Villages of the “Ket Ridge” in the 17th - 18th centuries: Prospects for an archaeological-historical study

Abstract

The article considers the initial stage of the Russian development of the Narym Region (northern part of the present-day Tomsk Region). This vast territory is known for its harsh natural-geographical and climatic conditions, primarily a high degree of swampiness (today this area is considered the Far North). However, already in the second half of the 17th century, there was a network of Russian settlements, the inhabitants of which were engaged in farming. These settlements formed small districts such as the “Ket Ridge” along the lower reaches of the Ket River. In the geomorphological perspective, this is part of the well-drained high terraces above the floodplain and watershed plain, standing out in the completely swampy Narym Region. In the first half of the 17th century, the Ket fort was moved here as an administrative center of the district of the same name and became the center of attraction for the agricultural population. Since the second half of the 17th century, a network of Russian small settlements and villages and first arable lands appeared in its vicinity. Harsh natural conditions contributed to the formation of a distinctive agricultural center. The article identifies Russian rural settlements founded at the initial stage of the Ket Ridge development - in the second half of the 17th - early 18th centuries. The authors use historical cartographic materials and the data of travelers and explorers of the 17th - 18th centuries to identify locations associated with the first Russian settlements to conduct an archaeological-historical study of the rural culture in the north of Western Siberia.