discovered (Androshchuk 2000 : fig. 1 ). It seems that the topography of Chernigov was
very similar to Gnëzdovo. The centre consisted of one hill fort, a settlement on marshy
land and surrounding satellite settlements with cemeteries. One of these cemeteries,
which had barrows with cremations and chamber graves, has been excavated in the
city, on the bank of the brook Strizhen’, in a place called Berizki. In two barrows
Scandinavian horse crampons and a pendant were found (Androshchuk 1999 : 107 ).
Single Scandinavian finds are also known from rural cemeteries in the Chernigov area,
such as Sednev, Persazh and Liskove. Chernigov and Shestovitsa emerged at a meeting-
point of the routes along the Desna, Seim and the Northern Dinets. Movements and
contacts along the Seim and Desna rivers are reflected by a sword and other single finds
(Androshchuk 1999 : 107 – 8 fig. 60 ).
The Dnepr River (Gnëzdovo and Kiev)The Gnëzdovo archaeological complex is situated on the right bank of the Dnepr
(Dnieper), about 13 km from the city of Smolensk, between two tributaries of the
Dnepr, Svinets and Olsha (Mühle 1989 ; Jansson 1997 : 49 ; Duczko 2004 : 157 ). The
complex consists of the central settlement with the hill fort Tsentalnoe on the brook
Svinets and surrounded by large cemeteries. The dating of the second hill fort and the
remains of the settlement at the mouth of the River Olsha is uncertain. The total
number of barrows in several groups in the cemetery, according different scholars, is
between 3 , 000 – 5 , 000 (Avdusin 1969 ; Mühle 1989 ). There are two explanations for
the relationship between such a huge number of mounds and the cemetery. One sugges-
tion is that all these barrows belonged to one settlement, while another is that they were
made by the population of small satellite settlements that lay on the lower land outside
the large settlements ( Jansson 1997 : 49 ). Recent archaeological excavations in the area
of the lower land revealed a cultural layer with remains of wooden structures and finds
from the tenth century. Most of the early cultural remains were found in the Tsentralnoe
hill fort, the south-western part of the settlement and the southern part of the Lesnaya
group of barrows and included more than 250 artefacts of Scandinavian origin (Pushkina
1997 : 89 ; Duczko 2004 : 159 ) (Figure 38. 4 ). Scandinavian jewellery and weaponry were
found in barrows with cremations, inhumations and chamber graves, and especially
from the hill fort and settlement of Gnëzdovo. Fragmentary moulds were also found in
the Tsentralnoe hill fort (Eniosova 2001 : figs 7 – 10 ), as well as the majority of the coins,
a hoard of jewellery and sword fragments (Androshchuk 1999 with references) that
testify to the dominating and controlling role of the hill fort during the history of
Gnëzdovo. In the cemeteries of Gnëzdovo the large barrows were either concentrated in
separate groups or stood alone among smaller mounds. They contained graves cremated
in boats and some Scandinavian artefacts (Bulkin et al. 1978 : 33 ; Duczko 2004 : 161 ).
Scandinavian artefacts from Gnëzdovo have close parallels in graves in central Sweden
and in Denmark, and with single objects in Gotland (Thunmark-Nylén 2001 ; Duczko
2004 : 181 ). There are different interpretations of Gnëzdovo. Some Russian scholars
have interpreted Gnëzdovo as an important industrial centre belonging to the prince’s
retinue (Petrukhin and Pushkina 1979 : 101 ; Pushkina 1997 : 89 ; see critique in Jansson
1997 : 51 ). Scandinavian scholars have considered this site to be a central proto-urban
settlement surrounded by a number of farming settlements belonging to the same
society that also included people of Scandinavian origin ( Jansson 1997 : 51 ), or ‘a
–– Fjodor Androshchuk––