194 CHAPTER 4
forest wildernesses covered not only areas west of the Don, but also territories
along the lower reaches of the river.95 The existence of forests, bountiful for
the steppe zone, along with sufficient water (and abundance of fish) and rich
soil is probably the main reason why Khazaria’s entire system of settlements
was concentrated west of the Don, particularly in the valleys of the Severski
Donets and its tributaries. East of the river only two significant centers have
been found—Sarkel and the Semikarakorsk hillfort. They were built at impor-
tant commercial crossroads and mostly served the Don fords. Sarkel and the
Semikarakorsk hillfort were part of farming areas with a mixed agricultural
and stock-breeding economy and settlements, located on the west banks of
the river. The high right bank of the Don protected the settlements from spring
floods. The steppe east of Sarkel was manly used for pastures.96
The Lower Don area, stretching from Sarkel to the mouth of the river, was
the most fertile land in Khazaria. It occupied around 50 000 square kilometers.
So far, close to a hundred settlements have been found in this area, concen-
trated in the valleys of the many smaller and larger tributaries of the Don. The
position of the settlements creates the impression that “the region as a whole
was significantly populated”.97
The settlements along the Lower Don constitute a single economic area. It
was inhabited by a sedentary population that engaged in agriculture and stock-
breeding. It grew different kinds of cereals, fruit, vegetables and wine grapes.
It was the Saltovo population that spread winemaking in the area along the
lower reaches of the Don in the eighth century.98 The river united the settle-
ments into one “economically rich district that was connected to the Crimean
cities in the west and with Itil in the east”.99 According to S. Pletneva, Sarkel
was “in the midst of one of the most fertile lands of the Don basin. This land
was the most important region in Khazaria, densely populated by an agricul-
tural population”.100
It is clear that to view the Don as a border river for Khazaria would be inac-
curate. In fact, the lower reaches of the Don mark the center of a vast economic
region that extended far to the west. On one side, it encompassed the Severski
95 Golubovskii 1884, 1–2 and 13; Zakhoder 1962, 113.
96 Pletneva 1996, 144; Pletneva 1999, 100 and 113. On the Semikarakorsk hillfort, which was
most probably uninhabited in the tenth century (unlike the settlements, located on the
opposite bank of the river), see Flerov 2001 and 2002, 156–158.
97 Pletneva 1999, 85.
98 Pletneva 1967, 20; Pletneva 1999, 85 and 113–117; Magomedov 1983, 98.
99 Pletneva 1999, 117.
100 Pletneva 1996, 142.