Criteria for frame-and-pillar dwellings selection in Russian archeology

The work is devoted to the study of various types of post-frame structures based on archaeological and ethnographic data. The analysis of the structural features of dwellings of different eras and archaeological cultures is carried out. Ethnographic parallels are also drawn. The main attention was paid to the study of the bearing elements of the buildings – the pillars that were dug in along the perimeter, and on which the roof rafters rested. This made it possible to single out the criteria by which Russian researchers ranked household and residential buildings as frame-and-pillar type. This study showed that initially archaeologists attributed the buildings to the pillar type. This trend continued for several decades. But with the beginning of the 21 century modern researchers were increasingly attributing such structures to the frame-pillar type. Sometimes an equals sign was put between the two types of buildings, which could lead to confusion in the scientific community. There are two options for identifying the types of buildings: on the basis of their own clear criteria, or the use of already established concepts in architecture and construction practice. The author is inclined to believe that the medieval buildings of the Perm Cis-Urals of the Lomovatovskaya and Rodanovskaya archaeological cultures should be classified as frame type.