The article presents the characteristics of the Sannikovskaya Bulochka settlement. It should be a... more The article presents the characteristics of the Sannikovskaya Bulochka settlement. It should be attributed to the Soshnikova stage of the Odintsovo culture, which occurred during the second half of the 4th century and the first half of the 5th century. The ceramics of the Soshnikova stage's sites may reflect a local transformation of the household complex of the Fominskoe cultural tradition, which occurred within the conditions of active interaction with new populations. The analysis of the ceramic complex of this settlement raises questions regarding some criteria for distinguishing the ceramic complexes of the Fominskoe and Odintsovo cultures.
This article systematizes all currently known archaeological data and radiocarbon dates related t... more This article systematizes all currently known archaeological data and radiocarbon dates related to iron-smelting furnaces from Southern Siberia. On the basis of 159 excavated and well-preserved furnaces, nine construction types can be identified. The analysis of a series of radiocarbon dates made it possible to revise previous models about emergence and development of iron metallurgy in Southern Siberia and neighboring regions. We conclude that iron metallurgy developed in the region not in the Scythian time, as has long been assumed, but in the subsequent Xiongnu period of the 2nd century BCE-2nd century CE. During the 3rd-6th centuries CE, metallurgy flourished, which is expressed in the different types and numerous smelting furnaces that coexisting in the same region. This article raises for the first time the problem we have called the ancient Türkic metallurgy paradox. This inexplicable phenomenon describes the sudden and almost complete disappearance of iron metallurgy in Southern Siberia in the 7th century CE.
The article deals with cultural and chronological attribution of the materials from two sites of ... more The article deals with cultural and chronological attribution of the materials from two sites of the Kulaika community in the Low and Middle Tom River region. It presents the results of the ceramic morphological, technical, and technological study. The chronological positions of the assemblages are presumably synchronous (III–IV centuries AD).
The article outlines the Fominskoye culture of the Upper Ob. The main social transformations in o... more The article outlines the Fominskoye culture of the Upper Ob. The main social transformations in one of the most important contact areas in the south of Western Siberia and the Sayan-Altai in the first half of the I-st millennium AD can be associated with this culture. It is assumed that some of its transformed components entered the early medieval cultures of the Upper Ob. Some of the most notable sites of this culture are concentrated in the south of Kuznetsk Basin. This and other facts can be explained by of a kind of power center in the region in the 3rd century AD, which controlled remote mountain sections of the trade routes from the Irtysh region to the Middle Yenisei. That's why any new materials that expand our understanding of the Fominskoye culture origin and its role in the transfer of cultural innovations from Central Asia to the Minusinsk Basins are really important. The hillfort Abagurskoye 2 was occupying one of the key points of this route.
The article deals with the main problems of interpretation of the sites of the Upper Ob region wi... more The article deals with the main problems of interpretation of the sites of the Upper Ob region with the Kulay traditions. It is assumed that some of the transformed components of it entered the early medieval cultures of the Upper Ob.
This paper presents a complex of the 7th century revealed in the south of the Kuznetsk Hollow. It... more This paper presents a complex of the 7th century revealed in the south of the Kuznetsk Hollow. It combines bronze belt fittings in the West-Siberian and heraldic styles, as well as objects bearing signs of the Yenisey-Angara smithery tradition. The possibility is suggested that these finds are related to some post-funerary rite. Complexes close in their composition are known in the south of Western Siberia at sites of different cultures throughout the area from the Tobol River to as far as the Yenisey. This fact induces us to raise the problem of the formation of conditions for the appearance of such phenomena. Among the consequences of these processes, there can have been a displacement of the habitat of the culture of the population of the forest zone of the Middle Yenisey westward to the Tom region, as has found its reflection in the composition of the complex under consideration.
The paper analyzes series of experiments on the reconstruction of iron-smelting technologies of t... more The paper analyzes series of experiments on the reconstruction of iron-smelting technologies of the Kuznetsk Tatars of the 17th–18th centuries. The experimental modelling was based on historical, archaeological and ethnographic data. Of particular importance is the detailed description of the iron smelting process made by the Kuznetsk Tatars by I.G. Gmelin in 1734. It is proved that the iron yield in this description is clearly overestimated, which is explained by the imitation of the iron-smelting process by the Kuznetsk Tatars. Comparison of the chemical composition of archaeological and experimental slags and ores made it possible to establish that the Kuznetsk Tatars used hematite ores and did not exploit the bog ores that are quite widespread in Western Siberia. It has been experimentally proven that the same furnace could be used for several smelts.
The article presents an analysis of the comparative study of written and cartographic sources on ... more The article presents an analysis of the comparative study of written and cartographic sources on the distribution of the yasak population of the Kuznetsk district of the 17th – 18th C. The ways of transferring the data of old maps to the modern topographic plan are analyzed. The limitations that must be taken into account in such studies are noted. The experience of mapping the information of yasak books about the metallurgical activity of the Kuznetsk Tatars was used as an example. The reconstruction of the location of the administrative centres of their volosts in the 17th century is presented.
Over the past decades, an enormous amount of research has been done on ancient technologies of ir... more Over the past decades, an enormous amount of research has been done on ancient technologies of iron metallurgy by archaeometallurgists internationally. The article shows how, drawing on this body of research and data, it has become possible to reconsider the specific features of iron metallurgy of the whole region – Gornaya Shoria (Mountain Shoria, Russia). It is now known that metallurgical slag which was not paid much attention to the Russian scientific literature help obtain invaluable information. The article presents an analysis of one of the types of metallurgical slag – blacksmithing slag – and points to how an erroneous perspective on this material affected our understanding of the metallurgical tradition maintained by the Kuznetsk Tatars in the seventeenth to the eighteenth centuries. The article describes morphological characteristics of the blacksmithing slag collected on 19 archaeological sites from Gornaya Shoria. Results of geochemical analyses of this slag and interpretation of the data are provided and a great potential revealed of an integrated study of this material. New reconstructions of the technologies studied are shown to be supported by the seventeenth to the eighteenth century written sources. Based on this, a new method for assessing the productivity of Kuznetsk Tatar iron-making workshops is proposed. Using a single coefficient to conduct such assessment on all the sites in the region was deemed possible due to the results of the morphological and geochemical analyses of the local blacksmithing slag – the similarity of these suggests that similar iron-making traditions existed throughout the region.
When addressing the material culture of the post-medieval period,
archaeologists often face the d... more When addressing the material culture of the post-medieval period, archaeologists often face the difficulty of attributing inventory. An example would be massive iron axes with a solid tubular lug and one-sided sharpening. In scientific publications and museum exhibits they are often represented as the late Middle Аgеs cold arms. The article presents a selection of axes in the amount of 95 copies, identified throughout the whole Eurasia space from France to the Far East, given the physical parameters of some samples, expressed the opinion of their dating XIX – 1-st half of the ХХ century. The pragmatics of using these axes as a specialized carpentry tool is also argued.
* The authors put into the title a line from the V. Vysotsky song “The bride ceremony” because of a pun. The meaning of the poetic phrase is that the geese mentioned in a series of other things in the text are not related to the essence of the main narration. In turn, the essence of the article consists in the argument that an axe type, referred to in English-speaking countries as a “goose wing” incause of its characteristic shape, has no relationship with cold arms, as some archaeologists insist.
The article introduces new archaeological materials about traditions of iron smelting, which were... more The article introduces new archaeological materials about traditions of iron smelting, which were saved until the XIX century in the north-west of Sayan-Altai highland, known as the Mountain Shoria The locals who have been accepted into Russia in the XVII century were called “Kuznetsk Tatars” (that means Tatars-blacksmiths) thanks to their craft. We have a unique detailed description of the smelting by the Kuznetsk Tatars, which was based on observations in 1734. A sketch of the smelting scene was drawn at the same time by Lursenius (fig. 9). Data from Russian tax documents of the XVII century had been used for localized areas of the most intense metallurgical crafts. The map (fig. 1) shows sites with remains of iron smelting furnaces of the XVII – XVIII centuries. The sites were located in remote areas of the mountain forest. They were studied very rarely and in small areas. Whole XX century, any iron slag was identified as some trace of the smelting only. None have could diff the types of slag. It was not registered in detail and weighed. If slag was added into the collection, then because the researchers believed that it was bloom. But it was usually a plano-convex blacksmith slag. Now researchers have reasonable doubts of information about the possibility of smelting in furnaces of the type shown in the figure of Lürsenius, as like as were expressed about the bowl furnaces from Ireland. But other types of furnaces in Mountain Shoria have not yet been discovered. We need to begin the formation of new archaeological sources to solve the problem. That the new materials are in the article. For our research, we have chosen a site Sharton 1. Probably, it was one of the metallurgical centres in the middle of the Mountain Shoria. Before the excavating, the magnetometric survey was carried out on the site Sharton 1. During the excavation of one of the abnormal places, there were found the ruins of several furnaces, accumulations of slag, fragments of tuyeres, and a stone anvil. Based on the excavation results, several furnaces were reconstructed. These are similar to the furnace that has been pictured by Lursenius, have the same dimensions and design. But the remains of open forges were also found here. One of the types of slag was collected of the site Sharton 1 is a typical smithing slag. Chemical analysis of the plano-convex slag was carried out. You can see a noticeable uniformity of the chemical composition of the slag (Tabl. 1; 2). Perhaps the relative homogeneity of the chemical composition of the ores of the Mountain Shoria is due to it. Smelting conditions were similar too. But there is also another type of slag on the site Sharton 1. It is a real smelting slag and there is him more than of smithing slag. It is important to note that, as a rule, smelting slag was overlapped by smithing slag. It is hypothesized that traces of two consecutive operations — smelting and processing of blooms — have been recorded on the investigated site.
There are sites of two types of imports in the Ob basin in the area of Kulaika cultural continuit... more There are sites of two types of imports in the Ob basin in the area of Kulaika cultural continuity. These signs of cultural influence and import are conditionally called «Hunnish» and «Sarmatian». The article contains information about the features of each of these types. The reasons are considered according to which these sites could be dating to II B.C. II A.D. There is a criticism of transfer of dating of imports to the sites in which they were found. Also, the article supposes that the sites of different types of imports shouldn’t be included in one chronological stage. The author suggests that «Sarmatian» waves of imports in the Ob basin follow the «Hunnish» ones. A change of origin of imports doesn’t point to changes in the economic strategy of the taiga population but means variations in the condition of the interaction of social-territorial groups in the Eurasian steppe. The Sarmatian trail in late sites of Kulaika culture could be connected with crisis in the Eurasian steppe in late II III A.D.
The article deals with information on stone statues that were investigated in several areas in Uv... more The article deals with information on stone statues that were investigated in several areas in Uvs aimag, in a vicinity of the lake Uureg. In addition to those known for a long time, new objects have been identified including deer stones. Surveyed monuments has localized and mapped sites by GPS. Many monuments are damaged. Some of ancient stone statues are visited by prayers (mostly by Derbets) along with modern cult constructions as obos and inders. Tradition establishes several special reasons for prayers and offerings to the certain statues. We have noted the use in cult purposes of some stelae into enclosures and some khirigsuurs. Taking into account information on a modern use of ancient monuments, it is necessary to make efforts for ensuring a maximum preservation of their original appearance.
Archaeological research has been studied for 6 years in a place of an intended habitat in the fir... more Archaeological research has been studied for 6 years in a place of an intended habitat in the first quarter of XIX century in the tract of «Monashka», in the Kuznetsk county of Tomsk province of three canonized Siberian Saints: Basilisk, Zosima and Peter of Tomsk. In this article there are some analyzed features of ceramic complexes of this site. On the basis of the facts there is high probability that Basilisk really organized pottery in his cell, according to the available hagiographical descriptions. The diversity of the ceramic items was excavated, not only the items with the signs of the same master’s hand, but also a pit for clay, a pit of pottery kiln and an iron axis of a potter’s wheel as well. The products presumably manufactured by Basilisk activity differs a lot from the famous ceramic complexes XVIII-XIX centuries of Kuznetsk and its rural districts. This is probably due to the fact that Basilisk brought pottery traditions of his homeland — Kalyazin county of Tver province, to the Kuznetsk region.
The article considers the results of examination of items tied to bronze-casting technology that ... more The article considers the results of examination of items tied to bronze-casting technology that were found thanks to archeological diggings of the ancient sanctuary Ust-Poluy. The collections of these items are in «The Kunstkamera» in St. Petersburg, they consist of items from non-ferrous metals, their fractions and fire-polished fragments, and shaly models too. They all were described in the previous articles. V.N. Chernetsov was the first who examined bronze of Ust-Poluy from culturological point of view. Nobody criticizes his opinion about relative chronological homogeneity of these objects. V.N. Chernetsov determined 2 groups of bronze items. The first group concludes the casting of bad quality with characteristic features of the temperature abuse. The second one is the casting of high quality, generally the casting from white bronze. V.N. Chernetsov explained that these groups differ technologically from each other because of the local production and the import. But lately there is an opinion that metal-makers of The Nizhnyaya Ob produced the items of the second group themselves. We tried not only to test this hypothesis, but we wanted to determine if there is the chronological component (not only the cultural one) in the variety of bronze items. That’s why we analyzed not only the morphological characteristics of these objects but the alloy composition as well. The main conclusion is not new: bronze items of Ust-Poluy are heterogeneous by reconstructed characteristics of the technological complexes tied to their production. By virtue of the reconstruction of the technological complexes we can speak about the next step: determination of the possibility of their realization under conditions of the cultural environment of The north Taiga. Characteristics of the elaborate handicraft industry were determined due to the examination of some bronze items, this is the mark of the import. Analyzing the alloy composition of the items of Ust-Poluy we discovered some technological traditions. More ordered formula is typical for the items of the «import» groups. Shale models were examined by us too, they could be used as matrixes for producing the casting forms. But the absence of series-produced items, fragments of used forms, the morphological characteristics of the bas-relieves, and the absence of the casting forms from shale contradict this idea. We can suppose that «shale models» could have other role as some explorers thinks.
The article shows the origins of subjectivism in assessments of metallurgy and smithcraft develop... more The article shows the origins of subjectivism in assessments of metallurgy and smithcraft development level achieved by the historical ancestors of the Shors – the Kuznetsk Tatars. Based on critical analysis of the archive documents dated from the 17th to the 18th century, the statements on the lead role of the population of the Kuznetsk yasak county in supplying the Yenisei Kyrgyz, the Teleuts and the Dzungars with edged weapons and armors have been deemed unfounded. An researching of the antiquities of the region was noted as unsatisfactory. In there does not reflecting a real situation in any sphere of economic activity of the Kuznetsk Tatars of the 17th-18th centuries. Any references to archaeological materials or absence thereof in assessment of metallurgy development level achieved by the population of the Mountain Shoria should be treated as speculations for the time being. Suggests another interpretation has been proposed for some of well-known archaeological sources. New materials about a metallurgy of the Kuznetsk Tatars are given, accumulated for the past 30 years. Found metallurgical complexes can’t be identified unequivocally without competent morphological evaluation of а slag and structures, or without special technological and chemical analyses. Proposes hypotheses aimed at removing most of the contradictions in interpretation of all types of sources. Further focused archaeological research of this topic can shed a new light on economical adaptation of the South Siberian natives and transformation of their practices caused by contact with the Russian people.
The article presents the characteristics of the Sannikovskaya Bulochka settlement. It should be a... more The article presents the characteristics of the Sannikovskaya Bulochka settlement. It should be attributed to the Soshnikova stage of the Odintsovo culture, which occurred during the second half of the 4th century and the first half of the 5th century. The ceramics of the Soshnikova stage's sites may reflect a local transformation of the household complex of the Fominskoe cultural tradition, which occurred within the conditions of active interaction with new populations. The analysis of the ceramic complex of this settlement raises questions regarding some criteria for distinguishing the ceramic complexes of the Fominskoe and Odintsovo cultures.
This article systematizes all currently known archaeological data and radiocarbon dates related t... more This article systematizes all currently known archaeological data and radiocarbon dates related to iron-smelting furnaces from Southern Siberia. On the basis of 159 excavated and well-preserved furnaces, nine construction types can be identified. The analysis of a series of radiocarbon dates made it possible to revise previous models about emergence and development of iron metallurgy in Southern Siberia and neighboring regions. We conclude that iron metallurgy developed in the region not in the Scythian time, as has long been assumed, but in the subsequent Xiongnu period of the 2nd century BCE-2nd century CE. During the 3rd-6th centuries CE, metallurgy flourished, which is expressed in the different types and numerous smelting furnaces that coexisting in the same region. This article raises for the first time the problem we have called the ancient Türkic metallurgy paradox. This inexplicable phenomenon describes the sudden and almost complete disappearance of iron metallurgy in Southern Siberia in the 7th century CE.
The article deals with cultural and chronological attribution of the materials from two sites of ... more The article deals with cultural and chronological attribution of the materials from two sites of the Kulaika community in the Low and Middle Tom River region. It presents the results of the ceramic morphological, technical, and technological study. The chronological positions of the assemblages are presumably synchronous (III–IV centuries AD).
The article outlines the Fominskoye culture of the Upper Ob. The main social transformations in o... more The article outlines the Fominskoye culture of the Upper Ob. The main social transformations in one of the most important contact areas in the south of Western Siberia and the Sayan-Altai in the first half of the I-st millennium AD can be associated with this culture. It is assumed that some of its transformed components entered the early medieval cultures of the Upper Ob. Some of the most notable sites of this culture are concentrated in the south of Kuznetsk Basin. This and other facts can be explained by of a kind of power center in the region in the 3rd century AD, which controlled remote mountain sections of the trade routes from the Irtysh region to the Middle Yenisei. That's why any new materials that expand our understanding of the Fominskoye culture origin and its role in the transfer of cultural innovations from Central Asia to the Minusinsk Basins are really important. The hillfort Abagurskoye 2 was occupying one of the key points of this route.
The article deals with the main problems of interpretation of the sites of the Upper Ob region wi... more The article deals with the main problems of interpretation of the sites of the Upper Ob region with the Kulay traditions. It is assumed that some of the transformed components of it entered the early medieval cultures of the Upper Ob.
This paper presents a complex of the 7th century revealed in the south of the Kuznetsk Hollow. It... more This paper presents a complex of the 7th century revealed in the south of the Kuznetsk Hollow. It combines bronze belt fittings in the West-Siberian and heraldic styles, as well as objects bearing signs of the Yenisey-Angara smithery tradition. The possibility is suggested that these finds are related to some post-funerary rite. Complexes close in their composition are known in the south of Western Siberia at sites of different cultures throughout the area from the Tobol River to as far as the Yenisey. This fact induces us to raise the problem of the formation of conditions for the appearance of such phenomena. Among the consequences of these processes, there can have been a displacement of the habitat of the culture of the population of the forest zone of the Middle Yenisey westward to the Tom region, as has found its reflection in the composition of the complex under consideration.
The paper analyzes series of experiments on the reconstruction of iron-smelting technologies of t... more The paper analyzes series of experiments on the reconstruction of iron-smelting technologies of the Kuznetsk Tatars of the 17th–18th centuries. The experimental modelling was based on historical, archaeological and ethnographic data. Of particular importance is the detailed description of the iron smelting process made by the Kuznetsk Tatars by I.G. Gmelin in 1734. It is proved that the iron yield in this description is clearly overestimated, which is explained by the imitation of the iron-smelting process by the Kuznetsk Tatars. Comparison of the chemical composition of archaeological and experimental slags and ores made it possible to establish that the Kuznetsk Tatars used hematite ores and did not exploit the bog ores that are quite widespread in Western Siberia. It has been experimentally proven that the same furnace could be used for several smelts.
The article presents an analysis of the comparative study of written and cartographic sources on ... more The article presents an analysis of the comparative study of written and cartographic sources on the distribution of the yasak population of the Kuznetsk district of the 17th – 18th C. The ways of transferring the data of old maps to the modern topographic plan are analyzed. The limitations that must be taken into account in such studies are noted. The experience of mapping the information of yasak books about the metallurgical activity of the Kuznetsk Tatars was used as an example. The reconstruction of the location of the administrative centres of their volosts in the 17th century is presented.
Over the past decades, an enormous amount of research has been done on ancient technologies of ir... more Over the past decades, an enormous amount of research has been done on ancient technologies of iron metallurgy by archaeometallurgists internationally. The article shows how, drawing on this body of research and data, it has become possible to reconsider the specific features of iron metallurgy of the whole region – Gornaya Shoria (Mountain Shoria, Russia). It is now known that metallurgical slag which was not paid much attention to the Russian scientific literature help obtain invaluable information. The article presents an analysis of one of the types of metallurgical slag – blacksmithing slag – and points to how an erroneous perspective on this material affected our understanding of the metallurgical tradition maintained by the Kuznetsk Tatars in the seventeenth to the eighteenth centuries. The article describes morphological characteristics of the blacksmithing slag collected on 19 archaeological sites from Gornaya Shoria. Results of geochemical analyses of this slag and interpretation of the data are provided and a great potential revealed of an integrated study of this material. New reconstructions of the technologies studied are shown to be supported by the seventeenth to the eighteenth century written sources. Based on this, a new method for assessing the productivity of Kuznetsk Tatar iron-making workshops is proposed. Using a single coefficient to conduct such assessment on all the sites in the region was deemed possible due to the results of the morphological and geochemical analyses of the local blacksmithing slag – the similarity of these suggests that similar iron-making traditions existed throughout the region.
When addressing the material culture of the post-medieval period,
archaeologists often face the d... more When addressing the material culture of the post-medieval period, archaeologists often face the difficulty of attributing inventory. An example would be massive iron axes with a solid tubular lug and one-sided sharpening. In scientific publications and museum exhibits they are often represented as the late Middle Аgеs cold arms. The article presents a selection of axes in the amount of 95 copies, identified throughout the whole Eurasia space from France to the Far East, given the physical parameters of some samples, expressed the opinion of their dating XIX – 1-st half of the ХХ century. The pragmatics of using these axes as a specialized carpentry tool is also argued.
* The authors put into the title a line from the V. Vysotsky song “The bride ceremony” because of a pun. The meaning of the poetic phrase is that the geese mentioned in a series of other things in the text are not related to the essence of the main narration. In turn, the essence of the article consists in the argument that an axe type, referred to in English-speaking countries as a “goose wing” incause of its characteristic shape, has no relationship with cold arms, as some archaeologists insist.
The article introduces new archaeological materials about traditions of iron smelting, which were... more The article introduces new archaeological materials about traditions of iron smelting, which were saved until the XIX century in the north-west of Sayan-Altai highland, known as the Mountain Shoria The locals who have been accepted into Russia in the XVII century were called “Kuznetsk Tatars” (that means Tatars-blacksmiths) thanks to their craft. We have a unique detailed description of the smelting by the Kuznetsk Tatars, which was based on observations in 1734. A sketch of the smelting scene was drawn at the same time by Lursenius (fig. 9). Data from Russian tax documents of the XVII century had been used for localized areas of the most intense metallurgical crafts. The map (fig. 1) shows sites with remains of iron smelting furnaces of the XVII – XVIII centuries. The sites were located in remote areas of the mountain forest. They were studied very rarely and in small areas. Whole XX century, any iron slag was identified as some trace of the smelting only. None have could diff the types of slag. It was not registered in detail and weighed. If slag was added into the collection, then because the researchers believed that it was bloom. But it was usually a plano-convex blacksmith slag. Now researchers have reasonable doubts of information about the possibility of smelting in furnaces of the type shown in the figure of Lürsenius, as like as were expressed about the bowl furnaces from Ireland. But other types of furnaces in Mountain Shoria have not yet been discovered. We need to begin the formation of new archaeological sources to solve the problem. That the new materials are in the article. For our research, we have chosen a site Sharton 1. Probably, it was one of the metallurgical centres in the middle of the Mountain Shoria. Before the excavating, the magnetometric survey was carried out on the site Sharton 1. During the excavation of one of the abnormal places, there were found the ruins of several furnaces, accumulations of slag, fragments of tuyeres, and a stone anvil. Based on the excavation results, several furnaces were reconstructed. These are similar to the furnace that has been pictured by Lursenius, have the same dimensions and design. But the remains of open forges were also found here. One of the types of slag was collected of the site Sharton 1 is a typical smithing slag. Chemical analysis of the plano-convex slag was carried out. You can see a noticeable uniformity of the chemical composition of the slag (Tabl. 1; 2). Perhaps the relative homogeneity of the chemical composition of the ores of the Mountain Shoria is due to it. Smelting conditions were similar too. But there is also another type of slag on the site Sharton 1. It is a real smelting slag and there is him more than of smithing slag. It is important to note that, as a rule, smelting slag was overlapped by smithing slag. It is hypothesized that traces of two consecutive operations — smelting and processing of blooms — have been recorded on the investigated site.
There are sites of two types of imports in the Ob basin in the area of Kulaika cultural continuit... more There are sites of two types of imports in the Ob basin in the area of Kulaika cultural continuity. These signs of cultural influence and import are conditionally called «Hunnish» and «Sarmatian». The article contains information about the features of each of these types. The reasons are considered according to which these sites could be dating to II B.C. II A.D. There is a criticism of transfer of dating of imports to the sites in which they were found. Also, the article supposes that the sites of different types of imports shouldn’t be included in one chronological stage. The author suggests that «Sarmatian» waves of imports in the Ob basin follow the «Hunnish» ones. A change of origin of imports doesn’t point to changes in the economic strategy of the taiga population but means variations in the condition of the interaction of social-territorial groups in the Eurasian steppe. The Sarmatian trail in late sites of Kulaika culture could be connected with crisis in the Eurasian steppe in late II III A.D.
The article deals with information on stone statues that were investigated in several areas in Uv... more The article deals with information on stone statues that were investigated in several areas in Uvs aimag, in a vicinity of the lake Uureg. In addition to those known for a long time, new objects have been identified including deer stones. Surveyed monuments has localized and mapped sites by GPS. Many monuments are damaged. Some of ancient stone statues are visited by prayers (mostly by Derbets) along with modern cult constructions as obos and inders. Tradition establishes several special reasons for prayers and offerings to the certain statues. We have noted the use in cult purposes of some stelae into enclosures and some khirigsuurs. Taking into account information on a modern use of ancient monuments, it is necessary to make efforts for ensuring a maximum preservation of their original appearance.
Archaeological research has been studied for 6 years in a place of an intended habitat in the fir... more Archaeological research has been studied for 6 years in a place of an intended habitat in the first quarter of XIX century in the tract of «Monashka», in the Kuznetsk county of Tomsk province of three canonized Siberian Saints: Basilisk, Zosima and Peter of Tomsk. In this article there are some analyzed features of ceramic complexes of this site. On the basis of the facts there is high probability that Basilisk really organized pottery in his cell, according to the available hagiographical descriptions. The diversity of the ceramic items was excavated, not only the items with the signs of the same master’s hand, but also a pit for clay, a pit of pottery kiln and an iron axis of a potter’s wheel as well. The products presumably manufactured by Basilisk activity differs a lot from the famous ceramic complexes XVIII-XIX centuries of Kuznetsk and its rural districts. This is probably due to the fact that Basilisk brought pottery traditions of his homeland — Kalyazin county of Tver province, to the Kuznetsk region.
The article considers the results of examination of items tied to bronze-casting technology that ... more The article considers the results of examination of items tied to bronze-casting technology that were found thanks to archeological diggings of the ancient sanctuary Ust-Poluy. The collections of these items are in «The Kunstkamera» in St. Petersburg, they consist of items from non-ferrous metals, their fractions and fire-polished fragments, and shaly models too. They all were described in the previous articles. V.N. Chernetsov was the first who examined bronze of Ust-Poluy from culturological point of view. Nobody criticizes his opinion about relative chronological homogeneity of these objects. V.N. Chernetsov determined 2 groups of bronze items. The first group concludes the casting of bad quality with characteristic features of the temperature abuse. The second one is the casting of high quality, generally the casting from white bronze. V.N. Chernetsov explained that these groups differ technologically from each other because of the local production and the import. But lately there is an opinion that metal-makers of The Nizhnyaya Ob produced the items of the second group themselves. We tried not only to test this hypothesis, but we wanted to determine if there is the chronological component (not only the cultural one) in the variety of bronze items. That’s why we analyzed not only the morphological characteristics of these objects but the alloy composition as well. The main conclusion is not new: bronze items of Ust-Poluy are heterogeneous by reconstructed characteristics of the technological complexes tied to their production. By virtue of the reconstruction of the technological complexes we can speak about the next step: determination of the possibility of their realization under conditions of the cultural environment of The north Taiga. Characteristics of the elaborate handicraft industry were determined due to the examination of some bronze items, this is the mark of the import. Analyzing the alloy composition of the items of Ust-Poluy we discovered some technological traditions. More ordered formula is typical for the items of the «import» groups. Shale models were examined by us too, they could be used as matrixes for producing the casting forms. But the absence of series-produced items, fragments of used forms, the morphological characteristics of the bas-relieves, and the absence of the casting forms from shale contradict this idea. We can suppose that «shale models» could have other role as some explorers thinks.
The article shows the origins of subjectivism in assessments of metallurgy and smithcraft develop... more The article shows the origins of subjectivism in assessments of metallurgy and smithcraft development level achieved by the historical ancestors of the Shors – the Kuznetsk Tatars. Based on critical analysis of the archive documents dated from the 17th to the 18th century, the statements on the lead role of the population of the Kuznetsk yasak county in supplying the Yenisei Kyrgyz, the Teleuts and the Dzungars with edged weapons and armors have been deemed unfounded. An researching of the antiquities of the region was noted as unsatisfactory. In there does not reflecting a real situation in any sphere of economic activity of the Kuznetsk Tatars of the 17th-18th centuries. Any references to archaeological materials or absence thereof in assessment of metallurgy development level achieved by the population of the Mountain Shoria should be treated as speculations for the time being. Suggests another interpretation has been proposed for some of well-known archaeological sources. New materials about a metallurgy of the Kuznetsk Tatars are given, accumulated for the past 30 years. Found metallurgical complexes can’t be identified unequivocally without competent morphological evaluation of а slag and structures, or without special technological and chemical analyses. Proposes hypotheses aimed at removing most of the contradictions in interpretation of all types of sources. Further focused archaeological research of this topic can shed a new light on economical adaptation of the South Siberian natives and transformation of their practices caused by contact with the Russian people.
The atlas contains plans, maps and their fragments to the history of one of the oldest cities in ... more The atlas contains plans, maps and their fragments to the history of one of the oldest cities in the south of Western Siberia - Kuznetsk (now Novokuznetsk, Kemerovo Region).
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Papers by Yury Shirin
archaeologists often face the difficulty of attributing inventory. An example
would be massive iron axes with a solid tubular lug and one-sided sharpening.
In scientific publications and museum exhibits they are often represented as
the late Middle Аgеs cold arms. The article presents a selection of axes in the
amount of 95 copies, identified throughout the whole Eurasia space from France
to the Far East, given the physical parameters of some samples, expressed the
opinion of their dating XIX – 1-st half of the ХХ century. The pragmatics of
using these axes as a specialized carpentry tool is also argued.
* The authors put into the title a line from the V. Vysotsky song “The bride ceremony”
because of a pun. The meaning of the poetic phrase is that the geese mentioned in a
series of other things in the text are not related to the essence of the main narration. In
turn, the essence of the article consists in the argument that an axe type, referred to in
English-speaking countries as a “goose wing” incause of its characteristic shape, has no
relationship with cold arms, as some archaeologists insist.
V.N. Chernetsov determined 2 groups of bronze items. The first group concludes the casting of bad quality with characteristic features of the temperature abuse. The second one is the casting of high quality, generally the casting from white bronze. V.N. Chernetsov explained that these groups differ technologically from each other because of the local production and the import. But lately there is an opinion that metal-makers of The Nizhnyaya Ob produced the items of the second group themselves. We tried not only to test this hypothesis, but we wanted to determine if there is the chronological component (not only the cultural one) in the variety of bronze items. That’s why we analyzed not only the morphological characteristics of these objects but the alloy composition as well.
The main conclusion is not new: bronze items of Ust-Poluy are heterogeneous by reconstructed characteristics of the technological complexes tied to their production. By virtue of the reconstruction of the technological complexes we can speak about the next step: determination of the possibility of their realization under conditions of the cultural environment of The north Taiga. Characteristics of the elaborate handicraft industry were determined due to the examination of some bronze items, this is the mark of the import. Analyzing the alloy composition of the items of Ust-Poluy we discovered some technological traditions. More ordered formula is typical for the items of the «import» groups.
Shale models were examined by us too, they could be used as matrixes for producing the casting forms. But the absence of series-produced items, fragments of used forms, the morphological characteristics of the bas-relieves, and the absence of the casting forms from shale contradict this idea. We can suppose that «shale models» could have other role as some explorers thinks.
archaeologists often face the difficulty of attributing inventory. An example
would be massive iron axes with a solid tubular lug and one-sided sharpening.
In scientific publications and museum exhibits they are often represented as
the late Middle Аgеs cold arms. The article presents a selection of axes in the
amount of 95 copies, identified throughout the whole Eurasia space from France
to the Far East, given the physical parameters of some samples, expressed the
opinion of their dating XIX – 1-st half of the ХХ century. The pragmatics of
using these axes as a specialized carpentry tool is also argued.
* The authors put into the title a line from the V. Vysotsky song “The bride ceremony”
because of a pun. The meaning of the poetic phrase is that the geese mentioned in a
series of other things in the text are not related to the essence of the main narration. In
turn, the essence of the article consists in the argument that an axe type, referred to in
English-speaking countries as a “goose wing” incause of its characteristic shape, has no
relationship with cold arms, as some archaeologists insist.
V.N. Chernetsov determined 2 groups of bronze items. The first group concludes the casting of bad quality with characteristic features of the temperature abuse. The second one is the casting of high quality, generally the casting from white bronze. V.N. Chernetsov explained that these groups differ technologically from each other because of the local production and the import. But lately there is an opinion that metal-makers of The Nizhnyaya Ob produced the items of the second group themselves. We tried not only to test this hypothesis, but we wanted to determine if there is the chronological component (not only the cultural one) in the variety of bronze items. That’s why we analyzed not only the morphological characteristics of these objects but the alloy composition as well.
The main conclusion is not new: bronze items of Ust-Poluy are heterogeneous by reconstructed characteristics of the technological complexes tied to their production. By virtue of the reconstruction of the technological complexes we can speak about the next step: determination of the possibility of their realization under conditions of the cultural environment of The north Taiga. Characteristics of the elaborate handicraft industry were determined due to the examination of some bronze items, this is the mark of the import. Analyzing the alloy composition of the items of Ust-Poluy we discovered some technological traditions. More ordered formula is typical for the items of the «import» groups.
Shale models were examined by us too, they could be used as matrixes for producing the casting forms. But the absence of series-produced items, fragments of used forms, the morphological characteristics of the bas-relieves, and the absence of the casting forms from shale contradict this idea. We can suppose that «shale models» could have other role as some explorers thinks.