TYAGIN
The archeological site of Tyagin settlement and fortress is a monument of national significance, located in Kherson region on the right bank of the Dnieper river near the village of Tyaginka, in the picturesque landscapes of the Low Dnieper National Nature Reserve.
In 2016, the fortress was investigated by the Southern Medieval Expedition of the Institute of Archeology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in close cooperation with NGO "Ukraine-Lithuania Cultural Center". Expedition of 2021 year was of international status due to participation of Lithuanian colleagues.
Tyagin fortress belongs to a little-known period of the development of Ukrainian civilization – the time when the Grand Duke of Lithuania Vytautas created fortification line along the Black Sea coast (end of the 14th – beginning of the 16th century). These fortresses opened a new page in the defense architecture of the region – the construction of castle-type stone citadels.
Topographical works with using of modern equipment determined the layout of the fortress and its size. According to its layout, the Tyagin fortress belongs to the triangular Constantinople type, with an area of 0.73 ha. It was built from partially processed limestone. The area of the settlement is 18 hectares.
Excavations were carried out according to the outline of the plan of the fortress. To date, 35 m of the southern and 10 m of the eastern wall have been opened, and also corner multi-tiered rectangular tower (walls up to 1.75 m). The southeastern wall of the tower was decorated with a frieze of Seljuk style. On the first floor a wooden structure with fragments of bombard of the 15th century was fixed.
The structure of the second floor of the fortress was supported by pillars (three pits were fixed in the floor). According to the architects' calculations, this tower could be three-tiered, up to 9 m high.
In addition to artillery weapons (bombard, limestone cannonball), iron crossbow bolts that is very characteristic of the Lithuanian army of the XIV-XV centuries, were found here.
The fortress had not defensive function only, but it was a customs point near the ferry at the same time. Large stone buildings were decorated with columns with carvings in Seljuk style.
A unique find is a limestone slab with heraldic sign characteristic for Christian families of Lithuanian origin, which clearly testifies to the ownership of the castle on the Tyaginka River.
The fortress had certain connections with the East and the West. Close ties with the Crimea are evidenced by the finds of ceremonial ware, in particular sgraffito, spread over a wide area from the Balkans to the Volga region, Juchid coins with the Kafin countermark and the Crimean Khanate of the XIV-XV centuries.
Trade contacts of Tyagin also reached Poland, which is confirmed by the finds of coins – denarius of from the billon of the Kraków king Władysław Varnenczyk (1434-1444), the silver coin of Sigismund I (1467-1548), the king of Poland and the Grand Duke of Lithuania.
Another mystery and, at the same time, an interesting discovery was the iron mace, which corresponds to the cultural layer of the 15th century, which could be both a weapon and a kleinod (a symbol of power) of representatives of the highest ranks of society in Ukraine and Lithuania. This is the first such find on the entire Black Sea coast.
Tyagin fortress is a unique medieval landmark of the southern border of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. It is the common cultural heritage of Ukraine and Lithuania and opens new pages of our common history.
