Kozlov I.V. Population of the Danube-Dniester Steppes in Late 8th — Early 11th Centuries: Balkan-Danube Culture

The manuscript of the thesis by V.I. Kozlov “Population of the Danube-Dniester Steppes in Late 8th — Early 11th Centuries: Balkan-Danube Culture” was prepared by the author during the period of his work at the Institute for the History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences and is deposited in the archive (Manuscript Department of the Scientific Archive of the Institute for the History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences. F. 35. Inv. 2-d. D. 510).

The book presents a summary of information on the Balkan-Danube archaeological culture in the steppe interfluve of the Danube and the Dniester, whose carriers are directly related to the history of the early medieval Bolgar state. The characteristics of the two groups of settlements located on the Lower Dniester and near the delta of the Danube is reflected in their interconnected nature, combining the features of the Pra-Bolgars, Southern and Eastern Slavs. This fact reflected in the design and arrangement of the dwellings, household items and various types of pottery, which developed following the principles of integration typical of the settled agricultural economy of the major territories of Bolgaria.

The author suggests an ethnocultural development model of the Balkan-Danube culture. In the 1st period (late 8th - mid-9th centuries) the Lower Danube lands were developed from the areas in northeastern Bolgaria and Dobrudja, after which the colonization spread to the Dniester region. The 2nd period (second half of 9th - first half of 10th centuries) was the period of prosperity of the Balkan-Danube culture, during which an extensive system of settlements was established. The population which arrived from the Danube regions to the Dniester region, where they interacted with the Eastern Slavs, representatives of the Luka Rajkovetsk culture. In the 3rd period (mid-10th - early 11th centuries) the region was involved in the processes of unification of the material culture and the establishment of a single Slavic-Bolgar nationality. The published set of archaeological materials and historical assumptions by the author is intended for specialists, but also is of great cognitive significance for a wide range of readers.