Villages in the District of Laptau in the VII–XI Centuries

The settlement system of Prussian in the Middle Ages was formed under the impact of different factors: migrations, trade, military conflicts. One of the most notable among them was the invasion of Teutonic order in 1231-1283 that led to incorporation of Prussians into a new social system. This process affected the settlement system in various ways, from complete change (in Nadrovia) to continuity (in Sambia). The reconstruction of this influence implies correlation of the information from written sources and the results of archaeological research. This paper reconstructs this influence within the geographical boundaries of the Laptau district (now Muromskoe) which by the 13th century turned into a well-developed and densely populated area. The first step was to identify the location of the Prussian settlements; then in the course of the field investigations in 2021 and 2022, their locations were clarified, and the settlements were attributed and dated. A total of three settlements were defined situated on the first and second above-floodplain terraces of the right bank of Zelenogradka river. The first and second villages, Muromskoe-1 and Muromskoe-2, contain cultural layers and remains of household buildings dated to 7th-11th centuries. Presumably, these settlements were occupied approximately in the same period as a ground cemetery known as Muromskoe located northeast of the settlements and dated to 10th-11th centuries. The third settlement Ozerovo-1 contains cultural layer of 7th-15thcenturies and remains of household construction of 7th-11thcenturies, which suggests continuity in development before and after the invasion of the Teutonic Order.