Городища Демидовка и Вязовеньки: об иерархии, хронологии и культурной атрибуции

International audienceThe article examines finds from two fortified settlements located near Smolensk. New radiocarbondates are given that prove the demise of the fortified settlement of Demidovka at the turn of the5th–6th centuries AD. The analysis of the distribution of prestigious silver items and armament onthe sites of the “Demidovka circle” and the presence of a large long house provide grounds for anassumption about the central position of this settlement in Smolensk district and the presence ofa “German component” in it. The data of spore-pollen analysis are used for the reconstructionof the landscape surrounding the fortified settlement. The authors suggest that in the late periodwhen militarized “elite” resided in the settlement its vicinity was used for grazing. As a resultof the study, a hypothesis is proposed that the fortified settlements of Demidovka (the 3rd–4thcenturies) and Vyazovenki (the 6th–7th centuries) were centers of power in Smolensk land duringthe two periods of time preceding the transition of this function to Smolensk (Cathedral Hill) andGnezdovo