Hillforts in the settlement system of the Sambian-Natangian culture of the South-Eastern Baltics in the 1st millennium AD

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Abstract

The article discusses the settlement system of the Sambian-Natangian culture of the South-Eastern Baltic region in the 1st millennium AD, the role of hillforts in it, and the structure of individual settlement centres. Hillforts are considered as dominants in the cultural landscape; together with unfortified settlements and economic zones they formed single districts. Burial grounds were located on the periphery of such centres. Individual settlement centres produced clusters of sites in the locations of amber gathering on the Kaliningrad Peninsula, along the Pregol River and the Kaliningrad Bay coast, which were important for the control of transport routes. This system was quite stable and could exist for a long period during the 1st millennium, evolving into the settlement system of the early medieval Prussians.

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About the authors

Olga A. Khomyakova

Institute of Archaeology RAS

Author for correspondence.
Email: olga_homiakova@gmail.com
Russian Federation, Moscow

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Supplementary files

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2. Fig. 1. Clusters of sites of the Sambian-Natangian culture: А – clusters of burial grounds, Б – analysis of the Thyssen polygons and buffer zones of fortified settlements

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3. Fig. 2. The location of burial grounds and settlements with respect to the buffer zones of fortified settlements near the village of Yantarnoye

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4. Fig. 3. A microregion near Lake Chisty Prud

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5. Fig. 4. A microregion near the village of Kudryavtsevo

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6. Fig. 5. A microregion in the north of Sambia in the Aleyka River region

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