Basic layout types of the Russian forts in Middle Siberia on descriptions of G.F. Miller

Russian "ostrogs" (wooden fortresses) in Siberia are very significant objects of history. For their archaeological research it is important to know the location of individual buildings in the yard area of each of them. The purpose of the presented article is a characteristic of the layout and current state of the "ostrogs" of Middle Siberia in the 1730-40 years. For this purpose, the following tasks were planned: the search for documents containing information about these objects; the determination of reliability of messages made by different authors; the characterization of the layout of each fortress; the assessment of their current technical condition; the comparison of planning and degree of preservation of "ostrogs" in different territories. The research methodology is based on the principle of historicism, the historical-comparative method and its derivatives are used. Criticism of sources is being conducted, a cross-sectional analysis of the content of all types of information is carried out. The problematic field of research is presented as a mismatch in a number of cases of reports by different authors and even one author in different years with respect to the same objects. The source base is mainly the travel materials of 1735 and 1739 by G.F. Miller; in addition, the information of other authors was used. In the course of the research, a onetime "cut" of the planning and current situation of 16 from the 19 known "ostrogs" and 3 fortified villages was made. As a result, the author came to a number of conclusions. So in the region the rectangular or square forms prevailed in the planning; for the Kansk and Sayansk "ostrogs" G.F. Miller in 1735 made mistakes in the descriptions, misunderstood the expression "round" for buildings, but in 1739 he corrected these mistakes. The set of structures in the "ostrogs" was not standard; it was different both for the "uyezd" (district) centers, and for the northern and southern parts of the Middle Siberia. In the north the "ostrogs" usually had few towers and were often in poor condition. Residential and other buildings were sometimes located outside their walls. In the south the fortresses were repaired and rebuilt, in wooden architecture the most reliable structures such as "zaplot" and "taras" were used. Even large villages had fortifications. The southernmost "ostrogs" (Sayansk and Abakansk) were the most fortified, which is due to the presence here before the middle of the XVIII century of the military threat from the side of the Dzungar Khanate. In general, the results obtained make it possible to restore the layout of most of these important objects of the historical and cultural heritage of Siberia. This can be a great help in their possible archaeological excavations.

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