Chutivka village, settlement and township of the Old-Russian times

2. Historical reference.

It is located in Chutivka village, Chutivka Village Council, Orzhytsia district, Poltava region, in the southern part of the village.

The fortified settlement was described in the “Geographical description of Kyiv and Kyiv viceroyalty of 1775-1786”. It was examined by L.V. Padalka and V.H. Liaskoronskyi (end of the 19^th c.), F.B. Kopylov (1946), I.I. Liapushkin (1947), S.P. Yurenko (1975), M.P. Kuchera (1979 and 1987), Yu.Yu. Morhunov (1980), V.V. Sherstiuk (2014, 2017 and 2018).

The citadel is located on the cape above the slope edge of the right bank of the Sula River, has a square shape and area of 0.83 hectares. The traces of citadel fortifications are quite well preserved around the perimeter. There is a tower-like uphill with a relative height of 3.5 m on the territory of the fortified site, which is traced with a breastwork section made by Yu.Yu. Morhunov in 1980 on the south. There is still a visible millet with a diameter of 12 m in its north-eastern part (near the uphill), which are the well traces. The citadel entrance is well visible in its western part. The cultural layer of citadel, up to 0.90 m capacity, contains materials of the 11^th – 13^th cc.. In 1980 the breastwork section showed that the castle walls were erected on top of the early cultural layer at the turn of the 11^th – 12^th cc. The traces of two fires and subsequent reconstructions of fortifications were traced here.

There is a fortified post to the south and west of the citadel. The post undoubtedly had additional fortifications in the form of an earth-and-timber wall from the plateau side. The total area of the fortified post is about 9.9 hectares. The cultural layer of this part of fortified settlement with capacity of 0.6 m contains ceramics of the Bronze Age and Old Russian times.

There is a bank 1.20 m high and 34×42 m in diameter to the south of the citadel within the fortified township. Kurgans within the fortifications of the Old Russian time are not a common phenomenon.

Many findings come from the fortified settlement territory, including fragments of Old Russian kitchenware, local and imported amphorae, whole and fragments of iron tools, household items, weapons and bridles (spinning wheel, steel, stirrup, ax, bagnettes, etc.), jewellery, traces of handicraft activity (fragments of Ovruch slate, melting forms). Of interest is a fragment of Crimean amphora with an Old Russian inscription on it.

Two unfortified townships can be traced near the fortified settlement. The township I is located to the north, the township II is located to the south of the post.

Chutivka is a well-known complex archaeological site, consisting of a fortified settlement, a fortified post, townships and a burial mound of Old Russian times.

Old Russian time, 10^th – 13^th cc.