Huge earthen embankments with deep ditches on one side are scattered throughout Ukraine and not only. What do they mean? When are they built? By whom? And why do they have such a strange name - "Zmiev Shafts"?
History of Serpent Shafts
High earthen embankments, supported by a wooden picket fence and bordered by a deep moat on one side, extend to significant sections. Over the years, some ramparts have already collapsed by plowing the land, buildings and other factors.
But those that remained are scattered in pieces throughout Ukraine, mainly in the Kharkov, Poltava, Kiev regions and Volhynia. With a total length of 900 to 1000 km, they spread from the Western part up to the
Seversky Donets River. Although some embankments of the Zmievi shafts are located in the south, in Primorye. Historians still argue about what kind of people built these earthen hills. Some argue that the Zmiev shafts were poured in the X-XI century by the
princes of Kievan Rus. Since the ramparts were located by a line parallel to Primorye, scientists argue their point of view by the fact that the people of Kiev in this way defended themselves from the nomadic peoples - the Pechenegs. But fans of a different opinion argue that Kievan Rus has nothing to do with it. Zmiev shafts were built in the II century. BC e. - VIII century. n e. our ancient ancestors - Slavs. Thus they defended themselves against nomadic tribes. These embankments did not serve as a means of defense, since they were sprinkled from the ground and could be overcome. Their main purpose was the ability to restrain and slow down the horse raids of enemies.
The effect of surprise did not work, and in the meantime, local residents received a signal from a watchtower near the embankment where the duty officer was sitting. While the enemy tribes overcome the moat and rampart, the allies managed to gather for battle or to hide if necessary. Which of these two thoughts is true is still unknown. The reason for this is an inaccurate study of the shafts. Nevertheless, the history of Rus before Baptism is rich in a huge number of tribes living in this territory. They did not have their own state with a standing army, and so they needed at least some kind of protection. Kievan Rus was a powerful state, so it could repel the unexpected attacks of nomads.
Where did the name "Zmievy shafts" come from?
Even in ancient times, when legends appeared about the Russian heroes Alesha Popovich, Dobryn Nikitych, Nikita Kozhemyak, an ancient prophecy existed. According to him, Nikita Kozhemyaka managed to catch the national enemy - the Serpent-Gorynych. People were too angry at this monster, which brought them a lot of grief. They did not know what to do with this monster, and finally decided: Kozhemyaka harnessed it and traveled all over Russia. After them there was a deep trace. This is a moat, and the earth from it fell into a rampart. These are all legends and prophecies. In fact, instead of the Serpent-Gorynych, the ordinary people harnessed the furrow, who built such a land structure. Having stood for more than 10 centuries, it does not cease to amaze contemporaries. It’s just that in Ukraine cultural monuments are not greatly honored: while in other countries these ramparts are under state protection and are a historical monument, they can be destroyed here due to the construction of a highway or put under a sowing field.