Silver Tableware from the Nomad Burials of 13th –14th Centuries on the East European Plain. Povolzhskaya Arkheologiya. №4 (22). 2017. (original) (raw)
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in Mechanisms of Exchange: Transmission in Medieval Art and Architecture in the Mediterranean, ca. 1000-1500. Eds. Heather E. Grossman and Alicia Walker. Special Issue of Medieval Encounters. 18, no. 4-5 (December, 2012), 2012
""A burial of a Turkic (Qıpčaq/Cuman/Polovtsian) prince excavated in the grasslands of southern Ukraine is witness to an exchange in objects and products throughout the Black Sea/Mediterranean littoral, the Middle East, and central and northwest Europe in the Middle Ages. The grave goods, arms and costumes, which are of unprecedented richness for a medieval Turkic burial, are datable to the first three decades of the thirteenth century. They were likely accumulated through trading and raiding or through diplomatic and marriage gifts of this Qıpčaq leader, and his tribal confederation, with the neighboring Rus’, Georgian, Armenian, Hungarian, Byzantine, Crusader and Islamic polities. Among the grave goods excavated in the tumulus/ kurgan are a variety of containers such as two complete and reused amphorae, glazed ceramic albarello and bottle, and a gilded silver covered cup. The albarello and bottle could be associated with the Mediterranean pharmacological practice of shipping valuable substances in specialized containers. Other vessels, such as the covered ceremonial cup from northwest Europe, were reused likely in a complex ritual utilizing plants native to these grasslands. This paper will consider the circumstances under which these substances would have been deposited and discuss the origins and uses of the containers.""
This monograph examines one specific hoard horizon, which is connected to the Mongol invasion of Hungary (1241-42). With this catastrophic event, the historical context is both well-known and much discussed by contemporaries and modern scholars. This opportunity to examine material connected to a sole event, but across a broad spectrum of geographical space and social class, is unique for hoard horizons in Hungary, and, for that matter, in Europe. Though this study focuses on hoards connected to the Mongol invasion, it is also relevant beyond this specific context. The work addresses issues concerning hoard finds and material culture, and examines how finds are related when found in different contexts (a hoard, grave, or settlement feature), thus the questions raised and conclusions reached are important for other medieval hoard finds. By comparing hoards related to a single historical event to a contemporaneous site – containing a village, a church, and a cemetery – assessments can be made regarding how hoards reflect social issues such as stratification, wealth, status, and fashion.
2020
This article addresses the topic of nomadic cart culture in the Eurasian Steppe, which developed over the long term and reached its apex with the advent of the imperial Mongols. A range of narrative, archaeological, and visual sources are employed in order to examine how the carts were used, adapted, technologically improved, and ritualized in lives and burials of the imperial Mongol and specifically the Golden Horde nomads. A unique Golden Horde burial with ornamented cart parts from Kalmykia is analyzed. It is argued that this example reveals the inclusivity of the cart culture in Ulus Jochi whereby a wide use of personal carts by nomads of different ages, genders, and states of health encouraged their active participation in the mobile social life of this Steppe Empire.
2018
The Golden Horde period of the Middle Volga region saw rapid developments in socioeconomic organization. This period was characterized by the development of small towns around larger settlements, migration of various populations into the region, warfare, and political campaigning. From the 13 th to the 15 th century, various unglazed ceramic production methods and styles were introduced into the region. This research compares the distribution of ceramic types locally at the settlement of Bolgar and regionally between the settlements of Bolgar, Bilyar, and Juketau to understand how group boundaries were potentially signaled. This comparative analysis is primarily concerned with the possibility that the distribution of ceramic types may represent materialized ethnic boundaries at a local and regional scale during periods of political and economic stress. Through studying Golden Horde ceramics in the Middle Volga, I have found that certain social boundaries are likely materialized through the distribution of ceramic types. These boundaries may represent distinct ethnic differences between populations given the historical context of the period and region. I would like to give a large thank you to my thesis advisor, Michael Galaty, for providing me with insightful guidance throughout my work on the thesis. Dr. Galaty's support and guidance throughout my work has allowed me to navigate through completing the significant task of writing my honor's thesis. Without his help and wisdom, I could not imagine completing this thesis. He always provided me with insightful comments, readings, and discussions on archaeological theory throughout my work on the thesis. I would also like to thank Dr. Raven Garvey for providing me with insightful feedback as my second reader and introducing me to archaeological research, which would lead me down a path to this thesis. Another thank you goes to the Museum of Anthropological Archaeology for providing me with the funding to attend the 2018 Bolgar International Archaeological Field School for which made this thesis possible. A large thank you goes to the Bolgar International Archaeological Field School and my professors at the school for giving my opportunity to study and work with Bolgar ceramics and learn firsthand about Golden Horde ceramic production in Tatarstan, Russian. I would like to thank Dr. Vyazov for his extensive knowledge and assistance on regional ceramics and Middle Volga archaeology. In addition, I would like to thank Dr. Salyugina, Dr. Volkova, Dr. Ilyushina, and Dr. Tsetlin for their knowledge of ceramics in the Volga and Uralic regions and training in ceramic identification and production of Middle Volga ceramics. Without the school, professors, and faculty at the Bolgar International Archaeological Field School, my interest in Golden Horde ceramics would not have developed and this thesis would not have been made possible. The time in past two summers that I have spent in Bolgar studying the ceramics and working with regional experts has given me the field experience needed to make this research successful.
Graves of the early medieval nomads from the eastern Azov region
Described and discussed here are the "nomadic" burials of two sites, Serbin and Udarnyi (Krasnodar Krai, Russia). A total of four graves were found at the former Serbin site, while an early medieval grave dug into a prehistoric kurgan was excavated at Udarnyi. The burials broadly date from the fourth-seventh centuries AD on the basis of their poor grave inventories and are culturally related to the so-called post-Hunnic-and Sivashovka-type burials. Three burials contained the skulls and limbs of various domestic animals, indicating that the animals had been skinned. "Head and hooves" deposits were quite common in early medieval Eastern Europe. There are several different traditions of skinning, indicating different cultural traditions. The study describes the burials and their finds, and presents their regional parallels.
The author examines changing patterns in the decoration set and metal elements of costume traceable by materials offered by the Old Mari burial grounds in the Lower Vetluga area and the neighboring Volga area starting from the middle 11th century. This process reflects trade and cultural contacts of the Lower Vetluga population in the middle of 11th – 13th centuries. The analysis of grave goods from a number of medieval Mari burial grounds in the Lower Vetluga, such as Vyzhum II, Vyzhum III, Dubovo, Rutka, Pochinok, Rusenikha, allowed distinguishing some artefacts originating from the territory of the Old Rus’ and more remote western territories: Finland, Scandinavia, the Baltic Sea zone. The dating and the analogies support the Old Russian origin of the majority of these artefacts. The study allowed linking some types of decoration to certain territories and tribes of the Northern Rus’ and identify their main production centers.
The article presents the experience of summarizing data on «symbolic» burials with early medieval Turks from Altai-and-Sayan region. Subject to a detailed description being a tradition of making cenotaphs, specifying variants of such objects. Particular types of «symbolic» burials include «ritual» mounds which basic characteristic was making a common mound with no burial chamber underneath, as well as certain stone enclosures. The concentration of these objects during the early development stages of the Turkic culture reflects a process of developing traditions in funeral rites with nomads in the late V — VI c. B.C. Keywords: Еarly Middle Ages Turks, Altai-and-Sayan region, «symbolic» burials, cenotaphs, «ritual» mounds, enclosures.
2017
The article features an analysis of metal adornments from burial complexes of the Komarovo culture dating back to the late Bronze period for the reconstruction of the characteristics of the costume complex and adornment elements. The authors used the information on the mutual occurrence of adornments in closed complexes (burials, hoards), their location with respect to skeleton bones, and analyzed the parameters of the adornments. The relative scarcity of metal adornments discovered in burials of Komarovo culture and the absence of local sources of raw materials for their manufacture allow to consider the adornments contained in burials, especially with such high metal content as pins, bracelets and neck torcs as elements of ceremonial (wedding, funeral) adornments belonging to persons of highest social standing. A complete set of ceremonial adornments of the northern groups of Komarovo culture consisted of a pin, a neck torc and a bracelet/multiple bracelets. The most stable combination of large adornments is observed in Volyn and Kiev-Cherkasy groups: a pin, a neck torc, a pair of multi-spiral (wrist) bracelets and a pair of (shoulder?) bracelets with spiral shields. There are no bracelets with spiral shields corresponding to the Galitsia group, the multi-spiral bracelet is substituted by the massive cast bracelet, and three categories of small adornments are observed. Elite burials of the Podolsk cultural group contain a large number of small adornments: pendant rings, pendants and necklaces of amber beads which replaced neck torcs.