The first Estonian-Russian student seminar, organized in the frameworks of the AAC project by Pskov Archaeological Center, took place in Pskov on October 4-6, 2012. The programme of the event with participants from the universities of Tartu, Pskov, St. Petersburg and Tallinn included 17 papers: seven from Russia and ten from Estonia. The students’ and young researchers’ presentations concerned their current research topics. The aims of the project and results of the seminar were introduced to the media during the press-conference that followed the meeting.

On the third day archaeologist Boris Harlashov showed to the guests archaeological monuments of Pskov region. The excursion visited the archaeological complex of Vybuty, long and round barrows, zhalnik graves, medieval stone crosses, Borohnovo hill fort and the archaeological complex and museum of Staryi Izborsk. The next seminar will take place in a year in Estonia.

Presenters & Presentations of the Pskov Seminar:

Regional & Landscape archaeology

Борис Харлашов: Археологические памятники в приграничной зоне России, Эстонии и Латвии (росиийская территория). Типология и хронология.

Krista Karro: Iron Age cultural landscape in Kodavere parish (on the Western coast of Lake Peipsi)

Д. Мурзенков, И. Федоров: Recent archaeological research in the western part of the plateau Izhora (2010-2011).

Д. Донцова: Результаты археологической экскурсии в нижнем течении р.Великой

Material culture & its meanings

Jekaterina Schogoleva: Бердыши с археологическим контекстом в фондах Эстонских музеев.

Антон Романовский: Стеклянные бусы по материалам древнерусских могильников Пскова

Ragnar Saage: The medieval smithy site of Käku (Island of Saaremaa) – foreign contacts and good craftsmanship

Keiti Randoja: Children’s possible social age groups by the example of Late Iron Age cemeteries of Kukruse and Pada (Eastern Estonia)

А.  Хлюстова: Женский убор жальничных и грунтовых могильников Восточного Причудья: попытка сравнения.

Tuuli Kurisoo: The Meaning of Cross-Shaped Pendants of Inhumation Burials in the Late Iron Age in Estonia

Maarja Olli: Ornaments and Ornamentation during Roman Iron Age in Estonia: Symbols and their Meanings

Methods & Interpretations

 В. Богданова: Использование компьютерных методов обработки массовых категорий находок (на примере селища у д.Залахтовье)

 Maria Smirnova: The use of some basic concepts of The Tartu-Moscow School of Semiotics in interpretations of Archaeological material

Kristo Siig: A game of “King of the Hill”? About the various explanations to the abandoning of hill forts and building new ones in 11th century Estonia

Anti Lillak: Hill forts as the places of memory: The example of South-Eastern Estonia

Pikne Kama: Archaeology and Estonian runic songs about burials

On September 24-26 the first Estonian-Russian joint field inventory of archaeological sites took place in south-eastern Estonia. The Estonian partners were represented by the University of Tartu and the National Heritage Board, the Russian partners by Pskov Region Archaeological Centre and by Pskov Museum.

Archaeological monuments were visited on the territories of Orava, Meremäe, Karula and Värska communities. The guests were introduced with the methodology of field inventories, carried out in Estonia in the frameworks of the AAC-project.  The row of numerous and different barrow cemeteries on the northern side of Piusa river was characterized by the guests as rare for the whole area of the culture of long and round barrows, the core areas of which are located in the historical Pskov Land. It was suggested to involve this area in one of the tourist routes elaborated within the frameworks  of the project.

On the way to Karula parish the team visited  the reconstructed Viking Age house at the hill fort of Rõuge and  the famous Virunuka stone graves from the Roman Iron Age. This monument type is most rare in the territory of Russia, there are recent finds only from the western part of the Izhorian plateau. In Karula parish different sites characteristic for this hummocky area were visited. In Kaika village at Tabinamägi the field inventory concern textile-impressed and early wheel-thrown pottery was gathered.

The last day of the field works was concentrated upon visiting historical fishermens’ villages, mentioned in the 16th century written sources as  issads – on the western coast of Lake Pskov. In all 12 historical village sites, located in or at the centers of modern villages, were visited. From the cultural layers of the Late Iron Age and Medieval settlements pottery fragments were gathered for the archaeological collections.