The article presents materials of reconstruction-imitation of an early medieval dwelling built in full size on the basis of the plan of dwelling 5 of the Mikhailovsky settlement of nar. Zavitoy in the Amur region. A detailed description of the construction process, manufacturing of individual components of the frame-post structure of the building is given. The problems associated with the operation of the dwelling in different seasons of the year are also considered.

Keywords: reconstruction, early Middle Ages, Western Amur region, experiment.

Introduction

In July 2013, employees of the Institute of Archeology and Ethnography of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Center for the Preservation of the Historical and Cultural Heritage of the Amur Region, with the participation of a teacher and schoolchildren of the Konstantinovskaya Secondary School, students of the Blagoveshchensk Pedagogical University*, commissioned by the Directorate for the Protection and Use of Wildlife and Specially Protected Territories of the Amur region on the shore of Lake Baikal. Aspen, which is part of the Amur Nature Reserve, was reconstructed-an imitation of the dwelling of the population of the Western Amur region of the III-X centuries AD. For the construction of the building, the south-eastern corner of the excavation was used, where in 2009, on an area of 150 m2, the dwelling of the 2nd Trinity group of the Mohe culture and the surrounding area of the early medieval village, which consisted of 21 dwellings, were studied. The studied structure is radiocarbon dated to the last quarter of the 8th-9th centuries AD. However, its construction corresponds to the house-building tradition of the Mikhailovsky culture (Bei Shiwei), but with some Mohe elements [Derevyanko A. P., Kim Yong-won, Nesterov et al., 2010].

Among the excavated dwellings of the Mikhailovskaya culture, four variants of their structures were identified.

Simichinsky version - frame dwellings with a base frame, let into the pit. They were built both on stationary settlements and on seasonal fishing sites-zaimki (Figs. 1, 1). First, a pit of sub-square outlines was dug on average

The study was funded by a grant from the Russian Science Foundation (project N 14 - 28 - 00045).

* The authors would like to thank everyone who took part in the construction experiment, especially student Ya. Mamul and schoolboy A. Spring workers who participated in the process from beginning to end.

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Fig. 1. Plans of housing variants of the Mikhailovskaya culture in the Western Amur region. 1-Simichinsky (Bolshye Simichi, dwelling 2; according to: [Antiquities..., 2000, p. 324, fig. 98]); 2 - Mikhailovsky (Mikhailovskoe gorodishche, dwelling 5; according to: [Derevyanko E. I., 1975, pp. 76-78, fig. 43-45]); 3 - Arharinsky (Lake Dolgoye, dwelling 32; according to: [Derevyanko A. P., Kim Bon-gon, Nesterov et al., 2009, p. 109, fig. 45]; 4-Bukinsky (Bukin Key-2, dwelling 1; according to: [Antiquities..., 2000, p. 309, fig. 83 A]).

to a depth of 60 cm. In it, a base frame was constructed from four logs 4-6 m long. The corner rafters at the top were connected in a bundle and reinforced with an additional frame-binding, which later served as a support for the roof boards of the roof slopes and outlined the smoke hole. In this case, the frame of the dwelling had a pyramidal shape.

The space between the frame and the bottom of the pit was covered with vertical dies, blocks or boards placed on the edge, thin stone tiles and covered with birch bark. The remaining spaces between the walls of the dwelling and the pit were filled with soil removed during the excavation of the pit. Roof slopes made of planks or poles were covered with birch bark and layers of turf. The floor was covered with clay coating or covered with a mixture of fine wood and clay. In the middle of the dwelling, a rectangular hearth was built buried in the floor. At the bottom of the fire pit was a birch bark screen, and around the perimeter was a wooden frame. A large stone seat was often placed next to the hearth. The entrance to the dwelling was located in one of the roof slopes. A ramp, steps, or threshold led up to it from the inside. Some dwellings had a vestibule, which was also used to store some supplies.

The Mikhailovsky version is a frame-and-post structure similar to the Simichinsky version, but with four supporting pillars for corner rafters, which were installed in the middle of the dwelling on

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1, 2). Their upper ends were supported by a strapping frame. The result was a truncated-conical frame. Dwellings of a similar design are known so far only on the Mikhailovsky hillfort.

The Arharinsky version is a frame-and-post structure with support posts for rafters, but without a base frame. The rafters rested on the lower corners of the pit, in the pits dug in the form of a rebound (Fig. 1, 3). The upper ends of the rafters were attached to the frame-binding, forming a smoke hole. Poles or blocks of roof slopes rested at the bottom of the pit with their lower ends, and at the top they rested on two frames-strapping. They were covered with birch bark sheets and turf. In front of the entrance to the dwelling was a vestibule, the trench under which was dug simultaneously with the main pit. The hearth was built in the middle of the dwelling on a platform.

The Buka version is a ground frame dwelling, i.e. without a pit. They had a base frame and corner rafters. Other design features are a double base frame, folded "bonfire", and a " fan " method of joining the corners (Fig. 1, 4).

Graphic reconstructions of Mikhailovskaya culture dwellings were made [Nesterov, 1998, p. 27, fig. 6, p. 35, fig. 8, p. 37, Fig. 9; Derevyanko A. P., Kim Bon-gon, Nesterov et al., 2009, p. 283, Table 153], as well as the Mohe culture dwelling 2 excavated in 2009 on Aspen Lake [Derevyanko A. P., Kim Yong-won, Nesterov et al., 2010, p. 315, Tables 188, 189]. The full-scale reconstruction-imitation is based on the materials of excavations of the dwelling 5 of the Mikhailovsky settlement of the V-VII centuries on the Zavitoy River (Mikhailovsky version). It had the following structural elements: a pit with a depth of 40-66 cm; corner pillars on which the base frame of 4 * 4 m rested; four supporting pillars for corner rafters in the middle of the dwelling; a hearth of almost square shape (90 * 82 cm) in the center. There was a niche (or entrance) on the southern side of the pit, and there were no vertical blocks separating the pit walls from the internal living space [Derevyanko E. I., 1975, pp. 74-78, figs. 42-45] (see Figs. 1, 2).

During the construction, two main tasks were solved. First, it was necessary to reproduce the structure, which maximally reflects the details of the frame-post structure of early medieval dwellings, known from the materials of excavations. Secondly, taking into account the tourist purpose of this structure, it was necessary to create a solid structure on the territory of the ecological camp, safe when visiting it. The latter circumstance presupposed the use of modern construction methods along with traditional ones (including tools: chainsaw, motor drill, hacksaw), as well as materials that were not typical of antiquity.

The process of housing construction

For the frame, 16 larch logs with a diameter of 16 to 20 cm were prepared: for the base frame (L = 4.5 m), support posts (L = 3 m), binding frame (L = 2.5 m) and corner support posts (L = 1.5 m), 4 pieces for each element.. All of them were sanded, unlike the rest of the lumber. For the roof slopes, a business hump, unedged boards, timber, and 4-meter-long scaffolds were used (in total, approx. 2.5 m 3) and four rolls of roofing material (10-15 m long and 1 m wide). Nails of different lengths, staples of a construction stapler, 3 kg of liquid bitumen were used to insulate the ends of wooden structural elements buried in the ground. To cover the ramps, approx. 40 m2 of turf removed from the area of the simultaneously laid excavation (10 * 10 m) at the Neolithic settlement of Aspen Lake, located 500 m to the south-west of the construction site*. To make the dwelling resemble the supposed appearance of a medieval building, where birch bark was used as a waterproofing material, several layers of it were prepared from trees felled by a tornado that swept through Novopetrovskaya Grove in early July 2013.

In the south-western corner of the excavation site reclaimed in 2009, a 4 * 4 m pit was dug, 60 cm deep from the modern surface. Eight pits with a depth of 50 cm were prepared for the support pillars: four-in the corners of the pit, close to its walls, four-1.5 m from the corners towards the center of the dwelling. In our case, they have a rectangular profile. However, a study of the Mikhailovsky dwelling No. 32 on the Lake Dolgoye monument (2008) showed that the pits for poles were cone-shaped, i.e. the ends of logs were cut into a cone [Derevyanko A. P., Kim Bon-gon, Nesterov et al., 2009, pp. 267-269]. Such an idea was often used by ancient carpenters and is still used by modern carpenters for more productive deepening of pointed piles with wooden hammers (Rudenko, 1953, pp. 29-30, fig. 6, p. 36; Samashev and Mylnikov, 2004). To protect the support logs from moisture, they were installed in the pits with the butt end facing up. In this case, water through the capillaries does not penetrate into the trunk and does not contribute to its destruction. The height of the corner posts after strengthening them in the pits was 1 m, and the height of the central support posts was 2.5 m from the bottom of the pit (the floor of the dwelling) (Fig. 2). After installing the corner posts, it turned out that their height is large, because due to the thickness of the log frame approx. 20 cm the total height of the wall of the dwelling increases to 1.2 m, which means that the angle of inclination of the slopes increases

* Excavations were carried out by a team of the Center for the Preservation of the Historical and Cultural Heritage of the Amur region under the leadership of S. V. Kovalenko.

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Fig. 2. Assembly of the frame-post structure of the dwelling.

roofs. For this reason, the corner posts had to be shortened by 20 cm.

The base frame was assembled in parts. The two lower logs were laid with their ends on corner posts on the western and eastern sides of the pit. So that they lay flat and did not fly off, wood was selected on the areas mating with the posts to create a horizontal platform slightly longer than the diameter of the post. Previously, pieces of roofing material (in the original there should be birch bark) were placed on the ends of the pillars as a waterproofing agent. In the upper logs of the frame, laid on the north and south sides of the pit with support on the lower ones, bowls* were chosen for better adhesion to the latter (Fig. 2). The distance between the corners (intersection points of the logs) of the base frame was 3.66 m. The ends of the logs protruded 25 cm beyond the pit line, forming an external right angle. According to the plan, the lower parts of the angled inclined rafters should be placed in it, securely fixed (Fig. 2). Due to the own thickness of the base frame logs, the height from the bottom of the pit turned out to be 80 cm on the western and eastern sides and 95 cm on the northern and southern sides.

To reduce the weight of the frame of the dwelling, the intended logs of the upper frame-binding were replaced with scaffolds, and the rafters - with an uncalibrated beam with a diameter of approximately 8-10 cm at the base, which was further reduced. After the upper ends of the central support pillars were assembled frame-strapping with angular overlays, like the base frame, and installed rafters, it turned out that these structural elements of both frames are securely fixed at their extreme points (Fig. 2). However, this version of the frame does not allow you to place the boards of the roof slopes in the same position as the base frame. on the same plane. How this problem was solved in ancient times is not clear, because during the excavation of dwellings, the frame-binding has not yet been found, because in case of fire, due to its location, it burned completely, unlike the base frame.

To achieve a single plane of slopes, the following was done. The former frame-strapping was dismantled. In the upper part of the support posts from the corners of the structure, triangular grooves were made, where the rafters were placed flush, installed not on the ground, but on the logs of the base frame, above the corner posts for even load distribution. In the place of their stop, triangular depressions were made, where the lower ends of the rafters, which were previously cut at an angle, were inserted in a quadrangular section. The shape and depth of the grooves were adjusted individually for each rafters. The angle of inclination of the rafters was approx. 50°. As a result of structural changes, the rafters were in the same plane with the logs of the base frame. At the top, their ends formed a crosshair-a bundle. In our case, the end of the south-eastern rafters turned out to be the lowest, the north-eastern and south-western rafters fell on it, and the last one - the north-western one (Fig. 3). Probably, this overlap scheme is not universal: it could depend on the angle of inclination of the rafters, its cross-section, inaccurate marking of structural elements etc.

Due to structural changes, the upper frame-binding from the scaffold was made butt-to-butt, and not overlapping, as in the original version. It pulled down the top of the support posts, and its sides were in the same plane with the rafters. In some cases, the ends of the frame blocks had to be sawn where they rested against the rafters (Fig. 3).

At a height of 3.75 cm from the floor of the dwelling, a pipe frame was additionally constructed along the outer side of the rafters. Its dimensions were 50 * 40 cm, i.e., despite the square base frame and strapping frame, a smoke hole of a similar shape was not automatically formed in the upper part (Fig. 3). This is probably due to the nuances of the frame assembly (the difference in the angle of inclination of the rafters, their thickness, the depth of the mortise grooves, etc. For the same reasons, the upper ends of the rafters did not meet at one point.

The next stage of construction is covering the walls of the pit. At first, humps were placed vertically close to them and along the perimeter of each other.

* In all cases, for reliability, the structure was fastened with 200-mm nails.

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3. The frame of a dwelling with facing of walls with humps and their waterproofing from the walls of the pit; articulation of the upper ends of corner rafters and corners of the frame-strapping.

Their flat part faced the wall, and the convex part-inside the living space. Just such a covering was recorded in the Mohe dwelling 3, excavated on this monument in 2012. The lower ends of the humps, resting on the bottom of the pit, were additionally fixed with narrow boards placed on the edge, and the upper ones were attached to the outer side of the base frame log no higher than its middle. It is established that this level is optimal.

In this case, the boards of the roof slopes rest against the log through the upper ends of the humps. This arrangement allows you to transfer the load as much as possible to the log, and not to the skin boards. When attached at the level of the upper edge of the log, the load from the roof falls on their ends, and when attached below the middle of the log, they are threatened with squeezing into the structure during its operation. The height of the boards covering the walls of the pit differed due to the difference in the height of the sides of the base frame: at the western and eastern sides it was about 75 cm, at the northern and southern sides it was about 95 cm. After facing the humps, an insulating material was inserted into the gap between them and the walls of the pit (Fig. 3). In ancient times, these were sheets of birch bark installed vertically. Due to their shortage, a meter-wide roofing material was used in the reconstruction.

After covering the walls between the base frame and the bottom of the pit, the corner posts left an unclosed space-cracks. It was decided to close them from the inside. One edge of the vertical board rested on a post, the other on the extreme board of the corresponding wall. Thus, the corners of the living space were rounded (Fig. 4).

The boards of the roof slopes were installed so that their lower ends rested on the ground at a distance of about 18 cm from the edge of the pit and rested on the base frame, the middle part-on the binding frame, and the upper part - on the pipe frame (Fig. -

Fig. 4. Decoration of the corner of the dwelling with facing boards.

Fig. 5. Covering the roof slopes with boards.

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6. Exterior view of the dwelling without waterproofing and turf covering.

7. Doorway of a dwelling in the western slope of the roof.

a void was formed between the horizontal walls of the dwelling and the sections of ramps from the base log to the ground surface. This space in the Middle Ages could be filled with soil for additional insulation of the home. The slope angle of the slopes in the middle of the building was: north - 57°, east -61°, south - 59°, west-60°, on average-59° (Fig. 6).

An analysis of the structures of dwellings excavated in the Amur region showed that most often the doorway in them was left in the slopes oriented to the southern or western sector of the horizon, at the level of the earth's surface [Drevnosti..., 2000, p. 169]. This is due to the desire of residents to maximize the use of sunlight to illuminate and heat the room through an open door, especially in the warmer months. The entrance to Aspen Lake dwelling 2 was probably located in the western slope of the roof 1 m from the south-western corner (Derevyanko A. P., Kim Yong-won, Nesterov et al., 2010). In dwelling 3 of the same settlement, it was on the south side.

The doorway in the experimental dwelling was made in the western slope of the roof, moving from the center in a southerly direction so that its right side was in line with the northern edge of the south-western support post. The top of the door frame (130 * 70 cm) was attached to a specially nailed horizontal board, and the bottom-to the board, which was placed on the log of the base frame. It was the first step on the ladder from the top. The door was made of four boards (121 * 63 cm) and covered on the inside with roofing material, and on top of it with birch bark, imitating a possible version of waterproofing used in the Middle Ages (Fig. 6; 7; 8, 1). Part of the roof slope under the door frame was covered with two boards 70 cm long, nailed horizontally.

For waterproofing, the roof slopes were covered with sheets of roofing material, which imitated birch bark panels used in ancient times. The sheets were laid on the principle of a shell, and the lower ones were lowered to the ground beyond the line of the ends of the boards of the ramps. Thus, the water flowing from the roof was diverted from the dwelling and did not get inside. Horizontal boards were nailed along the joints of the roofing sheets, i.e. after 1 m (see Fig. 7). Between them, pieces of turf with a thickness of approx. 5 cm. As it turned out, the newly laid turf lies unsteadily on an inclined surface - it slides. Therefore, additional horizontal boards were nailed so that the distance between them was 50 cm. The turf was laid at 2/3 of the height of the dwelling. The upper third of the ramps was covered with birch bark sheets, which with their lower edges overlapped the upper line of the turf cover, so rainwater rolled down from the birch bark and went into the thickness of the turf (see Figure 8). After five days, the turf laid on the roof took root*.

* Heavy rains in 2013, which led to catastrophic flooding in the Amur region, did not break this turf cover.

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Figure 8. View of the built dwelling from the west (1), southwest (2), north (3) and east (4).

How the ancient inhabitants of the Amur dwellings could cover the smoke hole from precipitation is not established. Using a wooden staircase with a length of approx. 3 m already allowed a person, if necessary, to completely or partially cover it with a removable tire (boards, skins, etc.). However, to do this, the dwelling must be continuously inhabited. In our case, the constant presence of people in the building was not expected, but the task was to preserve it for public access as long as possible, so a special wooden tire was used in the reconstruction. It consisted of two identical, interconnected shields (100 * 70 cm), collected from spruce humps. The connection of the shields on the ridge was covered by the overlap of one over the other. To prevent water from flowing between the boards, they were joined together in an overlap according to the principle of shell plates. Above the smoke hole, the tire was attached with the upper part to the cross of the rafters, and the lower edges-to the frame-pipe. Initially, it was installed so that the shields were located on the west and east sides. As expected, this arrangement should contribute to the draft from the smoke hole of the dwelling: in the morning, air movement comes from the lake (i.e. from the south), and in the evening - vice versa (from the north).

To enter the dwelling, an inclined staircase made of thick planks with three steps of 1.2 m length was placed under the door. The space under it was used for storing firewood (Fig. 9). Inside the dwelling, bunks consisting of three transverse logs with a diameter of approx. were placed on the north and south sides from the line of pillars to the wooden vertical wall. 20 cm and laid on them four boards with a length of 3 m. The height of the bunks from the level of the earthen floor was 22 cm. The floor between them was rough-

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Fig. 9. Registration of the exit from the dwelling.

Fig. 10. Detail of the interior of the dwelling.

11. The bottom of the hearth with a thermal insulation screen made of birch bark.

van. To simulate the interior decoration, wolf and bear skins were laid out on the bunks, and lynx and fox skins were hung on the support posts. A boar's skull was placed on the floor near the east wall. A large stone seat was installed near the north-western pillar (Fig. 10). The tradition of using such seats in the dwellings of the Western Amur region appeared even during the existence of the Talakan culture of the early Iron Age. It was continued by Bei Shiwei, the bearers of the Mikhailovsky culture and the Mohe of the Trinity group [Antiquities..., 2000, p. 269, 275, 278, 322, 324, 329; Derevyanko A. P., Kim Yong-won, Nesterov et al., 2010, p. 121].

The rectangular hearth (80 * 74 cm) was located in the middle of the dwelling with an offset to the eastern wall so that its western side was located on the north-south center line. Its long sides were oriented along the west-east line. A hole 15 cm deep was dug for the hearth. The bottom was lined with two sheets of birch bark, a layer of sand and soil removed from the hearth pit were poured on top. Along the perimeter, a wooden frame was made from pine humps placed on the edge (thickness approx. 5 cm). Its edges rise 20 cm above the floor (Figs. 10, 11). Above the hearth, two north - south oriented beams with a wooden hook suspended from them were laid on the frame-lining.

Experiments

Already during the construction of the dwelling, some changes were made to some components of the structure (see the description above). After a fire was lit in the hearth, it turned out that, despite the presence of a good draft, the smoke creeps low above the floor and exits through an open door. When the door is closed (a gap of approx. 10 cm) the smoke practically stopped flowing through it. After the fire burns in the hearth for about 5 hours, the interior of the dwelling is warm and even hot. Де-

* All animal skins and bones were temporarily provided by the Directorate for the Protection and Use of Wildlife and Specially Protected Areas of the Amur Region. For the winter period, they were put away for storage.

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revo walls, bunks, pillars were heated to a warm state, despite the fact that all the wood used for construction, was not previously dried. When the door was opened, the smoke from the hearth rushed in its direction, some of it went out, but most of it was swirled by the air flow, went inside the living space and then up to the smoke hole. However, the room was still filled with smoke. Thus, the main problem that we had to face during the reconstruction of the dwelling is its high smoke content. Therefore, subsequent experiments were conducted to solve this problem.

First of all, various options for placing the tire above the smoke hole were considered. In its complete absence, no radical changes were found, although the draft became somewhat better. Smoke from the hearth rises vertically, but also goes through the open door. Perhaps this is due to the weak heating of the home, wet wood and the quality of firewood. When the fire grew to a clear flame, there was less smoke, but from the outside you can see that it is still present in the doorway.

Turning the tire wings to the north and south also did not give the proper effect. It was left in this position, but the hollow shields were spread out (up to 24° relative to the conventional horizontal line). The result was better, because additional traction was created due to the gaps formed between the edges of the tire slopes and the frame-pipe. But the smoke was still partially escaping through the door. After a heavy, prolonged rain, despite the tire, water got through the smoke hole. It became damp to the west of the hearth, i.e. in the center of the dwelling, and to the south. The skins were damp, even though a fire had been built in the house on the eve of the rain. To prevent water ingress, the tire slopes were lowered to an angle of 32° (see Figs. 8, 4).

As a result of experiments with the tire, it was possible to achieve some improvement in traction and protection of the dwelling from precipitation, while the problem of smoke in the room remained. Reducing the size of the doorway to a height of 1 m also did not have any effect. But entering the dwelling has become less convenient.

To solve the problem of smoke in the room, experiments were conducted with changing the location of the hearth. Initially, its surface was on a level with the floor of the dwelling, and in the middle-even lower. Since the hearth was located on a special earthen platform in the Long Lake dwelling 32 excavated in 2008, as well as in the Nivkh ones (Kreinovich, 1973, p.96), it was decided to find out whether this was due to improved combustion. Therefore, in the experimental dwelling, the frame-lining of the hearth was pulled out of the hearth pit, installed at floor level and filled to the top with soil. However, the smoke content of the dwelling did not decrease, and when the door was closed, the flame in the hearth died out faster than it was when its surface was below the floor level.

After 10 days (01.08.2013) after the first experiments, the study of the problem of heavy smoke in the room was continued. During this period, a fire was lit daily in the hearth, which led to partial drying of the dwelling. The aim of these activities was to achieve maximum effect in terms of smoke removal during the ignition and operation of the hearth.

At the first stage, the fire was lit in the hearth on the former "platform" inside a wooden frame (height approx. 20 cm relative to the floor of the dwelling). During the ignition, the dwelling was instantly filled with smoke, the amount of which decreased as the fire ignited, but not so much that you could safely stay in the dwelling and breathe easily. To increase traction, the tire was removed from the smoke hole, as a result of which the smoke began to come out faster and stronger (probably, the constant trampling of the dwelling affected, since the first experience with the tire removed did not give the proper effect).

At the next stage, various options for covering the entrance were tested using tarpaulins. When it was completely closed and a small hole was left at the bottom, the fire began to fade very quickly, and the amount of smoke increased. At the same time, the external air draft was significantly stronger than when the entrance was fully or partially open (which is visually recorded by the smoke flow at the entrance). Attenuation of fire with a small opening occurs due to a lack of oxygen necessary for combustion. If the entrance is fully opened, smoke begins to escape from the dwelling both through the smoke hole and through the upper part of the entrance opening, but the smoke content remains significant. Covering the entrance opening from above by one-third was considered the most optimal. At the same time, a sufficient amount of oxygen is supplied for the normal combustion of the fire, the smoke exit through the entrance is stopped and its removal through the smoke hole is increased.

During the study, it was noticed that the lowest concentration of smoke in the dwelling is recorded at the eastern wall opposite the entrance along its entire length. In this part of the room, you can comfortably sit and stand, slightly bent over. At the same time, the distance from the eastern wall of the dwelling to the original "smoke wall" is the same as to the hearth (in the position at the time of construction completion, i.e. shifted from the center to the east). To increase the smoke-free space, the hearth was moved closer to the entrance. In this case, if

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if you look outside from the room, you can see that the flow of fresh air, penetrating through the entrance, descends to the floor, reaches the hearth, then along with the smoke almost vertically rises up to the smoke hole and leaves the dwelling. Accordingly, the space from the entrance to the hearth to the entire height of the building is filled with smoke, from the hearth to the opposite wall - only partially.

The result of checking the options for placing the hearth on the floor without lining and platform was negative: the fire burned much worse and smoke left the dwelling. In addition, the space around the hearth, devoid of a wooden frame-lining, heats up quickly and it is impossible to stand next to it without shoes.

It should be noted that over the past period, the turf on the roof slopes has turned green with fresh grass. This condition was preserved in late autumn 2013. (Figure 12.1).

The next experiment with a hearth in a dwelling on the lake. Aspen was held on January 13, 2014. The main goal was to check the heating equipment of the dwelling in winter conditions and the possibilities of creating a comfortable environment in the room for a person to stay in it. To do this, it was necessary to set the duration of the fire in the hearth; check various options for registration of the entrance (door, tarpaulin); find out the conditions under which the flow of street air inside the dwelling increases or decreases; determine the time of warming up the room to a comfortable state and the speed of its cooling.

The experiment was started at 12 o'clock in the afternoon. The weather was sunny and windless, the air temperature was -38 °C, the snow cover thickness was 25 cm (Fig. 12, 2). An alcohol thermometer was installed in the hearth area to record the indoor air temperature. Inside the dwelling, it was -22 °C, despite the fact that the last time the hearth was lit in November 2013. Indoors, there was almost no snow. It was only at the entrance (blown through the crack in the door) and a little on the hearth (blown out through the smoke hole). The roof slopes inside the dwelling were covered with frost and frost - a consequence of short-term flooding of the dwelling in autumn at temperatures below 0 °C.

When starting a fire in the hearth, still moved closer to the entrance, pine wood was used, remaining from the summer of 2013. After 6 minutes, they gave a medium-sized bonfire. When lighting a fire, it is noted that when the door is tightly closed, it flares up slowly, but the smoke goes vertically up to the smoke hole. When the entrance is slightly open and open, the fire flares up more strongly, and smoke spreads across the floor, filling the dwelling completely. Available slits in the vestibule of the door at the time of breeding

12. External appearance of a dwelling in October 2013 (1), January (2) and August (3) 2014.

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they give a strong draft, as a result of which the smoke content of the room increases. Inspection of the dwelling from the outside showed that smoke exits through the smoke hole and partially with the door fully open-through the entrance in its upper part. Replacing the wooden door with a tarpaulin (in this case imitating an animal's skin) showed that it is quite easy and fast to control the flow of street air entering through the doorway. At the beginning of lighting a fire in the hearth, the area near the opposite wall of the dwelling from the entrance, which is most remote from the fire, is less smoky.

After b minutes (12 h 36 min), the air temperature in the dwelling was -20 °C. The fire burns confidently, the smoke content has increased. At the height of a person's height, it is difficult to breathe, it stings your eyes. In the lower part of the dwelling, on the bunks, the smoke concentration is minimal, it breathes freely, and the eyes do not sting.

After 25 minutes (12 h 55 min), the air temperature in the dwelling in the area of the hearth was -10 °C. Smoke at the level of human growth is strong, on the bunks-moderate. The frost on the roof slopes inside the dwelling began to melt, and drops began to fall.

After 42 minutes (13 h 12 min), the air temperature in the dwelling in the hearth zone is 0 °C. Drops increased, humidity increased significantly, which is why in the lower part of the room, near the floor, there was a slight icing of the surface of the bunk and the thermometer, on which an ice glaze formed. Heavy smoke throughout the house.

After 60 minutes (13 h 30 min), the air temperature in the hearth area is +14 °C, in the opposite (eastern) part of the dwelling +7 °C. At the same time, snow and frost are present in the corners at the junction of the roof and walls. The smoke level is weak and increases sharply after opening the entrance opening at the entrance or exit. At the same time, less penetration of cold air was recorded when using a tarpaulin instead of a door. It is also noted that it is more convenient to enter the room head first, as if diving down.

After 70 minutes (13 h 40 min), the temperature is +7 °C at the level of human growth, smoke is moderate, in the lower part of the dwelling, the nar is practically absent.

After 111 minutes (14 h 21 min), the hearth almost completely burned out, the air temperature above the bunks is +3 °C. There is no smoke, it occurs only when laying a new portion of firewood. To improve traction, the entrance is not completely covered with a tarpaulin, leaving a small hole. The floor of the dwelling has a temperature of 0 °C.

After 140 minutes (14 h 50 min), they stopped heating the hearth, the temperature dropped to -5 °C, after 10 minutes (at 15 h 00 min), the fire almost completely went out. The door was left open, causing frost to form on the roof slopes inside the dwelling. Outside, the snow on the roof had settled, and it had melted in the upper part near the smoke hole.

During a visit to the house in August 2014, its condition was good, despite the periodic "exploitation" of the local population. The turf on the roof slopes only on the southern side had a weak grass cover, the rest were densely overgrown with grass (Figs. 12, 3). In some places, the turf slid down, which indicates that the dwelling requires constant attention of its inhabitants. It was damp inside, but not damp. The wooden parts of the structure had dried up over the year, so the fire lit in the cup-shaped hearth bed, which was moved to its original place closer to the eastern wall, burned brightly and smoked less than in the first days after its operation began.

Conclusion

Works on reconstruction-imitation of a medieval dwelling and its further operation in different seasonal modes allowed us to make a number of observations and conclusions that can be divided into two groups. The first group includes observations related to the housing construction process. The revealed structural details and nuances are important when excavating ancient dwellings, especially if charred elements have been preserved. This is the device of the base frame and its installation on support posts, which could be only four in the corners of the pit, because for logs with a diameter of more than 18-20 cm and a length of 3 - 7 m, additional supports are not required. At that time, the vertical posts found next to the frame logs probably served as retainers to prevent their horizontal displacement. The absence in the ground of traces of the stop of the lower ends of the corner rafters may indicate that they were located in the corners of the base frame, as in the experimental dwelling. The established sequence of installation of the base frame, the displacement of the hearth to one of the walls will allow us to make an assumption about the location of the entrance, if it is not indicated by the entrance corridor. The entrance is connected to the side where the frame logs are placed at a lower level. At the same time, the reconstruction showed that in buildings with a base frame and covering the walls of the pit with boards, it is structurally unlikely to build a pit for the vestibule, unless one of the logs of the frame had a break. So far, a break in the frame-base log has been found only in dwelling 1 of the Bukinskiy Klyuch-1 monument on the Bureya River, but there was no pit for the vestibule in this place (Nesterov and Shelomikhin, 2002).

The second group of observations is related to experiments conducted in the warm and cold seasons, which revealed some nuances of the operation of residential buildings.-

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lischa. The most convenient and practical way was to make the entrance with a soft material (tarpaulin at the present time, in ancient times, apparently, a hide). This allows you to quickly and easily control the supply of additional air inside the room, and also contributes to less freezing of the home when entering and exiting. However, the winter dwelling of the Nivkhs described by E. A. Kreinovich had a wooden door, which was also movable, not swinging, and a covered corridor led to it [1973, p. 95]. The identified convenient and practical method of entering the interior headfirst, as if diving into the room, with support on something (step, log, chock, ladder) could only be used if there was a curtain made of soft material. In addition, it is of little use for certain age groups.

It is noted that no additional thrust is required during the operation of an already inflamed hearth. The fire burns confidently and when the entrance is tightly closed, the smoke content in this case is reduced. If you add firewood gradually in small portions, the amount of smoke in the room becomes minimal, and the air temperature is comfortable. It drops sharply when cold air enters the dwelling when entering or exiting it.

The indoor temperature can be raised from -22 °C to a comfortable +14 °C in 1.5 hours. To maintain favorable conditions (temperatures above 0 °C, minimal smoke), it is necessary to constantly maintain the fire in the hearth by adding fuel in small portions. For a comfortable stay in a dwelling, it is necessary to insulate it in order to minimize heat loss. Although the recorded difference between the air temperature in winter on the street and inside an unheated and unheated dwelling of 16 °C indicates its good structural quality. To reduce heat loss in winter, it is also necessary to provide firewood supplies inside the room and solve the household needs of residents to avoid frequent opening of the door.

One of the problems that existed in ancient times was the fire safety of the home. It is no coincidence that many excavated buildings from all eras were destroyed in the fire. During the experiment, a large number of sparks from a burning hearth were recorded in the room, since coniferous wood was used. It is possible that the choice of other trees as fuel (birch, aspen, willow, oak, etc.) could contribute to ensuring not only fire safety, but also less smoke in the room, greater heat transfer.

Perhaps, to reduce the smoke content of the dwelling, it was necessary to have a vestibule that not only protected the door from precipitation, but could also play the role of a kind of "blowing", creating an influx of air into the room and thereby improving the burning of the fire in the hearth and smoke extraction through the smoke hole. Thus, in dwelling 6 of the Ust-Talakan monument on the Bureya River, which belongs to the Talakan culture of the early Iron Age, it was located on the southern side, had a pit 2.25 m long, 80 cm wide at the living room, and 47 cm wide at the external exit [Antiquities..., 2000, pp. 112, 278, fig. 50]. In the dwelling 32 of the Mikhailovskaya culture of the Lake Dolgoye monument near the Amur River, a pit of the entrance corridor with a length of 1.15 m and a width of 78 cm was recorded from the south-eastern side [Derevyanko A. P., Kim Yong-won, Nesterov et al., 2010, p. 109, fig. 45, p. 111]. Vestibules were found in most of the excavated buildings of the Mikhailovsky settlement on the Zavitoy River (Mikhailovskaya culture) and the dwellings of the Trinity mohe group on Aspen Lake (1965) [Derevyanko E. I., 1975, p. 43, 56 - 57, 61, 63, 72, 76 - 77]. In those more numerous cases when they are not recorded during excavations, this is probably due to the fact that the vestibules were built at the level of the ancient daytime surface, and their design features (not buried in the ground, light frame, side walls made of birch bark or hides, etc.) did not contribute to long-term preservation. Therefore, when excavating a dwelling, it is important not only to establish the place of entrance to it, but also to pay attention to the pre-entrance space in order to detect any traces of a vestibule or canopy.

Thus, as a result of the reconstruction of the early medieval dwelling of the Western Amur region, certain knowledge was obtained on the technology of erecting such buildings, which will allow during excavations to more accurately determine certain structural elements and their interrelation, and in the future use these observations to recreate each specific dwelling. In the course of experiments related to the operation of the building, some household details were installed, indicating a relatively comfortable living in such dwellings. The presence of such structures both in seasonal sites (Bukinskiy Klyuch-1, -2, Bolshye Simichi) and in long-term settlements (Mikhaylovskoye Gorodishche, Lake Dolgoye, Osinovoe Lake, etc.) indicates their use regardless of the time of year. However, it was not possible to achieve minimal smoke in the room when burning firewood in the hearth. Perhaps modern knowledge about the work of an open hearth in the dwellings of the ancient and medieval population of the Amur region, based on archaeological materials, does not give a complete picture of all the nuances of its design. Therefore, questions remain open: why, for many millennia, have people been reproducing open hearths from century to century, which, as yet, are still open?-

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did the experiment on Aspen Lake create smoke in the premises, and how did the inhabitants of the dwellings cope with this problem?

List of literature

Derevyanko A. P., Kim Bong-gon, Nesterov S. P., Choi Meng-sik, Hong Hyun-woo, Byung Yong-hwan, Pak Jong-sung, Khabibullina Ya. Y. Materials and research of the Russian-Korean archaeological Expedition in the Western Amur region. Daejeon: State Research Publishing House. Institute of Cultural Heritage of the Republic of Korea, 2009, Issue II: Excavations of the Lake Dolgoye settlement in 2008. - 286 p.

Derevyanko A. P., Kim Yong-won, Nesterov S. N., Yoon Kwang-jin, Lee Gyu-hoon, Han Ji-sung, Mylnikova L. N., Loskutova Ya. Y., Shelomikhin O. A., Park Jong-sung, Lee Kyung-ha. Materials and research of the Russian-Korean archaeological expedition in the Western Amur region. Daejeon: State Research Publishing House. Institute of Cultural Heritage of the Republic of Korea, 2010, Issue III: Excavations of the early medieval settlement of Aspen Lake in 2009, 318 p.

Derevyanko E. N. Mokhe monuments on the Middle Amur. Novosibirsk: Nauka Publ., 1975, 250 p. (in Russian)

Antiquities of Bureya / S. P. Nesterov, A.V. Grebenshchikov, S. V. Alkin, D. P. Bolotin, P. V. Volkov, N. A. Kononenko, Ya. V. Kuzmin, L. N. Mylnikova, A.V. Tabarev, A.V. Chernyuk; ed. by E. I. Derevyanko. Novosibirsk, IAET SB RAS Publ., 2000, 352 p. (in Russian)

Kreinovich E. A. Nivkhgu: Mysterious inhabitants of Sakhalin and Amur, Moscow: Nauka Publ., 1973, 496 p.

Nesterov S. P. Peoples of the Amur Region in the Early Middle Ages. Novosibirsk, IAET SB RAS Publ., 1998, 184 p. (in Russian)

Nesterov S. P., Shelomikhin O. A. Obshchee i osobennoe v konstruktsii zhilishchi pamyatnika Bukinskiy Klyuch-1 [General and special features in the construction of the Bukinskiy Klyuch-1 monument dwellings]. Blagoveshchensk: Amur State University Press, 2002, pp. 71-77.

Rudenko S. I. Kul'tura naseleniya Gornogo Altay v skifskoe vremya [Culture of the population of Gorny Altai in Scythian times].

Samashev Z. S., Mylnikov V. P. Derevoobrabotka u drevnykh skotovodov Kazakhskogo Altay: (Materials of a comprehensive analysis of wooden objects from mound 11 of Berel burial ground). - Almaty: Berel, 2004, 312 p. (in Russian)

The article was submitted to the Editorial Board on 10.09.14, in the final version-on 13.09.14.

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