page 116–129 RUS
ÓÄĘ 903.43 EDN: https://elibrary.ru/QNIYYY
Fortifications of Andryushin Gorodok: the evolution of Late Iron Age defensive structures in the Lower Tobol region
Tretyakov, Evgeny A., Candidate of Historical Sciences, Researcher, Tyumen Scientific Centre SB RAS, Tyumen, Russia, gor-tom@mail.ru, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6913-394X
Summary
This article investigates the evolution of the fortifications of Andryushin Gorodok — the largest fortified site of the Late Iron Age in the Lower Tobol region (Tyumen Oblast). Through a re-examination of the stratigraphic data from the trenches excavated by I.Ya. Slovtsov (1883) and V.N. Chernetsov (1951), the study introduces several important refinements to the chronology of the deposits and to the delineation of periods during which the defensive structures underwent renewal. Fieldwork conducted in 2025 revealed at least four construction phases of the defensive lines. The initial phase of fortification, represented by a palisade, dates to the 2nd–3rd centuries AD (Yarsale stage). In the 4th–5th centuries (Karym stage), the defensive system was reinforced with a ditch and an earthen rampart. In the 6th–8th centuries (Bakal Culture), the ditch underwent renovation. The most substantial reconstruction took place in the 9th–11th centuries (Yudino Culture), which involved the excavation of the deepest ditch, the enlargement of the rampart, and the modification of the fortress layout by “cutting off” the western, more sharply contoured segment of the platform. It is concluded that the observed dynamics of fortifications reconstruction reflect the succession of cultural traditions, whose bearers migrated into the Lower Tobol region from various areas of Western Siberia.
Keywords: Western Siberia, Lower Tobol region, Andreevskoe Lake system, Late Iron Age, Middle Ages, fortification.
© Tretyakov E.A., 2026
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Received 06.04.2026
Accepted 04.06.2026
Article is published: 15.09.2026
Funding. The work was carried out within the framework of the state assignment of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, No. 126022618029-1.
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