TRANSFORMATION OF SOIL FORMATION PROCESSES WITHIN THE BOUNDARIES OF THE ANCIENT SETTLEMENT NEAR THE VILLAGE OF SKOLOBIV IN THE ZHYTOMIR REGION: SPACE-TIME ANALYSIS

Abstract

An important task of modern paleogeography has become the forecast of the development of the geographical environment in the conditions of long-term and rapid natural and anthropogenic changes. This problem cannot be solved without a detailed study of the evolution of the geographical environment from the beginning of its emergence to the present time. One of the ways of studying this evolution is the study of transformation processes in soils, as objects capable of recording and reflecting the evolution of the natural and anthropogenic environment. Only on the basis of knowledge of the history of soil development, the transformation of pedogenesis, it is possible to get a holistic idea of the current state and organization of the soil cover, as well as to make a forecast of the further development of soils and landscapes of the study area. The study of modern soils, as well as ancient ones, should be based on the study of geological and archaeological monuments, where the history of their development is most fully reflected. Methodical methods of paleogeography are based on the studied monuments of ancient nature. Thus, for the analysis of soil changes, soil-archaeological research methods (paleopedological, micromorphological, geoarchaeological, etc.) are important, which are used to reconstruct the natural conditions of ancient human habitation. Ancient settlements are an excellent object, where you can study the soils of ancient eras to compare them with modern ones, to determine the orientation of soil processes, to establish probable changes in nature and climate in the future. The features of the soil profile during the existence of the ancient settlement are recorded in the primary signs. A vivid example of the transformation of past paleoenvironments is the paleosoils we investigated near the village of Skolobiv in Zhytomyr Region, where we established that within the boundaries of the ancient settlement, forest soils were transformed into sod, sod-podzolic soils. In the 10th–13th centuries, the natural zones were shifted to the north with the manifestation of more arid conditions with sufficient and even excessive moistening with signs of glaciation. These studies are of significant importance not only for paleogeography, but also for archaeology, soil science, history, and other natural and social sciences.