Borysov A. Old Rusj Porossya. Settlement system

This work is devoted to the complex characterization of the annals of the Porossya in the Old Rus period. It gives a reconstruction of the process of its emergence and functioning as a separate annalistic historical and social organism in the south of Kyiv Principality. The study relies on the next sources: mentions of 14 settlements in annals, 389 monuments of this period, including 263 settlements, archival (90 cases), cartographical materials (18 thematic maps) and academic publications on the problems of Old Rus Porossya (205 units). The author created a thematic geoinformation system «Porossya-01». Its mapping part contains more than 30 thematic layers. One third of the settlement's monuments were inspected by the author himself. Since the mid-nineteenth century, scientific studies of Porossya have been carried out in such key directions: historical geography of the region, nomads' sites, ethnic structure of the population, and Porossya defense line. The settlement system of Porossya originated at the beginning of the XI century. Thanks to the efforts of the Grand Prince to strengthen Kyiv's defense system through fortifications (settlements and «Zmiyevi valy») and settlements of Porossya. This caused the multi-ethnicity of the inhabitants of the region («lakhs», the Baltic population, nomads). In the second half of the XI century nomads are becoming a part of the defense system. In the middle of the XII century, the dual population structure of the Porossya is formed: settled «porshany» and the union of «сhorni klobuky» (black hats). The reconstructed settlement system of Porossya in the Old Rus period consists of 160 settlements and a model of connection routes. For the period XII - first half of XIII century cluster spatial analysis identified six territorial groups: Kaniv, Korsun, Torch-Boguslav, Yurev, Neyatyn, and Koshiv groups. They were administrative-territorial entities within the Porossya whose centers were annal's cities. Economy of the sedentary population is associated with the intensive use of riverine and temperate forest and steppe areas of the landscape. The nomadic population used the territories of meadow and grassland steppes to conduct nomadic livestock. The study presents the main characteristics of Porossya as a historical and social organism of middle age.