Frame-and-post buildings of Ust-Voikar fortified settlement in the context of dendroarcheology

This article analyzes frame-and-post dwellings of the Ust-Voikar fortified settlement - a multilayered site inhabited by the indigenous population of the North of Western Siberia, which existed in the Middle Ages and Modern Age. The Ust-Voikar archaeological site is one of rare settlement complexes in this region with the frozen cultural layer. Dendrochronological analysis has revealed that the frame-and-post dwellings of the settlement existed in the late 13th - early 14th centuries and in the second half of the 15th - mid 18th centuries. A significant gap between these periods was caused by uneven study in different parts of the settlement. Reconstruction of settlement architecture is mostly possible using the evidence of large dwellings. In their structure they are close to other dwellings found in the region in frozen cultural layers. Main features of such buildings include closed central room, open hearth in the center, and passage along the perimeter of the central room. The available evidence shows that already in the mid 15th century, the inhabitants of the settlement knew the techniques used for constructing log structures which were used in frame-and-post buildings in Ust-Voikar settlement locally, for example while making doorways and hearths in rectangular frames. Since the mid 17th century, small log houses began to replace frame-and-post dwellings of the same size. Since the early 18th century, this process began for large dwellings. By the mid 18th century, log houses completely replaced frame-and-post dwellings. For a long time, large buildings occupied specific places, forming layers in the ground and thereby becoming a factor in invariability of basic principles of spatial organization at the settlement.