Bakhmutino Culture Fortifications of the Urazgildino Hillfort

The work considers the data obtained during the study of Urazgildino hillfort fortifications (Tatyshlinsky District, Bashkortostan). The main archaeological material discovered during the excavations is ceramics, which allows to date the cultural layer and the studied structures back to a wide range of the 4th–8th centuries AD. The fortifications themselves were probably not used for long. The research focuses on fortifications that constituted earth-and-timber structures compiled as hook-type walls. The log wall of the hillfort was reinforced with vertical pillars. The fortifications were packed tightly with soil. Numerous traces of combustion and exposure to high temperatures (coal, burns, baked clay) indicate that the studied structures were destroyed by fire. However, the research failed to reveal any traces of a military conflict. When the founders chose this site to erect a hillfort, they relied on the natural topography of the area. This is typical for most Bakhmutino culture hillforts. It is noteworthy that the fortifications had a rectangular design, which is not traditional for the monuments of the Southern Cis-Urals. There are no similar structures on the territory of the Ufa-Belaya interfluve. The reconstruction of the studied structures makes it possible to assume their high fortification capacity. This is also a standard property for most of the known Bakhmutino culture fortifications. The findings obtained allow to significantly expand the modern understanding of the architecture, construction and defense traditions of the Southern Cis-Urals population during the early Middle Ages.