Pages: 143-155

The article is dedicated to the crucial period in the history of the Middle Desna region of the thirteenth century, reflected in the archaeological sources of the end of 12th — the beginning of the 14th centuries. The region under study was, throughout its history, a transitional point between the Baltic North and the Black Sea and steppes in the South. But it was the middle of the thirteenth century, when the change of the determinants happened and the “settings” of the region position strengthened. Before that it was a transition point only between different regions of Rus’, but after that — between Lithuanian and Polish West and Golden Horde East. The events which led to such transformation are reflected in, firstly, military archaeological and demographical artifacts and sources, which are described in the article and compared with the historical events, known from the written sources. The artifacts are the axes of different descent, arrow- and spearheads, helmets details; the events are the signs of fires and devastated settlements, the increase or decrease of the population density, reflected in the number of settlements, the change of settlement type.

Keywords: Chernigov land, Bryansk, Pochep, Smolensk, 13th century, the Mongol-Tatars, the Jurchen, the Lithuanians, weapon, interregional contacts.

Information about authors:

Valerii Guryanov (Bryansk, Russian Federation). Bryansk State University named after Academician I. G. Petrovsky. Bezhitskaya St. 14, Bryansk, 241036, Russian Federation
E-mail: [email protected]
Evgenii Shinakov (Bryansk, Russian Federation). Doctor of Historical Sciences. Bryansk State University named after Academician I. G. Petrovsky. Bezhitskaya St. 14, Bryansk, 241036, Russian Federation
[email protected]