Hearth structures in the dwellings of the Ust-Voikarskoe fortified settlement (based on archeological research in 2012-2016)

The article describes different types of hearth structures which were uncovered in the dwellings of the 17th-early 18th centuries at the Ust-Voikarskoe fortified settlement (the Lower Ob region). In terms of their construction, these hearths can be divided into three types: 1) simple, deepened into the ground, 2) in the rectangular wooden frames made of several layers of logs, and 3) earthenware chuval. It has been observed that the first type was used in small dwellings of different structure; the second type was used in large post-frame and cribwork buildings, and the third type was used only in cribwork buildings. The archaic form of the second type was reproduced using the methods of cribwork even in post-frame buildings. The dwellings with the hearths of the second type functioned for a long period of time and were one of the significant elements in the spatial arrangement of the Ust-Voikarskoe fortified settlement. For all this period, the location of hearths, their sizes, and general construction remained the same.