The Watch-Towers of the Defensive Structures in Early Iron Age (Culture of Sargatka)

The article presents the data on the defensive structures of the Staro-Libayevskoye-1 fortified settlement near Zavodoukovsk. It is placed on the terrace of Middle Tobol River in the forest-steppe zone of Western Siberia. It has the 5-angle form, size 65x75 meters and a simple rampart and ditch line with two approach gates. It was surrounded by more than 500 dwellings on the unfortified part. The settlement was explored by several excavation expeditions by B. Ovchinnikova in 1969 and defensive line was recognized by authors in 2015. This square was used for habitation twice in Early Iron age. In the beginning the wooden wall was stayed with wooden towers. The remains of coal, ashy layers and burned sand were saved only on the subject 1 place. It's size was defined as 2,6x2,6 meters. After fire the fortified line was reconstructed in III-II centuries BC. At the second time line was reinforced because the tower was stayed in not deep foundation pit and was dug a narrow ditch, then size of tower reached 2,8x2,8 meters (subject 2). People did not make big earth works because of a local relief, which has given heightening of two meters, it has been got 3,5-4 meters of height of an early defense line with the wooden wall and deeping of the ditch. It was a typical system for Sargatka culture population. We have not defined whether described buildings were used or not in military conflict because there were not samples of weapons into remains of fire. We have concluded the watch-towers were regular elements of fortification of even small settlements in the Early Iron Age (the bigger sizes 100х90, 100х150 meters and other are known). They were built on wall line on the corner or were made near the corner inside of a rampart. People used them like watch-towers for purposes of a patrol service and shooting by archers all outside and inside squares in chance of military conflict. Two diagonal stayed watch-towers or corner and gate-towers were necessary for deleting dead points during shooting. Remains of wooden towers were discovered in sites of other cultures of Western Siberia in Early Iron age. For example, on the Zotinskoye, Alten-Tau, Likhachevo settlements in former period. We have exposed the continuity and the tendency of arising of labor expenditure on the fortified constructions and stereotypical forms of their creation, characterizing for Sargatka culture.

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