Pages: 47-49

The Ph. D. thesis by Vasily Aleksandrovich Bulkin (1973) analyzed the materials from Gnezdovsky burial cemetery near Smolensk. This site had always remained in the focus of his attention; in 1969—1970 he participated in the field research there, and always followed the latest discoveries at Gnezdovo. The main topic of his study was the history and archeology of the Dvina and Upper Dnieper region of the first and early second millennium AD. Especially fruitful was his interest in East European river names, and the Dnieper and Dvina historical and cultural zone, in particular. In this paper, on the basis of hydronymic data, an attempt is made to explain the phenomenon of Gnezdovo as a sacral zone.

Keywords: Dnieper region, Gnezdovo, pagan burial ground, sacral zone, holy, hydronyms, Oka basin

Information about authors:

Vasily Bulkin. Candidate of Historical Sciences.
Valery Sedykh (Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation). Candidate of Historical Sciences. Institute of History, Saint Petersburg State University. Mendeleev Line, 5, Saint Petersburg, 199034, Russian Federation
E-mail: [email protected]