Slavic-Russian population appeared in the region. To protect against attacks on the borders of Vodskaya land, large shelter hillforts Kaibolovo, Voronino, Chernaya was built. They were located on the nesses and natural hills on the banks of rivers and were intended to shelter the rural population in the event of a military danger. A characteristic feature of the hillforts of Watland was facing the earthen wall with stone slabs. Weapons in graves 12th — beg. 13th cc. still numerous, but the armament complex become more archaic. Since the beginning of the expansion of the Livonian knights in the Novgorod land in the middle of the 13th c. the system of fortified shelters becomes ineffective. It was replaced by stone fortresses. The disappearance of weapons from burials indicates the decline of the role of the local military organization and its replacement by the serving warlords with professional squads in Koporie fortress.

Keywords: Novgorod the Great, Watland, Izhora plateau, Viking age, Middle ages, hillfort, warfare, military organization

Information about author:

Ivan Stasyuk (Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation). Institute for the History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Dvortsovaya Emb., 18, Saint Petersburg, 191186, Russian Federation
E-mail: [email protected]