Reconstruction of Wooden and Earthen Buildings in 17th to 18th-Century Russian Forts in Siberia: The Case of the Sayansky Ostrog

Reconstruction of Wooden and Earthen Buildings in 17th to 18th-Century Russian Forts in Siberia: The Case of the Sayansky Ostrog

Reconstruction of Wooden and Earthen Buildings
in 17th to 18th-Century Russian Forts in Siberia:
The Case of the Sayansky Ostrog

DOI: 10.17746/1563-0110.2018.46.4.100-108

A.Y. Mainicheva1, 2, S.G. Skobelev1, 3, and D.Y. Berezhenko4
1Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pr. Akademika Lavrentieva 17, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russia
2Novosibirsk State University of Architecture, Design and Arts, Krasny pr. 38, Novosibirsk, 630099, Russia
3Novosibirsk State University, Pirogova 1, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russia
4Center of Informatization and New Technologies of the Republic of Khakassia, Shchetinkina 18, Abakan, 655017, Russia

On the basis of the materials of the Sayansky Ostrog (fort), built in the Northern Sayan in 1718, a reconstruction is made of the type of buildings that were common during the initial stage of the Russian colonization (1600s and 1700s). This is one of the few well-preserved Russian forts. While its buildings, their function, and location are known from written sources and from the findings of a complete archaeological excavation, their construction has been hitherto unknown. To reconstruct their size and appearance, the current authors have compared archaeological and ethnographic findings, museum materials, and written evidence about the layout of buildings and construction techniques. On the basis of this complex of sources, reconstructions of several buildings are offered, including a gunpowder cellar, food storehouse, barn with cellar, forge, and commandant’s house. The authors describe traditions and innovations in construction techniques, choice of building materials, details and structures, layout of floors, ceilings, and roofs. The commandant’s house corresponds with the architectural standards of that time, set by Domenico Trezzini, who designed buildings in the capital and in provincial Russian towns.

Keywords: Siberia, 17th-18th centuries, Sayansky Ostrog, archaeological excavations, building reconstruction, cultural symbols