Silk fabrics and webbings of byzantine and oriental origin in the costume of the inhabitants of Western Rusʼ: after burial
mounds materials from the territory of Belarus Cover Image

Шелковые ткани и золототканая тесьма византийского и восточного происхождения в костюме жителей Запад- ной Руси: по материалам курганных погребений на территории Беларуси
Silk fabrics and webbings of byzantine and oriental origin in the costume of the inhabitants of Western Rusʼ: after burial mounds materials from the territory of Belarus

Author(s): Kristina A. Lavysh
Subject(s): Archaeology, Ancient World
Published by: Institutul Patrimoniului Cultural al Academiei de Științe a Moldovei
Keywords: silk fabrics; silk webbings with gilt strips; silk embroidered webbings; Western Rusʼ; burial mounds; burials; social rank; costume;

Summary/Abstract: The article deals with the finds of silk fabrics, silk webbings with gilt strips and silk embroidered webbings from burial mounds on the territory of Belarus and their role in the costume of the inhabitants of Western Rus’. Currently there are known 13 points of these finds in 16 burials (Azaryany, Putilkovichi, Novy Bykhov, Lisno, Drutsk, Kamenka, Golshany, Minsk burial mounds, Poleevka, Virkov, Mayak, Garozhi, and Nadatki). Most of these finds are of byzantine origin, they are concentrated in the basin of the Dnieper and its confluents, which indicates the way of their movement. The burial mounds, where they were found, date back to the 11th-12th centuries. Silk fabrics and silk webbings found in the burial mounds on the territory of Belarus were used to decorate the dress details and headbands, which were not for everyday life but as a funeral costume closely associated with a ceremonial dress. In this case the size and the number of silk details is an indicator of the social rank of the deceased. The use of silk decoration does not depend on the sex and the age of the deceased. It was found both in female and male burials.

  • Issue Year: XIV/2018
  • Issue No: 2
  • Page Range: 148-158
  • Page Count: 11
  • Language: Russian