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ARCHAEOLOGY OF KIEV 327Kravcenko 1978). Both localities are situated a few miles to the south ofthe center of Kiev.The date of the Volyncevo settlements has been subject to much debate.This is mainly due to the very few finds from these sites of artifacts that arewell dated in other complexes. The Xodosivka settlement has a considerablymore precise dating through finds of imported artifacts otherwisefound in the early catacomb graves of the Saltiv-Majaky culture, which aremainly dated from the end of the eighth century to ca. A.D. 800 (Icenskaja1982). Already in the first half of the ninth century the production of thedistinctive wheel-thrown Volyncevo ware was discontinued and the socalledRomny-Borsevo cultural complex developed in the same area.In the ninth century Kiev was situated along the eastern periphery of theLuka-Rajkovec'ka area. Pottery of the period differed slightly from themain pattern, for example, through the occasional occurrence of combstampimpressions on the shoulders of vessels. The Kiev region shared this traitwith the Romny-Borsevo complex further to the east. The pottery of theearliest urban phase in Kiev, which probably begins in the 880s, also hadsome Eastern elements. In some cases we meet with typical Romny-Borsevo pottery (Tolocko 1981 A, p. 72).Cultural development in the Kiev region during the second half of thefirst millennium brought considerable change in the weight of Easternversus Western cultural traditions. Sometimes the Western elements werestronger and sometimes the Eastern ones predominated.Ninth-century settlement in the Kiev region consisted of a number ofsmall habitation sites (fig. 3), situated on easily fortified promontories.Whether the sites were always fortified remains uncertain. Traces of ninthcenturysettlement have been documented on the Starokyjivs'ka Hill. Therelatively small but mostly well-spaced areas that have been available forexcavation have not allowed a detailed evaluation of the size of the settlement(cf. Kilijevyc 1982, fig. 94). It is reasonable to suppose that itcomprised an area of no more than one hectare. In fact, there are only twoor three sunken-featured buildings there that can be dated to the ninth century;indeed, it is doubtful whether one of them actually predates the earlyurban phase or whether it is contemporary with its onset. The potteryshows clear Romny-Borsevo elements (ibid., p. 28). One house sits on aledge a little below the plateau on the hill's northwestern slope. About100m further to the east, also close to the slope, another, probably contemporary,house has been excavated (ibid., p. 141). Of the two early sunkenfeaturedbuildings in the southwestern part of the Starokyjivs'ka, oneundoubtedly belongs to a period much earlier than the ninth century and theother might as well.