Possibilities of high wooden buildings reconstruction in archaeology (a methodological commentary)

In the article the methodical bases of 3-dimensional architectural-archaeological reconstructions are considered on the example of a high wooden building in Russian architecture. To learn the number of storeys in an archaeological building it is necessary to find structural features that initially were attributes of the high building. The researchers name among those: 1) complex bases, 2) large sizes of constructions, 3) cut-in partitions, 4) porches and stairs. Nevertheless in historical reality three of the mentioned constructive elements were not obligatory indicators of the number of storeys in the wooden building. The main functions of the base were leveling and preservative-isolating, not bearing, for wooden walls weigh less than the stone ones. Large size and internal partitions as criteria of height must be examined together. Partitions cut into the bearing walls at all the height of the building (or just a part of it), also became bearing and increased the rigidness of the building, which is important for big buildings, especially, if they had several storeys. With all constructive rationality cut-in partitions were neither the only nor an obligatory way for erection of a large high building. The leading criteria of the storey number identification are a high porch to the upper floor and outer and/or inner stairs. However, in a ruined condition these obvious signs of height often lose their indisputability. To assert that a porch had a runduk (an upper landing of the covered porch or outer wooden stair, built on to a house) an archaeologist must have certainly indicative details, for instance, features of the construction of a front porch of the Voivode's house in Tomsk. The construction of its lower part in the technique of vertical zabirka (a construction made of vertical planks put in horizontal beams) certainly specifies that the porch was high. The pillars for the stair to the runduk of the porch and for the gallery-promenade on the second floor also prove that Tomsk Voivode's house had no less than two storeys. The analysis shows that reconstructions of high buildings by archaeological data are fundamentally possible and methodologically valid. The foundations for creation of 3-dimensional models of ruined objects are 1) signs initially inherent to high buildings such as high porches, stairs, pillars for galleries and balconies; 2) preservation of these attributes of height in the archaeological state. An archaeologist shall not limit oneself to disclosure and description of ruins, but aim to possibly completely restore the look of the destroyed construction that is formed by the unity of construction and technical techniques, architectural-compositional shape, and functional and sense content. This unity must be represented in an integral model, the creation of which is the aim and sense of the archaeological research of architectural objects.

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