____The village of Khalepya is situated on the right bank of the River Dnipro, at the confluence of the Skvoritsya and the Bobrytsya rivers. Located at the mouth of the Bobrytsya river is a multi-layered settlement of the Neolithic, Eneolithic, Middle and Late Bronze ages, Scythian, Early Slav and Old Rus periods. The monument is unfortunately deteriorating rapidly.
____Early settlements have been discovered by archaeologists near Tsyganka Mount and Zholudivka tract. In a classic settlement of Trypillya culture in the vicinity of Kolomyishchina 1 (one of a few settlements completely unearthed in 1934-1938, 39 sites were discovered by archaeologists S. Magura, T. Pasek and E. Krychebvskiy).
____Two more settlements, Kolomyishchina IІ and Kolomyishchina IIІ, can be found nearby.
____At the outskirts of a village bearing almost the same name is the Old Rus town of Khalep, with which the site of an ancient settlement is associated. Khalep is first mentioned in the chronicle of 1093. In his Sermon to Children, prince Vladimir Monomakh wrote: 'At the Stugna River we fought with the tribe of Polovtsy near Khalep, the town near the River Dnipro, and then we made peace with their princes'. As a fortified town, Khalep sprang up in the XI century. Mentioned in a chronicle written in the XII century, it was ruined by the Tatars in 1239.

____Mayorivshchina tract boasts a settlement of the late Palaeolithic period, Zarubinets and Trypillya cultures. In the north-eastern part of the village there is a multi-layered site dating from the X-XI centuries and XVII-XIX centuries. Near the village on the steep banks of the River Dnipro, on two plateaux separated by a ravine, is another site of an ancient settlement, Vytachiv, the remains of an Old Rus fortified town mentioned in chronicles. The fortress was constructed to protect one of the most important Dnipro fords, which opened the way to Perepetove field. Vytachiv is also mentioned as a large port in writings of the Byzantine emperor Constantine Bagryanorodny.
____The settlement has been known since the XIX century.
____Between 1961 and 1963 archaeological excavations under the guidance of B.Rybakov were made at the settlement site. According to his observations the main archaeological material belongs to the X-XI centuries, the time of Prince Volodymyr.
____The three parts of the city each had their own fortifications; in addition all three parts were enclosed by a common rampart 1100 m long. A fragment of the gate tower remains. The fortress walls were made of a series of wooden enclosures, of a width varying from 3.6 to 4.5 m. The wider enclosures had inner rooms for warriors while the narrower ones were filled with earth. The enclosures are alternated in the following way: one empty enclosure, two enclosures filled with earth.
____Among the excavated fortification structures is the remains of a signal tower. A fire would have been lit on the upper platform of the tower to convey information to Kiev and other localities about possible danger. All the fortress structures were covered with a thick layer of earth to protect them from fire. A corner tower called Slukh (Hearing), with reinforcing layers between floors has also been excavated. Beneath narrow premises equipped with a fireplace an egg-shaped cavity dug in subsoil and filled with clay (vertical diameter 197 cm, cross diameter 152 cm) was found. This is 'Slukh' ('Hearing') - a great underground resonator which permitted any traces of mining along two lines of fortifications to be heard.
____Vytachiv is mentioned several times in connection with the military operations of the Old Rus princes. In the year 1085, prince Volodymyr Monomakh defeated the tribe of Polovtsy near the walls of the Vytachiv fortress. On August 30 1110, the Rus princes assembled in Vytachiv for a Congress convened by princes Svyatopolk Svyatoslavich and Vladimir Vsevolodovich Monomakh. At this Congress the princes reconciled their differences in the face of a common danger, the attacks of the Polovtsy tribes. Ruined by the Mongol Tatars in 1240, Vytachiv is mentioned as a small village at the beginning of the XVII century.
На плато, що знаходиться за 1,5 км південніше від сучасного села Витачів, збереглися залишки городища ще одного літописного міста - Святополча, чи Новгорода-Святополча.
____The remnants of another town mentioned in the chronicles, Svyatopolch (or Novgorod- Svyatopolch), have been preserved on a plateau 1.5 km from Vytachiv. In the year 1095 when the Polovtsy hordes approached Gyurev (Yuriev - now Bila Tserkva) and burned the town to ashes, local residents fled to Kiev. " … Svyatopolk ordered that a city should be put up on Vytychiv hill and named after him, and he ordered that bishop Murik with the residents of Guryev come here because Guryev had been burnt by the Polovtsy." Thus the bishop of Guryev Murik together with his cathedra temporarily moved to Svyatopolcha where he stayed until 1103 when Svyatopolk restored Yurev.
____The city remained on Vytachiv hill and is mentioned in the chronicles of 1223. The same year when the Rus princes suffered a setback in the battle with the Mongol Tatar hordes at the river Kalka and began to retreat towards Kyiv, the Tatar hordes chased them up to Svyatopolcha. The residents of the city came into the streets of the city to meet the Rus warriors but were slaughtered by the Tatars. After this, there is no further mention of Svyatopolch in the chronicles.
____Excavations carried out at the site of the ancient settlement have revealed the remnants of the fortification wall and the burial vault of those who perished during the Mongol Tatar onslaught. Now only the memorial stone reminds our contemporaries about the city once mentioned in the chronicles as existing on the Dnipro hills.

____Staiki is a multi-layered settlement of Trypillya, Zarubinets and Old Rus periods found on the outskirts of the village at a distance of 1.5 km from the river pier and 0.5 km from the brickworks.
____'The city of Stayek' appears in a historical document of 1427 and is indicated on a special map of Ukraine drawn by G. Boplan (1650). The city's fortifications are mentioned in the works of I.I. Fundukley, who mentions remains of the rampart as high as 23 m. According to V. Petrashenko and V. Kozyuba, authors of the architectural sights catalogue The Banks of the Kaniv Reservoir, there was an ancient Old Rus settlement in the centre of the village. A settlement of the Trypillya period C-I (4000 B.C.) was discovered right at the exit from the village, to the right of the road to Strytivka (where a school for Kobza players is located).
____Our road now takes us 2.4 km down the Dnipro from Staiki. To the left of the road we can see a settlement of Trypillya archaeological culture, the remains of which occupy a plateau on the bank. The settlement was discovered by V. Khvoika. 30 sites were found, forming an outer circle, and the traces of an inner site.

____Settlements of Trypillya and Chernyakhivska archaeological cultures are located in Vasilishin Yar at the edge of the steep bank of the River Dnipro, 0,4 km upstream of Grebeni. During excavations carried out by S. Bibikov and M. Shmagliy between 1961-1962, 26 dwellings were uncovered but the research was not completed by archaeologists, hence important conclusions could not be drawn. Located downstream is a whole group of archaeological sights: 1. The site of an ancient settlement: I century B.C. - I century A.D. 2. VII-VIII century settlement. 3. Burial mound in Mogila tract, known since pre-revolutionary times. 4. A Trypillya archaeological period settlement in Vinagradove tract (in 1992 M.Videiko used geomagnetic techniques to discover its size: 180 x 180 m).
	Trypillya pottery from the settlement Grebeni.

5. Still further downhill, in Onistrativ shpilok tract, a double layered settlement of Trypillya and Old Rus times.
6. Settlement of Scythian and Old Rus periods in Yancha tract.
7. Old Rus burial ground comprising 27 burial mounds dating back as early as the XI-XII centuries.
8-10. Three settlements of Trypillya archaeological culture along Yancha tract, two of them are double layered (the second layer belongs to the Chernyakhivsk archaeological culture).
11-13. Three settlements belonging to different archaeological cultures
(Trypillya, Zarubinets and Old Rus) in Gorodishche tract.

In-between the village of Grebeni and the town of Rzhyshchev a unique concentration of archaeological sights of different archaeological periods has been found.
____Пропонується для потреб туризму виконати реконструкцію трипільського поселення в ур. Веселишин Яр, яке потрібно завершити дослідженнями (початок - у 1961-62р. великим колективом кращих спеціалістів Інституту археології НАНУ на чолі із С.Бібіковим), визначити та законодавчо оформити територію археологічного заповідника навколо ур.Янча.

	____Known settlements dating back to the period of Trypillya archaeological culture in Zhydova Dolina and Khomine tracts. A multi-layered settlement in Monastyryok tract occupies the plateau edge of the steep Dnipro bank (80 m high), where the Transfiguration Monastery was situated. Between 1963 and 1964 V. Goncharov discovered traces of three archaeological epochs - Trypillya, Zarubinets, and Old Rus cultures. ____A double layered archaeological site in Ripnytsya tract 1 was discovered between 2001- 2003 during excavations carried out under the guidance of S. Ryzhov (candidate of Historical Sciences), B. Magomedov (doctor of Historical Sciences) and V.Shumova - three dwellings dating back to Trypillya аrcheological period and a Chernyakhivska dugout dwelling with a kiln for making pottery.
Painting of men on the ceramic of Trypillya archaeological culture. IV mil. B.G. Rzhyshchiv. Excavations by Vikentiy Khvoika. Authentic male figurine and its replica (on the right, after S. Ryzhov, аuthor - L. Smolyakova) found in Ripnytsya tract, the town of Rzhyshchiv, excavations carried out in 2001. ____Projects works are underway for a reconstruction of Ripnytsya settlement dwellings, the first such reconstruction in Ukraine, with the purpose of creating an exhibit to serve the aims of education and tourism. ____A multi-layered site in Stare Mistechko is located at the entrance to the town of Rzhyshchiv, atop a 30 m hill overlooking the River Dnipro (a very fine observation site for tourists). There was a fortified town here in the XIX century, which had a citadel (see the special map of Ukraine by Boplan). The fortifications occupied the entire surface of the hill, 500 x 250 m. A complete restoration for the purposes of tourism may be recommended. ____The site of an ancient settlement on the territory of the present day town of Rzhyshchiv in Ivan-Gora tract has been known since the end of the XIX century. V.B.Antonovich describes it as follows: 'There is a rectangular site of an ancient settlement 350 m in diameter, a mile from the town near Rzhyshchev Monastery.' The site was excavated by several expeditions of the Institute of Archaeology, Academy of Sciences of Ukrainian SSR, under the guidance of V.K. Goncharov in 1960-1966 and P.P. Tolochko in 1982-1983. ____The site is identified with the fortified town of Ivan, mentioned in the chronicles of recording the struggle for Kiev between prince Izyaslav Mstislavovich and Yuri Dolgoruky. The juxtaposition of the geographical locations mentioned in the chronicles with the topographical details of Old Rus documents, as well as the name of the tract where the site of an ancient settlement is located, undoubtedly testifies that this is the location of this fortified town, mentioned in the list of town-fortresses located along the River Dnipro. B.Rybakov expressed the opinion that Ivan Castle may have belonged to Yan (Ivan) Vyshatich, a Kiev chieftain. ____Ivan-Gora site is located atop a hill and surrounded on the east, west and south by a deep gully. The site rises 65-70 m above the River Dnipro. A major part of the site has been washed away into the River Dnipro.

Pottery of the X-XIII centuries from Ivan-Gora settlement.	_	Ivan-Gora. Current status.

____Excavations have revealed that the construction of the central fortified part of the town was worked out in accordance to the latest developments in fortification technique of those times.
Along the edge of the central fortified part of the town the remains of two rows of oak fencing, constructed to interconnect and filled with earth, have been found. They constituted a high wall, 5.2 m in width, made of earth and wood.
____Many fragments of pottery, pieces of glass bracelets, beads, knives, scissors, spears, stirrups, fishing hooks and millstones have been found. Items made of coloured metals are represented by buckles, bracelets, rings, bell-shaped buttons, crosses, and a lead hanging seal with the bust of a male figure with a nimbus. Since the seal is poorly preserved it is impossible to find out to whom it belonged.
____At the distance of 1 km east of the ancient settlement , at the site of the present day Rzhyshchiv Construction Technical School, an unfortified settlement once existed, which belonged to one of the nearby villages surrounding the town of Ivan. Dwellings and household equipment found both in the village and the settlement date back to the XII -XIII centuries. More than 10 dwellings of wooden frame construction have also been found.
____Research carried out at the site of the settlement Ivan-Gora make it possible to ascribe it to one of the fortresses of the Dnipro defence line, which protected the crossing across the River Dnipro and close approaches to Kyiv.
____Complete demolition of the fortress, after which it ceased to exist, is connected with the first Tatar campaign and plundering of this part of the Dnipro coastline after the battle at the Kalka river in 1223. The village ceased to exist together with the site of the ancient settlement.

____A new settlement sprang up at the former site of Ivan-town, the first mention of which dates back to 1506. The reconstruction of Ivan-Gora settlement will preserve this archaeological landmark from further destruction.
"Svarog" started at the expedition upon Great Silk Roud 06.07.2003.
The establishing of the Regional Archeological Museum Branch and Trypillya culture's garden 10/03/2003, reconstruction of the settlement Ripnitsya 1 (Trypillya archaeological period, late IV millennium B.C., Chernyakhivsk archaeological culture II -IV century), reconstruction of the site of the ancient settlement of Ivan-Gora (XII century) as well as the fortress with suitable ethnographic and folklore content could convert the present-day town of Rzhyshchiv into a centre of socio-cultural and rural tourism of south-east Kyiv region and find a significant place on the itinerary The Golden Diadem of Kyivshchina.

____

Balyko-Shchuchinka

Settlements of Trypillya archaeological :
· located in Gardy tract, discovered by V. Kozlovska in 1926, studied by S. Magura in 1930. Fourteen dwellings have been discovered dating back to the period C-I (early III millennium B.C.).
· discovered between the villages of Balyki and Shchuchinka by V. Khvoika in 1901, some dwellings have been discovered.

____At the end of the XIX century there were still 22 burial mounds in the fields near Balyko-Shchuchinka. In 1840 the remains of a rider and horse were found in the area, accompanied by weapons, bits, stirrups and decorations for a saddle and bridle (Antonovich, 1894). V. Khvoika excavated a Scythian burial vault with iron armour and a belt inside. Several burial mounds remain which are being destroyed as the historic memory of Ukraine fades.

	Plan of Shchuchinka ancient settlement site, indicating excavation sites and discovered premises.
____An ancient settlement site is located on the bank of the River Dnipro rising 70 m above river level. The site occupies a territory of about 5 hectares and consists of two parts: a fortified central section and the remaining area. Both parts were protected by ramparts and ditches. A portion of the preserved rampart rises as high as 4 m. The entrance to the outer town was from the south-west, from the ravine, leading to the central fortified part of the town from the south, where there is a large breach. ____In 1110 the Polovtsy tribe seized Chuchin and the villages near Pereyaslav. Historical, archaeological and topographical data testify that the Balyko-Shchuchinka site can be associated with the town of Chuchin mentioned in the chronicles. ____In 1961-65 the site was investigated by the Kaniv expedition of the Institute of Archaeology of Academy of Sciences of Ukrainian SSR, under the guidance of V.I. Dovzhenko. ____Excavations were concentrated on the fortified part of the town, the rampart surrounding it, and the territory of the outer town. The remains of wooden constructions have been found, a fortress tower, as well as the traces of a secret passage, dwellings, tools etc.

____Wooden constructions were also found in the part which protected the central fortified section of the town from the south. They constituted wooden walls with space in-between filled with earth placed in rows up to the edge. They ran 4 m lengthwise in the direction of the rampart and their width was 2 m. Parallel to the walls there was a row of empty wooden frame structures which were used as residential and household premises. Bigger frames alternated with smaller ones, the length of a larger frame was 4 m and that one of a smaller 1.4 m; they had the same width of 1.6 m.
____In the south-eastern part of the rampart where it approaches the cliff from the side of the River Dnipro there was once a tower, of which remains of a square basement room totalling 9 sq. m has been found. The alternating layers of ashes and soil found under the basement indicate that the tower used to have several floors.

____The floor right above the basement served as a battle ground at the level of the lower walls, the other floors rose higher above the fortress wall. There was a thick post dug in the ground in the centre of the tower, as a pile of charcoal and a hole indicate. Presumably it constituted support for a multi-storied tower. A secret passage was located in the northern part of the settlement. The entrance to it has been found right near the edge of the cliff over the Dnipro.

Reconstruction of the XII century Chuchin fortress, part of the Dnipro defence line which along with those of Sula and Ros protected the Kievan Rus.

_At a distance of 30 m from the entrance a tunnel has been unearthed, dug in hard soil at a depth of 6 m, leading from the entrance to the edge of the site of an ancient settlement in the direction of the River Dnipro. The height of the tunnel passage is an estimated 2 m and the width 1.5 m.

During excavation at the site, a number of military and household items were found. Of special value is a bronze embossed plate with a very accomplished picture of St. Basil, presumably made by Rus craftsmen.

	____The historic Chuchin, which remains as the Balyko-Shchuchinka ancient settlement site, is one of the fortresses of the Dnipro defence line which, alongside those of the Sula and the Ros, protected the Kievan Rus state against the onslaughts of the nomads. It may have been inhabited by warriors, mentioned in the chronicles as 'guardians', whose duty was to protect the borders at a certain part of the Dnipro defence line. ____At the moment the ancient settlement site is occupied by the Bukrin Bridgehead memorial complex, which was unveiled to commemorate the liberation of Kiev in 1943. For the construction of the above-mentioned complex, a unique ancient Rus architectural landmark was completely destroyed except for a small section of rampart with a memorial plaque. ____A project for reconstruction of the Chuchin fortress and the memorial complex might be considered, thus emphasising the importance of the protection of Ukrainian lands over many millenniums.