Archaeological research at the fortified settlements of Galich has challenged the long-standing dating of the city’s Lower Settlement. Excavations and LiDAR surveys conducted in 2026 suggest that its principal defenses were most likely built around the middle of the 15th century, rather than during the pre-Mongol period of the 12th century.
Researchers from the Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences examined the Lower and Upper Settlements in the Balchug tract, a landscape marked by large earthworks and an unusually well-preserved historic setting. LiDAR produced a detailed model of the terrain, showing that the Lower Settlement occupies a roughly pentagonal area of about 4.4 hectares. Four straight rampart sections and the shore of Lake Galich form its perimeter.
The survey also revealed previously unclear parts of the defenses, including rounded features at the ends of one rampart that may be the foundations of towers. Ramparts beside ravines stand approximately 2.4 to 3.45 meters high, while the earthwork facing the plateau reaches about 5.4 meters. The settlement’s steep position and irregular defenses, researchers say, are unlike those usually associated with pre-Mongol fortifications and instead resemble later medieval fortification planning.
Two excavation areas, together covering about 50 square meters, were opened in July 2026. Finds from the upper area included pottery from the 14th and 15th centuries, defensive structures, burnt timber in the southwestern rampart, baked clay, and a faceted armor-piercing arrowhead dated to the second half of the 14th or the 15th century.
A particularly important find was a silver denga minted for Grand Prince Vasily the Dark between 1447 and 1449. It was recovered from a layer above the burned remains and provides chronological evidence relevant to the construction of the defenses. The lower excavation produced additional pottery, a type B padlock, belt fittings, and several lines of palisade fencing that may have marked residential boundaries.
The excavations did not uncover the pre-Mongol layer expected under the traditional interpretation. Most datable material belonged to the 14th and 15th centuries, with no chronological finds from the 16th or 17th centuries.
Researchers suggest that the fortress may have been established during the conflict between Dmitry Shemyaka and forces supporting Vasily the Dark, possibly between about 1447 and 1450. They caution that it may have served mainly as a citadel or military camp rather than a permanent urban settlement.
The Upper Settlement also appears to represent a later phase, possibly dating from the second half of the 15th century to the 16th century. Its exact relationship to the Lower Settlement remains uncertain, while archaeological evidence for Galich’s earlier fortress has yet to be found.
