Building Ceramics of the Saltiv-Maiaky Cultural and Historical Community
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15407/archaeologyua2026.03.038Keywords:
Siverskyi Donets microregion, Saltiv-Maiaky cultural and historic community, brick, building ceramics, hillfort.Abstract
Building ceramics, one of the oldest artificial materials, are recorded in the military architecture of Saltiv-Maiaky forest-steppe hillforts in the Siverskyi Donets River Basin. This study aims to summarise the accumulated data and analyse it in terms of the patterns of use, technological characteristics, and reasons for production. The research has made it possible to identify a limited amount of isolated metrological data and to establish the use of both moulded parallelepiped modules (i.e. bricks) and amorphous ceramic casts and fired monolithic elements. As a rule, building ceramics supplemented elements of defensive structures made of local stone. Ceramic materials were mainly used in above-ground structures of the rampart (breastwork or Brustwehr) and, to a very limited extent, in elements that supported the embankment. Among the sites of the Siverskyi Donets forest-steppe group, the Koropovi Khutory hillfort is particularly notable, as the inner core of the rampart is built from amorphous ceramic casts supported by sandstone. The reasons behind such an exceptional engineering solution, both in the design of the defensive structure and the properties of the manufactured building material reinforced with oak logs, should probably be sought in the unstable sandy deposits underlying the structure, as well as in the possible scarcity of stone available in the construction area. The exceptional nature of this type of building ceramics at the hillfort is evidently due to its unconventional use in defensive structures compared with other sites in the Siverskyi Donets region.
The moulded bricks recorded in the Siverskyi Donets forest-steppe region are of poor quality, which restricts their comprehensive study. They have survived mainly in a fragmented state, apparently unable to withstand fluctuations in moisture and temperature. A noticeable lack of standardisation in module sizes is observed across different sites of this group. This indicates that the population associated with the Saltiv-Maiaky cultural and historical community in this region was familiar with ceramic brick production but never developed a high level of craftsmanship in its manufacture.
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