Opening the unknown pages of the medieval history of Primorye: results from a study of the Koksharovka-1 and Koksharovka-8 sites

The paper summarises the results of multi-year research on two early medieval sites in the region of Primorye, that is, the ancient town of Koksharovka-1 and the Koksharovka-8 burial complex. The uniqueness of these places can be accounted for by several factors. Firstly, on both sites there were found architectural objects which have no analogues in the medieval archaeology of Primorye. Secondly, these sites are dated back to between the 9^th and the 11^th centuries AD - the time after the collapse of the state of Bohai which is understudied and no sufficient archaeological sources are available in Primorye. Thirdly, an analysis of the data obtained has made it possible to suggest that in the post-Bohai period Koksharovka-1 was a big administrative centre of some sort of a state in the Primorye region which was independent enough from the Khitan people who had conquered Bohai. The architectural complex of seven same-type buildings was the main focus of excavations on the Koksharovka-1 site. These buildings were lined up on an artificial earthen platform. All of them had frame and column structure and contained some heating facilities - a "П"-shaped two-channel furnace (kan) and a chimney placed outside of each building. The architectural complex of Koksharovka-1, on the one hand, demonstrates certain similarities with well-known palaces in the capital cities of Bohai in terms of buildings' layout, the presence of kans, etc.; on the other hand though, there are some differences as well, namely, the absence of tiled roof, different type of construction, and some other. The archaeological material also supports this observation; it is for the most part of Bohai origin, however, a part of the ceramic collection found here has some distinctive characteristics and features specific to the Pokrovskaya culture. The burial complex of Koksharovka-8 is closely associated with the Koksharovka-1 ancient town where similar ceramic material was discovered. The remains of a monumental construction made of stone slabs unearthed on this site were studied, and research has shown that the person buried here was probably of quite high social standing. That can be understood from the construction itself as well as from the nature of accompanying burial objects, some of which were made of precious metals.

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