Khotiv hillfort

Khotiv hillfort is a hillfort of early Iron Age (Scythian times, 6 century BC) in the village of Khotiv, Ukraine.

The hillfort adjoins the southern part of Kyiv, namely Feofaniya Park. It occupies a rhombic plateau 1000x700 m wide, bordered by valleys of the streams. All the plateau area, 31 ha, was surrounded with earth rampart, while the slope of the hill was fortified by a scarp with a berm and a moat beneath. The rampart, scarp and berm are well preserved on the western and eastern edges, and remains of the moat are much less conspicuous now. It is supposed that the hillfort had 3 entrances: in the northern, eastern and southern part of the rampart.

Khotiv hillfort has the status of an archaeological monument since 1965.Постанова Ради Міністрів Української РСР від 21 липня 1965 р. № 711 "Про затвердження списку пам'ятників мистецтва, історії та археології Української РСР" In 2007, official borders of the monument were cut down, and in 2009, the excluded areas became the place of house building. The northern part of the hillfort was demolished by building of a palace of Ukrainian billionaire Yuri Kosiuk. Later, the works began in the southern and eastern parts of the hillfort, which are planned for building too.

Exploration The first scientific mention of the hillfort was made in 1848 by Ivan Fundukley, governor of Kyiv and notable historian. He mentions a local legend about some town which existed there.Фундуклей И. И. Обозрение могил, валов и городищ Киевской губернии. — К., 1848. — С. 36. In 1864, the hillfort was briefly described by another student of local history, Lavrentiy Pohilevich. He reports this legend in more details: in ancient times there was a town with a castle of a prince named Siriak.Похилевич Л.И. Сказание о населенных местностях Киевской губернии. — Киев: Киево-Печерская лавра. — 1864.  — С. 30-31. The locality around the hillfort is still named Siriakove, and the first recording of this name dates from 1465.

In 1873, Volodymyr Antonovych made more detailed description and drawing of the hillfort. He interpreted it as Zvenigorod, the fortress of Kievan Rus' known from chronicles.Антонович В. Б. О местоположении древнего Киевского Звенигорода // Древности: Труды Московского археологического общества. — М.: Синодальная тип., 1876. — Т. VI, в. 1. — С. 41—46. But archaeological data of 20th century refuted this idea.

In 1917, a bronze Corinthian coin of 5 century BC was found on the hillfort during a botanical excursion. In 1918, fragments of Scythian pottery and some Slavic things dated from 8-10 centuries AD were found there.Добровольський Л. П. З минулого Хотівської околиці м. Києва // Записки історично-філологічного відділу ВУАН. Гол. ред. А. Кримський. Кн. XII. — К. : Українська Академія Наук, 1927. — 364 с. — С. 204—222.

The first archaeological exploration of the hillfort was conducted in 1948 by the team from Institute of Archaeology in Kyiv headed by Ye. F. Pokrovska. They excavated 156 m2 in the northern projection of the hillfort.Покровська Є. Ф. Хотівське городище // Археологічні пам'ятки УРСР. — 1952. — Т. 4. — С. 12-20. Next expedition, headed by Ye. O. Pokrovska from the same Institute, worked in 1965-1967 and unearthed 508 m2 in the vicinity.Петровская Е. А. Раскопки на Хотовском скифском городище в 1965-66 гг. / В кн.: Археологические исследования на Украине в 1965—1966 гг. — К.: Наукова думка, 1967. — Вып. І. — С. 106—109.Петровська Є. О. Ранньоскіфські пам'ятки на південній околиці Києва / В кн.: Археологія. — К.: Наукова думка, 1970. — Т. XXIV. — С. 129—145.

In 2004, northern and western parts of the hillfort (6.75 ha) were explored with micromagnetic measurements. It revealed location of several ancient buildings, some of which were unearthed.Ивакин Г. Ю., Дараган М. Н., Орлюк М. И., Кравченко Э. А., Куприй С. А. Геофизические и археологические исследования Хотовского городища скифской эпохи // Археологічні дослідження в Україні 2003—2004 рр.: Збірка наукових праць / За ред. Н. О. Гаврилюк. — Вип. 7. — Київ: ІА НАН України; Запоріжжя: Дике Поле, 2005.  — С. 400—405. Some additional measurements were made in 2009.Дараган М., Орлюк М., Роменець А., Бондар К. Інтерпретація даних високоточної магнітної зйомки в складі археологічної ГІС (на прикладі Хотівського городища скіфської доби). 15th EAGE International Conference on Geoinformatics - Theoretical and Applied Aspects. 10–13 May 2016, Kyiv, Ukraine.

In 2016, new excavations were made on the western side of the hillfort, on the rampart.Кравченко Е., Манігда О., Шелехань О. Хотівське городище: влаштування і інфраструктура (доповідь на Міжнародній археологічній конференції «Освоєння простору: житло, поселення, регіон», 27-28 жовтня 2016 р., Львів-Винники).

Finds Like other hillforts of Scythian times, Khotiv hillfort had buildings only near the inner side of the rampart. The central area was empty and could be used for farming or for keeping of cattle, maybe during wars.Максимов Е. В., Петровская Е. А. Древности скифского времени Киевского Поднепровья / Под ред. Р. В. Терпиловского. — Полтава, 2008. С. 11-12, 39, 46, 53-54, 75. — 126 с. Discovered structures include dugouts and surface buildings with walls made of wood covered by clay. Fallen walls of several such buildings were excavated, some of them exceed 20 m in length. Some buildings had stoves. Another notable object is an oval 1x1.5 m wide, paved with stones bearing marking of fire.Дараган М. Н., Орлюк М. И., Кравченко Э. А. Результаты геофизических исследований на Хотовском городище скифской эпохи // Археология и геоинформатика. Вып. 4. Москва: Институт археологии РАН, 2007.

The pottery from the hillfort include local and Greek one. The latter was identified as originating from Chios, Lesbos, Klazomenai and Samos.Дараган М. Н. Античная керамика из Хотовского городища скифской эпохи // Боспорский феномен. Проблема соотношения письменных и археологических источников. — СПб., 2005 — С. 256—261. Other ceramic finds from the hillfort include spindle whorls of various forms, a sinker, and small balls and "loafs" which can be votive offerings.Гречко Д. С. Мелкая глиняная пластика населения северодонецкой лесостепи скифского времени // Каменная скульптура и мелкая пластика древних и средневековых народов Евразии: сборник научных трудов / отв. ред. А. А. Тишкин. — Барнаул: Изд-во Аз Бука, 2007. — 156 с.: ил. — (Труды САИПИ. Вып. 3) — С. 18-20.

A broken stone dish and a fragment of a stone axe or hammer, sling stones, sharpening stone with a hole, bone handle of an unknown tool, beads made of lead and yellow glass, as well as other things were also unearthed.

Bronze finds include a snake-like ring, pins, including nail-like ones, and arrowheads of various forms. Iron objects include knives, awls, pin and some arrowheads.

Another notable find is a bone plate with a carving of a panther or a leopard in the Scythian animal style. Size of the plate is 4.7x1.8 cm. It could be a part of a bigger thing, e.g. a spoon or a mirror handle. Associated ceramics and arrowheads indicate that it belongs to the end of 6th century BC. Such carvings are rare on Scythian bone things, although more common on metallic ones.

Plenty of animal bones imply that dwellers of the hillfort bred domestic animals, predominantly horses. Pigs, cows, sheep, goats and dogs were also held. Dominance of horses differs Khotiv hillfort from other hillforts of forest steppe, which were dominated by cattle or pigs. Its inhabitants hunted wild boars, deers, elks, bears and beavers, sometimes aurochs and hares. Sporadic bones of turtles, foxes, geese, ducks, crows and men were found.

Finds from the hillfort date from Scythian times, approximately 6, or, according to other researchers, 6 to 5 century BC. It was probably founded by people called Scythians-tillers by Herodotus. They were not Scythians in the strict sense, but they stayed under Scythian dominion and partially adopted their culture.Телегин Д. Я. Там, где вырос Киев. — К., Наукова Думка, 1982. — С. 71-78.

Founders of the hillfort were nonmigratory. They practised agriculture and animal breeding, especially horse breeding. Hunting played a big role. Trade with Ancient Greek colonies was less intensive than on other hillforts of forest steppe. It is explained by larger distance.

History after Scythians Written sources allow to trace history of the hillfort since 1465, when the last Grand Prince of Kiev Semen Olelkovich granted it to prince Yuri Borisovich. After him, the hillfort consecutively belonged to several other people.Грушевський М. С. Кілька київських документів XV—XVI в. // Записки Наукового товариства імені Шевченка. Під ред. М. С. Грушевського. Том XI. — Львів, 1896 — С. 5, 14-18. In 1588, prince Matviy Voronetsky transferred it to the possession of Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, where it remained for almost 200 years. In 1786, during secularization reform of Catherine the Great, the hillfort passed to the use of Khotiv inhabitants. From this time, it was covered by fields and gardens.

Agricultural works, which lasted on the hillfort over 200 years, did not ruin the fortifications, but damaged the archaeological horizon.Statement about the condition of archaeological monument of national significance "Khotiv hillfort in the borders of the fortifications of Scythian times" (based on the order of Kyiv City State Administration from 17.05.2002 р. № 979). Ukrainian: Акт про стан археологічної пам'ятки національного значення Археологічного заповідника Хотівське городище в межах укріплень скіфського часу (на основі розпорядження Київської міської державної адміністрації від 17.05.2002 р. № 979). (Image). 19.04.2007. In 1939, southwestern edge of the hillfort was damaged by a big landslide, and in the late 1960s, by building of a dam on the nearby Vita stream.Хотів: з давніх давен і до сьогодення (Khotiv - from ancient times and to this day) / За ред. В.К. Хільчевського (Edited - Valentyn Khilchevskyi). Kиїв: ДІА. — 2009. — 108 с. — С. 14 — The southern edge of the hillfort, already damaged by erosion, became fringed by more and more village houses.

Protection and building Khotiv hillfort has the status of an archaeological monument since 1965, given by resolution of the Council of Ministers of the Ukrainian SSR. In 1979, Kyiv City Council pronounced it one of archaeological reserves of Kyiv.Г.Ю. Івакін, С.І. Климовський. Проблеми охорони археологічних пам'яток Києва. АРОІКС. – К.: КНЛУ, 1999. – Вип. 3. In 2001, Government of Ukraine included the hillfort in the State registry of immovable monuments of Ukraine as an archaeological monument of national significance.Постанова Кабінету Міністрів України від 27 грудня 2001 р. № 1761 "Про занесення пам'яток історії, монументального мистецтва та археології національного значення до Державного реєстру нерухомих пам'яток України" In 2009, this status was confirmed by a new governmental resolution.Постанова Кабінету Міністрів України від 3 вересня 2009 р. № 928 «Про занесення об'єктів культурної спадщини національного значення до Державного реєстру нерухомих пам'яток України»

Boundaries of the Archaeological reserve "Khotiv hillfort in the borders of fortification of Scythian times" were specified by Kyiv City Council in 1979 and confirmed by Kyiv City State Administration in 2002. These boundaries embraced the plateau with the fortification and adjacent slopes with total area of 48 ha.Розпорядження КМДА від 17.05.2002 р. № 979 "Про внесення доповнень до рішень виконкому Київської міської ради народних депутатів від 16.07.1979 р. № 920 «Про уточнення меж історико-культурних заповідників і зон охорони пам'яток історії та культури в м. Київ» . The map of the borders see in Євсюков Т., Опенько І. Моніторинг особливо цінних земель із застосуванням технологій ДЗЗ та ГІС // Вісник Львівського національного аграрного університету. Сер : Економіка АПК. — 2013. — № 20(2). — С. 231-242.