The underground domed crypt in the mound No. 5 from the A.V. Tereshchenko's excavations in Tsarev hillfort in 1843

The article is devoted to the A. Tereshchenko’s archaeological excavations of the underground domed crypt in 1843 in Tsarev hillfort - the second largest monument of the Golden Horde period in the Lower Volga located on the left bank of Akhtuba-river. Based on archival information, the author analyzes the circumstances of the underground crypt’s discovery, gives a description of the object. The author found that the crypt in Tsarev belongs to the type of cruciform crypts, located under the above-ground constructions (mausoleums). The constructions of this type have analogies on the territory of the Golden Horde, and in other regions: Central Asia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan. For the first time introduced into scientific circulation unique pattern of Golden Horde’s object was investigated by Tereschenko on Tsarev hillfort. This image is the only surviving graphics of excavated structures that Tereschenko was accompanied by his diaries and reports. The rest of the image are not kept or are not found in the archives yet. The article also gives a dating of the investigated construction. Copper coin of 766 AH (1364/64 A.D.) found here to determine that burial structure was built no later than the mid- 1360s. The author has taken into account the large size, complex structure, the findings made in the underground crypt and concluded that the burial complex, researched by Tereshchenko, was elitist. Use of comprehensive information (Tereshchenko’s diary descriptions, topographical plans of 1842-1843 and satellite images) helped the author to locate the place of excavation of the crypt on the ground.