Residential Buildings and Stoves of the Ostolopovo Settlements (late X – XII Centuries) in Tatarstan
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24852/2587-6112.2025.3.281.297Keywords:
archaeology, Ostolopovo settlement, Volga Bolgaria, Bolgars, dwellings, dating, stoves, house-buildingAbstract
The article examines the residential structures of the Ostolopovo settlement in the Alekseevsk district of Tatarstan. This was one of the trade and craft settlements of the Volga Bolgars, established in the second half to the end of the X century. A distinctive feature of this settlement was its natural boundaries: the floodplain of the Shentalka River and its old riverbed. Consequently, the settlement was built up within a very short timeframe – from the late X century to the second half of the XI century. The dwellings studied during the excavations also date to this period. Six dwellings are the best preserved. These were wooden structures, likely made of logs approximately 20-25 cm in diameter. All these buildings featured a pit dug into the ground, ranging in depth from 0.7 to 1.7 m. Entry into the house was via earthen steps, numbering two or three. To the left of the entrance was a stove constructed of stones. Limestone was typically used, though sandstone is also found, and shell rock much more rarely. Large stones showed traces of working. The stove was cubic or parallelepiped in shape, measuring approximately 1 m in width, 1–1.2 m in length, and 0.6 m in height. The firebox averaged 0.5 m in width and 0.4 m in height. The stove mouth, 0.35–0.5 m wide, was always framed by two large stones set vertically. The top of the stove was open and shaped from clay. The outer side of the stove, facing the interior of the dwelling, was also coated with clay. Nearly all the stoves studied had chimneys. These were constructed on a framework of poles (0.07 m in diameter) installed in the upper clay part of the stove. The poles were inserted into matching holes (about 10 cm deep, semicircular in form). The poles were likely interwoven with twigs and then plastered with clay. The presence of chimneys in stoves of this type has been documented among the Volga Bolgars for the first time. Furthermore, the stove construction and building method described in the article, made possible by their unique state of preservation at Ostolopovo I settlement, are also presented here for the first time.
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