THE GRAVES WITH WEAPONS AT THE OSTRIV BURIAL GROUND (excavations of 2017—2019)

Abstract

In 2017 the new burial ground on the right bank of Ros river between Puhachivka and Ostriv villages, in Rokytne district, Kyiv region was discovered. During 2017—2019 67 burials have been excavated there. Diverse and spectacular archaeological objects discovered during excavations — the spiral torques, cross-bow ladder fibulae of type Bliujiene V, penannular brooches with rolled terminals, poppy-head terminals, funnel-shaped terminals, star-shaped terminals and widening terminals, bracelets with zoomorphic terminals, chains, temporal-rings and rings — all these grave goods are typical to Western Baltic tribes (Old Prussians, Curonians, Skalvians). The burial assemblages with weapons compose the notable number. Buried men were equipped with axes, spears, pila. As M. Plavinsky stated using of the pillum was the feature of Baltic military-technic tradition. In generall the weapons discovered in the Ostriv burial ground points to the prevalence of infantry in that community. This allows suggest that people buried in the Ostriv burial ground were the warriors of Ros defensive line. From historical point of view archaeological finds well illustrate and prove the chronicle evidences about activity of first Kyiv princes, first of all of Volodymyr the Great and Yaroslav the Wise, directed to the strengthening of the southern borders of Kyiv Rus. The lands of Ros basin historically were the border with steppe and the Ros river was a proper, natural defensive factor, the frontier between the world of settled farmers and steppe nomads. Kyiv princes traditionally placed here their military forces, defending the capital of Rus from nomadic charges. We believe that the Ostriv burial ground could be associated with the garrison of Stari Sukholisy hill-fort consisted of Western Baltic people.