The monograph "Vitebsk" opens a series of publications on the archaeological study of the oldest cities of Belarus

May 5, Vitebsk / Sergey Kochetov - BELTA /. The monograph "Vitebsk" opens a series of fundamental works on the historical and archaeological study of the oldest cities in Belarus, which the Institute of History of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus has begun to publish. This was announced today by the author of the monograph, head of the Center for the History of Pre-Industrial Society of the Institute of History of the NAS, Doctor of Historical Sciences Olga Levko, at the presentation of the book at the regional museum of local lore, according to a BELTA correspondent. The series "The Oldest Cities of Belarus" provides for the publication of the results of fundamental research on a number of cities that are most significant in the history of the state, the formation of which dates back to the 9th - early 11th centuries. The publications will summarize all available developments, starting from the first excavations on the territory of urban settlements, which allow for the most complete disclosure of the processes of formation and development of cities in Belarus. The first publication in the series is dedicated to Vitebsk because, among the oldest cities in Belarus, Vitebsk is the most extensively archaeologically studied, noted Olga Levko. Archaeological research of the city began at the end of the 19th century with excavations on Zamkovaya Gora, which is located in the center of Vitebsk and is a monument of the city's ancient history. The first part of the monograph is devoted to the description of the development of the cultural layer - layers formed as a result of human activity, which allows tracing the structural and chronological development of the city. The second part of the publication reveals issues of urban planning, the connection of its individual parts into a single whole, and provides descriptions of the most significant architectural objects, including religious, civil, and economic buildings. In conclusion, the author systematizes and summarizes the results of research on the development of craft and trade activities of citizens, and trade relations of Vitebsk in the 10th-18th centuries. The material collected during archaeological excavations made it possible to determine the level of technological development of individual crafts. The comprehensive use of materials from archaeology, written and graphic sources makes it possible to most fully reveal the process of the historical development of the city, emphasized Olga Levko. This structure of the monograph will be characteristic of all publications in the series. It is planned that next year a monograph on Minsk will be published, and in 2012 a work dedicated to Polotsk will be published. The series will also include the results of archaeological research in Drutsk, Mogilev, Gomel, Turov, and a number of other ancient cities of Belarus. -0-