During excavations in Azov, Rostov region, archaeologists of the Azov Museum-Reserve discovered a unique defensive line of the I century AD combined with a moat and a palisade. This is the first time that such a discovery was made on the territory of the city, where the Golden Horde city of Azak was located in the XIV century.
Andrei Maslovsky, candidate of historical sciences, head of the archeology department of the museum, said that this discovery will help reconstructors of historical events to recreate the scenery of battles as accurately as possible. Earlier, when reconstructions were carried out, they fantasized about how the fortification could look like, drawing abstract pictures. Now, thanks to the discovered defensive line, it is possible to imagine what these structures looked like.
“This is a moat and a palisade, which is put on a flat place, which many people did not expect at all. And there are quite solid logs – 30 centimeters in diameter,” Maslovsky noted.
In addition, the excavations revealed a burial of a man from the late XII – early XIV century, in which his adult cat was buried. This is a Muslim burial of the XIV century, but despite this, the owner was buried a cat, which is atypical for that time.
“This is a very interesting find that has aroused a lot of interest among us and other specialists. It is unusual that the cat was buried at the feet of the owner when it was time to die,” Maslovsky noted.
In addition, a bread bakery from the time of Catherine the Great was discovered at the excavation. “We found two bread ovens already from the times of Catherine the Great. The population there lived not the richest, and finds archaeologists this place is not very spoiled. We found such a complex for the first time,” Maslovsky said.
In general, these finds allow to learn more about the life and life of people on the territory of Azov in different historical periods. They can also help reconstructors and researchers to recreate historical events with maximum accuracy.
