Палеоландшафтний аналіз ранньослов’янського городища в Опішні
This article is dedicated to interdisciplinary research of the Opishnia settlement. Based on the integration of archaeological and paleogeographical data, a paleolandscape analysis of the early Slavic settlement is conducted. The study reconstructs the natural environment of the settlement in the&am...
Gespeichert in:
| Veröffentlicht in: | Археологія |
|---|---|
| Datum: | 2025 |
| Heft: | 4 |
| Сторінки: | 77-90 |
| ISSN: | 2616-499X |
| Автори та афіліації: |
|
| Hauptverfasser: | , , |
| Format: | Artikel |
| Sprache: | Englisch |
| Veröffentlicht: |
Institute of Archaeology NAS of Ukraine
2025
|
| Schlagworte: | |
| Online Zugang: | https://arheologia.com.ua/index.php/arheologia/article/view/433 |
| Tags: |
Tag hinzufügen
Keine Tags, Fügen Sie den ersten Tag hinzu!
|
| Назва журналу: | Chemistry, Physics and Technology of Surface |
| Завантажити файл: |
|
Institution
Chemistry, Physics and Technology of Surface| _version_ | 1872824655022129152 |
|---|---|
| author | Puholovok , Yu. O. Kushnir , A. S. Matviishyna , Zh. M. |
| author_facet | Puholovok , Yu. O. Kushnir , A. S. Matviishyna , Zh. M. |
| author_institution_txt_mv | [
{
"author": "Yu. O. Puholovok ",
"institution": "PhD in Archaeology, Senior Research Fellow, SE “Scientific Research Centre ‘Protective Archaeological Service of Ukraine’”, the Institute of Archaeology, the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine",
"orcid": ""
},
{
"author": "A. S. Kushnir ",
"institution": "PhD in Geo-graphy, Senior Research Fellow, the Institute of Geography, the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, the Department of Geomorphology and Paleogeography",
"orcid": ""
},
{
"author": "Zh. M. Matviishyna ",
"institution": "DSc in Geography, Professor, the Institute of Geography, the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, the Department of Geomorphology and Paleogeography",
"orcid": ""
}
] |
| author_sort | Puholovok , Yu. O. |
| baseUrl_str | https://arheologia.com.ua/index.php/arheologia/oai |
| collection | OJS |
| container_end_page | 90 |
| container_issue | 4 |
| container_start_page | 77 |
| container_title | Археологія |
| container_volume | |
| datestamp_date | 2025-12-08T01:02:24Z |
| description | This article is dedicated to interdisciplinary research of the Opishnia settlement. Based on the integration of archaeological and paleogeographical data, a paleolandscape analysis of the early Slavic settlement is conducted. The study reconstructs the natural environment of the settlement in the Early Middle Ages, highlighting its landscape conditions, main principles of economic activity, and the formation structure. |
| doi_str_mv | 10.15407/archaeologyua2025.04.077 |
| first_indexed | 2026-08-07T01:06:12Z |
| format | Article |
| fulltext |
НАЦIОНАЛЬНА АКАДЕМIЯ НАУК УКРАЇНИ • IНСТИТУТ АРХЕОЛОГIЇ НАН УКРАЇНИ
НАУКОВИЙ ЖУРНАЛ – ЗАСНОВАНИЙ У 1947 р.
ВИДАЄТЬСЯ ЩОКВАРТАЛЬНО
КИЇВ 4 2025
АРХЕОЛОГIЯ
Головний редактор
ЧАБАЙ В. П., член-кореспондент НАН України, Iнститут археологiї НАН України
Редакцiйна колегiя
БОЛТРИК Ю. В., кандидат iсторичних наук, Iнститут археологiї НАН України
БУЙСЬКИХ А. В., член-кореспондент НАН України, Iнститут археологiї НАН України
ГАРДІ С. Е., PhD, Університет ім. Рея Хуана Карлоса, Іспанія
ДЖIНДЖАН Ф., професор, доктор хаб., почесний професор унiверситету Париж 1 Пантеон
Сорбонна, Францiя
ЗАЛIЗНЯК Л. Л., професор, доктор iсторичних наук, Нацiональний унiверситет
«Києво-Могилянська академiя»
КАЙЗЕР Е., професор, доктор хаб., Вiльний унiверситет Берлiну, Німеччина
ОТРОЩЕНКО В. В., професор, доктор iсторичних наук, Iнститут археологiї НАН України
ПЛАВІНСЬКИЙ М. О., кандидат історичних наук, Варшавський університет, Польща
ПОТЄХIНА I. Д., кандидат iсторичних наук, Iнститут археологiї НАН України
РАБІНОВІЦ А., PhD, Техаський університет в Остіні, Сполучені штати Америки
ФОРНАСЬЄ Й., професор, доктор хаб., Галле-Віттенбергський університет імені Мартіна Лютера,
Німеччина
ШЕВЧЕНКО T. М., кандидат історичних наук, Інститут археології НАН України (вiдповiдальний секретар)
NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF UKRAINE • INSTITUTE OF ARCHAEOLOGY NAS OF UKRAINE
SCIENTIFIC JOURNAL – FOUNDED IN 1947
FREQUENCY: QUARTERLY
Editor-in-Chief
CHABAI V. P., Corresponding Member of the NAS of Ukraine, Institute of Archaeology
of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
Editorial Board
BOLTRYK Yu. V., PhD in History, Institute of Archaeology of the NAS of Ukraine
BUISKYKH A. V., Corresponding Member of the NAS of Ukraine, Institute of Archaeology of the NAS of Ukraine
DJINDJIAN F., Professor, Dr. Hab., Professor of the University of Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne, France
FORNASIER J., Professor, Dr. Hab., Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Germany
HARDY S. A., PhD, Rey Juan Carlos University, Spain
KAISER E., Professor, Dr. Hab., Free University of Berlin, Germany
OTROSHCHENKO V. V., Professor, DSc in History, Institute of Archaeology of the NAS of Ukraine
PLAVINSKI M. O., PhD in History, University of Warsaw, Poland
POTEKHINA I. D., PhD in History, Institute of Archaeology of the NAS of Ukraine
RABINOWITZ A., PhD in Classical Archaeology, University of Texas at Austin, the USA
SHEVCHENKO T. M., PhD in History, Institute of Archaeology NAS of Ukraine (Executive Secretary)
ZALIZNIAK L. L., Professor, DSc in History, National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy
ARHEOLOGIA
KYIV 4 2025
ЗМIСТ CONTENTS
Articles
СТЕПАНЧУК В. М., НАУМЕНКО О. О., ТИС-
ЛЮК В. В. Вивчення зв’язку між залишками піг-
менту та розтріскуванням ковпакоподібної форми:
приклад із Заскельної V
ПАЛМЕР Р., ФОУЛЕР М., ВАРД В., КАРЯ-
КА О. В. Ландшафтне археологічне обстеження
6600 км2 Черкаської обл. (Україна) з вико-
ристанням супутникових знімків із відкритих
джерел: другий звіт
МОГИЛОВ О. Д. Поховальні споруди Cвітло-
водського могильника скіфського часу на серед-
ньому Дніпрі
ПУГОЛОВОК Ю. О., КУШНІР А. С., МАТ-
ВІЇШИНА Ж. М. Палеоландшафтний аналіз
ранньослов’янського городища в Опішні
Publications
of Archaeological Materials
KOVALENKO O. V., REIDA R. M. Alanian Buri-
al of the Hun Period (Barrow no. 17 of the Cemetery
near Storozhove Village)
To the History
of Ancient Crafts
ПАВЛЕНКО С. В. Дослідження виробничого ре-
гіону індустрії пірофілітового сланцю на півдні
Словечансько-Овруцького кряжу
Статтi
STEPANCHUK V. M., NAUMENKO O. O., TY-
SLIUK V. V. Examining the Association Between
Pigment Residues and Potlid-like Cracking: a Case
Study from Zaskelna V
PALMER R., FOWLER M., WARD V., KARIA-
KA O. V. An Archaeological Landscape Survey of
6600 km2 of Cherkasy Oblast, Ukraine, Using Open-
Source Satellite Images: Second Report
MOHYLOV O. D. Scythian Period Funerary Con-
structions of the Svitlovodsk Cemetery in the Middle
Dnipro Region
PUHOLOVOK Yu. O., KUSHNIR A. S., MAT-
VIISHYNA Zh. M. Paleolandscape Analysis of the
Early Slavic Hillfort in Opishnia
Публiкацiї
археологiчних матерiалiв
КОВАЛЕНКО О. В., РЕЙДА Р. М. Аланське
поховання гунського часу (курган 17 могильника
поблизу с. Сторожове)
До iсторiї
стародавнього виробництва
PAVLENKO S. V. Study of the Industrial Region
of the Pyrophyllite Slate Industry in the South of the
Slovechno-Ovruch Ridge
5
23
53
77
91
114
Iсторiя науки
БРОВЕНДЕР Ю. М. Становлення і розвиток
східноукраїнського осередку наукової школи
професора В. В. Отрощенка (до 80-річчя юві-
ляра)
Хронiка
Пам’яті Олександра Петровича Моці
Алфавiтний покажчик змiсту журналу
«Археологiя» за 2025 рiк
History of Science
BROVENDER Yu. M. The Formation and Devel-
opment of the Eastern Ukrainian Centre of Professor
V. V. Otroshchenko’s Research School (on the Oc-
casion of his 80th Anniversary)
News Review
To the Memory of Oleksandr Petrovych Motsia
Index of Publications in Arheologia Journal in
2025
139
149
150
ISSN 0235-3490 (Print), ISSN 2616-499X (Online). Археологія, 2025, № 4 77
УДК: [551.8:904.4](477.53)”652” https://doi.org/10.15407/arheologiaua2025.04.077
© PUHOLOVOK Yuriy Oleksandrovych, 2025 — PhD in
Archaeology, Senior Research Fellow, SE “Scientific
Research Centre ‘Protective Archaeological Service of
Ukraine’”, the Institute of Archaeology, the National
Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, ORCID: 0000-0002-7610-
8005, yuriy.puholovok@gmail.com
© KUSHNIR Anatolii Stepanovych, 2025 — PhD in Geo-
graphy, Senior Research Fellow, the Institute of Geography,
the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, the Department
of Geomorphology and Paleogeography, ORCID: 0000-0001-
8995-1467, kushnir.paleogeo@gmail.com
© MATVIISHYNA Zhanna Mykolaivna, 2025 — DSc in
Geography, Professor, the Institute of Geography, the
National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, the Department of
Geomorphology and Paleogeography, ORCID: 0000-0003-
1412-7232, kas05061988@ukr.net
© Інститут археології НАН України, 2025
PALEOLANDSCAPE ANALYSIS OF THE EARLY SLAVIC
HILLFORT IN OPISHNIA
Yu. O. PUHOLOVOK, A. S. KUSHNIR, Zh. M. MATVIISHYNA
fluenced the development of their societies. Pa-
leolandscape analysis allows us to reconstruct the
conditions in which the Slavs lived and understand
how they adapted to changing ecological condi-
tions. These studies play a crucial role in examining
settlement structures, as they reveal how settlement
sites changed depending on natural conditions, such
as climatic shifts, water level decreases, or land-
scape movements. This helps reconstruct the or-
ganisation of space, relationships between different
groups, and the preconditions for the emergence of
complex social structures. Overall, the study of pa-
leolandscapes is an important tool for understand-
ing how early Slavs interacted with natural environ-
ment, how it shaped their economic activities, cul-
ture, and social structures, and how environmental
changes influenced their development (Горбанен-
ко 2005; Матвіїшина, Пархоменко 2016; Матвії-
шина, Пархоменко, Скороход 2019; Горбаненко,
Журавльов 2021; Матвіїшина та ін. 2021; Пуго-
ловок, Кушнір 2022).
For more detailed information on the results
of paleo-soil research of Eneolithic-Early Modern
sites as part of the general paleolandscape analy-
sis, please refer to the web resource that includes
the corresponding database: https://paleosoil-holo-
cen.info/ (Leiberiuk, Kushnir, Shvaiko 2024) and
summarizing works by the staff of the Paleogeog-
raphy Department of the Institute of Geography
of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
(Матвіїшина та ін. 2024).
It is worth noting that such studies in settlement
archaeology are not rare. The high mobility of the
population, particularly during the Early Middle
Ages, caused a reorganization of the natural land-
scape. As a result, the remains of medieval settle-
ments in Europe serve as indicators of human im-
pact on both the natural and cultural landscapes
(Herold 2016, p. 107-120; ed. Contreras 2017; Do-
browolski et al. 2018; Marcinkowski, Szczepaniak
2019; Zamelska-Monczak et al. 2021). On a global
scale, climate was one of the factors influencing mi-
gration. In this publication, we present the impact of
humans on the local landscape, using the example
of an early Slavic settlement near Opishnia.
This article is dedicated to interdisciplinary re-
search of the Opishnia settlement. Based on the in-
tegration of archaeological and paleogeographi-
cal data, a paleolandscape analysis of the early
Slavic settlement is conducted. The study recon-
structs the natural environment of the settlement in
the Early Middle Ages, highlighting its landscape
conditions, main principles of economic activity,
and the formation structure.
K e y w o r d s : the Early Middle Ages, Romny
culture, the Slavs, hillfort, geoarchaeology, paleo-
landscapes, soil, natural conditions.
Paleolandscape analysis is a scientific approach to
studying ancient natural landscapes, their struc-
ture, dynamics, and evolution during various geo-
logical epochs. This analysis allows for the recon-
struction of past environmental conditions, includ-
ing climate, flora, fauna, and human influence on
the natural environment.
The main methods of paleolandscape analy-
sis include the study of geological, paleontologi-
cal, archaeological, and geographical data, as well
as the application of modern technologies such as
geographic information systems (GIS), isotope
analysis, and other chemical markers.
Studying paleolandscapes is important for un-
derstanding the economy, culture, and life of ear-
ly Slavs, as the natural environment directly in-
This is an Open Access article under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcode.en
ISSN 0235-3490 (Print), ISSN 2616-499X (Online). Археологія, 2025, № 478
In the second half of the 8th century, fortified
settlements emerged as a new type of settlement
in the Dnipro Left Bank region (Пуголовок 2016,
с. 13). Their emergence and functioning led to the
creation of new anthropogenic landscapes that per-
sisted for several centuries. (It is worth noting that
an anthropogenic landscape is one that has been
altered by human activity, while cultural land-
scape represents a specific type of anthropogenic
landscape). Fortified settlements, such as wooden-
earthen forts with various functions — administra-
tive, military, protective, or cultic — were a unique
feature of the early medieval landscape in Slav-
ic lands from the 6th to 13th centuries (Buko 2013;
Šalkovský 2015; eds. Christie, Herold 2016). This
also applies to the territory of Ukraine, where by
the end of the 20th century, about 700 fortifications
from the 8th to the 13th centuries were known (Ку-
чера 1999). In the area of the Siverian settlement
dating from the 8th to 11th centuries, about 130
settlements are known, according to various es-
timates (Сухобоков 1975b, с. 21; Енуков 2005,
с. 63). One of the earliest sites for the Romensk
culture area is the Opishnia settlement, located in
the northeastern part of the town of Opishnia, on
the right bank of the Vorskla River in the Horyd-
ysche tract (fig. 1). The site has been well-known
in professional literature since the early 20th cen-
tury and is associated with a group of researchers
of Slavic antiquities in the Dnipro Left Bank who
carried out surveys or excavations there (Ляпуш-
кин 1946, с. 117-127; Сухобоков 1975a; Пуголо-
вок 2018, с. 53-55).
To expand the research potential of the site,
interdisciplinary geoarchaeological studies were
conducted there in 2017–2018, one of which fo-
cused on the study of ancient soils and relief. The
interaction between humans and the landscape is
one of the modern directions of both archaeolog-
ical and paleogeographical research. Landscape
analysis, understood as the examination of the
complex of natural (physiographic) conditions for
a particular time period, represents a unique object
in such studies. In this context, soil serves as an
important indicator of the landscape. Buried soils
beneath various age archaeological objects make
it possible to analyze the landscape characteristics
of the time when the archaeological site was cre-
ated. This study aims to apply the geoarchaeolog-
ical approach based on integrated archaeological
and paleogeographical data using the example of
the Opishnia settlement and thus conduct a paleo-
landscape analysis of the early Slavic settlement.
General Landscape Characteristics of the Settle-
ment Location
According to its location, settlements of the
Romny culture are divided into three types: those
located on promontories, hook-like promontories,
Fig. 1. Opishnia on the map of Ukraine
0 150
km
ISSN 0235-3490 (Print), ISSN 2616-499X (Online). Археологія, 2025, № 4 79
and residuals. The Opishnia settlement is situated
on a flat, slightly lowered eastern side of a hilltop,
over 80 m above the water level of the Vorskla Riv-
er, which is a remnant of the original bank, sepa-
rated from the plateau by the Tatarpunka stream
valley and ravines. Clay extraction by residents is
evident along the northern and western slopes. A
cemetery is located in the northwestern part, and
remains of turf-covered excavations are found to
the southeast and at the centre (fig. 2). The area of
the settlement is defined by the spread of cultur-
al remains on the surface, depressions from dwell-
ings, remains of fortifications, and excavation re-
sults on the site (fig. 3, 4).
At the beginning of the 20th century, the settle-
ment was larger; the northern part of the promon-
tory was destroyed between the 1920s and 1940s,
possibly due to the local population’s extraction of
clay for pottery, the traces of which are still pres-
ent on the site today. Its current dimensions are as
follows: length along the east-west axis — 150–
160 m, shorter north-south axis — 40–50 m. The
total area is 0.8 hectares. Remains of fortifications,
consisting of a wooden-and-earthen rampart about
2.5–3.0 m high, a low escarpment approximately
1 m high, and a filled-in moat, are located on the
eastern side (fig. 5).
In terms of relief, the area selected for the for-
tifications belongs to the elevated part of the Pol-
tava Plain. The formation of modern landscapes
is primarily influenced by the widespread distri-
bution of loess deposits, which overlay the bright
red-brown clays of the Pliocene, as well as the Pa-
leogene sandy and clayey deposits. Floodplain ar-
eas have formed in the valleys of the Vorskla River
and its tributaries.
According to the soil cover maps of Ukraine,
this territory falls under the distribution of mod-
erately weakly humus-accumulative podzolized
chernozem soils in the forest-steppe humid sub-
zone; in terms of granulometric composition, these
are light and heavy clay soils (46–55 %).
The content of heavy metals in the soils of this
territory, according to the National Atlas of Ukraine
is as follows: Copper (Cu) — 13–24 mg/kg;
Zinc (Zn) — 0–40 mg/kg; Cobalt (Co) — 5–10 mg/
kg; Molybdenum (Mo) — 4.1–5.0 mg/kg; Chromi-
um (Cr) — 30–40 mg/kg; Manganese (Mn) — 400–
Fig. 2. Opishnia hillfort. Aerial survey, by Yu. O. Puholovok
ISSN 0235-3490 (Print), ISSN 2616-499X (Online). Археологія, 2025, № 480
Fig. 3. The Southeastern Part. Depth of the Rampart and Ditch Cross-Section. Excavations by O. V. Sukhobokov, 1975. From
the north-west, by Yu. O. Puholovok
Fig. 4. Opishnia Hillfort. From the South-West, by Yu. O. Puholovok
ISSN 0235-3490 (Print), ISSN 2616-499X (Online). Археологія, 2025, № 4 81
500 mg/kg; Lead (Pb) — 13.1–15.0 mg/kg; Nick-
el (Ni) — 15–20 mg/kg (Канаш, Лактіонова, Мед-
вєдєв 2007, pp. 188-189).
Settlements on residuals are located at the very
edge of the plateau, separated from it by a ravine or
valley. The formation of residuals is mainly caused
by accumulative-denudation processes, leading
to the separation of part of the original bank from
the plateau. The relief of this area can be consid-
ered well-dissected. The relief dissection coeffi-
cient according to the National Atlas of Ukraine is
1, which is an above-average indicator for the terri-
tory of Ukraine (Карти України 2025). This relief
configuration may have been one of the reasons for
the placement of the early Slavic settlement at this
location, as the hilltop area is surrounded by slopes
on all sides, which made it particularly suitable for
constructing fortifications with minimal labor costs.
The development of the Slavic settlement can
be divided into several phases. At the initial stage,
the settlement did not have fortification elements
such as a rampart and a ditch. Evidence supporting
this hypothesis includes the discovery of ceramics
found in the fill of the rampart, which likely origi-
nated from the cultural layer of the settlement area
(Сухобоков 1975a, с. 25-26). Subsequently, forti-
fications were constructed. The fortification struc-
tures themselves had at least two stages of exis-
tence, as indicated by the remains of both charred
wooden and burned elements (Сухобоков, Юрен-
ко 1995, с. 11). The settlement’s abandonment
likely occurred at the beginning of the 9th centu-
ry, when its inhabitants left the fortification. How-
ever, items from later periods were found in the
cultural layer of the site. For example, fragments
of moulded and early wheel-thrown pottery were
discovered on the southern slope of the site (Ми-
роненко 1998, с. 67, рис. 2). Additionally, frag-
ments of a pendant in the shape of an axe, dating to
the 11th century, were found during excavations in
2018 (Пуголовок 2020, с. 164). However, the re-
lationship between these items and the excavated
complexes of the settlement cannot be confirmed
due to their chronological inconsistency. They are
likely related to later populations in nearby settle-
ments.
Materials and Methods
Paleogeographical studies of the Opishnia
settlement were carried out in 2017 and 2018
by specialists from the Institute of Geography
Fig. 5. Opishnia Hillfort. Plan of the Excavation Area, by Yu. O. Puholovok
Marks of the year of research
Investigated dwellings
Investigated pits
Sampling locations
0 10 20m
ISSN 0235-3490 (Print), ISSN 2616-499X (Online). Археологія, 2025, № 482
of the NAS of Ukraine, Zh. M. Matviishyna and
A. S. Kushnir. A series of soil samples were an-
alyzed at different hypsometric levels (catena)
within a small area that has never been plowed or
subjected to agricultural work, including soil ma-
terial from the cultural layer of the archaeological
site and a cross-section of the settlement’s protec-
tive rampart (fig. 6). This allows for the tracking
of natural conditions during the formation of the
settlement, as well as elements of natural and an-
thropogenic succession and the related changes
in the physiogeographical characteristics of the
territory.
One of the most important components of field
work is the selection of soil samples for further
laboratory studies. Soil and sediment samples are
selected separately by genetic and/or stratigraph-
ic horizons. For each type of analysis, sampling
is performed according to a different scheme. For
example, for micromorphological analysis, soil
samples are selected in monoliths, for physico-
chemical analysis, mainly a small amount of ma-
terial in crumbly form, etc. In this way, a paleope-
dological method is formed in the study of buried
and modern soils (Веклич та ін. 1979). Soils are
considered indicators of past physiogeographical
conditions, they reflect changes in vegetation and
climate that occurred during their formation. The
methodology for studying fossil soils is based on
the principle of actualism, meaning that fossil
soils should be studied using the same methods as
modern soils. However, it is important to remem-
ber that fossil soils are often altered by subse-
quent diagenetic processes, which give them new
structural features, complicating the recognition
of their original structure (Матвіїшина, Кушнір
2018; Hildebrandt-Radke et al. 2019).
Six samples were sent to the Spectral Analysis
Laboratory of the Optical Spectroscopy and Lu-
minescence Department of the M. P. Semenenko
Institute of Geochemistry, Mineralogy, and Ore
Formation of the NAS of Ukraine, for the deter-
mination of chemical element concentrations in
the genetic horizons of soils. Ten samples were
sent to the Thin Section Laboratory of the Iso-
tope and Mass Spectrometry Department of the
same Institute for the preparation of thin sec-
tions with undisturbed soil structure for further
micromorphological analysis. Micromorphologi-
cal analysis focuses on the study of soil structure
(composition, texture, aggregate state, porosity)
and the substance composition (humus, fine and
coarse dispersive parts, neoformations, inclu-
sions) (Матвіїшина 1982; Кармазиненко 2010).
All collected data allow for the identification of
elementary soil-forming processes and the genet-
ic types of soils, such as chernozems, forest soils,
podzols, solonchaks, etc. Detailed studies of bur-
ied soils can identify not only their main genet-
ic types but also subtypes (Kiosak, Matviishyna
2023). The genetic horizon indexing was con-
ducted according to the classification of O. N. So-
kolovskyi, which we use because it is based on
the principles of genetic soil science. This is
important for paleogeographic reconstructions.
Micromorphological analysis generally involves
laboratory confirmation or refutation of the mac-
romorphological description of the soil and the
study of soil-forming processes at the micro
level.
Fig. 6. A General View of the Research Site with Markings of the Soil Cross-Sections
ISSN 0235-3490 (Print), ISSN 2616-499X (Online). Археологія, 2025, № 4 83
Research results
Stratigraphic section 1. Excavation within
the Hillfort (fig. 7).
The cultural layer (a layer of soil containing
material remains) is represented by a humus ho-
rizon. This is a dark gray material, carbonate-free,
with evidence of active faunal bioturbations and a
large number of grass roots. The material is loose,
poorly structured, and medium loam.
A soil sample from the cultural layer was anal-
ysed for the concentration of 16 chemical elements.
Table 1 presents the content of chemical elements
in the material from the cultural layer of the hill-
fort territory (the background (standard) indicators
for this area are presented above).
The maximum permissible amount of chemical
elements in soils (by basic elements) is Cr — 100,
Ni — 80, Zn — 20, Pb — 30 (Жовинский, Кура-
ева 2002). Thus, we state that the content of lead
and chromium in the cultural layer of the early
Slavic period is increased. The indicators of other
elements are within normal limits.
Stratigraphic section 2. The Defensive Ram-
part of the Hillfort (fig. 8).
Artificial Embankment of the Defensive Ram-
part (0.0–0.7 m). From above, the embankment and
the soil beneath it are represented by modern turf
(thickness 0.1 m) and layered sediments (thickness
0.6 m), which are very poorly processed by soil for-
mation. The material of the embankment is soil-form-
ing rock from the moat in front of the embankment.
This mixed material is mainly represented by loess-
like loam and homogeneous loess. In the middle part
of the embankment and above the buried soil, there
are bands with spots of dark gray or light gray mate-
rial. The soil above the embankment is in the initial
stage of formation, it is not yet fully developed, but is
evolving according to the sod type. Carbonates per-
meate the mass, and in the lower part of the embank-
ment, there are also concentrations of small carbon-
ate nodules. Micellar forms of CaCO3 are clearly vis-
ible above the buried soil.
The structure of the embankment of the shaft is
typical of such structures. In addition to loess de-
posits, the embankment also contains layers of sod
that were taken from the surface of the surround-
ing soil and, to some extent, reinforced the struc-
ture during construction. The carbonation of the
embankment material is related to the carbonation
of the loess rocks. The transition and the border
with the buried soil are clearly visible; it is slightly
wavy and horizontal, followed by a sharp change
to gray colouration.
Soil under the Rampart of the VIІI–IX Cen-
tury (0.7–1.6 m). From top to bottom, genetic hori-
zons are clearly visible: H + Pk (transition from the
embankment), Hk, Hpi, P(h)ik, Pk. Before a depth
of 1.05 m, the remains of two wooden trunks (up to
15–20 cm in diameter) used in the construction of
the protective rampart are visible. The wooden ma-
terial itself has not been preserved.
Fig. 7. The Territory of the Hillfort. A Cross-Section of Soil no. 1
Table 1. Chemical Element Content in Material from the Cultural Layer of the Settlement Territory
The name of of the
element Mn Ni Co Ti V Cr Zr Nb Cu Pb Zn Sn Ga Se Y Ba
Quantity, mg/kg 600 30 3 1000 40 50 400 3 40 50 50 2 5 10 50 200
ISSN 0235-3490 (Print), ISSN 2616-499X (Online). Археологія, 2025, № 484
Hk + Pk (transition from the embankment) —
0.7–0.8 m. — gray, loose, granular, dusty light
loam.
H(k) — 0.80–1.05 m. — brownish-dark gray to
black, loose, lumpy-grained dusty light to medium
loam. In the horizon, the material is the darkest in
the profile, gradually lightening downwards, with a
transition and boundary that are gradual according
to the colour change and boiling with 10 % HCl.
Hpi — 1.05–1.25 m. — brownish-gray heter-
ogeneously coloured, weakly compacted, large-
lumpy, and vaguely nutty dusty medium loam. The
transition and boundary are gradual according to
the color change and the increase in carbonation.
P(h)ik — 1.25–1.60 m. — pale-grayish-light
brown to brown, weakly ferruginous, heteroge-
neously coloured, with signs of vertical columnari-
ty and some compaction, lumpy medium loam. The
transition and boundary are gradual with a lighten-
ing of colour and an increase in CaCO3 content.
Pk — 1.6–2.0 m. — grayish-fawn, fairly homo-
geneous, loess material, which is lumpy-crumbly
light loam.
Pk + bg (2.0–2.2 m. (visible)) — light-fawn
loess, hidden-layered, homogeneous, lumpy-
crumbly dusty light loam.
Based on the combination of characteristics —
humus content, content and location of carbonates
in the profile, granulometric composition — the
soil can be defined as leached chernozem, of me-
dium thickness, from light to medium loam, with
signs of the primary hydromorphic stage of de-
velopment, formed on loess. It reflects the forest-
steppe conditions of formation.
Stratigraphic section 3. Soil for Comparison
with Soil Buried under the Embankment.
It is located 100 m east of the rampart on a gen-
tle slope towards the Vorskla River valley. This sec-
tion with modern soil (fig. 9) is described for com-
parison with the soil of the 8th– 9th century under
the rampart. In an open area with meadow-steppe
vegetation. The following soil profile was observed.
This soil is classified as gray forest, silty-me-
dium loam, formed on loess. This classification is
supported by the following features: a clear dif-
ferentiation of the profile into genetic horizons;
a humus-rich horizon containing SiO2 powder in
combination with the brown ferruginous and more
clayey illuvial horizons located below it; and a
deep (1.6 m.) occurrence of carbonate illuvium
with hard carbonate nodules.
The conducted micromorphological study of
soil samples (fig. 10) confirmed the morphologi-
cal analysis. When examined under a microscope,
washed areas in the humus-eluvial horizon and in-
flows of collomorphic clays and their concentra-
tion around pores in the illuvial horizon are traced,
which is a sign of podzolized soil.
Therefore, based on a comparison of the pro-
files of the ancient (9th–10th century) and modern
soils, we can conclude that at the time of the cre-
ation of the defensive ramparts, open spaces with
Fig. 8. A Cross-Section of Soil no. 2. The Protective Rampart
of the Settlement. Field Colour Sketch with Stratigraphic
Division of the Soil Profile Beneath the 8th Century Rampart,
by Zh. M.Matviishyna
Fig. 9. A Cross-Section of Soil no. 3. Field Colour Sketch
Showing the Stratigraphic Structure of the Background
(Modern) Soil, by Zh. M. Matviishyna
ISSN 0235-3490 (Print), ISSN 2616-499X (Online). Археологія, 2025, № 4 85
meadow-steppe vegetation prevailed. A change in
soil type within a given territory (i.e., transition
from one type to another) is usually a very long
process, that under natural conditions, may take
from several hundred to several thousand years. In
this case, we are talking about physical and geo-
graphical conditions that existed at the time the
embankment was constructed, which are record-
ed in the soil buried under it. The boundaries of
natural zones, compared to today, were probably
shifted northward. The soils identified under the
rampart are now characteristic of the flat spaces
of the modern central forest-steppe. This is con-
sistent with regional paleogeographic models
for Ukraine (Матвіїшина, Кушнір 2018; Gera-
simenko et al. 2022), Early Slavic time (Матві-
їшина, Пархоменко, 2016; Матвіїшина, Пархо-
менко, Скороход 2019; Матвіїшина та ін. 2021;
Petr et al. 2025) and general paleogeographic
reconstructions of the second half of the Holocene
(Feurdean et al. 2021; Hájková et al. 2022).
Over the 12 centuries since the construction of
the rampart, the chernozem soil could have turned
into a typical gray podzolized forest soil reflect-
ing wetter formation conditions. The soil profile
increased by 30 cm, and the differentiation of the
profile with a clear illuvial horizon and a less hu-
mus humus-eluvial horizon appeared.
In addition, a soil sample from the humus-elu-
vial horizon (0.1–0.4 m) of this section was an-
alysed for the concentration of 16 chemical ele-
ments. The results are presented in Table 2.
Comparing the obtained data with the maxi-
mum permissible concentrations of chemical ele-
ments in soils and the general background for this
territory, we conclude that the content of all an-
alysed elements in the modern soil is within the
normal range. In contrast, the cultural layer from
the early Slavic time settlement (Stratigraphic sec-
tion 1) shows elevated concentrations of lead (Pb),
chromium (Cr), and zinc (Zn). These increases are
interpreted as the result of active economic activi-
ties carried out by the settlement’s inhabitants, par-
ticularly related to everyday practices such as met-
alworking (production or repair of tools and weap-
ons), pottery production, and waste accumulation.
Modern contamination is unlikely because the soil
samples were collected directly from undisturbed
cultural layers in areas unaffected by recent agri-
cultural or construction activities. Furthermore,
Fig. 10. A Cross-Section of Soil no. 3. Micromorphological Structure of the Soil: a–g — Humus-Eluvial Horizon; e–h —
Illuvial-Humus Horizon (a, f, h — Nicol Prism Crossed; b–d, g — Nicol Prism Parallel)
Table 2. Content of Chemical Elements in the Humus-Eluvial Horizon of Soil Cross-Section no. 1
The name of the of the element Mn Ni Co Ti V Cr Zr Nb Cu Pb Zn Sn Ga Se Y Ba
Quantity, mg/kg 800 20 4 2000 50 60 - 4 30 30 - 3 4 - 50 -
ISSN 0235-3490 (Print), ISSN 2616-499X (Online). Археологія, 2025, № 486
macromorphological analysis confirms the integ-
rity and preservation of the ancient soil structure,
and comparison with nearby background soils sup-
ports the natural historical origin of the elevated
metal content.
Conclusion
In temperate climate conditions of the forest-
steppe zone, depending on the relief, soil types can
form along the catena from alluvial-podzolic soils
(in floodplains) to chernozems (on watersheds and
especially on low terraces) and grey forest podzol-
ic soils. The type of vegetation under which these
soils develop is also of great importance. There-
fore, it is rational to compare soils of the same geo-
morphological level, as we have attempted to do.
At the same time, one must consider the fact that at
the time of the construction of the defensive ram-
part, there likely existed broadleaf forest areas on
the slopes or along the valleys of small and large
rivers, which diversified the landscapes and pro-
vided the local population with construction mate-
rial for establishing settlements (Пуголовок та ін.
2015, с. 120-122). Archaeological evidence sup-
porting this hypothesis include remnants of wooden
logs in the structure of the defensive wall (Сухобо-
ков, Юренко 1995, с. 6), wooden structures in the
pits of dwellings (Ляпушкин 1961, с. 276), and the
results of charcoal analysis from pit filling and cul-
tural layer which identified the tree species as oak1.
Meadow landscapes near rivers served as pas-
tures, and meadow-steppe areas were used as agri-
cultural land, etc. (Горбаненко, Журавльов 2021,
с. 101-108). In general, the temperate climate con-
ditions, relatively varied landscape differentiation
on a small territory, which included fertile lands,
provided comfortable conditions for establishing
settlements and further economic development
(Горбаненко, Журавльов 2021, с. 143-159). This
is supported by the findings of grain crops and the
bones of domestic and wild animals (Ляпушкин
1961, с. 276; Пашкевич, Горбаненко 2003).
Overall, the number of artefacts indicating the
economic activity of the settlement’s inhabitants
was relatively small. Undoubtedly, the presence of
grain storage pits supports the hypothesis that ag-
riculture and the cultivation of cereal crops were
practiced at the settlement. The primary criterion for
identifying these pits is their shape — they may be
1 The analysis was made by M. S. Serheieva, DSc, a senior
researcher at the Institute of Archeology of the NAS of
Ukraine.
pear-shaped, bell-shaped, or jug-shaped. A charac-
teristic feature of these pits is the presence of a rel-
atively narrow neck and walls that expand towards
the even bottom (Пуголовок 2016, с. 136-137).
Other finds include imprints of cereal plants on the
bottoms of pots. Ceramic analysis revealed imprints
of millet, wheat, rye, barley, oats, and peas (Пашке-
вич, Горбаненко 2003, с. 161-163). A small num-
ber of finds related to grain harvesting and process-
ing, such as fragments of sickles, grinding stones,
and grain mills, were also discovered (Ляпушкин
1961, с. 273; Сухобоков, Юренко 1995, с. 37).
Finds associated with animal husbandry include ar-
tefacts indicating the use and care of domestic ani-
mals, particularly horses for riding. These include a
fragment of a bit showing signs of heavy wear (Су-
хобоков, Юренко 1995, с. 58), fragments of iron
bridle rings, and a massive buckle tongue (Пуголо-
вок 2018, с. 58; 2020, с. 163). At the same time, it
is noteworthy that there are no fishing-related tools.
Fish bones and scales were found only in small
quantities, and only in one of the storage pits (Ля-
пушкин 1961, с. 301).
The presence of both large and small cattle in
the herd influenced the formation of anthropogen-
ic landscapes around the settlement. Animal hus-
bandry was an important factor shaping agricul-
tural landscapes, as livestock was used not only for
food products but also for land cultivation, trans-
portation, and as a source of fertiliser. Large pas-
tures for livestock significantly altered natural land-
scapes. The increase in the number of cattle led to
an expansion of grazing areas, thus increasing the
resource zone of the settlement. Pastures were lo-
cated in meadows of wide floodplains and low river
terraces, providing easy access to water for the ani-
mals. These processes likely altered the plant cover
of the area and formed anthropogenic landscapes,
including arable land and pasture territories.
Thus, the conducted paleoelandscape analysis of
the Opishnia settlement points to the key role of nat-
ural resources in choosing the settlement’s location,
which was characteristic of earlier periods. Howev-
er, the choice of a high topography site and the con-
struction of fortifications were new phenomena for
the Left Bank of the Dnieper, and the factors that
led to this development remain unclear. One theory
suggests a threat from the Khazar Khaganate (Су-
хобоков, Юренко 1995, с. 62). At the same time,
considering the presence of several ethnic groups
— Slavic and Alan-Bulgarian (Пуголовок 2018,
pp. 165-176) — the version of a threat from the
Khaganate can be considered as one of the possible
ISSN 0235-3490 (Print), ISSN 2616-499X (Online). Археологія, 2025, № 4 87
reasons for the fortification of the Opishnia settle-
ment. Given that the Khazar Khaganate had signifi-
cant influence over the Left Bank of the Dnipro at
that time, the presence of defensive structures may
have been a response to the growing military threat
posed by nomadic groups inclined toward aggres-
sion and conquest in the region. However, external
threats should not be the only explanation. Internal
factors, such as social and economic changes in so-
ciety, were also important. Perhaps the fortification
of settlements became part of a broader process of
strengthening local tribal alliances that sought to
protect their territories and resources amid increas-
ing social and political competition.
Received 12.03.2025
Веклич, М. Ф., Матвиишина, Ж. Н., Медведев, В. В.,
Сиренко, Н. А., Федоров, К. Н. 1979. Методика палеопе-
дологических исследований. Киев: Наукова думка.
Горбаненко, С. А. 2005. Окружающая среда и славян-
ские памятники второй половины І тыс. н.э. (по материа-
лам Левобережья Днепра). Stratum plus, 5, с. 400-425.
Горбаненко, С. А., Журавльов, О. П. 2021. Літопис-
ні слов’яни передодня утворення Давньої Русі: тварин-
ництво чи мисливство. Київ: Інститут археології НАН
України; Харків: Майдан.
Карти України. 2025. Густота розчленування рельє-
фу. Режим доступу: https://geomap.land.kiev.ua/relief-1.
html [Дата звернення 20 лютого 2025].
Канаш, О. П., Лактіонова, Т. М., Медвєдєв, В. В. 2007.
Ґрунти. М. 1:2 500 000. В: Руденко, Л. Г. (гол. ред.). На-
ціональний атлас України. Київ: ДНВП «Картографія»,
с. 188-189.
Енуков, В. В. 2005. Славяне до Рюриковичей. Курский
край: научно-по- пулярная серия в 20 т., III. Курск: Учитель.
Жовинский, Э. Я., Кураева, И. В. 2002. Геохимия
тяжелых металлов в почвах Украины. Київ: Наукова думка.
Кармазиненко, С. П. 2010. Мікроморфологічний до-
слідження викопних і сучасних ґрунтів України. Київ: На-
укова думка.
Кучера, М. П. 1999. Слов’яно-руські городища
VIII–X ст. між Саном і Сіверським Дінцем. Київ: Інсти-
тут археології НАН України.
Ляпушкин, И. И. 1946. Материалы к изучению юго-
восточных границ восточных славян. Краткие сообще-
ния Института истории и материальной культуры, XІI,
с. 117-127.
Ляпушкин, И. И. 1961. Днепровское Лесостепное Лево-
бережье в эпоху железа. Материалы и исследования по ар-
хеологии СССР, 104. Москва; Ленингра.: Изд-во АН СССР.
Матвиишина, Ж. Н. 1982. Микроморфология
плейстоценовых почв Украины. Киев: Наукова думка.
Матвіїшина, Ж. М., Дорошкевич, С. П., Кушнір, А. С.,
Кармазиненко, С. П., Івченко, А. С. 2024. Основні нау-
кові результати співробітників сектору палеогеографії,
отримані впродовж 2017–2024 рр. в Інституті геогра-
фії НАН України. Український географічний журнал, 3,
с. 24-37. https://doi.org/10.15407/ugz2024.03.024
Матвіїшина, Ж. М., Кушнір, А. С. 2018. Геоархеоло-
гічний підхід у палеоґрунтознавчих дослідженнях архео-
логічних пам’яток. Український географічний журнал, 4,
с. 10-15. https://doi.org/10.15407/ugz2018.04.01
Матвіїшина, Ж., Пархоменко, О., Скороход, В., Си-
тий, Ю. 2021. Дослідження викопних ґрунтів в археологіч-
них пам’ятках смт Седнева та його околиць на Чернігівщи-
ні. В: Коцур, В., Руденко, Л., Маруняк, Є. (ред.). Географічна
освіта та наука: перспективи й інновації. Збірник матеріа-
лів Міжнародної науково-практичної конференції. Переяс-
лав, Україна, 20–21 травня 2021 р. Переяслав, с. 93-97.
Матвіїшина, Ж. М., Пархоменко, О. Г. 2016. Особли-
вості голоценового педогенезу на Шестовицькому архео-
логічному комплексі X‒XI ст. Фізична географія та гео-
морфологія, 3 (83), c. 55-60.
Матвіїшина, Ж. М., Пархоменко, О. Г., Скоро-
ход, В. М. 2019. Еволюція ґрунтів та ландшафтів тери-
торії давньоруського городища біля с. Виповзів на Чер-
нігівщині. Наукові записки Вінницького державного пе-
дагогічного університету імені Михайла Коцюбинського.
Серія: Географія, 31 (1–2), с. 20-31.
Мироненко, К. М. 1998. Давньоруські поселення
Нижнього Поворскля. Археологічний літопис Лівобереж-
ної України, 3–4, с. 66-70.
Пашкевич, Г. О., Горбаненко, С. А. 2003. Відбитки
зернівок культурних рослин на кераміці Опішнянського
городища. Археологічний літопис Лівобережної України,
12–13, с. 161-163.
Пуголовок, Ю. 2016. Будівельна справа літописних сі-
верян. Опішне: Українське народознавство.
Пуголовок, Ю. 2020. Дослідження Опішнянського го-
родища. В: Болтрик, Ю. В. (гол. ред.). Археологічні дослі-
дження в Україні 2018. Київ: ІА НАНУ, с. 163-164.
Пуголовок, Ю. О. 2018. Новітні дослідження Опіш-
ненського городища. In Sclavenia terra, 2, с. 53-60.
Пуголовок, Ю. О., Горбаненко, С. А., Сергєєва, М. С.,
Яніш, Є. Ю. 2015. Палеоекологія околиць Глинського архе-
ологічного комплексу у XIII–XIV ст. Археологія, 4, с. 109-128.
Пуголовок, Ю. О., Кушнір, А. С. 2022. Досліджен-
ня поселенської структури Глинського археологічного
комплексу за допомогою технології LiDAR. Археологія і
давня історія України, 44, с. 444-455
Сухобоков, О. В. 1975a. Отчет о работе Левобереж-
ного отряда Раннеславянской экспедиции Института
археологии АН УССР в 1975 году. Науковий архів Інсти-
туту археології НАН України, ф. 64, 1975/26а.
Сухобоков, О. В. 1975b. Славяне Днепровского Лево-
бережья (роменская культура и ее предшественники).
Киев: Наукова думка.
Сухобоков, О. В., Юренко, С. П. 1995. Опошнянское
городище (по материалам археологических исследований
1975 г.). Полтава: ВЦ «Археологія».
Buko, A. 2013. Fortified Medieval Sites in Central Eu-
rope: Construction, Techniques, Functions, Regional Differ-
entiations . Scienze dell’Antichita, 2–3, p. 651-667.
Christie, N., Herold, H. (eds.). 2016. Fortified Settlements
in Early Medieval Europe: Defended Communities of the 8th-
10th Centuries. Oxford: Oxbow.
Contreras, D. A. (еd.). 2017. The Archaeology of Hu-
man–Environment Interactions: Strategies for Investigating
Anthropogenic Landscapes, Dynamic Environments, and Cli-
mate Change in the Human Past. New York, Routledge.
Dobrowolski, R., Rodzik, J., Mroczek, P., Zagórski, P.,
Bałaga, K., Wołoszyn, M., Dzieńkowski, T., Hajdas, I., Fe-
dorowicz, S. 2018. Environmental Conditions of Settle-
ment in the Vicinity of the Mediaeval Capital of the Cherven
Towns (Czermno Site, Hrubieszów Basin, Eastern Poland).
Quaternary International, 493, p. 258-273.
Feurdean, A., Grindean, R., Florescu, G., Tantau, I.,
Niedermeyer, E. M., Diaconu, A.-C., Hutchinson, S. M.,
Nielsen, A. B., Sava, T., Panait, A., Braun, M., Hickler, T.
2021. The Transformation of the Forest Steppe in the
ISSN 0235-3490 (Print), ISSN 2616-499X (Online). Археологія, 2025, № 488
Lower Danube Plain of Southeastern Europe: 6000 Years of
Vegetation and Land Use Dynamics. Biogeosciences, 18 (3),
p. 1081–1103. https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-1081-2021
Gerasimenko, N., Bezusko, L. G., Avdieienko, Y.,
Yanevich, A. 2022. Late Glacial and Holocene Vegetational
and Climate Changes and Their Impact on Material Cultures
in the Crimean Mountains (Founded on Pollen Data from
Cave Deposits). Quaternary International, 632, p. 139-153.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2021.12.018
Hájková, P., Petr, L., Horsak, M., Jamrichova, E.,
Rolecek, J. 2022. Holocene History of the Landscape at the
Biogeographical and Cultural Crossroads Between Central
and Eastern Europe (Western Podillia, Ukraine). Quaternary
Science Reviews, 288, p. 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.
quascirev.2022.107610
Herold, H. 2016. The Natural Environment, Anthropo-
genic Influences and Supra-Regional Contacts at 9th to 10th
Century Fortified Elite Settlements in Central Europe. In:
Christie, N., Herold, H. (eds). Fortified Settlements in Early
Medieval Europe. Oxford: Oxbow, p. 107-120.
Hildebrandt-Radke, I., Makarovich, P., Matviishyna, Zh.,
Parhomenko, A., Lysenko, S., Kochkin, I. 2019. Late
Neolithic and Middle Bronze Age Barrows in Bukivnia,
Western Ukraine as a Source to Understand Soil Evolution and
Its Environmental Significance. Journal of Archaeological
Science Reports, 27, p. 23-42. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.
jasrep.2019.101972
Kiosak, D., Matviishyna, Z. 2023. The Soils of Early
Farmers and Their Neighbors in the Southern Buh Catchment
(Ukraine): Micromorphology and Archaeological Context.
Land, 12 (2), p. 388-402. https://doi.org/10.3390/land12020388
Leiberiuk, O., Kushnir, A., Shvaiko, V. 2024. Develop-
ment of a Mapping Web Application for Paleo-Soil Research
of the Holocene Stage of the Plain Territory of Ukraine. In-
ternational Conference of Young Professionals «GeoTer-
race-2024». Lviv, Ukraine, 7–9 October 2024. European As-
sociation of Geoscientists & Engineers, p. 1-5. https://doi.
org/10.3997/2214-4609.2024510059
Marcinkowski, M, Szczepaniak, M. 2019. Geoarchaeolo-
gy of the Early Medieval Stronghold Surroundings in Grzybo-
wo Near Września, Greater Poland. Quaestiones Geographi-
cae, 38, 3, p. 95-108.
Petr, L., Petřík, J., Kočár, P., Dresler, D. 2025. Late
Holocene Environmental Changes and Human Subsistence in
an Alluvial Landscape: A Case Study from the Pohansko Site
on the Dyje (Thaya) River in Czechia. Human Ecology, 53,
p. 151-164. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10745-025-00584-y
Šalkovský, P. 2015. Hrady západných slovanov. Nitra:
Archeologicky ústav Slovenskej akadémie vied.
Zamelska-Monczak, K., Piotrowski, A., Sydor, P.,
Żuk, T., Rzodkiewicz, M., Noryśkiewicz, A., Krzymińska, J.
2021. Geoarchaeological Studies in the Early Medieval San-
tok Stronghold (North-Western Poland). Geoarchaeology,
36, p. 978-1008.
Юрій О. Пуголовок1, Анатолій С. Кушнір2, Жанна М. Матвіїшина3
1Кандидат історичних наук, старший науковий співробітник ДП «Науково-дослідний центр «Охоронна археологічна
служба України», Інститут археології НАН України, ORCID: 0000-0002-7610-8005, yuriy.puholovok@gmail.com
2Кандидат географічних наук, cтарший науковий співробітник відділу геоморфології та палеогеографії, Інститут гео-
графії НАН України, ORCID: 0000-0001-8995-1467, kushnir.paleogeo@gmail.com
3Доктор географічних наук, професор, завідувач сектора палеогеографії, Інститут географії НАН України, ORCID:
0000-0003-1412-7232, kas05061988@ukr.net
ПАЛЕОЛАНДШАФТНИЙ АНАЛІЗ РАННЬОСЛОВ’ЯНСЬКОГО ГОРОДИЩА В ОПІШНІ
Cтаттю присвячено міждисциплінарним дослідженням Опішнянського городища. Його палеоландшафтний аналіз вказує
на ключову роль природних ресурсів у виборі місця для розміщення поселення, що було характерним і для попередніх
епох. Однак вибір місця з високою топографією і побудова укріплень були явищем новим для території Дніпровського
Лівобережжя, і фактори, що викликали це явище, не до кінця зрозумілі. Серед них виказувалося припущення про загрозу з
боку Хозарського каганату. У той же час, з огляду на наявність кількох етнічних груп населення — слов’янської та алано-
болгарської, версію про загрозу від каганату можна розглядати як одну з можливих причин укріплення Опішнянського
городища. Враховуючи, що в цей період Хозарський каганат мав значний вплив на Лівобережжя Дніпра, наявність
оборонних споруд може бути реакцією на зростаючу військову загрозу з боку кочових народів, які мали тенденцію
до агресії і завоювань у регіоні. Однак не можна зводити всі фактори лише до зовнішньої загрози. Важливими є і
внутрішні аспекти, зокрема соціально-економічні зміни в суспільстві. Можливо, укріплення поселень стало частиною
загального процесу зміцнення місцевих племінних союзів, що прагнули до захисту своїх територій і ресурсів у контексті
підвищення соціальної та політичної конкуренції між ними.
Результати палеландшафтного аналізу свідчать про те, що на момент спорудження оборонного валу в околицях
городища на схилах або вздовж долин малих і великих річок існували ділянки широколистяних лісів. Вони
урізноманітнювали ландшафти і забезпечували тогочасне населення будівельним матеріалом під час заснування городища.
Лучні ландшафти біля річок слугували пасовищами, лучно-степові ділянки використовувалися як сільськогосподарські
угіддя тощо. Загалом, помірні кліматичні умови та відносно різноманітна ландшафтна диференціація на невеликій
території, зокрема родючі землі, забезпечували комфортні умови для заснування поселень і подальшого розвитку
ремесел.
К л ю ч о в і с л о в а: раннє середньовіччя, роменська культура, слов’яни, городище, геоархеологія, палеоландшафти,
ґрунт, природні умови.
ISSN 0235-3490 (Print), ISSN 2616-499X (Online). Археологія, 2025, № 4 89
References
Veklich, M. F. Matviishina, Zh. N., Medvedev, V. V., Sirenko, N. A., Fedorov, K. N. 1979. Metodika paleopedologicheskikh
issledovanii. Kyiv: Naukova dumka.
Horbanenko, S. A. 2005. The enviroment and slavik settlements of the second half of the 1th A.D. (in according with materials
of Left Bank Dnepr). Stratum plus, 5, с. 400-425.
Horbanenko, S. A., Zhuravlov, O. P. 2021. Litopysni sloviany peredodnia utvorennia Davnoi Rusi: tvarynnytstvo chy myslyvst-
vo. Kyiv: Instytut arkheolohii NAN Ukrainy; Kharkiv: Maidan.
Karty Ukrainy. 2025. Hustota rozchlenuvannia reliefu. Available at: https://geomap.land.kiev.ua/relief-1.html [Accessed 20
February 2025].
Kanash, O. P., Laktionova, T. M., Medviediev, V. V. 2007. Grunty. M. 1:2 500 000. In: Rudenko, L. H. (ed.). Natsionalnyi atlas
Ukrainy. K.: DNVP “Kartohrafiia”, p. 188-189.
Enukov, V. V. 2005. Slaviane do Riurikovichei. Kurskii krai: nauchno-populiarnaia seriia v 20 t., III. Kursk: Uchitel.
Zhovinskii, E. Ia., Kuraeva, I. V. 2002. Geokhimiia tiazhelykh metallov v pochvakh Ukrainy. Kyiv: Naukova dumka.
Karmazynenko, S. P. 2010. Mikromorfolohichnyi doslidzhennia vykopnykh i suchasnykh gruntiv Ukrainy. Kyiv: Naukova dumka.
Kuchera, M. P. 1999. Sloviano-ruski horodyshcha VIII–X st. mizh Sanom i Siverskym Dintsem. Kyiv: Instytut arkheolohii NANU.
Liapushkin, I. I. 1946. Materialy k izucheniiu iugo-vostochnykh granits vostochnykh slavian. Kratkie soobshcheniia Instituta
istorii i materialnoi kultury, XІI, p. 117-127.
Liapushkin, I. I. 1961. Dneprovskoe Lesostepnoe Levoberezhe v epokhu zheleza. Materialy i issledovaniia po arkheologii SSSR,
104. Moscow; Leningrad: Izd-vo AN SSSR.
Matviishina, Zh. N. 1982. Mikromorfologiia pleistotsenovykh pochv Ukrainy. Kyiv: Naukova dumka.
Matviishyna, Zh. M., Doroshkevych, S. P., Kushnir, A. S., Karmazynenko, S. P., Ivchenko, A. S. 2024. THE MAIN SCIEN-
TIFIC RESULTS OF EMPLOYEES OF THE SECTOR OF PALEOGEOGRAPHY OBTAINED DURING 2017–2024
AT THE INSTITUTE OF GEOGRAPHY OF THE NAS OF UKRAINE. Ukrainskyi heohrafichnyi zhurnal, 3, p. 24-37.
https://doi.org/10.15407/ugz2024.03.024
Matviishyna, Zh. M., Kushnir, A. S. 2018. Geoarchaeological Approach in Paleosoil Research of Archaeological Monuments.
Ukrainian Geohraphical Journal, 4, p. 10–15. https://doi.org/10.15407/ugz2018.04.010
Matviishyna, Zh., Parkhomenko, O., Skorokhod, V., Sytyi, Yu. 2021. Doslidzhennia vykopnykh gruntiv v arkheolohichnykh
pamiatkakh smt Sedneva ta yoho okolyts na Chernihivshchyni. In: Kotsur, V., Rudenko, L., Maruniak, Ye. (eds.). Heohra-
fichna osvita ta nauka: perspektyvy y innovatsii. Zbirnyk materialiv Mizhnarodnoi naukovo-praktychnoi konferentsii. Pere-
iaslav, Ukraine, 20–21 May 2021. Pereiaslav, p. 93-97.
Matviishyna, Zh. M., Parkhomenko, O. H. 2016. Osoblyvosti holotsenovoho pedohenezu na Shestovytskomu arkheolohichnomu
kompleksi X-XI st. Fizychna heohrafiia ta heomorfolohiia, 3 (83), p. 55-60.
Matviishyna, Zh. M., Parkhomenko, O. H., Skorokhod, V. M. 2019. Evoliutsiia gruntiv ta landshaftiv terytorii davnoruskoho
horodyshcha bilia s. Vypovziv na Chernihivshchyni. Naukovi zapysky Vinnytskoho derzhavnoho pedahohichnoho univer-
sytetu imeni Mykhaila Kotsiubynskoho. Seriia: Heohrafiia, 31 (1–2), p. 20-31.
Myronenko, K. M. 1998. Davnoruski poselennia Nyzhnioho Povorsklia. Arkheolohichnyi litopys Livoberezhnoii Ukrainy, 3–4,
p. 66-70.
Pashkevych, H. O., Horbanenko, S. A. 2003. Vidbytky zernivok kulturnykh roslyn na keramitsi Opishnianskoho horodyshcha.
Arkheolohichnyi litopys Livoberezhnoii Ukrainy, 12–13, p. 161-163.
Puholovok, Yu. 2016. Budivelna sprava litopysnykh siverian. Opishne: Ukrainske narodoznavstvo.
Puholovok, Yu. 2020. Doslidzhennia Opishnianskoho horodyshcha. In: Boltryk, Yu. V. (ed.) Arkheolohichni doslidzhennia v
Ukraini 2018. Kyiv: IA NANU, p. 163-164.
Puholovok, Yu. O. 2018. Novitni doslidzhennia Opishnenskoho horodyshcha. In Sclavenia terra, 2, p. 53-60.
Puholovok, Yu. O., Horbanenko, S. A., Serhieieva, M. S., Yanish, Ye Yu. 2015. Paleoekolohiia okolyts Hlynskoho arkheolo-
hichnoho kompleksu u XIII–XIV st. Arheologia, 4, p. 109-128.
Puholovok, Yu. O., Kushnir, A. S. 2022. Lidar Investigations Of Hlynske Archaeological Complex. Archaeology and Early His-
tory of Ukraine, 44, p. 444-455
Sukhobokov, O. V. 1975a. Otchet o rabote Levoberezhnogo otriada Ranneslavianskoi ekspeditsii Instituta arkheologii AN USSR
v 1975 godu. Scientific Archive of the Institute of Archaeology, the NAS of Ukraine, f. 64, 1975/26a.
Sukhobokov, O. V. 1975b. Slaviane Dneprovskogo Levoberezhia (romenskaia kultura i ee predshestvenniki). Kyiv: Naukova
dumka.
Sukhobokov, O. V., Iurenko, S. P. 1995. Oposhnianskoe gorodishche (po materialam arkheologicheskikh issledovanii 1975 g.)
Poltava: VTs “Arkheologіia”.
Buko, A. 2013. Fortified Medieval Sites in Central Europe: Construction, Techniques, Functions, Regional Differentiations . Sci-
enze dell’Antichita, 2–3, p. 651-667.
Christie, N., Herold, H. (eds.). 2016. Fortified Settlements in Early Medieval Europe: Defended Communities of the 8th-10th
Centuries. Oxford: Oxbow.
Contreras, D. A. (еd.). 2017. The Archaeology of Human–Environment Interactions: Strategies for Investigating Anthropogenic
Landscapes, Dynamic Environments, and Climate Change in the Human Past. New York, Routledge.
Dobrowolski, R., Rodzik, J., Mroczek, P., Zagórski, P., Bałaga, K., Wołoszyn, M., Dzieńkowski, T., Hajdas, I., Fedorowicz, S.
2018. Environmental Conditions of Settlement in the Vicinity of the Mediaeval Capital of the Cherven Towns (Czermno
Site, Hrubieszów Basin, Eastern Poland). Quaternary International, 493, p. 258-273.
ISSN 0235-3490 (Print), ISSN 2616-499X (Online). Археологія, 2025, № 490
Feurdean, A., Grindean, R., Florescu, G., Tantau, I., Niedermeyer, E. M., Diaconu, A.-C., Hutchinson, S. M., Nielsen, A. B.,
Sava, T., Panait, A., Braun, M., Hickler, T. 2021. The Transformation of the Forest Steppe in the Lower Danube Plain of
Southeastern Europe: 6000 Years of Vegetation and Land Use Dynamics. Biogeosciences, 18 (3), p. 1081–1103. https://
doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-1081-2021
Gerasimenko, N., Bezusko, L. G., Avdieienko, Y., Yanevich, A. 2022. Late Glacial and Holocene Vegetational and Climate
Changes and Their Impact on Material Cultures in the Crimean Mountains (Founded on Pollen Data from Cave Deposits).
Quaternary International, 632, p. 139-153. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2021.12.018
Hájková, P., Petr, L., Horsak, M., Jamrichova, E., Rolecek, J. 2022. Holocene History of the Landscape at the Biogeographical
and Cultural Crossroads Between Central and Eastern Europe (Western Podillia, Ukraine). Quaternary Science Reviews,
288, p. 1-16. 107610.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2022.107610
Herold, H. 2016. The Natural Environment, Anthropogenic Influences and Supra-Regional Contacts at 9th- to 10th-Century For-
tified Elite Settlements in Central Europe. In: Christie, N., Herold, H. (eds). Fortified Settlements in Early Medieval Eu-
rope. Oxford: Oxbow, p. 107-120.
Hildebrandt-Radke, I., Makarovich, P., Matviishyna, Zh., Parhomenko, A., Lysenko, S., Kochkin, I. 2019. Late Neolithic
and Middle Bronze Age Barrows in Bukivnia, Western Ukraine as a Source to Understand Soil Evolution and Its
Environmental Significance. Journal of Archaeological Science Reports, 27, p. 23-42. 101972. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.
jasrep.2019.101972
Kiosak, D., Matviishyna, Z. 2023. The Soils of Early Farmers and Their Neighbors in the Southern Buh Catchment (Ukraine):
Micromorphology and Archaeological Context. Land, 12 (2), p. 388-402. https://doi.org/10.3390/land12020388
Leiberiuk, O., Kushnir, A., Shvaiko, V. 2024. Development of a Mapping Web Application for Paleo-Soil Research of the Holo-
cene Stage of the Plain Territory of Ukraine. International Conference of Young Professionals “GeoTerrace-2024”. Lviv,
Ukraine, 7–9 October 2024. European Association of Geoscientists & Engineers, p. 1-5. https://doi.org/10.3997/2214-
4609.2024510059
Marcinkowski, M, Szczepaniak, M. 2019. Geoarchaeology of the Early Medieval Stronghold Surroundings in Grzybowo Near
Września, Greater Poland. Quaestiones Geographicae, 38, 3, p. 95-108.
Petr, L., Petřík, J., Kočár, P., Dresler, D. 2025. Late Holocene Environmental Changes and Human Subsistence in an Alluvial
Landscape: A Case Study from the Pohansko Site on the Dyje (Thaya) River in Czechia. Human Ecology, 53, p. 151-164.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10745-025-00584-y
Šalkovský, P. 2015. Hrady západných slovanov. Nitra: Archeologicky ústav Slovenskej akadémie vied.
Zamelska-Monczak, K., Piotrowski, A., Sydor, P., Żuk, T., Rzodkiewicz, M., Noryśkiewicz, A., Krzymińska, J. 2021. Geoar-
chaeological Studies in the Early Medieval Santok Stronghold (North-Western Poland). Geoarchaeology, 36, p. 978-1008.
|
| id | arheologia-com-ua-article-433 |
| institution | Chemistry, Physics and Technology of Surface |
| issn | 2616-499X |
| keywords_txt_mv | |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-08-07T01:06:12Z |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publisher | Institute of Archaeology NAS of Ukraine |
| record_format | ojs |
| resource_txt_mv | arheologiacomua/95/c9c4fdd8e9269d2df5d5f46a69261c95.pdf |
| spelling | arheologia-com-ua-article-4332025-12-08T01:02:24Z Paleolandscape Analysis of the Early Slavic Hillfort in Opishnia Палеоландшафтний аналіз ранньослов’янського городища в Опішні Puholovok , Yu. O. Kushnir , A. S. Matviishyna , Zh. M. the Early Middle Ages, Romny culture, the Slavs, hillfort, geoarchaeology, paleolandscapes, soil, natural conditions. раннє середньовіччя, роменська культура, слов’яни, городище, геоархеологія, палеоландшафти, ґрунт, природні умови. This article is dedicated to interdisciplinary research of the Opishnia settlement. Based on the integration of archaeological and paleogeographical data, a paleolandscape analysis of the early Slavic settlement is conducted. The study reconstructs the natural environment of the settlement in the Early Middle Ages, highlighting its landscape conditions, main principles of economic activity, and the formation structure. Cтаттю присвячено міждисциплінарним дослідженням Опішнянського городища. Його палеоландшафтний аналіз вказує на ключову роль природних ресурсів у виборі місця для розміщення поселення, що було характерним і для попередніх епох. Однак вибір місця з високою топографією і побудова укріплень були явищем новим для території Дніпровського Лівобережжя, і фактори, що викликали це явище, не до кінця зрозумілі. Серед них виказувалося припущення про загрозу з боку Хозарського каганату. У той же час, з огляду на наявність кількох етнічних груп населення — слов’янської та алано-болгарської, версію про загрозу від каганату можна розглядати як одну з можливих причин укріплення Опішнянського городища. Враховуючи, що в цей період Хозарський каганат мав значний вплив на Лівобережжя Дніпра, наявність оборонних споруд може бути реакцією на зростаючу військову загрозу з боку кочових народів, які мали тенденцію до агресії і завоювань у регіоні. Однак не можна зводити всі фактори лише до зовнішньої загрози. Важливими є і внутрішні аспекти, зокрема соціально-економічні зміни в суспільстві. Можливо, укріплення поселень стало частиною загального процесу зміцнення місцевих племінних союзів, що прагнули до захисту своїх територій і ресурсів у контексті підвищення соціальної та політичної конкуренції між ними. Результати палеландшафтного аналізу свідчать про те, що на момент спорудження оборонного валу в околицях городища на схилах або вздовж долин малих і великих річок існували ділянки широколистяних лісів. Вони урізноманітнювали ландшафти і забезпечували тогочасне населення будівельним матеріалом під час заснування городища. Лучні ландшафти біля річок слугували пасовищами, лучно-степові ділянки використовувалися як сільськогосподарські угіддя тощо. Загалом, помірні кліматичні умови та відносно різноманітна ландшафтна диференціація на невеликій території, зокрема родючі землі, забезпечували комфортні умови для заснування поселень і подальшого розвитку ремесел. Institute of Archaeology NAS of Ukraine 2025-12-02 Article Article application/pdf https://arheologia.com.ua/index.php/arheologia/article/view/433 10.15407/archaeologyua2025.04.077 Arheologia; No 4 (2025): Arheologia; 77-90 Археологія ; № 4 (2025): Археологія; 77-90 Археология; № 4 (2025): Arheologia; 77-90 2616-499X 0235-3490 en https://arheologia.com.ua/index.php/arheologia/article/view/433/440 Copyright (c) 2025 Arheologia https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcode.en |
| spellingShingle | раннє середньовіччя роменська культура слов’яни городище геоархеологія палеоландшафти ґрунт природні умови. Puholovok , Yu. O. Kushnir , A. S. Matviishyna , Zh. M. Палеоландшафтний аналіз ранньослов’янського городища в Опішні |
| title | Палеоландшафтний аналіз ранньослов’янського городища в Опішні |
| title_alt | Paleolandscape Analysis of the Early Slavic Hillfort in Opishnia |
| title_full | Палеоландшафтний аналіз ранньослов’янського городища в Опішні |
| title_fullStr | Палеоландшафтний аналіз ранньослов’янського городища в Опішні |
| title_full_unstemmed | Палеоландшафтний аналіз ранньослов’янського городища в Опішні |
| title_short | Палеоландшафтний аналіз ранньослов’янського городища в Опішні |
| title_sort | палеоландшафтний аналіз ранньослов’янського городища в опішні |
| topic | раннє середньовіччя роменська культура слов’яни городище геоархеологія палеоландшафти ґрунт природні умови. |
| topic_facet | the Early Middle Ages Romny culture the Slavs hillfort geoarchaeology paleolandscapes soil natural conditions. раннє середньовіччя роменська культура слов’яни городище геоархеологія палеоландшафти ґрунт природні умови. |
| url | https://arheologia.com.ua/index.php/arheologia/article/view/433 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT puholovokyuo paleolandscapeanalysisoftheearlyslavichillfortinopishnia AT kushniras paleolandscapeanalysisoftheearlyslavichillfortinopishnia AT matviishynazhm paleolandscapeanalysisoftheearlyslavichillfortinopishnia AT puholovokyuo paleolandšaftnijanalízrannʹoslovânsʹkogogorodiŝavopíšní AT kushniras paleolandšaftnijanalízrannʹoslovânsʹkogogorodiŝavopíšní AT matviishynazhm paleolandšaftnijanalízrannʹoslovânsʹkogogorodiŝavopíšní |