Site Of The Ancient Stronghold And Settlement In Rõuge

Site Of The Ancient Stronghold And Settlement In Rõuge / Description

Rõuge`s neighborhood has been settled by people for a very long time. The settlements started to appear near bodies of water, as water provided food and served as a connecting way to the rest of the world.
The approximately 7000-square-meter Rõuge area of the primeval settlement was in use from the 5th - 11th centuries (partially excavated from 1956-1959, archaeologist M. Schmiedehelm). The stronghold was set up in the immediate vicinity of the settlement in the naturally most suitable place for it, on the high bank cape of Liinjärv in the 8th century. In the east there was an earthwork, up to three meters tall, made of sand and shingle, from which a carbon sample was taken to determine the age of the stronghold. The moat and the lower earthwork were also on the narrowing western point. On the sides, from the north and south, the stronghold was protected by naturally tall and steep edges, and while earthworks were not set up there, there might have been a protective log fence.
From 1951-1955, the entire yard area of the stronghold, about 850 square meters, was carefully excavated (archaeologists H. Moora and M. Schmiedehelm). The thickness of the cultural layer was 40-50 cm. There have been 6 fires in the stronghold. The excavations produced the remains of clay floors of wooden buildings, as well as the wrecks of a 10-meter long log building that was positioned along the yard of the stronghold. The fragments of clay melting pots and molds found at a fireplace indicate that bronze was cast here. The brand butts found around the fireplace come from a smaller building, probably a smithy.
Elk, beaver, wild boar, bear, marten, bovine, goat, sheep, pig and horse bones, as well as items connected to spinning and bone treatment that were discovered here indicate that the stronghold was used as a permanent place of living over a long period of time. People were engaged in slash-and-burn, fishing, hunting, to a lesser extent also cattle-breeding; they were skilled in various crafts.
Rõuge was mentioned for the first time as a church parish in 1613. The village as it is today came into being in the 19th century.