Results of the archeological investigations of settlement Zarechenskoe 1 in 2013–2014

Abstract

The results of the archeological investigations of the Zarechenskoe 1 settlement site (territory of Zarechnyi town, Penza oblast, Russian Federation) in 2013 and 2014 are represented in the article. Household items, subjects of craft, weapons, jewelry and clothing elements were discovered at the site. The authors date the resource by the 8th – early 11th centuries and conclude that the settlement was abandoned by the Mordva people. The finds directly associated with the first trading contacts of the native population and the Volga Bulgars at the turn of the 10th–11th centuries are of considerable interest. These contacts are dating back to. As a result of Bulgar expansion in the early 11th century, a part of the native Mordva population was forced to leave the Upper Sura area and settle the Moksha River area. The rest of the Mordva population took part in the construction of the Bulgar fortresses and castles, and were engaged in crafts and agriculture under the governance of Bulgar landchiefs.

Keywords

• Upper Sura region
• Zarechenskoe 1 unfortified settlement site
• the Mordva
• the Volga Bulgars
• trade contacts.