KYTSIVKA HILLFORT IN THE KHARKIV REGION

Abstract

The presented paper provides a comprehensive study of the Kytsivka hillfort, located in the Kharkiv region, aimed at a detailed elucidation of its architectural and construction characteristics and the determination of its specific military-strategic role within the region’s defense system. The study provides a precise identification of the physical and technological properties of the materials used and reconstructs the logic behind the selection of building resources by ancient architects. Particular attention is paid to the analysis of the natural geographical landscape, which allowed not only for the localization of the primary sources of raw materials but also for the substantiation of the strategic expediency of placing defensive structures at this specific point in the Seversky Donets river basin. The remains of the Kytsivka hillfort’s defensive lines are examined through the prism of their functional purpose in the context of controlling forest-steppe territories. The authors also conducted a comparative analysis of the architectural features of this site with neighboring fortifications in the region, which made it possible to identify both the typical traits inherent in the Saltiv-Mayaki cultural and historical community and unique local differences. The study established that there are no signs of a permanent residential zone within the hillfort. This indicates the site’s narrow specialization: unlike many other settlements of that period, where the population lived directly within the walls, the Kytsivka hillfort functioned strictly as a military outpost. Its primary task was to maintain control over strategically important river crossings, while the bulk of the civilian population was concentrated in the surrounding unprotected areas, using the fortress only as a refuge in times of immediate danger. A special emphasis in the conclusions is placed on the technological aspects of the fortifications. It was established that the construction techniques used in the hillfort’s erection correlate with the general traditions of the forest-steppe Donets and Oskil regions, yet possess a distinct specificity caused by a deficit of natural sandstone. This resource factor directly influenced the architectonics of the defensive lines: while certain sections were built of stone, the line of defense facing the settlement is exclusively earthen. It was likely reinforced with wooden structures that have not survived to the present day. Furthermore, stratigraphic and typological observations suggest that a portion of these fortifications may have been established as early as the Early Iron Age, only to be later adapted and modernized by the carriers of the Saltiv-Mayaki cultural and historical community. Thus, the site emerges as a complex, multilayered object that demonstrates the continuity of military traditions and the high level of adaptation of the engineers of that time to the local natural environment.