Archeological Researches of Ostroh in the Period of Ostrozki Princes

Abstract

In the 20th century, archeological collections from Ostroh area were formed as a result of small archaeological prospecting and occasional findings. Archeological research of the city in 2004—2013 allowed expanding significantly the source base for the study of the early stages of the settlement’s development. New materials were discovered to characterize various aspects of city life in the period of Ostrohski princes. Excavations were held within the territory of 1100 m2 in different parts of Ostroh: in the castle area, in the town, and in the suburbs.

The exploration included accommodation and utility buildings and the cemetery near the St. Nicholas Church; the author also specified the location of the northern part of suburbs fortifications; found out the remains of Lutsk Street which joined the market square and the Lutsk gate. In the northern part of the suburbs, the author discovered the section of the town’s defensive wall of Kyiv Rus period. This wall was used to construct the suburbs defensive line in the period of Ostrohski princes. Accommodation buildings of the 15th—17th centuries were on the surface, some of them had a square foundation pit (subterranean room) with an area from 9,0 to 30 m2. Cellars, utility buildings and pits were explored near accommodation buildings. The collections of archeological findings of the period from the 14th to the 17th centuries include objects made of clay, metals, stone, bone, and glass. The 14th century assemblages were found only near the St. Nicholas Church and at 3, Nezalezhnist Avenue. Cultural layers and objects of the 15th and the beginning of the 16th centuries were found at all sections of archаeological exploration (with the exception of New Town). The cultural layer and objects of the second half of the 16th and the first half of the 17th centuries contained the largest number of archeological findings.