Стаття репрезентує попередній стан досліджень городища у Хотинці, яке вивчають із 2016 р.
Розглянуто діапазон і методи проведених археологічних робіт, а також інші обстеження (напр.
геофізичні). До сьогодні увагу було зосереджено на
вивченні зольника й оборонних споруд, у такий
спосіб відкриваючи комплекс артефактів і реєструючи стратиграфічні спостереження. Автори звертають увагу на те, що пам’ятка у Хотинці разом із довколишніми поселеннями утворює досить цікаву поселенську групу — найбільш віддалений анклав
скіфського культурного середовища. Підкреслюючи
водночас, що дослідження безперервно тривають,
а від остаточних висновків варто утриматися до
закінчення обстежень.
The article presents the current state of research
on the hillfort in Chotyniec, excavated since 2016. The
scope and methods of excavations and other research
works (e. g. geophysical prospection) are discussed. So
far, the focus has been on studying the «zolnik» and
identifying the embankments, uncovering an impressive
array of artifacts and recording very interesting
stratigraphic observations. The original size of the
«zolnik» can be calculated (estimated) on the basis of
the preserved systems of scattered layers, saturated
with burning and charcoal. In the horizontal projection,
they marked an almost circular surface with approximate
dimensions of 20.8 (E—W) × 21 m (N—S).
The maximum height of the «zolnik» could be up to 2 m
from its base. The arrangement of layers turned out to
be very interesting, allowing the reconstruction of the
stages of setting up and using this object. It provided
an exceptional amount of artifacts — fragments of ceramics,
including Greek amphoras for wine, brown and
bone arrowheads, brown pins, a necklace and small
ornaments, glass and ceramic beads, clay spindles,
«katushki» and a fragment of a figurine. The series of
other ceramics is also very important, among which
typical forms like pots and bowls. Completely reconstructed
amphora of Klazomenei, as well as fragments
of others, including those related to the Lesbos circle,
indicate a convergent chronology at the end of the 7th
and the beginning of the 6th century BC. A similar chronology
is shared by brown and bone arrowheads, representing
different types within four main groups dated
from the end or even from the 2nd half of the 7th century
BC to the middle of the 6th century BC. On the other
hand, the series of radiocarbon dates, in connection
with the stratigraphy, shows a slightly different chronological
range. It confirms the older horizon from the
second half of the 7th century, but also clearly points to
the 6th—5th centuries BC, and one of the dates is even
younger. The hillfort in Chotyniec, together with the
surrounding settlements, forms a very interesting settlement
complex — the most northwestern enclave of
the Scythian cultural circle. We can say that it is an
extremely interesting microregion, and its importance
is multifaceted. It concerns the possibility of getting to
know the relations (e. g. chronological, functional, etc.)
of the settlement and its surroundings, which is not
so common in the archeology of the Early Iron Age in
this part of Europe. In a broader territorial perspective,
the Chotyniec agglomeration forces corrections to
the existing, well-established findings on the relationship
of the Scythian world with other cultures — e. g.
the Lusatian cultural circle or a group of groups and
cultures in Volhynia.
