Dmitrievskoye Hillfort is an archaeological complex of the Saltovo-Mayak culture, including a fortress, settlement, and burial ground. It is located on the right bank of the Korochya River, near the modern villages of Dmitrievka and Dobroye in the Shebekinsky district of Belgorod region.
The hillfort has been known since the 1870s, but the first archaeological research here was conducted by I. I. Lyapushkin in 1951.
The Dmitriev fortress was built on a cape about 50 meters high, where an fortified settlement of the early Iron Age existed as early as the 1st millennium BC. In the 8th century, during the peak of the Khazar Khaganate, the Alans erected a fortress made of chalk blocks here. The thickness of its walls reached 4 to 4.5 meters, and the height was approximately the same. The fortress served as a refuge for the inhabitants of nearby unfortified settlements in case of danger.
The burial ground includes 161 burials, most of which are made in catacombs dug into solid ground. Both single and collective burials are found here. In undisturbed graves, weapons, pottery, jewelry, as well as traces of memorial feasts and animal sacrifices are discovered. Some burials were accompanied by the ritual burial of horses, sometimes with harness. At the Dmitriev burial ground, for the first time, burials of male warriors and young women were found, laid on a layer of coal, which, according to S. A. Pletnyova, played a "connecting role in the posthumous wedding ritual."
In the early 10th century, the fortress of the Alans was destroyed by the Pechenegs. Until the 12th century, Pechenegs lived here, followed by the Polovtsians. From the second half of the 12th century, Eastern Slavs settled here.
Men were buried lying on their backs, while women were placed on their sides in a curled position. Horse meat and nuts were used as ritual food, and many vessels were placed in the graves. Among the Dmitriev Alans were many representatives of the upper classes, who took sabers, bows, and arrows with them to the afterlife.
A typical dwelling in the complex was a rectangular corridor-less structure, sunk into the ground by 0.8 meters, with an area of about 9 m², featuring an open hearth in the center and a treated floor. Most buildings had post-and-beam and plank constructions. The main type of heating device was the hearth, and in building 14, there was presumably a tandoor. Structures with an area of up to 11.6 m² predominated.
Today, Dmitrievskoye Hillfort is an object of historical and cultural heritage of federal significance, included in the State Register and protected by law.
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