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The introduction of radiocarbon dating method in USSR and Ukrainian archeology was much slower compared to world practice. Natural scientific methods of dating in archeology have found quick application for the study of prehistoric sites — from the Paleolithic to the late Bronze Age. Much more time passed before the method began to be used for dating of sites of the 1st and 2nd millennium AD. The initiative of serial sampling from the medieval archaeological complexes of Ukraine for radiocarbon analysis initially came not from archaeologists. This led at the first stage to a confrontation between traditional archaeological methods of analysis and the new «revolutionary» approaches of the natural sciences. In 1968 mathematician A. S. Buhai collected 63 samples of charcoal from different parts of the «Zmievi Valy» («Snake Ramparts») and hillforts of the Kyiv region. At least 34 results were obtained from 3 different laboratories. All results attributed the time of existence of fortifications not to the Middle Ages, but to the 2nd century BC — 7th century AD, what caused the emergence of the sensational concept of the Early Slavic state in the Middle Dnieper region long before the formation of the Old Rus’ state. Institute of Archaeology (Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR) has developed a big project for complex researches of these fortifications led by M. P. Kuchera. During 1974—1985, many fortifications of «Zmievi Valy» in different regions were studied archaeologically. The facts of overlapping of settlements of the 3th—7th centuries AD by ramparts as well as the presence of Old Rus’ artifacts of the 10th—13th centuries in the body of wooden and earth structures of ramparts were recorded. Stratigraphic and archaeological data confidently dated the ramparts to the Middle Ages, while 28 radiocarbon dates for samples, carefully selected from wooden constructions of fortifications, showed a chaotic spread of dates from the 24th century BC until the 14th century AD. The verdict of M. P. Kuchera on the possibility of using the radiocarbon dating method for the archeology of Middle Ages was naturally negative. Geologist L. V. Firsov faced a similar problems after collecting in 1970 of 57 samples from archaeological complexes of Chersonesos and 33 samples from other sites of Crimea. Believing in the high accuracy of the radiocarbon dating method, he tried to explain the wide scatter of radiocarbon dates from the same medieval objects by their existence for half a millennium, what was rejected by archaeologists. The Institute Archeology and the Radiocarbon Laboratory of the Institute of Geochemistry and Mineral Physics af the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR managed joint project to get answers to the topical questions of Ukrainian archaeologists concerning the possibilities of the radiocarbon dating method in archeology. Two institutes approved a joint plan theme for 1973—1978 «Determination of the age of archeological sites by the natural scientific methods», for which a Coordination Council was established, led by D. Ya. Telegin and E. V. Sobotovich. According to the first report of the group, 237 samples were collected from various archaeological sites, for which 148 datings were successfully obtained (62.4 %). Cooperation continued further, but radiocarbon dates for archaeological cultures of the historical period from Ukraine had a little accuracy again on this stage of the radiocarbon method development (1974—1987). Thus, out of 31 examined medieval samples only 5 matched to archeological datings. 12 samples from sites of 6th — 10th centuries gave 7 dates, only 4 of them were in agreement with archaeological dating. For 12 samples from sites of Zarubyntsi and Chernyakhiv cultures 5 dates were received, and only one was in agreement with archaeological dating. The problem of the difference in these cases cannot be solved with the help of modern calibration of radiocarbon dates. After the complete fiasco of the initial stage of the radiocarbon dating of the medieval archaeological objects from Ukraine (1970—1973), a small step forward was made in 1974—1987. But this did not convince archaeologists in the rationality of using the method of radiocarbon dating for cultures with a wide choice of dating markers. The situation remained stable until the present stage of development of the accelerator mass spectrometry dating which makes again actual the renewal of the program of radiocarbon dating for the Early Slavic cultures of the 1st millennium AD.

In 1972, two ovens from dwellings of the Volyntseve culture were studied with archaeomagnetic method by G. F. Zagnii. Proposed archaeomagnetic dating for the oven from Khodosivka dwelling 2 («6th century AD») was different from the archaeological date for two centuries, thence both archaeomagnetic dates seemed unreliable and they were never used in archaeological research as a chronological marker for the Volyntseve culture. The task of this study was to determine whether it is possible to verify old archaeomagnetic data with the help of modern analysis tools and to compare it with recent archaeological datings of the same complexes. Finds from Hodosivka dwellings 1 and 2 include iron buckle, belt ornament, earring, glass beads of the Saltiv cultural circle and wheel-made pottery of the Saltiv technology, that allows using detailed chronological scale of the Saltiv culture and limiting the chronological framework for dwellings 1 to 790—835 AD and for the stratigraphically earlier dwellings 2 to 740—790 AD. Analysis of archaeomagnetic data was made with Matlab tool for archaeomagnetic dating software and three global models: ARCH3K.1, SHA.DIF.14K and CALS3K.3. Two versions of the archaeomagnetic data were examined. First version of data (1977) presented only declination and inclination values, calculated with larger number of measured samples accepted; later version (1986) reflects data with fewer samples accepted after the procedure for excluding extreme values and also field intensity values. Comparison showed that the later version of the data is much better consistent with archaeological dates and must be used as basic. The results of 95 % probability archaeomagnetic dating of the dwelling № 1 in all three used models ARCH3K.1, SHA.DIF.14K and CALS3K.3 are in good agreement with archaeological date: respectively 752—845; 758—855; 678—858 AD. Agreement is less precise in archaeomagnetic dating of the dwelling № 2: respectively 677—784; 702—802; 622—745, 770—814 AD, where only the second part of the time range corresponds to the archaeological dating. However, both new results are acceptable, which means the presence of a chronological error in the local archaeomagnetic curve of G. F. Zagnii and O. M. Rusakov, created for the territory of Ukraine and Moldova. This conclusion means that all Early Mediaeval chronological schemes in archaeology based on this archaeomagnetic curve needs verification of archaeomagnetic data using modern databases and global models.

Casting molds for making small ornaments of lead or tin alloys were found in different parts of the East Europe in the areas of various archaeological cultures. This simple technology and simple shapes of products were in use by many peoples since 3rd till 10th century and perhaps even earlier. Lead castings and stone molds for their manufacture attracted the attention of researchers of Early Slavic archaeology since discovery of the Velyki Budky hoard (1981) and Bernashivka workshop (1990). The obvious problem was the chronological and geographic lacuna between the Slavic Bernashivka type ornaments (6th—7th centuries) and ornaments of the Kamno-Rхuge type (8th—10th centuries) from the Eastern Baltic region. Several versions explaining the similarity of finds from the northern and southern areas have been proposed: common substrate, population migrations, imitation of some fashion etc. In recent years two molds for some ornaments of the Kamno-Rхuge type have been discovered at the Romny culture hillforts (Sverdlovske 1, Vorkhol II), which demonstrated the lasting of the tradition in the south until the 10th century. A problem of the upper limit for existence of the Bernashivka type ornaments can be clarified using the mold find from Khodosivka settlement. The mold was discovered by expedition of E. O. Petrovska in 1976 during a survey along the left edge of the Gley ravine (Kozakiv ravine) near the Khodosivka hillfort. It was found in remaining part of a pit dwelling in context with fragments of hand-made and wheel-made pots of the Volyntsevo culture. The object dates back to the second half of the 8th century — early 9th cen-tury. Negatives of ornaments are carved on both sides of the mold. A diamond-shaped patch carved on the main side. On the reverse side the negatives of round plaques are carved and probably loops for attaching the same plaques. There is also circular decoration presents, probably, of a circular pendant. The closest analogies to such decorations were found in the Bernashivka workshop, and also at the molds from the Lower Danube region. Products from the Khodosivka mold look quite archaic and simple in comparing to gold and silver jewelry from hoards of the Volyntsevo culture. Such production was undoubtedly the part of nonprofessional home craft.