This work studies the material concerning a structure near the village of Zalomnoye in Belgorod Region examined by A.G. Nikolaenko and a local history group Alan in 1973. A.G. Nikolaenko did not publish his examination results, although the material is of certain historical interest, the structure being a cultural site of Zolomnoye settlement. Based on the massive ceramic material and specific items found on the site, the settlement and the structure were related to the Saltovo-Mayaki culture of the 8th-10th centuries A.D. Zalamnoye settlement is located in the floodplain of the Oskol River in a pit between sand dunes directly in contact with the left bank of the river. Therefore, the population of the settlement belonging to the Saltovo-Mayaki culture, due to such geological conditions, could not apply the catacomb burial in sandy soil. The settlement was not subjected to archeological excavations. A half earthen structure located on the edge of the settment close to the river has an almost square shape, with the corners oriented with respect to the cardial directions. The floor is made of mud, with white clay on a layer of black soil over the mainland fine yellow sand. The floor was covered with charcoal and pieces of burnt clay with traces of coating. We believe that there were poles, bars and clay used in the construction of the structure. Given the sandy soil, we assume that the walls were made of wattle covered with clay. The center of the structure contained a hearth sunken into the floor. The southern part of the structure contained a rectangular burnt spot with one rounded. The orange-coloured spot of such shape could be left by some sort of fire device. The internal structure of the premises had a sector defined by small pits united by the hearth and the burnt spot. The pits could have had some wooden poles serving as a support for the hearth structure. The housing has some holes in the northern corner, by the north-eastern wall and in south-eastern corner. The holes are filled with the bones of domestic animals, pottery fragments and charcoal. Since the western corner of the north-western side of the pit was destroyed by coastal cliff, we can assume that the western corner had a hole filled with bones of domestic animals, pottery and charcoal. All pottery discovered on the site, with fragments of cooking ware and tare prevailing, was made on the pottery wheel. The pots had linear horizontal patterns for the most part. Of all the ceramics discovered, a fragment of tableware with a spout pasted on and a fragment with the image of a twirling snake are most remarkable. We believe that the structure located on the outskirts of the settlement near the river is connected with some ritual activities. Holes in the floor of the room filled with bones of domestic animals, fragments of pottery and charcoal may have had ritual significance. The burnt spot located in the southern part of the room could have been left from some fire device associated with the cult of fire. A fragment of a kitchen pot with the image of a twirling snake and a fragment of the tableware with a spout pasted on could have had some magic value. The pit with the structure was abandoned perhaps already during the period the settlement was still inhavited, since most pottery was found in the cultural layer of the structure.
saltovo-mayackaya kul'tura, selische, postroyka, keramika, ritual, obryad, kul't ognya
1. Afanas'ev G. E. 1980. Keramika Mokroy Balki // Srednevekovye drevnosti evraziyskih stepey. Moskva: Nauka, 57-78.
2. Bagaev M. H., Vinogradov V. B. 1972. Raskopki rannesrednevekovogo mogil'nika u sel. Harachoy // KSIA 32, 80-86.
3. Vinnikov A. Z., Pletneva S. A. 1998. Na severnyh rubezhah Hazarskogo kaganata. Mayackoe poselenie. Voronezh: Voronezhskiy gosudarstvennyy universitet.
4. Gorodische Toprak-Kala. 1981. Trudy Horezmskoy arheologo-etnograficheskoy enciklopedii. T. I. Moskva: Nauka.
5. Nikolaenko A. G. 1973. Otchet ob ohrannyh rabotah v Volokonovskom rayone Belgorodskoy oblasti v 1973 g. // Arhiv IA RAN. R. 1. № 4982.
6. Peschereva E. M. 1959. Goncharnoe proizvodstvo Sredney Azii. Trudy Instituta etnografii. T. XLII. Moskva: Akademiya nauk SSSR.
7. Pletneva S. A. 1973. Sosudy s zoomorfnymi chertami v saltovo-mayackih drevnostyah // Kavkaz i Vostochnaya Evropa v drevnosti. Moskva: Nauka, 205-212.
8. Pletneva S. A. 1967. Ot kocheviy k gorodam. Moskva: Nauka.
9. Pletneva S. A., Krasil'nikov K. I. 1990. Goncharnye masterskie Mayackogo kompleksa // Mayackiy arheologicheskiy kompleks. Materialy Sovetsko-Bolgaro-Vengerskoy ekspedicii. Moskva: Nauka, 92-139.
10. Pletneva S. A., Nikolaenko A. G. 1976. Volokonovskiy drevnebolgarskiy mogil'nik // SA 3, 279-298.
11. Smilenko A. T. 1975. Slov’yani ta ih susidi v Ctepovomu Podniprov’i (II-XIII st.). Kiїv: Naukova Dumka.
