The profession of an archaeologist first of all requires iron nerves and endurance. Conducting research, scientists sometimes get out of the ground things from which the heart stops. In addition to ancient dishes, clothes and scriptures, they find the remains of animals and people. We offer you to learn about the most terrible archaeological excavations.
Screaming mummies
Egypt is full of mysteries and mysteries, many of which have already been solved. Studying the tombs, in 1886, the explorer Gaston Maspero came across an unusual mummy. Unlike the rest of the bodies found earlier, she was simply wrapped in sheepskin. And her face was twisted in a terrible grimace, while the terrible mummy had its mouth open. Scientists put forward different versions, among which was poisoning, the burial of an Egyptian alive. In fact, everything turned out to be quite simple. When wrapping the body, the mouth was also tied with a rope. Apparently, poor fastening led to the fact that the rope fell off, and the jaw, which was not held by anything, fell down. As a result, the body took on such an eerie appearance. And to this day, archaeologists find such mummies, which are still called screaming.
Headless vikings
In 2010, the list of the most terrible archaeological excavations was replenished by scientists who carried out work in the county of Dorset. The group hoped to find the household inventory of their ancestors, their clothes, work tools, in order to supplement the historical data on their way of life. But what they stumbled upon horrified them. Scientists have discovered the remains of human bodies, but without heads. The skulls were located near the grave. Having carefully studied them, archaeologists came to the conclusion that these are the remains of the Vikings. At the same time, there were not enough skulls. Therefore, we can conclude that the punishers took several heads as a trophy. The burial of 54 Vikings took place in the 8th-9th century.
unknown creature
Amateur scientists, walking through the National Park in New Zealand, stumbled upon a karst cave. Young archaeologists decided to visit her. Walking along the corridors of the cave, the group saw a skeleton that was well preserved, but was an eerie sight. A rather large body had rough skin, a beak, and huge claws. I don’t understand at all where this monster came from, the guys urgently left the cave. Further research showed that these were the remains of an ancient moa bird. Some scientists are sure that she still lives on the planet, just hiding from people.
crystal skull
Archaeologist Frederick Mitchell Hedges made a startling discovery while walking through the jungles of Belize. They found a skull made of rock crystal. The find by weight tightened by 5 kg. The tribes who lived nearby claim that the skull is the heritage of the Mayan tribe. In total, there are 13 of them scattered around the world, and the one who collects the entire collection will have access to the secrets of the universe. Whether this is true or not is unknown, but the mystery of the skull has not been revealed to this day. It is surprising that it is made using a technology that contradicts the chemical and physical laws known to mankind.
This is the opening of a layer of earth in order to study the monuments of the former places of settlements. Unfortunately, this process leads to partial destruction of the cultural layer of soil. Unlike laboratory experiments, it is not possible to repeat the archaeological excavation of the site. In order to open the ground, in many states a special permit is required. In Russia (and before that in the RSFSR), "open sheets" - this is the name of a documented consent - are drawn up at the Institute of Archeology of the Academy of Sciences. Carrying out this kind of work on the territory of the Russian Federation in the absence of this document is an administrative offense.
Basis for excavation
Land cover tends to increase in mass over time, resulting in a gradual hiding of artifacts. It is for the purpose of their discovery that an opening of the earth layer is carried out. An increase in soil thickness can occur for several reasons:
Tasks
The main goal pursued by scientists, carrying out archaeological excavations, is the study of an ancient monument and the restoration of its significance. For a comprehensive, comprehensive study, it is most preferable when it is fully opened to the full depth. At the same time, even the interests of a particular archaeologist are not taken into account. However, as a rule, only a partial opening of the monument is carried out due to the high labor intensity of the process. Some archaeological excavations, depending on their complexity, can last for years and even decades. Works can be carried out not only for the purpose of studying historical monuments. In addition to archaeological, there is another type of excavation, called "security". In accordance with the legislation, in the Russian Federation they must be carried out before the construction of buildings and various structures. Since otherwise, it is possible that the monuments of antiquity available at the construction site will be lost forever.
Research progress
First of all, the study of a historical object begins with such non-destructive methods as photography, measurement and description. If it becomes necessary to measure the direction and thickness of the cultural layer, sounding is done, trenches or pits are dug. These tools also make it possible to search for an object whose location is known only from written sources. However, the use of such methods is of limited use, since they significantly spoil the cultural layer, which is also of historical interest.
Ground breaking technology
All stages of the research and clearing of historical objects are necessarily accompanied by photographic recording. Conducting archaeological excavations on the territory of the Russian Federation is accompanied by compliance with strict requirements. They are approved in the relevant "Regulations". The document focuses on the need for quality drawings. Recently, they are increasingly issued in electronic form using new computer technologies.
Archaeological excavations in Russia
Not so long ago, Russian archaeologists published a list of the most important discoveries of 2010. The most significant events in this period were the discovery of a treasure in the city of Torzhok, and archaeological excavations in Jericho. In addition, the age of the city of Yaroslavl was confirmed. Dozens of scientific expeditions are equipped every year under the guidance of the Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Their research extends throughout the European part of the Russian Federation, in some parts of the Asian region of the country and even abroad, for example, in Mesopotamia, Central Asia and the Svalbard archipelago. According to the Director of the Institute Nikolai Makarov at one of the press conferences, during 2010 the Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences conducted a total of 36 expeditions. Moreover, only half of them were carried out on the territory of Russia, and the rest - abroad. It also became known that approximately 50% of the funding comes from the state budget, revenues from the Russian Academy of Sciences and such scientific institutions as the Russian Foundation for Basic Research and while the rest of the resources intended for work related to the preservation of archaeological heritage allocated by investors-developers.
Phanagoria research
According to N. Makarov, in 2010 there was also a significant shift in the study of the monuments of ancient times. This is especially true of Phanagoria - the largest ancient city found on the territory of Russia, and the second capital of the Bosporan kingdom. During this time, scientists studied the buildings of the acropolis, and found a large building, whose age dates back to the middle of the 4th century BC. e. All archaeological excavations in Phanagoria are conducted under the guidance of Doctor of Historical Sciences Vladimir Kuznetsov. It was he who identified the found building as in which state meetings were once held. A notable feature of this building is the hearth, in which a burning fire was previously maintained daily. It was believed that as long as its flame was shining, the state life of the ancient city would never stop.
Research in Sochi
Another significant event of 2010 was the excavations in the capital of the 2014 Olympics. A group of scientists led by Vladimir Sedov, Doctor of Art History, leading researcher at the Institute of Archeology, conducted research near the construction site of the Russian Railways terminal near the village of Veseloye. Here, later, the remains of a Byzantine temple of the 9th-11th centuries were discovered.
Excavations in the village of Krutik
This is a trade and craft settlement of the 10th century, located in the forests of Belozorye, Vologda Oblast. Archaeological excavations in this area are headed by Sergey Zakharov, Candidate of Historical Sciences. In 2010, 44 coins minted in the Caliphate countries and the Middle East were found here. Traders used them to pay for furs, which were especially valued in the Arab East.
Archaeological excavations. Crimea
The historical veil of this territory is lifted largely due to the research work that often takes place here. Some expeditions have been going on for years. Among them: "Kulchuk", "Seagull", "Belyaus", "Kalos-Limen", "Cembalo" and many others. If you want to go to archaeological excavations, you can join a group of volunteers. However, as a rule, volunteers have to pay for their stay in the country on their own. A huge number of expeditions are carried out in the Crimea, but most of them are of a short-term nature. In this case, the group size is small. Research is carried out by experienced workers and professional archaeologists.
EXCAVATIONS
(archaeological) - opening up the layers of the earth to study the archaeological monuments located in the earth. The purpose of R. is to study the given monument, its parts, found things, etc. and the reconstruction of the role of the studied object in the historical. process. Scientific tasks, setting the historical problems is determined both by the choice of the R. object and the order in which its parts are studied (if the R. are designed for many years). R. are not an end in itself, each R. must answer some questions related to the history of the society that created this monument. R. precede archaeological exploration. Archaeologists have developed a number of special techniques that take into account the specifics of each object and allow to study its features in detail. R. settlements are associated with the destruction of the cultural layer, which in itself is also an object of scientific research. observations. Therefore, it is extremely important to carefully record all the stages of R. Unlike the laboratory experiment, R.'s process is unique, it is impossible to excavate the same cultural layer twice. Full disclosure of the studied archeol is desirable. object, since only it gives the most complete picture of his past life. However, the process of resurfacing is very time-consuming and costly, so sometimes they are limited to opening a part of the monument; many monuments are excavated for years and decades.
The study of the object chosen for R. begins with its measurements, photographing and description.
Sometimes, in order to determine the thickness of the cultural layer, its direction, or in search of some object, the existence of which is known from written sources (wall, building, temple, etc.), on archaeological sites. soundings (pits) or trenches are made on the monument. This method is acceptable only in a very limited form - for intelligence purposes, because. pits and trenches spoil the cultural layer and make it impossible to form a holistic view of the settlement under study.
To establish the facts of past life in the settlement, it is desirable to simultaneously open a large continuous area. However, the area should not be excessively large, as this will make it difficult to observe sections of the cultural layer and remove the earth. That limited place, on which R. are produced in the settlement, called. excavation. Its dimensions are determined by the tasks set, technical. and material possibilities. Having chosen a place for excavation, determine the direction of its sides according to the cardinal points and its position in relation to some fixed and constant point on the ground (benchmark). The surface of the excavation is leveled. Most often, geodesics are used for this. tools. The excavation area is divided into squares (most often 2×2 m). The opening of the cultural layer is carried out in layers of 20 cm each and in squares with fixation on the plan of all ancient things and structures. R. is made only by hand with shovels, and sometimes with knives. Mechanical diggers (scrapers, bulldozers, etc.) are used only to remove ballast and to excavate the embankments of large burial mounds. The cultural layer excavated with shovels and sorted by hand is removed from the excavation by conveyors and electric winches. Sometimes a narrow-gauge railway is laid to the place of R. d.
In addition to horizontal excavation plans, stratigraphic (see Stratigraphy) vertical drawings of its walls and drawings of sections of the cultural layer (the so-called "profiles") within the excavation wherever they can be recorded. Observation of the alternation of cultural layers deposited in a given place makes it possible to establish a relative chronology within the entire cultural stratification or to state its single-layer nature (i.e., the simultaneity of the existence of all discovered objects). If life on a multi-layered monument was interrupted for a long time, then between the archeol. layers are the so-called. sterile layers that do not contain cultural residues. The profiles also make it possible to find out whether the sequence of strata has ever been disturbed, whether there were excavations, the presence of which complicates the establishment of chronology.
One of the indispensable requirements for R. is the opening of the entire cultural layer to its entire depth, regardless of which of the historical. epochs and, accordingly, parts of the layer are of interest to the researcher himself. To fully cover all periods of the life of a given settlement, the archaeologist must pay equal attention to all layers.
The disadvantage of the R.'s method of conducting horizontal layers is that, as a rule, archaeol. the layers do not match the layers; this makes it difficult to observe and draw conclusions. Therefore, if the layers on the monument are clearly traced and their direction is established by preliminary reconnaissance (trenches or pits), then the opening of the monument is carried out in layers, without division into layers, with the registration of finds and structures within the layer.
On a multi-layer monument, the layers are numbered as they are opened, i.e., from top to bottom, but this order is the reverse of the time the layers appeared: the older the layer, the lower it lies. When publishing a report on R., the scientist sometimes names the most ancient layer of the site as the first layer, while in R.'s diary, the latest layer is named first. This creates confusion. Cultures or cultural phases found at a given site should be numbered in order from earliest to latest.
A special technique can be applied in the reconstruction of the remains of ancient buildings. The researcher finds one of the walls of the building and, following it, gradually clears it. This makes it possible to find out the plan of the structure without unnecessary expenditure of effort. However, the need to establish a connection between the building and its surroundings, to date it, to establish construction periods, the time of destruction, etc., forces the researcher not to confine himself to clearing the walls, but, as in other cases, to work on a wide area and be sure to obtain accurate sections of the cultural surroundings of the building. layer.
Wood in general, and wooden buildings in particular, are preserved only in particularly favorable conditions: in very moist soil (eg, in a peat bog), or in a very dry climate (eg, in Egypt). Most often, the tree rots in the ground. In our country, in most places (except, for example, Novgorod and some other cities), wooden buildings are not preserved and are identified by barely noticeable traces in the ground.
Pits from dugouts, cellars, wells, etc., retain traces of wooden fasteners imprinted on the walls, according to which the entire structure is being reconstructed. Observations of pits from poles are very important.
The renovation of decayed wooden structures is more difficult than the renovation of buildings made of raw (unbaked) bricks. The collapse of walls made of such bricks differs little from the surrounding land, in which the building was buried. It is necessary to take into account the shades of clay, the difference in humidity, the admixture of straw, which happens in raw brick, etc., in order to outline the boundaries of the building.
R. of large or long-existing settlements must be strictly planned, because. chaotic research, whatever that means. it did not cover the area, it will not give an opportunity to present the historical. picture of the life of the settlement.
In addition to graphic, photographic and film documentation, the R. process and open objects are described in detail in the research diaries. During R. burials (see Burial grounds), although in most cases they do not have a proper cultural, i.e., residential layer, which is formed over a long period of time. time are also needed stratigraphic. observations. Burial mounds are not only just hills piled over the grave, but ritual structures that are complex and diverse in their design. The structure of the mound reflects the features of the burial rite, which can be fully studied only if the entire mound is removed for demolition. To clarify the structure of the mound in the center of the mound, one or two transverse earthen walls are left, the so-called. "edges", which are removed only at the very end of the R. Sometimes, for the same purpose, they open the barrow not immediately over the entire area, but by cutting out successively individual segments. In diaries, drawings and photographs, later inlet burials that open in the mound or under it, traces of a funeral feast (feast), bonfires, stone layings and all burial structures are noted; wooden and stone crypts, ground and side-pit graves, stone boxes, etc. The construction of ground burials, which do not have any structures on the surface of the earth, is usually made in large areas. This makes it possible to determine the boundaries of the burial ground, find grave pits and establish the relative position of the burials.
When individual things, structures, burials or their traces are found in the cultural layer, shovels are replaced with knives, tweezers and brushes. Each found item is cleaned with a brush, sketched or photographed in the position in which it is in the ground, the point of its location is carefully recorded. The mutual arrangement of things gives the archaeologist in the sense of reconstructing the past no less than the things themselves. Many items, especially from organic substances - wood, leather, fabrics, are quickly destroyed when exposed to air. For the preservation of such finds, their immediate conservation is required, here, in the excavation. They are poured with gypsum or sprayed with molten paraffin, sometimes immersed in water or some kind of solution. Some objects are completely destroyed in the ground, but leave traces in the form of voids or imprints. The voids, cleared of dust and later deposits, are filled with plaster and receive a cast of the disappeared thing.
During excavations, it is necessary to collect all things and various remains that testify to the natural and other conditions in which the ancient population was located. A chemical sample is taken from different layers of the cultural layer. analysis. Chemical analysis allows you to find out from which organic. substances formed humus, which tree species left ash and coal, etc. Landscape reconstruction is of particular importance for very distant eras, for example. Paleolithic, when natural conditions differed sharply from modern ones. They collect plant pollen, animal bones, and use them to reconstruct the ancient flora and fauna, climate, etc. Anthropological the study of individual bones and entire skeletons of people contributes to the establishment of physical. type of ancient population.
Recently, radiocarbon and paleomagnetic methods have become increasingly important for dating the site. The archaeologist must take samples of coal, wood, organic matter for analysis. residues and fired clay according to spec. instructions developed for taking such samples. After the completion of the R., the extracted materials are subjected to restoration and conservation, as well as detailed study in the laboratory. As a result of R., various structures, archit. monuments, to-rye must be preserved in place. Their conservation is a very difficult task, especially when it is necessary to protect wall paintings, carvings, etc. from destruction.
Excavations in the USSR are carried out only by specialist archaeologists with special permits - the so-called. open sheets issued by the Institute of Archeology of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR for the right to R. monuments of all-Union significance and listed in the state. lists of the USSR, as well as monuments located on the territory. RSFSR. For R. monuments of the Republic. values of open sheets are issued by the Academy of Sciences of the Union Republics. The researcher is obliged to submit a report on R. at the place of issue of open sheets. Reports are stored in archives and represent the state. fund of documents on the study of monuments.
Lit .: Blavatsky V.D., Antique field archeology, M., 1967; Avdusin D. A., Archaeological exploration and excavations M., 1959; Spitsyn A. A., Archaeological excavations, St. Petersburg, 1910; Crawford O. G. S., Archeology in the field, L., (1953); Leroi-Gourhan A., Les fouilles préhistoriques (Technique et méthodes), P., 1950; Woolley C. L., Digging up the Past, (2 ed.), L., (1954); Wheeler, R. E. M., Archaeology from the Earth, (Harmondsworth, 1956).
A. L. Mongait. Moscow.
Soviet historical encyclopedia. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia. Ed. E. M. Zhukova. 1973-1982 .
Synonyms:See what "EXcavations" is in other dictionaries:
Digging, digging, digging Dictionary of Russian synonyms. excavation n., number of synonyms: 3 excavation (5) ... Synonym dictionary
Archaeological excavations on the territory of the Kremlin in Uglich ... Wikipedia
Excavations- Field study of archaeol. memory, foresight performance specific. type of earthwork. Such works are accompanied by the inevitable destruction of all memory. or parts of it. Repeated R. are usually impossible. Therefore, methods of study. must be max. accurate, ... ... Russian humanitarian encyclopedic dictionary
Archaeological, see Archaeological excavations ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia
A method of investigating ancient settlements, buildings, graves, etc., originating from accidental finds or intentional, in order to obtain material benefits, searches in the ground, in graves, under foundations, etc. Raised into the scientific system of R. ... Encyclopedic Dictionary F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron
I. DIGGING METHODS R. in the Near East, Marietta in Egypt (1850-1980), P.E. Botta and O.G. Their goal was to acquire for Europe. museums, if possible, as many as possible ... ... Brockhaus Bible Encyclopedia
Mn. 1. Works aimed at finding and extracting something hidden in the ground, snow, under ruins, etc. 2. Opening up the layers of the earth in order to extract the ancient monuments located in the earth. 3. The place where the extraction work is being carried out ... ... Modern explanatory dictionary of the Russian language Efremova
In the summer of 1962, the North Caucasian expedition of the IA of the USSR Academy of Sciences continued to explore two large medieval settlements in the North Caucasus - Upper Dzhulat in North Ossetia and Lower Arkhyz in the Karachay-Cherkess Autonomous Region. According to the significance of the occupied area and open ancient structures and architectural monuments, both settlements can rightly be called cities, one of which was the center of the eastern, the other - the western part of historical Alanya. Located on important military and trade routes, in areas with a dense settled population, these settlements are one of the main archaeological sites explored by the SCAE in recent years. The excavations of the settlement Upper Dzhulat were carried out in close cooperation with the North Ossetian Research Institute, and the Nizhne-Arkhyz settlement - in cooperation with the Karachay-Cherkess Research Institute.
Upper Julat. Excavation I (400 m2) was laid in the northwestern part of the site, 150 m south of the Tatartup minaret. This is the most studied part of the city, where the excavations of the past years were concentrated.
At a depth of 0.2 m, an almost continuous cobblestone pavement (Fig. 31) in one tier was discovered. It was chosen in places, obviously, at a later time. It is difficult to consider the pavement otherwise than as the remains of a cobblestone pavement surrounded by monumental architectural monuments - two mosques with minarets (one of them is a cathedral), a Christian church, and residential buildings. The pavement can be dated both on the basis of the stratigraphic location of the 13th-century pottery, which was on the same horizon with the pavement and under it, and on the basis of dated objects found in the same layer. Among them are: an iron sickle, a fragment of a key from a lock, fragments of knives, a bone handle of a whip (?), covered with a carved circular ornament, fragments of bricks 4 to 5 cm thick. Similar objects were found on the Upper Dzhulat before. In separate squares, accumulations of the so-called Golden Horde bricks, 23 X 23 X4 - 5 - 6 cm in size, were cleared.
The given data make it possible to attribute the exposed pavement most likely to the 13th century, the time of intensive life on the settlement. It indicates that at that time the city already had elementary amenities.
Of the finds found in the cultural layer below the pavement and in other sectors, we note bone artifacts, scattered pieces of clay coating, five fragments of stone millstones, a fragment of the wall of an iron cauldron, a whorl made of shards, a tetrahedral armor-piercing arrowhead, knives and their fragments, fragments of medieval tiles - flat and semicircular. The most widespread material was ceramics and animal bones. Below is a table showing the distribution of this material over the layers.
The table shows that the maximum saturation of the cultural layer was observed at the level of 0.2-0.4 m, which corresponds to the level of the pavement. Almost all of the pottery from this layer dates back to the 13th century. At a depth of 0.4-0.8 m (3rd and 4th bayonets), fragments of earlier ceramics were found - for example, two fragments of clay cauldrons with internal lugs, which may date back to the 10th-12th centuries.
The second stage of work at excavation I was connected with the study of the burial ground located under the pavement. A total of 28 burials were discovered; they were made in the ground, at a depth of up to 0.68 m and oriented to the west, northwest. Only one skeleton was oriented with its head to the northeast and lay unusually: crouched on its right side, while the rest of the buried lay stretched out on their backs. There were no inventory in almost all the graves. Only in burial No. 9 were found three copper thimbles inserted into each other, and in burial No. 28 - a bronze ring with a blue glass insert.
The lack of things makes dating difficult. Those burials that were located under the pavement of the 13th century should be dated to the previous time - obviously, the 12th century. In many of them, a curious feature was noted - cobblestone masonry in one row on the north side of the skeleton. In the region of Dzhulata, such a feature of the rite is observed for the first time. As an analogy, one can point to nomadic burial mounds excavated by T. M. Minaeva near the village of Kubina in Circassia. T. M. Minaeva attributes them to the Polovtsy and dates them to the end of the 11th century. (not earlier).
Excavation II was laid 1.2 km south of the Tatartu minaret, with an area of about 140 m2. The investigated building turned out to be the remains of a small one-apse church, 15.4 m long (Fig. 31 - b), consisting of two rooms - a central and a small narthex. The narthex is made of bricks on lime mortar. The bricks are varied, but square ones predominate, measuring 25 X 25 X 5, 25 X 24 X-5.5 cm. The technique of laying the walls is characteristic: rows of bricks alternate with hewn stone blocks and boulders. A similar masonry technique was observed on the Upper Dzhulat and in excavations of previous years.
The vestibule in plan forms a complex inscribed cross created by eight internal ledges. It is similar to the vestibule of Dzhulatskaya Church No. 1, excavated by O. V. Miloradovich in 1959. An entrance from the western side was recorded. It should also be noted that the walls of the vestibule were plastered from the inside.
The central building is rectangular in plan.
Rice. 31. Upper Dzhulat settlement. a — remains of a cobblestone pavement in excavation 1; b - ruins of church No. 2, view from the east; crypt in the foreground
The eastern wall is very poorly preserved, so it is impossible to restore the contours of the apse. The walls are much wider than the walls of the vestibule and are distinguished by a different construction technique: their plinth is composed of large boulders and stones in mortar, almost without the use of bricks. The laying technique is much rougher. The study of construction joints in their interconnection showed that the central part was attached to the vestibule.
The north-eastern part of the church was occupied by the northern wall, which had fallen inwards, and was made of mortared bricks. The length of the fallen section is 3.4 m.
Taking into account the stretching and deformation resulting from the fall, the normal height of the wall can be determined within 3 m.
On the east side, the central room is adjoined by a sub-altar crypt-crypt built of square bricks on a thick layer of mortar. Its chamber is quadrangular in plan. At a height of 0.55 m from the floor, the sheer walls are gradually brought out into a spherical vault, round in plan.
On the east side, a narrow dromos with three steps, made of bricks and slabs, led to the crypt. The entrance opening is decorated with a lancet arch. The floor of the chamber is made of a thick layer of lime mortar.
In the earth that filled the crypt, mixed remains of several adult and children's skeletons were found, the number of which was not established. In addition, scattered bones of six more buried people were cleared on the floor.
The described crypt is similar to the crypt under Dzhulatskaya Church No. 1, excavated in 1959. This brings both sites even closer.
Of the finds discovered during the excavations of the church, we note the mass of broken bricks and tiles of two types - semicircular and flat. Several fragments of the flat were with relief signs - by preliminary definition, the letters of the Armenian alphabet. The inner surface of the walls was covered with frescoes, as indicated by pieces of plaster with traces of paint (red and black). During the excavation of the vestibule, the leg of a glass vessel was found.
The dating of church No. 2 is determined by its proximity to the Dzhulat church No. 1, not only according to the plan, but also according to individual details and the same type of building material. Church No. 1 dates from the end of the 12th - the first half of the 13th century. This date should also be accepted for the church we excavated (No. 2). It should be noted that the arrowhead found in the crypt, according to A.F. Medvedev, belongs to the 12th century.
During the excavations around the church and inside its vestibule, 29 soil burials were cleared, made according to the Christian rite and without grave goods. The burials are undoubtedly of different times, but they can mainly be attributed to the 13th-14th centuries. Burial No. 30 was made in a brick sarcophagus with a gable roof, attached to the northern wall of the church. The male skeleton was heavily mixed; a silver temporal ring was found near the skull.
Further, excavations were carried out on another hillock, also oriented from west to east and dotted with broken bricks. Excavation III was located at a distance of about 700 m to the south-east of Church No. 2, not far from the steep bank of the Terek floodplain. The excavation area is about 150 m2. After the removal of a layer of building remains, the ruins of a second small single-apse church (No. 3) were discovered. Its length is 9 m, width is 5.6 m (without extensions). According to its plan, it is simpler than Church No. 2 and consists of one room, there is no vestibule. No crypto. The walls are built of alternating rows of bricks and boulders (as in Church No. 2) and fastened with lime mortar. On the inside, there are remains of plaster on the walls.
The church building is rectangular. The floor was carefully laid out with square bricks of standard dimensions: 24 X 24 cm, 25 X 25 cm and covered with a layer of gray lime mortar, almost completely beaten out. The altar part was separated from the hall by an altar barrier made of bricks in two rows on mortar. The apse, judging by the remains of the cobblestone masonry, was semi-circular, with small corner protrusions from the north and south. In the southern part of it, under the base, there is an older pit with ceramics of the 10th-12th centuries.
During excavations of the church, five fragments of iron riveted crosses and an iron tetrahedral nail were found.
On the western side, a crypt and a mausoleum were added to Church No. 3. The crypt was built of gray sandstone blocks without mortar and contained a ruined burial without items. The mausoleum is also quadrangular in plan, built of square bricks with mortar. The walls were plastered from the inside. In the southwestern corner of the mausoleum there is a doorway 0.73 m wide. Nine Christian burials were cleared inside the mausoleum, one of them in a brick coffin. When buried, two red-brown jugs with handles, two iron rings, a round bone button with a carved circular ornament, a silver acorn-type button covered with grain, and two iron crosses were found.
Near the southern wall of the church, a brick sarcophagus with a gable roof, similar to the one near church No. 2, was investigated. It is oriented from west to east. On the floor of the chamber lay a male skeleton with no belongings.
Around the church, in addition to those described above, 13 more unpaved Christian burials were excavated. Burial No. 18 contained: a silver temporal ring one and a half turns with a bunch of four balls at the end, a silver acorn button with beading, and an ornamented silver bell button.
The date of Church No. 3 is determined by the nature of the building material and technique, as well as individual finds. The brick is similar to the brick from churches No. 1 and 2 dated to the 12th-13th centuries. Tiles are the same in churches - flat with a side and semicircular with an emphasis. The construction techniques are the same - the alternation of bricks and boulders in the walls. The bone button from the mausoleum is identical to the one found during the excavations of Church No. 1. Jewelry silver buttons "acorn" are well known in the materials of the XIII-XIV centuries. from Volga Bulgaria. They also met in the excavations of O. V. Miloradovich at the Christian burial ground of the XIII-XIV centuries. near church No. 1. The jugs, crosses, temporal rings, etc. found by us can be attributed to the same time. All these things point to the date of the burial ground surrounding the church. The time of the construction of the church itself can be determined in the 13th century.
The most important results of the excavations of the Upper Dzhulat are that the presence here in the XII-XIII centuries was again confirmed. a large Alanian center, undoubtedly, of an urban type, possessing elements of improvement (pavement) and numerous architectural monuments. Now we know the three Dzhulat churches that were observed here by Russian-Georgian missionaries in 1743 and "of which two without heads, and one with a head, were very dilapidated and fell apart" . It is also important to note that during the excavations in 1962, architectural structures were first discovered in the southern part of the settlement. This indicates that the brick buildings were not concentrated only in the northern part of the city, where its center may have been. Three churches in different areas probably had the value of local chapels that met the needs of the adjacent Christian quarters. The studied urban center, which has recently been associated with Dedyakov, in our opinion, was the economic and political center of Eastern Alania in the 12th-13th centuries. This is the great significance of his excavations.
Lower Arkhyz. Excavations at the Nizhne-Arkhyz settlement (in the gorge of the Bolshoy Zelenchuk River) were a continuation of the research begun here in 1960. First, two exploration pits were laid on the territory of the main part of the settlement, which revealed the cultural layer of the 10th-12th centuries.
The thickness of the layer is 0.7-1 m.
slag.
Rice. 32. Lower Arkhyz settlement. Plan of church No. 4 and a complex of residential and industrial premises
I-V - rooms I-V; 1 - the first construction period; 2 - the second construction period; 3 - third building period
The main excavation is located in the middle part of the city, which is the most intensively built up. The ruins of church No. 4, long noted by archaeologists, but remained unexplored, were explored. It is located near the central street of the city, to the north of the undermined beam.
After dismantling the rubble, the structure of the church was revealed in its main details. It is single apse, in plan it consists of three parts: the altar, the central room and the vestibule. The length of the building is 11.7 m, the width is 4.4 m, it is built of hewn limestone without mortar. The apse is separated from the central room by an altar barrier, cleared to the base of the foundation to a depth of 2.2 m.
The walls of the central room have been preserved up to 2.4 m high (southern wall), but there are no traces of door or window openings in any of them.
Inside the room, a semicircular wall was cleared, running from the western wall to the southern one. In the middle of the wall is a niche lined with four small slabs. During clearing, several coals were found in it.
The vestibule is small, rectangular. Outside, to the southwestern part of it, a staircase with five steps is attached, leading to a stone porch.
The height of the porch has been preserved at 1.12 m, but originally it was undoubtedly higher (Fig. 32).
Church No. 4 turned out to be a very interesting and original monument. According to its plan, it is identical to many churches of the X-XII centuries. Lower Arkhyz and Upper Kuban. But what is completely new in it is a deaf basement - a basement, as evidenced by the absence of doorways (with a significant height of the preserved walls) and the presence of a staircase and a porch on the western side. The latter indicates that the entrance to the church was raised to a considerable height (about 1.5 m above the level of the ancient horizon). Accordingly, the level mark of the ancient floor of the church, apparently wooden, should be determined. All these facts speak of the construction of a low dark basement under the floor of the central room, divided into two parts by a wall with a niche. The basement was probably also under the altar. It could be used to store church property.
In general, Church No. 4 is an original architectural monument with a pronounced verticalism of the main volumes, which is especially noticeable given the small size of the building. It should also be noted that the outside of the apse was decorated with colored tiles, fragments of which were found in the rubble layer. The date of Church No. 4 is determined both by architectural and stylistic features, and stratigraphically - by its location on the cultural layer of the 10th-12th centuries. Based on these data, the probable time of its construction can be considered the XII century.
At a distance of 3.7 m to the north-west of the vestibule, a mound-shaped elevation was noted, on the surface of which hewn stones came out. During excavations, it was revealed that it consisted of a turfed pile of hewn stones and slabs, after the removal of which a quadrangular room I was opened. Later, rooms II-V adjoining from the south-west were cleared, forming a single complex with the first (Fig. 32).
The walls of room I are made of dry flagstone. The southeastern wall, 2.23 m high, is best preserved. In the southern corner of the wall there is a doorway 0.92 m wide. The door led from room I to the street to the church. On the ancient horizon near this entrance, a hewn slab with the image of a cross was found, which may have been built into the wall above the door.
The most interesting object was discovered near the southwestern wall of the room, at a depth of 1.4 m. Here, under the rubble, the remains of a small furnace for iron smelting were found (Fig. 33). The horn consists of three chambers. Cell A was closely adjacent to the wall of the building, covered with a broken slab on top, and did not communicate with neighboring cells. Several charcoals were found inside. Chambers B and C are formed by three large hewn stones (one of them with a through hole) placed on the end. The side stones are set at an angle with respect to the middle one. Dimensions of chamber B-0.34 X 0.34 X 0.3 m, chamber B - 0.29 X 0.34 X 0.34 m (height). The floor of the cells was paved with flat sooty stones. It is important to note that the stones that make up the chamber were calcined and cracked, and slag scales formed on the surface facing the hearth.
The use of the furnace for smelting iron is indicated by the iron slags that filled chambers B and C and all the space in front of them. In total, 205 pieces of slag were recovered from the hearth and from the production site, some weighing several kilograms. In addition, pieces of calcined clay were found around the furnace and a thick layer of charcoal was traced, undoubtedly associated with the work of the furnace.
Analysis of the slag, carried out in the laboratory of the Institute of Industries of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR O. Yu. Krug, showed a high content of magnetite and, consequently, a high quality of the ore. On the basis of the same study of slag, a raw-blast smelting process is established.
The discovery of the remains of iron-making production at the Nizhne-Arkhyz settlement is a very important fact. Its significance lies not only in the fact that the obvious and documented remains of iron production were revealed for the first time in the history of the study of the Alanian culture, but also in the fact that they once again confirm the role of the Nizhne-Arkhyz settlement as an important production center in the 10th-12th centuries.
Room I adjoins room II, without traces of doorways. When dismantling the blockage, pieces of pink opal, fragments of a semicircular tile, and fragments of ceramics were found. Masonry of large stone slabs was cleared along the southeastern wall of the room. Beneath them was a burial made after the building had been abandoned. The skeleton is oriented with its head to the southwest-west, the position is elongated on the back. No items found. In room II, we did not find materials that would allow us to determine its purpose.
Room III is almost square, dimensions - 4.85 X 4.2 m. Here, when dismantling the rubble, fragments of a semicircular tile and a piece of a glass bracelet were found. At a depth of 1 m, the entire room was littered with a layer of brown-red clay, which was underlain by a layer of charcoal. We also note that pieces of multilayered whitewash were found everywhere in the clay layer.
It is difficult to imagine these stratifications otherwise than as a roof that collapsed inside the room, which, apparently, was flat (like a mountain sakli), adobe, lined with large baked clay slabs. Some slabs have been preserved almost entirely; they reached 31 cm in length, 28 cm wide and 8-9 cm thick. The floor of the building was wooden - with a thorough cleaning in a layer of coal, it was possible to trace individual pieces of burnt boards.
The finds are mainly associated with the construction of the roof. These are iron nails of two types, staples, crutches, rods, etc. Also found are a flat arrowhead, about 30 small fragments of sheet copper (from a bowl or cauldron), two fragments of glass vessels, a fragment of the wall of a stone vessel (?) agate that has changed its structure under the influence of high temperature.
The walls on the inside have retained the remains of gray plaster. Premise III can be regarded as residential (albeit without a hearth), destroyed by fire.
Room IV was added to room III later. Its dimensions are 5.6 X 2.55 m. Since it is 0.6 m wider than room III, its northwestern wall turned out to be erected parallel to the same wall of room III. A narrow "corridor" 0.35 m wide was formed. It is unlikely that it was used as a passage, as it was clogged with stones and earth.
Stonework, 4.5 m long, was unearthed under the southern wall approximately at the floor level. Most likely, this is a remnant of an older wall, covered during construction. In the wall of room IV, which went above the masonry, it was possible to find a doorway, which was later blocked with stones.
Judging by the large number of animal bones and shards, room IV was associated with economic life. We also note fragments of four glass bracelets and small fragments of glassware.
A doorway leads from room IV to the south. Here, the remains of room V have been cleared, which resembles a veranda open to the sunny south side. Two quadrangular stone bases of the same size (1.17 X 1.17) have survived from this room (or rather, an extension). The masonry is similar to the masonry of the walls of a building. The bases are located exactly along the line of the walls. It can be assumed that on these bases there were wooden or stone pillars that supported the roof-canopy. The gaps between the building and the bases were later filled with very primitive masonry.
The building we studied includes a complex of premises for various purposes. This is the first large building excavated at the Nizhne-Arkhyz settlement. It provides a lot of interesting material about the production, economy and life of the inhabitants of the settlement. As for the date of the building, it is determined by the finds and the stratigraphic relationship with Church No. 4. This date can be considered the XI-XII centuries.
Simultaneously with the excavations of church No. 4 and the building near the northern Zelenchuksky temple, an ancient Christian burial ground was investigated, the excavations of which began in 1960. It consists of stone boxes. In 1960, 53 boxes were excavated. In 1962, 32 boxes were examined exclusively near the apse of the temple. The data obtained in 1962 confirm the main observations made in 1960. All the buried lie stretched out on their backs, with their heads to the west. In the filling of many boxes, charcoal, brick chips replacing realgar, and pieces of chalk were recorded. Flat stones were placed under the skulls of some skeletons. The few inventory found in the graves also confirms the earlier date - XI-XIV centuries. There is no ceramics. A dark brown glass bracelet was found in box No. 79. From drawer No. 56, there is a large silver jewelry pendant with glass eyes. With the help of three bronze chains, it was woven into a braid.
On This Day: Birthdays 1908 Was born Boris Borisovich Piotrovsky- Soviet archaeologist, orientalist; full member of the USSR Academy of Sciences, director of the State Hermitage Museum, researcher of the Urartian fortress city of Teishebaini. Days of Death 1920 He died - an outstanding researcher of the antiquities of the Crimea, a numismatist, archaeologist, civil engineer.
search, research and preservation of ancient monuments, cultural remains and cultural layers, as well as sketching or photographing the place of R. and finds. R. with the aim of revealing hidden wealth or looting burials are found already in ancient times (the necropolis in Corinth; the tombs of the pharaohs in Egypt). During the Renaissance, rallying was often carried out with the aim of finding art and products. Planned and methodical. R., which began in the 19th century. and developed in the 20th century, are based on an integrated approach and are aimed primarily at determining vertical and horizontal stratigraphy, identifying and conserving finds, as well as generalizing the results. with R. material. Terr. future rivers are selected taking into account data from aerial photography, electrical sounding, and test rivers. The most important places of rivers include Troy, Mycenae, Tiryns, Knossos on Crete, Olympia, Delphi, Athens, Corinth, Miletus, Ephesus, Priene, and Samos; in Italian terr. - Pompeii and the neighboring cities of Ostia, Vulzi, Tarquinia and Spina. In recent decades, extensive R. were carried out in the socialist. countries: in the USSR (R. Greek cities on the Black Sea coast and Scythian burials), in Hungary (Akvink, Gorsy near Tacha), in Romania (Istria, Constanta, Adamklisi), in Poland (Palmyra, Alexandria), in Bulgaria (Varna , Svetopol, Esk near Gigen; R., produced by the GDR - Nikopol on Istra, Castell Iatrus near Krivina).
Great Definition
Incomplete definition ↓
EXCAVATIONS
archaeological) - the opening of layers of the earth for the study of archaeological monuments located in the earth. The purpose of R. is to study the given monument, its parts, found things, etc. and the reconstruction of the role of the studied object in the historical. process. Scientific tasks, setting the historical problems is determined both by the choice of the R. object and the order in which its parts are studied (if the R. are designed for many years). R. are not an end in itself, each R. must answer some questions related to the history of the society that created this monument. R. precede archaeological exploration. Archaeologists have developed a number of special techniques that take into account the specifics of each object and allow to study its features in detail. R. settlements are associated with the destruction of the cultural layer, which in itself is also an object of scientific research. observations. Therefore, it is extremely important to carefully record all the stages of R. Unlike the laboratory experiment, R.'s process is unique, it is impossible to excavate the same cultural layer twice. Full disclosure of the studied archeol is desirable. object, since only it gives the most complete picture of his past life. However, the process of resurfacing is very time-consuming and costly, so sometimes they are limited to opening a part of the monument; many monuments are excavated for years and decades. The study of the object chosen for R. begins with its measurements, photographing and description. Sometimes, in order to determine the thickness of the cultural layer, its direction, or in search of some object, the existence of which is known from written sources (wall, building, temple, etc.), on archaeological sites. soundings (pits) or trenches are made on the monument. This method is acceptable only in a very limited form - for intelligence purposes, because. pits and trenches spoil the cultural layer and make it impossible to form a holistic view of the settlement under study. To establish the facts of past life in the settlement, it is desirable to simultaneously open a large continuous area. However, the area should not be excessively large, as this will make it difficult to observe sections of the cultural layer and remove the earth. That limited place, on which R. are produced in the settlement, called. excavation. Its dimensions are determined by the tasks set, technical. and material possibilities. Having chosen a place for excavation, determine the direction of its sides according to the cardinal points and its position in relation to some fixed and constant point on the ground (benchmark). The surface of the excavation is leveled. Most often, geodesics are used for this. tools. The excavation area is divided into squares (most often 2×2 m). The opening of the cultural layer is carried out in layers of 20 cm each and in squares with fixation on the plan of all ancient things and structures. R. is made only by hand with shovels, and sometimes with knives. Mechanical diggers (scrapers, bulldozers, etc.) are used only to remove ballast and to excavate the embankments of large burial mounds. The cultural layer excavated with shovels and sorted by hand is removed from the excavation by conveyors and electric winches. Sometimes a narrow-gauge railway is laid to the place of R. e. In addition to horizontal excavation plans, stratigraphic (see Stratigraphy) vertical drawings of its walls and drawings of sections of the cultural layer (the so-called "profiles") within the excavation wherever they can be recorded. Observation of the alternation of cultural layers deposited in a given place makes it possible to establish a relative chronology within the entire cultural stratification or to state its single-layer nature (i.e., the simultaneity of the existence of all discovered objects). If life on a multi-layered monument was interrupted for a long time, then between the archeol. layers are the so-called. sterile layers that do not contain cultural residues. The profiles also make it possible to find out whether the sequence of strata has ever been disturbed, whether there were excavations, the presence of which complicates the establishment of chronology. One of the indispensable requirements for R. is the opening of the entire cultural layer to its entire depth, regardless of which of the historical. epochs and, accordingly, parts of the layer are of interest to the researcher himself. To fully cover all periods of the life of a given settlement, the archaeologist must pay equal attention to all layers. The disadvantage of the R.'s method of conducting horizontal layers is that, as a rule, archaeol. the layers do not match the layers; this makes it difficult to observe and draw conclusions. Therefore, if the layers on the monument are clearly traced and their direction is established by preliminary reconnaissance (trenches or pits), then the opening of the monument is carried out in layers, without division into layers, with the registration of finds and structures within the layer. On a multi-layer monument, the layers are numbered as they are opened, i.e., from top to bottom, but this order is the reverse of the time the layers appeared: the older the layer, the lower it lies. When publishing a report on R., the scientist sometimes names the most ancient layer of the site as the first layer, while in R.'s diary, the latest layer is named first. This creates confusion. Cultures or cultural phases found at a given site should be numbered in order from earliest to latest. A special technique can be applied in the reconstruction of the remains of ancient buildings. The researcher finds one of the walls of the building and, following it, gradually clears it. This makes it possible to find out the plan of the structure without unnecessary expenditure of effort. However, the need to establish a connection between the building and its surroundings, to date it, to establish construction periods, the time of destruction, etc., forces the researcher not to confine himself to clearing the walls, but, as in other cases, to work on a wide area and be sure to obtain accurate sections of the cultural surroundings of the building. layer. Wood in general, and wooden buildings in particular, are preserved only in particularly favorable conditions: in very moist soil (eg, in a peat bog), or in a very dry climate (eg, in Egypt). Most often, the tree rots in the ground. In our country, in most places (except, for example, Novgorod and some other cities), wooden buildings are not preserved and are identified by barely noticeable traces in the ground. Pits from dugouts, cellars, wells, etc., retain traces of wooden fasteners imprinted on the walls, according to which the entire structure is being reconstructed. Observations of pits from poles are very important. The renovation of decayed wooden structures is more difficult than the renovation of buildings made of raw (unbaked) bricks. The collapse of walls made of such bricks differs little from the surrounding land, in which the building was buried. It is necessary to take into account the shades of clay, the difference in humidity, the admixture of straw, which happens in raw brick, etc., in order to outline the boundaries of the building. R. of large or long-existing settlements must be strictly planned, because. chaotic research, whatever that means. it did not cover the area, it will not give an opportunity to present the historical. picture of the life of the settlement. In addition to graphic, photographic and film documentation, the R. process and open objects are described in detail in the research diaries. During R. burials (see Burial grounds), although in most cases they do not have a proper cultural, i.e., residential layer, which is formed over a long period of time. time are also needed stratigraphic. observations. Burial mounds are not only just hills piled over the grave, but ritual structures that are complex and diverse in their design. The structure of the mound reflects the features of the burial rite, which can be fully studied only if the entire mound is removed for demolition. To clarify the structure of the mound in the center of the mound, one or two transverse earthen walls are left, the so-called. "edges", which are removed only at the very end of the R. Sometimes, for the same purpose, they open the barrow not immediately over the entire area, but by cutting out successively individual segments. In diaries, drawings and photographs, later inlet burials that open in the mound or under it, traces of a funeral feast (feast), bonfires, stone layings and all burial structures are noted; wooden and stone crypts, ground and side-pit graves, stone boxes, etc. The construction of ground burials, which do not have any structures on the surface of the earth, is usually made in large areas. This makes it possible to determine the boundaries of the burial ground, find grave pits and establish the relative position of the burials. When individual things, structures, burials or their traces are found in the cultural layer, shovels are replaced with knives, tweezers and brushes. Each found item is cleaned with a brush, sketched or photographed in the position in which it is in the ground, the point of its location is carefully recorded. The mutual arrangement of things gives the archaeologist in the sense of reconstructing the past no less than the things themselves. Many items, especially from organic substances - wood, leather, fabrics, are quickly destroyed when exposed to air. For the preservation of such finds, their immediate conservation is required, here, in the excavation. They are poured with gypsum or sprayed with molten paraffin, sometimes immersed in water or some kind of solution. Some objects are completely destroyed in the ground, but leave traces in the form of voids or imprints. The voids, cleared of dust and later deposits, are filled with plaster and receive a cast of the disappeared thing. During excavations, it is necessary to collect all things and various remains that testify to the natural and other conditions in which the ancient population was located. A chemical sample is taken from different layers of the cultural layer. analysis. Chemical analysis allows you to find out from which organic. substances formed humus, which tree species left ash and coal, etc. Landscape reconstruction is of particular importance for very distant eras, for example. Paleolithic, when natural conditions differed sharply from modern ones. They collect plant pollen, animal bones, and use them to reconstruct the ancient flora and fauna, climate, etc. Anthropological the study of individual bones and entire skeletons of people contributes to the establishment of physical. type of ancient population. Recently, radiocarbon and paleomagnetic methods have become increasingly important for dating the site. The archaeologist must take samples of coal, wood, organic matter for analysis. residues and fired clay according to spec. instructions developed for taking such samples. After the completion of the R., the extracted materials are subjected to restoration and conservation, as well as detailed study in the laboratory. As a result of R., various structures, archit. monuments, to-rye must be preserved in place. Their conservation is a very difficult task, especially when it is necessary to protect wall paintings, carvings, etc. from destruction. Excavations in the USSR are carried out only by specialist archaeologists with special permission - the so-called. open sheets issued by the Institute of Archeology of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR for the right to R. monuments of all-Union significance and listed in the state. lists of the USSR, as well as monuments located on the territory. RSFSR. For R. monuments of the Republic. values of open sheets are issued by the Academy of Sciences of the Union Republics. The researcher is obliged to submit a report on R. at the place of issue of open sheets. Reports are stored in archives and represent the state. fund of documents on the study of monuments. Lit .: Blavatsky V.D., Antique field archeology, M., 1967; Avdusin D. A., Archaeological exploration and excavations M., 1959; Spitsyn A. A., Archaeological excavations, St. Petersburg, 1910; Crawford O. G. S., Archeology in the field, L., (1953); Leroi-Gourhan A., Les fouilles pr?historiques (Technique et m?thodes), P., 1950; Woolley C. L., Digging up the Past, (2 ed.), L., (1954); Wheeler, R. E. M., Archaeology from the Earth, (Harmondsworth, 1956). A. L. Mongait. Moscow.
