Sozh

The original name was Sozh' (), from Old East Slavic Съжь. With the previously suggested Baltic and Finnic etymologies considered unsatisfactory, Vadim Andreevich Zhuchkevich proposed that the name is derived from Old Russian/Old Belarusian sozhzh' (сожжь) 'burned parts of a forest prepared for plowing,' which has parallels to other place names. ==Geography==

The Sozh rises in Russia and is mostly snow fed. The river freezes over between November and early January. The ice thaws from late March or April. The Vikhra and Pronia, on the right, and the Ostyor, Besed, Iput and Uts on the left are its main tributaries. The Sozh has navigational locks in its upper reaches where it is navigable from Krychaw. Timber is floated along the river. The mean discharge recorded at Gomel, upstream from the mouth, is 207 m3/s. Important historical towns on the banks of the main river and its tributaries are: Krychaw, Cherykaw, Slawharad, Gomel and Vietka. In Russia, the Sozh has its source in Smolensky District and flows through Pochinkovsky and Khislavichsky Districts of Smolensk Oblast. The urban-type settlement of Khislavichi is located on the banks of the Sozh. It flows further south, making the border between Khislavichsky and Shumyachsky District of Smolensk Oblast in the east, and Mogilev Region of Belarus in the west. ==History==

Many of the cities and towns located in the river valley are part of the river's history of events. Several centuries ago, the East Slavic Radimichi tribal people lived in the Sozh River basin and established the Gomel town. They were involved in agricultural practices, rearing cattle, fishing and honey collection. They were craftsmen, and they were good tradesman as the river provided navigation to the northwestern and southeastern parts of Europe. Gomel, a river port and a railhead, is also known as Homyel or Homiel. It is situated to the southeast of Belarus, and is the capital (administrative centre) of the Gomel Region. It is located on the western bank of the Sozh River, about 300 km from Minsk, and close to the border with Russia and Ukraine. The earliest reported occupation of the town was in 1142, under Kievan Rus. This was followed by Lithuanian control in 1537, then Polish under the Truce of Andrusovo, and later under Russia in 1772. Embankments were built on the banks of the Sozh River . As a result, "a unique nature-architecture ensemble grew on the high picturesque bank of the Sozh River right in the historical center of Gomel." These monuments are credited to the Rumyantsevs and the Paskeviches who were statesmen and military commanders of the Russian Empire. The town is now an important industrial center with a population of about half million. Located in the region of the Chernobyl disaster, Gomel and its surrounding area still suffers from subsisting levels of radiation. High radiation levels due to iodine-131 (20,000 kBq/m2) and strontium-90 (137 kBq/m2) were measured in the soil in the entire Vetka district after the accident. This disaster also resulted in a large-scale relocation of population. A Folk Art Museum, founded in 1987, has exhibits depicting the ancient artefacts, carved wooden entrance doors, manuscripts, traditional costumes and woven rushniki. Archaeological excavations Excavations have unearthed a Palaeolithic boat in the soils of the Sozh River, which has been preserved in the Museum of Ancient Belarusian Culture. Another Palaeolithic site, discovered by Konstantin Mikhailovich Polikarpovich, is located on the hill above the bank of Sozh river, in Berdizh village. Remains of woolly mammoth have also been found along the Sozh River. ==Economy==

Sozh River deposits that extend into Smolensk Oblast providing a supply of ground phosphate to Krychaw and Klimavichy rock plants. Phosphorite is found along the river between Mstislavl and Krichev. Many other construction materials, such as chalk, clay, sand, and gravel are also distributed in the river region as are many mineral water springs. == Tributaries ==

Main tributaries: Vihra, Oster, Pronya, Besed, Iput, Khmara, Peschanka. ==References==