The article examines finds from two fortified settlements located near Smolensk. New radiocarbon dates are given that prove the demise of the fortified settlement of Demidovka at the turn of the 5th–6th centuries AD. The analysis of the distribution of prestigious silver items and armament on the sites of the “Demidovka circle” and the presence of a large long house provide grounds for an assumption about the central position of this settlement in Smolensk district and the presence of a “German component” in it. The data of spore-pollen analysis are used for the reconstruction of the landscape surrounding the fortified settlement. The authors suggest that in the late period when militarized “elite” resided in the settlement its vicinity was used for grazing. As a result of the study, a hypothesis is proposed that the fortified settlements of Demidovka (the 3rd–4th centuries) and Vyazovenki (the 6th–7th centuries) were centers of power in Smolensk land during the two periods of time preceding the transition of this function to Smolensk (Cathedral Hill) and Gnezdovo.