MOSCOW, October 20 —. The results of the latest research and discoveries made during the study of the Great Russian abatis wall were presented by Russian archaeologists during a round table, which was held at the press center of the Rossiya Segodnya media group.
Thanks to the discoveries made by archaeologists, It was possible to confirm that the notch line did not consist only of a forest, said the head of the Tula archaeological expedition, Evgeny Stolyarov.
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“These were wood-earth fortifications, which already in the 17th century were built according to the best examples of European architecture, and sometimes it was foreigners who took part in the design of such complex objects. And just the other day a new discovery was made. Another new gate has been discovered, that is, another fortress. We know that, according to written sources, somewhere in the Tula forests there are more than two dozen fortresses, about 27, which is a lot,” he emphasized.
The scientist added that among the objects found, their team discovered the relief of the fortresses Semenovsky Gate, Graboronov Gate, Orlov Gorodok and Opasny Gorodok, as well as artifacts of everyday life on their territories, confirming discoveries.
To locate objects, archaeologists used cartography of the Russian forest fund and text descriptions of that time and thus established the approximate location of the remaining undiscovered fortresses.
«The fortress was built with all the rules of the fortification science of that time, that is, so that water and water were within walking distance “, accordingly, so that the fortress is inscribed into the relief,” said Andrey Deduk, head of the service and author of articles in the Great Russian Encyclopedia.
The speakers also touched on the centuries-old history of the existence of the serif. Oleg Radyush, a researcher at the archeology department of the Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, spoke about the creation and long-term service of the structure.
“We believe that it was built in the middle of the 16th century. There are documents, but the initial stage of construction is not fully described there. At that time, it existed in one form: there were wooden gates, there were no fortresses with ramparts. It protected the lands right up to the Troubles time,” said Radyush.
The expert added that the Zasechnaya Line protected the territories of modern Tula, Ryazan and Kaluga regions from the mid-16th to the mid-17th century.
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The large abatis wall had a great advantage for that historical period: it was easy to build without additional costs for materials.
< br />“Under the reign of Ivan the Terrible, there was a huge line of fortifications about 400 kilometers long, which protected the borders, allowing people to live peacefully. It was as effective and cheap as possible, because it consists of forest debris. That is, with the help of peasants and an ax, trees are cut down at the height of human growth , fall in one direction, the butt lifts up onto the remaining stump and the result is essentially an absolutely impenetrable forest thicket,” shared the scientific secretary of the Kulikovo Pole State Museum-Reserve Alexey Vorontsov.
He also compared it with other well-known fence lines, for example, with Hadrian's Wall in England, Roman Limis and others. The expert emphasized that the Great Serif Line can be called the Great Russian Wall of the 16th century.
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During the round table, they discussed a rare artifact found on the territory of Zasechnye Cherts — a klevets, a weapon striker shaped like a bird’s beak. The head of the military history sector of the State Museum-Reserve «Kulikovo Field» Yuri Kuleshov spoke in more detail about the find.
«For the territory of Russia, this is a unique thing. In the complex of weapons of the Russian warrior, it appears only at the turn of the 16th — early 17th centuries «I will say right away that such things are very rare in our museum collections. For example, in the Armory today only two klevets have survived,» Kuleshov shared.
This type of weapon, according to Kuleshov, belonged to military leaders, and at that time it was possible to purchase it only in European territories. Klevtsy, along with sabers, knives and daggers, were an indispensable attribute of the weapons of the Polish gentry and during this period penetrated into the edged weapons of the Russian nobility.
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Restorers cleaned the found fish and determined a high level of preservation — no less than 80 percent. An unusual pattern made of silver wire was also discovered.
Kristina Stolyarova, head of the exhibition department of the State Museum-Reserve «Kulikovo Pole», spoke about when and where it will be possible to see the artifact live.
«Huge preparations are underway for the creation of the exhibition «Epifan: Fortress on the Border of the Field», which will soon be presented in the place where this fortress was located in Epifan. It will not only the history of the fortress, but the history of the entire Great Zasechnaya Line, an important role in which was played by Epifan and the service people who served there, guarding the borders of the Russian state,” shared Stolyarova.