These defensive fortifications have been encircling the Ukrainian land for a long time. At one time, in history lessons, we were told only about the princes of Kievan Rus. But who lived here before them, who built these gigantic structures. History has not yet revealed all its secrets to us.
Another mystery of Ukrainian history.
This is the so-called. Kruglikovsky fortification, which is part of the system of the famous Serpent Shafts. It turns out that from ancient times to the south of Kiev there has been a whole system of earth defense structures with a total length of 950 km! The defense was echeloned - the ramparts form several parallel lines that cover Kiev with giant horseshoes. For example, they are also well preserved in Khlepche nad Stugnaya (this is not far from Kiev along the Odessa highway). Similar objects are found in other regions of Ukraine: in the Kharkov region, on the Dniester, etc. There is little information about them. Written sources of ancient times are mysteriously silent about the construction of the “Great Russian Wall”.
There is a widespread legend that tells how the bogatyr Kirill Kozhemyaka harnessed the Serpent, who was disgraceful in these places, into a huge plow. And with this plow he plowed gigantic furrows around Kiev. Exhausted by backbreaking work and thirst, the Serpent began to drink water from the river and died - this is the classic finale of medieval stories about dragons, which is found in the folklore of many peoples of the world (remember, at least, the circumstances of the untimely death of the Krakow monster Smoky).
How long or short they fought, only Nikita Kozhemyaka threw the snake to the ground and wanted to strangle it. The snake began to pray here: “Don't beat me, Nikita, to death! There is no one in the world stronger than you and me. We will divide the whole world equally: you will own in one half, and I - in the other. " And then Nikita said: "We must first lay the border, so that later there would be no dispute between us." Nikita made a plow of three hundred pounds, harnessed a snake into it and began to pave the border from Kiev, plow a furrow; that furrow is two fathoms and a quarter deep. Nikita drew a furrow from Kiev to the Black Sea. They began to divide the water - Nikita drove the snake into the Black Sea, and there he drowned. Nikitin's furrow, they say, is now visible here and there across the steppe: it stands two fathoms in height and has been called since then Zmiev Val. All around the peasants plow, but they don't plow the furrows:leave it in memory of Nikita Kozhemyak.
Legends are legends, but nothing is really known about the origin of the Serpent Shafts. The classical version says that they were built by ancient Russian princes in the 9th-10th centuries. to protect the southern borders of Russia from the Pechenegs and Polovtsians. However, some of them date back to the 2nd century BC! In particular, the Kruglikov fortification is a settlement of Scythian times, i.e. early Iron Age. Most likely, they were erected in different eras in stages, including earlier embankments in new defense systems. Perhaps they used the labor of thousands of captive nomads - hence the legend of the drawn Serpent.
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Unusual man-made earth embankments - ramparts, are located in a chain on the territory of the forest-steppe of Ukraine, south of Kiev, as well as in the south of Moldova and Romania. I must say that the first disputes in the nineteenth century were conducted not only about the purpose of the shafts, but the very fact of their existence. When the man-made ramparts, with a total length of about 2000 km, were no longer in doubt, the question still remained. From whom did they defend these hundreds of kilometers of earthen fortifications 10-15 meters high and up to 20 meters wide? Which way were they facing - against the forest or steppe, were they looking north or south? The answer is in their design, which always included a ditch up to 2-3 meters deep at the southern foot, and it was directed towards the steppe. Let's add to this that in some places there were up to 5-6 parallel earth fortifications. It turns outthat someone built these gigantic buildings by medieval, and even our today's standards, defending themselves from the steppe warriors, immigrant carts or Roman shock cavalry from the south.
In the foundations of the ramparts, archaeologists have repeatedly found coal that got there during their construction. The results of the analyzes showed that the age of the finds is very solid and is determined for different finds from 1200 to 2100 years !!! In other words, the investigated ramparts were built in the period from the 2nd century BC to the 7th century after the Nativity of Christ, long before the rise of the Kiev state.
The shafts are reinforced with oak logs for strength. A wooden palisade passed above. In parallel, deep ditches were laid. I can imagine what a problem they were for the nomadic cavalry - getting to the top of the rampart is not easy even now. But worth it. At least in order to appreciate the titanic work of our ancestors and the degree of organization of their society. Indeed, such a grandiose construction required a powerful political will of the leader, deep engineering knowledge of the builders, and serious management. All this inspires great respect.
Including to a country whose history is full of such unsolved mysteries. It's very easy to touch them - just a few hours away by car. The main thing is to know what and where to look.
The Zmievy Shafts are gigantic structures, the length of which is 800 kilometers only in the Kiev region. Perhaps, there is no doubt that part of the ramparts in the Kiev region was built by the princes of Kiev, however, the belonging of the ramparts in other parts of Ukraine to older eras can even be proved by documents.
One thing looks unconditional - to attribute the construction of all Ukrainian ramparts to the period of Kievan Rus would be a great risk. After all, if the construction of almost every, even small, temple is reflected in the annals, then how did the creation of these gigantic structures go unnoticed?
Author: ZigZag