RESEARCH OF OLD RUS SITES NEAR THE VILLAGE OF TSYBLI IN PEREYASLAV REGION (Pages Of The Field Work Of Dr. Oleg Sukhobokov)
Authors: Buzian H. M. 
Published: December 2023

The research materials of the Livoberezhno-Dnieprovska Slavic-Rus archaeological expedition of the Institute of Archaeology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in 1995 in the village of Tsybli in Pereyaslav region headed by Dr. Oleg Sukhobokov are publish in the paper. Research staff of the Pereyaslav-Khmelnytskyi State Historical and Cultural Reserve and the Pereyaslav-Khmelnytskyi Grigory Skovoroda Pedagogical Institute took part in its work. The expedition worked since July 4 to August 8 1995. Dr. Oleh Sukhobokov had long-time scientific ties with the Pereyaslav Reserve, and at the Institute Professor Sukhobokov carried out scientific and pedagogical work, lectured at the Faculty of History, and was a member of the editorial board of the periodical scientific publication.

The goal of expedition was a comprehensive survey and excavation of multicultural archaeological sites in the vicinity of the settlement. The main focus of its work was the excavation of Old Rus monuments: the hillforts and settlements in the Uzviz 1, Uzviz 2 and Tserkva tracts. According to a number of signs the sites near the village Tsibli form a common complex — a three-parts settlement with a complex structure consisting of a fortified hillfort, an unfortified suburb on the plateau, a «posad» on the slope of the loess terrace — the «pidnizhia». It is also possible that there was a kind of “obolon” located on the lower part of the bank of the former Tsybli River, directly under the hillfort (the cultural layer of the latter was significantly destroyed by economic earthworks). The picture is complemented by the remains of a satellite village in the Tserkva tract located on the high end of the forest terrace, separated from the loess one by a water channel which is a remnant of the former Tsybli riverbed. The most interesting objects of research in 1995 were the remains of earth fortifications of the settlement in Uzviz 1 tract and two underground dwellings in the Uzviz 2 tract. In the Tserkva tract the massive cultural layers related to the functioning of the old village of Tsybli in the 17th—20th centuries and with the Old Rus settlement of the 11th—13th centuries were discovered. In two excavated Old Rus dwellings the remains of adobe household stoves were found, and thanks to the fire the charred remains of wooden structures and interior details of one of the dwellings were survived. The dwellings date from the 12th to the early 13th century. The nature of the charred remains and their considerable number allow us to draw certain conclusions regarding the construction and furnishing of the dwelling. Based on research materials, an attempt was made to graphically reconstruct one of the houses.

Study of the complex of sites near the Tsybli village in Pereyaslav region in 1995, in which Dr. Oleg Sukhobokov took a direct part, made it possible to clarify the existing theories on the nature and borders of the settlement of this territory in Old Rus Age and to determine the prospects for further research.