THE BALTS AND KIEVAN RUS’. NEW BALTIC CEMETERY OF THE 11TH CENTURY IN UKRAINE.
Channel: European Association of Archaeologists
Date: 2021-02-25

Two years ago Ukrainian scientists found an early medieval cemetery, which will soon become one of the most important archaeological finds in post-soviet Ukrainian history. Ostriv-1 cemetery is located on the low terrace of Ros’ river approximately 100 km. south of Kiev. During 2017-2018 excavations of V.Ivakin and V.Baranov on 1000 square m. 53 inhumation graves with head orientation to the north were found. This kind of burial rite is untypical to the Christian Kievan Rus’. On the other hand, inhumations with the north orientation were characteristic first of all to the Baltic tribes of Semigallians, Selonians, Latgallians, Samogitians as well as to the Curonianas (till the 11th century) and Prussians (since the 11th century). This type of burial rite is typical for some Gotlandic 11th century cemeteries and the early Piast Poland. Sambian peninsula Prussians inhumations with north orientation appear within the typical cremation cemeteries area, some of them with Kievan Rus’ imported goods. It is important to stress that Sambian peninsula of the 11-12th centuries was the region of the huge Old Ruthenian imported goods concentration. The most of grave goods of Ostriv-1 belong to the 11th century and are characteristic to the Prussians, Curonians, Scalvians and Semigallians. The penannular brooches from Ostriv-1 are unknown for Kiev Rus’, but identic to these, found at Kaliningrad region and West Lithuanian cemeteries. According to O. Kozak anthropological analysis, the first results of the skeletal remains study demonstrated that the paleopopulation of Ostriv-1 was young and had a low adaptation level, what could be characteristic for the first wave incomers. At the initial stage of research, we can stress that population of Ostriv-1 consisted of East Baltic region incomers connected to the Jaroslaw the Wise migration and defence politics of the first half of the 11th century, mentioned in Nestor’s Chronicle.


Author(s): Shiroukhov, Roman (Centre for Baltic and Scandinavian Archaeology - ZBSA) - Baranov, Vyacheslav - Ivakin, Vsevolod (Institute of Archaeology of National Academy of Science of Ukraine)