Investigations at Gorodische, Ladoga, Northwestern Russia

In the Shadow of Ladoga

Staraja Ladoga, or the "Aldeigjuborg" of the sagas, is locally known as "Zemnlianoje Gorodische", the "Earthen hill-fort". This hill-fort is situated in the confluence of the Volkhov and its minor tributary Ladozhka at the oldest part of town, the core area during the Viking Age and the Early Middle Ages (800-1200AD). Its closeness to the major water routes inspired both the structural and the physical growth of the town, which was occupying a large area, 3x5km in extension. Already at the beginning of IXAD Staraja Ladoga became an important commercial, administrative and cultural centre with an effective power structure.

On the eastern bank of Volkhov were several settlements contemporary with Staraja Ladoga. Probably these were a constituent part of the town, being part of a hierarchical system, which perhaps was occasionally jeopardized by internal rivalry. One of the most intriguing among these settlements is the recently discovered hill-fort of Liubsha, which holds the earliest remains of masonry structure in the region. It ceased to exist in the 2 nd quarter of XAD.

Fig. 6. Hill-fort of Liubsha. At the top of the stone wall - the earliest masonry construction in NW Russia - stands the leader of the excavations, Dr. E. Riabinin, St.Petersburg.

Another important site is Novyje Duboviki, founded half a dozen kilometres south of Staraja Ladoga. A hill-fort type settlement was constructed on a natural headland at the Volkhov, facing rapids and surrounded by earthen ramparts and moats. At the hill-fort there is also an open settlement occupying 6 ha. Both settlements ceased to exist at the same time as Liubsha. Incidentally, the earliest hill-forts in the region were built in VIII-IX AD.