LANDSCAPE CONDITIONS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF OLD RUSSIAN CITIES IN THE MEDIEVAL PERIOD IN THE UPPER VOLGA STRETCH OF THE VOLGA-CASPIAN ROUTE (BY THE EXAMPLE OF YAROSLAVL)
The main goal and objectives of the work performed was to study the landscape conditions that shaped the Old Russian cities in the Upper Volga region in the medieval period. A paired analysis of historical, archaeological and geographical materials together with the compilation of a series of medium-scale maps of the landscape, provincial and zonal confinedness of the Old Russian cities made it possible to identify the landscape features of the development of the Old Russian cities and the formation of a settlement structure in their immediate vicinity in the Old Russian period, the formation and the characteristics of the formation of the first urban cultural-landscape complexes. The work was carried out at two hierarchical levels: for the entire Upper Volga segment and for the key areas. For the key sections of the Old Russian Upper Volga cities, original maps of Restored Landscapes, Edaphotopes were compiled; and on this basis, from both the historical and the landscape perspective, the periodization of the formation and development of urban landscapes was identified, and the structure of the urban (cultural-historical) landscapes for the main chronosections was mapped. The most detailed studies were performed for the city of Yaroslavl, selected as a model territory for the entire region. The structure of the urban landscapes of the cities of the Upper Volga region is determined by both the features distinguishing the operation of the Volga-Caspian route, and the landscape-ecological features of the area. The relative position of the elements of the emerging urban landscape was subordinate to the local terrain plasticity, which determined the direction of the further development of a city. In general, in the medieval period of their development, the Upper Volga cities barely reached beyond the boundaries of valley landscape complexes and valley sandurs.