| Official Name: | Mayatskoye |
| Other Name: | Mayatskoe, Mayaki |
| Settlement Type: | Historical settlement |
| Pushpin Map: | Russia Voronezh Oblast#Russia |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Russia |
| Subdivision Type1: | Region |
| Subdivision Name1: | Voronezh Oblast |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Type3: | District |
| Subdivision Name3: | Liskinsky District |
| Subdivision Type4: | Municipality |
| Utc Offset1: | +3:00 |
| Coordinates: | 50.9703°N 39.2929°W |
Mayatskoye, also known as Mayatskoe or Mayaki, is a gorodishche (hill fort) and historical settlement located in the Divnogorye museum-reserve area of Liskinsky District in Voronezh Oblast, Russia.[1] Along with Verkhnii Saltiv, it gives its name to the Saltovo-Mayaki culture, which is the main archaeological culture of the Khazars.[2] Mayatskoye is the northernmost site associated with the Khazars, and was probably near the frontier with Slavic tribes.[3] It is also one of the best-preserved and best-studied Khazar sites.[3]
The Mayatskoye site consists of a hill fort surrounded by a settlement with an adjacent burial ground.[3] The overall settlement area is 30 hectares, of which 6,000 square meters have been excavated.[3] Remains of pottery workshops have been identified in this area.[2] The fortress itself covers 1.1 hectare, and about 30% of the area enclosed by its walls has been excavated.[3] The walls themselves have been only been excavated in small portions; most of their circuit remains buried under earthen ramparts.[3] The walls were made of chalk blocks, some of which contain runic inscriptions, and reached about 1.5 to 2 meters in height.[3] As for the cemetery area, it covers 3 hectares, of which 2874 square meters (about 10%) have been excavated.[3] At least 150 individual burial sites have been identified.[3]
The settlement existed from the late 8th century onward; its citadel was built in the 9th century.[1] The settlement was especially important during the second half of the 9th century and the early 10th century.[2] Among its inhabitants were Alans.[2] A Common Turkic inscription found at the site refers to the "As country" and "our land of the Six-Savirs", which Gábor Hosszú interprets as a reference to the Khazars ruling over the area between the Don and Dnieper rivers.[1] The inscription identifies the building as "the mansion of Onagh Tegin", its builder as Ud Didü On, and the author of the inscription as Ineg.[1]
The first archaeological findings at Mayatskoye were in 1890.[3] The first comprehensive archaeological excavations were undertaken by A. Milyutin in 1906 and then N. Makarenko in 1908-09.[3] Plowing in the 1960s disturbed part of the site's eastern part but does not appear to have damaged the pits marking the site of old buildings.[3] Further excavations were undertaken by a joint Soviet, Bulgarian, and Hungarian project in 1975 and then 1977-82.[3] The burial ground was discovered in 1975.[3]