Більське городище — найбільше укріплене поселення раннього залізного віку Європи, лінія оборони якого має протяжність понад трьох десятків кілометрів. Протягом багатьох років досліджень
цієї археологічної пам’ятки поступово формувалась думка про час заселення окремих частин
складного археологічного комплексу, виникнення
та особливості створення грандіозних захисних
споруд. Особливу роль в процесі їх формування та
використання відігравало Східне укріплення, фортечні стіни якого існували понад два століття.
Новітні дослідження його захисного валу та рову з
урахуванням результатів, отриманих науковцями
в минулі роки, дозволяють висловити думку, щодо
створення потужної захисної системи на місці неукріплених поселень та запропонували власне бачення зовнішнього вигляду фортечних стін.
Bilsk is the largest fortified settlement of the Early
Iron Age in Europe. The defensive line of the site consists
of a rampart and the moat of more than 30 km
length surrounding the area of ca. 5 thousand hectares.
Over the years of the exploration of this archaeological
site the idea of the time of settlement of certain parts
of the archaeological complex, the origin and peculiarities
of the creation of grand defensive structures was
gradually formed. A special role in the process of their
formation and use was played by the Eastern fortification,
the fortified walls of which existed for more
than two centuries. Recent exploration of its rampart
and moat taking into account the results obtained last
years suggest the creation of strong defencive system
on the place of unfortified settlements and offered new
vision of the appearance of fortified walls.
The analysis of excavation materials of different
years allows us to state that the territories occupied
by unfortified settlements in the pre-fortress period
were much larger and went beyond the future line of
wood-earth fortifications. For more than a century and
a half in the western part of the settlement complex
there were no defencive structures. Only open settlements
are known, which appeared in the last third of
the 8th century BC. The situation changed in the second
half of 6th century BC when the eastern part of the
complex was occupied by the population with other traditions.
Probably at the beginning of the third quarter
of the 6th century BC the founders of the settlement,
located in the eastern part of the watershed plateau,
surrounded the most important part of the village with
a wooden fence (a wall of logs, or mud). A similar wall
defended the settlements within the modern Western
settlement. The defensive line of the Great Fortress
was later planned according to the same principle. We
believe that such a light fence, without additional engineering
structures, had no defensive significance but
determined its own social space of settlements, which
housed the estates of local tribal leaders, the most important
public buildings and other facilities. Probably
belonging to the different tribal groups prompted the
inhabitants of the two settlements to strengthen the
system of defence and surround the perimeter of each of
them with an earthen rampart. The settlements gradually
turned into a kind of residence of the local elite. We
can assume that in the last third of the 5th century BC
or at the beginning of the last quarter of this century,
most likely, in the unstable situation in the region, the
single strong defensive line in the form of an earthen
rampart with a wooden wall on the ridge and a moat
in front of them was created. The rampart and moat of
the Great Fortress probably delineated the boundaries
of the centre of the tribal union. The representatives
of different ethnic groups and different social groups
lived in this large area. The created defensive line with
a length of 35 km was relevant until the middle of the
5th century BC until the time of the appearance of the
settlement within the Western settlement. In the Eastern
settlement life continues for another century and a
half, until the endof the 4th century BC.
