Location: Just off E115 overlooking Don River
Kobyakovo Gorodishche, also referred to as Kobyakovo Settlement or Kobyakovo Hillfort, stands as a prominent archaeological monument in Russia's Rostov Oblast. Nestled on the right bank of the Don River, it lies on the boundary between the cities of Rostov-on-Don and Aksai, specifically along the right slope of the Kobyakovskaya balka near its mouth, close to the Aksai automobile bridge. Positioned at coordinates approximately 47°14′47″N 39°51′04″E, the site occupies a scenic, vegetation-rich ridge without distinct borders, featuring remnants of ancient structures, excavation scars, and a forested landscape dotted with subtle wall ruins. Entrances to subterranean catacombs, now sealed for safety reasons, enhance its mysterious allure. Recognized as one of southern Russia's most captivating archaeological treasures, it serves as a multi-layered chronicle of human habitation from the Neolithic era through medieval times, often dubbed a "dispatch from the abyss of ages."
Human presence at Kobyakovo traces back to the Neolithic
period around 8,000 years ago, evidenced by surface
artifacts, though these initial phases are not extensively
researched. More permanent settlements emerged in the 12th
century BCE, at the close of the Late Bronze Age, marking
the site's earliest substantial occupation. This phase,
known as the Kobyakovsky settlement, was established by
migrants from the Zakubanye region belonging to the
Kobyakovskaya culture. By the 1st century AD, ties to the
nearby Greek colony of Tanais developed, with the site
functioning as a Meotian stronghold and possibly a sacred
pagan site featuring underground tunnels symbolizing portals
to the afterlife. Under the influence of the Bosporan
Kingdom—a Roman client state from 63 BCE—Maeotian tribes
from the Kuban area relocated to the Lower Don,
progressively founding sites such as Podazovskoye,
Krepostnoe, Nizhne-Gnilovskoye, and eventually Kobyakovo as
part of a broader steppe colonization effort. This network
included around ten Meotian settlements along the Don,
facilitating trade between Tanais and nomadic Sarmatians.
The Meotian era settlement featured earthen defenses like
ramparts and ditches, an irregular layout, and temporary
adobe dwellings, reflecting a society engaged in trade,
farming, herding, fishing, and crafts, while also
maintaining a warrior ethos as described by ancient
historian Strabo, who noted their ferocity akin to nomads.
The site's vitality waned in the mid-3rd century AD due to
Gothic invasions, though some evidence suggests persistence
into the 4th century before the Hunnic incursions likely
ended it. Later, in the early 8th century, Alano-Bulgar
tribes under the Khazar Khaganate occupied a smaller
portion, followed by Slavic inhabitants in the 11th–13th
centuries, after which the site was abandoned permanently
around the 12th–13th centuries.
In medieval times,
associations with the Cumans (Polovtsians) arose, positing
it as a khanate residence, potentially named after Khan
Kobyak, and even as the captivity site of Prince Igor
Svyatoslavich from the epic "The Tale of Igor's Campaign"
after his 1185 defeat. However, this link is historically
inaccurate: Khan Kobyak commanded the Lukomorsky Polovtsians
near the Dnieper estuary, not the Don region, and Igor's
imprisonment occurred near the Tor River under a different
Polovtsian group. The name "Kobyak," meaning "dog" in Turkic
languages, was common and could derive from various figures.
The earliest recorded reference to "Kobyakovo hillfort"
appears in a 1570 dispatch from Russian envoy Ivan
Novoseltsev to Tsar Ivan the Terrible. During the 16th–17th
centuries, a Cossack outpost probably operated nearby,
adjacent to Ottoman territories. Additional finds include
Salto-Mayak culture pottery, Cossack ceramics, and
19th-century Old Believer dugouts and graves. The
settlement's decline by the 3rd century AD may stem from
environmental shifts, demographic drops, or nomadic
conflicts.
Archaeologist Sergey Makhankov theorizes
strong linkages between Kobyakovo and Tanais, dubbing the
inhabitants "Tanaites" and proposing 23 AD—marked by an
epigraphic reference to "Tanaits"—as the genesis of "ancient
Rostov," sparking debate among scholars.
As a stratified site, Kobyakovo yields insights from the
Final Bronze Age, epitomized by the "Kobyakovo culture"
defined by E.S. Sharafutdinova, with parallels at sites like
Krasnogvardeyskoye I and II, and echoed at Lower Don locales
such as Nizhne-Gnilovskoye, Safyankovo, and Khapry. Ceramics
from this era include utilitarian pots and bowls, alongside
finer tableware like cups, jugs, and scoops, decorated with
rollers, appliques, herringbone motifs, cord impressions,
dentate stamps, and geometric patterns. Other artifacts
encompass bone, bronze, and stone items with regional
affinities.
Bronze Age habitations, with six unearthed
examples, were semi-rectangular with rounded edges, either
surface-level or semi-dugout, featuring stone-faced walls
and internal compartments for cooking, residing, and
crafting, separated by timber dividers. The livelihood
centered on fishing (comprising 84% of faunal remains, aided
by stone net weights), bolstered by livestock rearing
(cattle, equines, swine) and commerce, with scant signs of
leather or bone processing. The contemporaneous burial
ground, investigated in 1999–2000 with 26 interments,
consists of oval pits aligned northeast-southwest, stone
enclosures, and ritual deposits like pottery and bones.
Deceased were placed in flexed poses oriented south, with
sparse accompaniments: ceramics, bronze ornaments (in four
graves), flint or quartzite implements, and one elaborate
burial with pendants, beads, armlets, plaques, and spacers.
These funerary customs are distinctive, without exact
equivalents elsewhere.
During the Meotian/Roman phase
(1st–3rd centuries AD), dwellings comprised pole-framed huts
plastered with clay-manure-straw mixtures, topped with reed
roofs, equipped with fireplaces, benches, and storage
cavities. As intermediaries in Tanais-Sarmatian exchanges,
inhabitants excelled in artisanship: pottery ateliers
yielded jugs, bowls, flasks, cups, mugs, and vessels with
animal-shaped handles representing mythical protectors.
Additional trades involved weaving (evidenced by spindle
whorls and loom weights for wool/hemp horizontal looms),
tanning, bone sculpting, and bronze metallurgy. The
Roman-period cemetery displays evolving rites: rectangular
pits with shelves, 2nd-century catacombs, late 2nd-century
undercuts, and coverings of wood, reeds, or stone. Corpses
were predominantly supine extended, though some flexed or
prone; inventories highlight extensive networks, including
Bosporan and Western European fibulae, Caucasian mirrors,
Egyptian talismans, and Baltic amber beads.
Pioneering digs commenced in 1824, inaugurating archaeological exploration in southern Russia. Systematic efforts ramped up in the 1920s via A.A. Miller's North Caucasian Expedition under the State Academy of the History of Material Culture (GAIMK), which cataloged strata, artifacts, and offered chronological-cultural analyses. Post-WWII, Z.A. Vitkov excavated in 1955, uncovering pottery facilities and a furnace. From 1956–1963, S.I. Kaposhina's team from the Leningrad Branch of the Institute of Archaeology (LOIA) revealed expansive areas and edifices. E.S. Sharafutdinova, active from the 1950s (initially with LOIA, then solo), organized Bronze Age data, delineated the Kobyakovo culture, and chronicled its genesis, evolution, and extinction in articles and a book. Necropolis probes spanned multiple years, including major 1999–2000 campaigns. A 1926 probe uncovered an enigmatic west-oriented altar crypt of uncertain function. M.I. Artamonov analyzed mid-20th-century materials, while newer research refines timelines and migrations.
Shrouded in enigma, Kobyakovo is viewed as a mystical locale owing to its pagan heritage and subterranean networks. Folklore depicts the catacombs as gateways to the netherworld, guarded by blood-thirsty pagan spirits. Tales caution of a colossal, crocodile-resembling beast dwelling in the caverns that preys on trespassers, deterring locals. 15th-century accounts, like Venetian envoy Josafa Barbaro's recollections, narrate quests for an Alan king's concealed riches, including a fabled golden horse allegedly hidden by Cossack rebel Stenka Razin in the 17th century. Tragedies, such as the 1926 demise of three soldiers in a cave survey, amplify its perilous mystique. Legends also speak of gold hoards and artifacts from millennia of habitation, blending history with myth.
Presently, Kobyakovo functions as an accessible archaeological park showcasing arches, dig pits, and wooded remnants, though catacomb entry is forbidden and risky, demanding expert gear. Exploration is feasible on foot. Access from Rostov-on-Don via buses 70, 138, 139, or 164 to the "Aksay Bridge" stop, followed by a 500-meter stroll. It bridges prehistoric, classical, and medieval narratives, illuminating migrations, commerce, and cultural shifts in the Don basin. As of late 2025, no significant new excavations or developments are reported, yet it draws historians, archaeologists, and legend enthusiasts alike.
A weird feature in many artifacts that were discovered in several historic strata are depictions of various beastly looking reptiles. Russian documents described that local residents sacrificed people to some watery reptiles that is said to live in the Don river. Alternatively they might have thrown criminals as a punishment for their actions. Whatever might be the case legends about a scary beast still exist in the area. Some claim that underground passages from Don river actually lead to the Kobyak Hill.
First Archeological digs on Kobyakovo Ancient Settlement
The Kobyakovo hill itself is honeycombed with numerous catacombs and underground passages. First excavations in Aksay Kobyakovo hill were undertaken in 1437 and 1438 under supervision of the famous Venetian politician and military leader Giosafat Barbaro. It is no surprise that an Italian explorer and treasure hunter came to Southern Russia. At the time these lands didn't belong to Russian Empire (which didn't exist at the time btw). Instead basin of the Black and Azov sea belonged to various colonies that were settled by travelers from Ottoman Empire, Genoa (Italian city) and Venice. Giosafat Barbaro and 6 other Jewish and Venetian merchants from Tana (Genoese colony near Rostov- on- Don today) hired 120 people to excavate a hill.
Giosafat Barbaro came to Kobyakovo hill in hopes to find alleged treasure of the last Alan king who was said to be buried in a kurgan (burial mound) near Aksay. Or at least this was the cover story. He didn't discover treasure in Aksay, but later in his memoires he boasted that he discovered everything that he expected.
We found everything as it was predicted. Therefore, we believe more in what we were told."
Europe in the 15th century was home to many secret religious sects that were often hidden from the official authorities of the state and a Christian church. Cults of Osiris, Hermes, Marduk and many other ancient deities were honored by European political elites. Giosafat Barbaro was not an exception. It is quiet possible that he in fact was looking for an entrance to the kingdom of the dead ruled by god Aides (Greek god of the underworld). Herodotus believed that is far beyond Tana. It is quiet possible that Giosafat Barbaro found remains and underground passages and mistakenly believed it was the land of the dead. Alternatively he might have discovered a Byzantine underground church with beautiful frescoes and exquisite detail. This church was in fact discovered accidentally in 1926 after the earthquake that exposed parts of the tunnels.
Kobyakovo Hill was abandoned for another several centuries. People were afraid to come to close to this strange hill either out of fear for the dead that once lived here or a legendary creature supposedly still lives here. Only 1949 people attempted to venture inside underground passages. Several military engineers were sent there and didn't return.