Kamen. The settlement of the 5th-8th century.

Even if you are not an archaeologist, but just a lover of ancient history, then Kamen is an agro–town in the Lepel district. There, on a high hill with the telling name of Tserkovka Mountain, secrets of distant centuries sleep... 

Archaeological excavations were carried out here back in 1998. At that time, many artifacts were found here, including household items, coins, tableware, and even ancient burials. The medieval cemetery found deserves a lot of attention. The burial ground was located on the site of the ancient settlement, where a church was later built. In some burials, there were objects of burial: rings, crosses, costume details, brooches (metal fasteners).

The objects found and the characteristic features of the monuments allowed the burial ground to be attributed to the 14th and 18th centuries. After 20 years, the archaeologists returned here to continue their work on the study of ancient finds. Among the finds, the ceramics of the Western Slavs with their characteristic patterns deserve special attention: fine fluting, thick walls (among the Slavs - wavy ornament). The presence of this type of ceramics indicates the settlement of these lands by immigrants from the territory of modern Poland. The settlement was located on a high hill, which offered a beautiful view of the local panorama. There was a frontal place in the center of the village, and residential buildings along the slopes.

 The found remains of the dwelling indicate that they were semi-earthen houses with stoves. The stucco found by archaeologists allows us to conclude that the settlement was inhabited twice - no later than the 6th - 8th centuries and in the 12th - 13th centuries. Silicon arrowheads and several ancient Russian punctures (awls) were found among the discovered artifacts 10-12 centuries, spinning wheels (weights for a hand spindle), coins, fragments of jewelry.

The settlement of Kamen was first mentioned in the 17th century, when it was in the possession of the princes of Drutsky-Sokolinsky. In 1631, Krzysztow Drutsky-Sokolinsky founded the church in Kameni. In the 18th century, the city passed to the Pakash family. In 1793, the Stone became part of the Russian Empire. At the end of the 18th century, a church was built here, and in 1868, a church. Fragments of a Jewish cemetery, fragments of ordinary buildings from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and the building of an ancient mill have been preserved in the Stone. 

Today, the Kamen agro-town remains an important historical and cultural site that attracts archaeologists, researchers and tourists. Despite the difficulties of working in an overgrown landscape, the expeditions continue their excavations, hoping to find new interesting pages in the history of this ancient settlement.