Babka is a Slavic hillfort-sanctuary of the 8th–10th centuries in Rivne Polissia. It lies on the eastern edge of a sandy elevation, two kilometres northeast of the village of Babka, in the Horodyshche tract. The village stands on the Styr and is part of the Varash hromada. Few such pagan sanctuaries have survived in Polissia, and Babka is one of the most interesting ones.
What the sanctuary looked like
The centre of the site is a round platform with a diameter of 30 metres. It is surrounded by depressions: a discontinuous ditch and separate pits resembling troughs. Almost in the middle of the platform, archaeologists found a post hole 0.7 metres deep — presumably, a wooden idol stood here. Nearby was an accumulation of charcoal about a metre in diameter, the traces of a sacred fire.
On top of the rampart lie charcoal and charred logs, and the shallow ditch is filled with layers of charcoal. It seems the fire was maintained here for a long time or kindled again and again during rituals. In the southern part of the platform, a cremation burial in a pot was found. Among the finds are a knife, animal bones, fragments of handmade and wheel-thrown pottery of the 8th–10th centuries. Next to the sanctuary lies a settlement of the same period where the people who came here probably lived.
Where the name comes from
The name of the village and the tract is associated with ancient mythology. According to the beliefs of the ancestors, Baba was a female deity who hovered over the world in the form of clouds and later personified light and lived on high cliffs. Perhaps it was her that was worshipped on this hill.
Research
The site was already described by Volodymyr Antonovych in the "Archaeological Map of Volhynia Governorate" (1901). Later, it was studied by researchers of medieval Polissia, and the sanctuary was included in works on pagan sanctuaries of the ancient Slavs.
The village of Babka
In 1906, Babka belonged to the Rafalivka volost of Lutsk uezd: there were 69 households and over 500 residents here. Today it is a small Polissian village on the Styr, surrounded by forests and floodplains.
Nearby
Volodymyrets is the nearest town with a wooden church and a palace. More can be found in the Varash Raion article.
How to find it
The hillfort is located 2 kilometres northeast of the village of Babka, in the Horodyshche tract. It is best to go with a local guide.
