Novyye Duboviki (russian: Новые Дубовики; literally: "New Oak Grove") is an archaeological site in

Leningrad Oblast Leningrad Oblast ( rus, Ленинградская область, Leningradskaya oblast’, lʲɪnʲɪnˈgratskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ, , ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast). It was established on 1 August 1927, a ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

, located about south of Ladoga upstream the

Volkhov River The Volkhov (russian: Во́лхов) is a river in Novgorodsky and Chudovsky Districts of Novgorod Oblast and Kirishsky and Volkhovsky Districts of Leningrad Oblast in northwestern Russia. It connects Lake Ilmen and Lake Ladoga and forms pa ...

, at the head of the lower Volkhov rapids. In the

Early Middle Ages The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th or early 6th century to the 10th century. They marked the start of the Mi ...

, Novyye Duboviki was the site of a Norse-Slavic fort, which guarded the crossing of the rapids. The settlement flourished in the late 9th century, but was burned to the ground in the early 10th century. It was later revived on a much smaller scale, and was operated by the

Novgorod Republic The Novgorod Republic was a medieval state that existed from the 12th to 15th centuries, stretching from the Gulf of Finland in the west to the northern Ural Mountains in the east, including the city of Novgorod and the Lake Ladoga regions of m ...

in the

High Middle Ages The High Middle Ages, or High Medieval Period, was the periodization, period of European history that lasted from AD 1000 to 1300. The High Middle Ages were preceded by the Early Middle Ages and were followed by the Late Middle Ages, which ended ...

, as a minor

pogost ''Pogost'' (russian: погост, from Old East Slavic: погостъ) is a historical term with several meanings in the Russian language. It has also been borrowed into Latgalian (''pogosts''), Finnish (''pogosta'') and Latvian (''pagasts'') ...

. Although the site is seriously damaged by modern building activities, a series of excavations, undertaken since 1884, revealed traces of a predominantly Scandinavian settlement, covering no less than six hectares. The fort was ringed by at least ten burial mounds, ranging from seven to ten metres in height. The tallest barrow, built around a 9-metre-high vertical pole, stands high. Recent research established Duboviki as key to understanding the earliest fortifications of

Holmgard Veliky Novgorod ( rus, links=no, Великий Новгород, t=Great Newtown, p=vʲɪˈlʲikʲɪj ˈnovɡərət), also known as just Novgorod (), is the largest city and administrative centre of Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is one of the ol ...

(Novgorod). As Ladoga did not possess strong fortifications in the early medieval period, it was Duboviki that shielded Novgorod from potential attacks by the Norse raiders. The Varangian (and later Slavic) military stationed at Duboviki could effectively block the passage for pirate ships moving up the Volkhov towards

Novgorod Veliky Novgorod ( rus, links=no, Великий Новгород, t=Great Newtown, p=vʲɪˈlʲikʲɪj ˈnovɡərət), also known as just Novgorod (), is the largest city and administrative centre of Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is one of the ol ...

. Prior to the construction of the hydroelectric station, the shores of the river near Duboviki were craggy, exceeding twenty metres in height. As late as the 19th century, dozens of boats were shipwrecked while passing the rapids each year. Remains of another early medieval fort were detected at the head of the upper Volkhov rapids slightly upstream. As a result of this ingenious system of natural and man-made defences, medieval Novgorod was never susceptible to pirate attacks, unlike its principal rivals, such as

Sigtuna Sigtuna () is a locality situated in Sigtuna Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden with 8,444 inhabitants in 2010. It is the namesake of the municipality even though the seat is in Märsta. Sigtuna is for historical reasons often still referre ...

, Ladoga, Kaup, and others.

References

*Кузьмин С.Л., Тарасов И.И. Раскопки поселения Новые Дубовики в 1998 г. // Ладога и эпоха викингов. Четвертые чтения памяти Анны Мачинской. St. Petersburg, 1998. *Кузьмин С.Л. Волховские пороги в эпоху средневековья. // Новгород и Новгородская Земля. История и археология. №12. Novgorod, 1998. *Носов Е.Н. Поселение у ладожских порогов. // Краткие сообщения о докладах и полевых исследованиях Института археологии АН СССР. Moscow, 1976. №146. {{coord missing, Leningrad Oblast Buildings and structures in Leningrad Oblast Archaeological sites in Russia Forts in Russia Viking Age populated places Novgorod Republic Varangians Former populated places in Russia Cultural heritage monuments of federal significance in Leningrad Oblast