A Settlement with Graves from the 9th - 10th Century in Vel'ky Kyr

The study presents results of the analysis of five graves and 20 settlement features. These were excavated in 1997-1978 in the cadastre of the village Veiky Kyr. The uncovered features were split into two clusters. The first includes four half-sunken dwellings with stone ovens that lie around the perimeter of the open space. It served as a space for various social activities. Eight storage pits were situated on an area covering 1100 m(2). A second cluster is situated 40 m away. It consists of two dwellings with clay ovens, one storehouse and four ovens. Three graves were excavated in the vicinity of the settlement features from the first settlement. Two other graves form a nucleus of a necropolis. It did not take on a regular form, possibly due to an abrupt end of the local settlement. One of the victims of the violent action was placed in a storage pit. According to the sporadic occurrence of material culture, the settlement was of short duration. It was limited to the last third of the 9(th) c. The settlement area is one of the units where agricultural products from the wider area were collected. Their total volume far exceeds the needs of its inhabitants. In addition to the abundance of storage pits, the site's exceptional position is supported by a complex settlement pattern. In the Great Moravian period such presence is only recorded on fortified sites.