La maiolica di Castelli (TE) nell’Adriatico Orientale fra XVI e XVIII secolo. Attuali conoscenze e prospettive di ricerca

Author(s): Van Verrocchio / Language(s): Italian Publication Year: 0

The Adriatic Sea has been for centuries a crossroads where different from each communities to ethnic, cultural and religious orientation have found an opportunity to meet, creating a dense set of relationships and cultural connections.The study of the evolution of dietary practices and convivial habits is an interesting observatory to deepen the knowledge on the interactions between these communities over the time. In this perspective the role of ceramics, as material well directly related to the consumption of food, acquires great significance beyond the mere value of commercial traffic indicator.Specifically the function of maiolica, pottery mainly linked to the tables, lends itself to shed light on the dietary practices and convivial table habits, where the socio-cultural identities are subject to numerous forms of contamination. The study of the diffusion of Italian maiolica on the east Adriatic coast is therefore a way to enhance our understanding of cultural influences between East and West in the early centuries of the Modern Age.This paper analyzes the phenomenon of the spread of Italian maiolica and in particular of that produced in Castelli (Teramo, Abruzzo) in the Eastern Adriatic in the Early Modern Age (c. 1550—1700). The recent interest of scholars on the circulation of post-medieval ceramics in the Eastern Mediterranean has highlighted new archaeological contexts that also returned maiolica from Castelli. The analysis of the state of knowledge firstly allows us to outline the contours of the phenomenon and then draw future research developments.

Vaisselier de santé dans le monde arabe (VIIIe—XVe siècles) : une restitution possible des usages grâce au croissement des sources

Author(s): Ibrahim Shaddoud / Language(s): French Publication Year: 0

The cross disciplinary comparison of sources enables us to ask questions about objects and practices by analysing and describing the functions, often lost, of certain types of pottery. This article is dedicated to pottery used by Islamic physicians — pots and pans, different types of jars. The texts, general medical manuals and dictionary written in Iraq, Syria, Arabia and Iran between the 8th and 15th centuries are an extremely valuable source of information on medicinal substances, recipes for compound remedies and utensils. A number of illustrations in Islamic manuscript depicting physician activities reflect contemporaneous medical practises. They could sometimes help us to understand the use of objects found in excavations. The archaeological material of my corpus comes from a range of sites in Syria, Lebanon and Iraq. By comparing the data, I present various pottery used in curative medicine in the Islamic world.

Ottoman Glazed Pottery Standardisation: The Belgrade Fortress Evidence for Production Trends

Author(s): Vesna Bikić / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

Glazed pottery from the Belgrade Fortress, already evaluated contextually and typologically, allow us to address some important issues of pottery production and craft specialisation in the Ottoman period (16th—17th centuries). In order to determine the degree of pottery standardisation, this article will analyse the main production parameters, such as shape, size/volume and production technology. The production organisation and craft skills in all aspects of pottery making are examined as well.

Circulation des potiers ou des modèles ? Production damascène de vaisselle ottomane « à la manière » d’Iznik

Author(s): Véronique François / Language(s): French Publication Year: 0

Archaeological excavations conducted by German and French teams in the citadels of Damascus and Aleppo in the early 2000s, occasional discoveries in the Middle East, Istanbul and Cyprus as well as the publication of ancient excavations highlighted a specific group of painted tableware made in a siliceous fabric. This Ottoman pottery has obvious stylistic similarities with the famous pieces manufactured in the Iznik workshops in the 16th and 17th centuries. This article is dedicated to the so-called Syrian Polychrome Ware probably manufactured in Damascus on a date that is difficult to specify. We will show how this Syrian Ottoman production was similar to the Iznik wares and how it differed. We will try to define the date of manufacture — probably in the late 16th and 17th centuries — and identify the potters. Were they itinerant craftsmen who knew how to make Iznik pottery and, changing their place of residence, were making similar bowls from different raw materials? Were they potters from Damascus, the descendants of the Mamluk craftsmen? In that case, did they have at their disposal the original? The status of these objects is also raised. They were not slavish imitations but Iznik derivatives — the copy was partial, incomplete and of uneven quality. The objective of the potters was not to copy to mislead the consumers but rather to take inspiration from the models to please. The study of archaeological finds and pottery preserved in European museums allows dealing with these issues.

Керамика Изника конца XV — XVI вв. из раскопок Нижнего двора Аккерманской крепости

Author(s): Svetlana A. Belyaeva,Elena E. Fialko / Language(s): Russian Publication Year: 0

The article deals with painted faience produced in the Turkish centre of artistic ceramics in İznik and dated by the end of 15th — 16th centuries. This collection comes from the excavations of 1999—2010 in the Lower Yard of Akkerman fortress in Belgorod-Dniestrovsk, Odessa Oblast, Ukraine. Statistical characteristic of the distribution of finds on architectural objects, as well as typological and chronological classification of materials, has been represented. The authors offer a comparative analysis by functional structure and main periods of development revealed in the Iznik artistic ceramics from Akkerman with collections from a number of the Ottoman provinces’ sites. They also propose a historical interpretation of possible ways how Iznik pottery could appear in Akkerman.

Малоазийская поливная керамика XV—XVIII вв. из раскопок в турецкой крепости Азак

Author(s): Irina R. Gusach / Language(s): Russian Publication Year: 0

In autumn 2004 archaeological expedition of Azov Museum-Reserve carried out excavations in the territory of the former Turkish fortress Azak in Azov (Rostov region). According to the maps, the boarders of the excavations in the street Genuezskaya 3 went along the North-Western outskirts of Venetian Tana and the Turkish part that was called (“Frank fortress”) by Evliya Çelebi in his famous “Travelogue”. It was the first time when archaeologists had an opportunity to research this old but unknown district of the town. During the archaeological work, which were stopped due to high level of underground waters, only three upper cultural layers of the late 17th—20th c. were studied. The special interest presents so-called “Turkish” layer of the late 17th — beginning of 18th c., connected with the existence of Turkish fortress of Azak. A great amount of glazed and unglazed ceramics, brought to the fortress from different corners of the Ottoman Empire, were found there. It is necessary to highlight glazed painted ware, produced in big ceramic centers of Asia Minor — Iznik and Kütahya. Among the earliest findings, there are fragments of red-clay glazed Iznik ceramics decorated with paintings in the style of “Milet”, dated back to the end of 15th — beginning of 16th c. Later objects from Iznik are represented by fragments of faience vessels of 16th—17th c. decorated with blue-and-white and polychrome underglazed painting. Faience coffee cups from Kütahya decorated with cobalt and polychrome underglazed painting are dated back to the 17th — beginning of 18th c.

Средневековая керамика из фондов Национального музея Татарстана (предварительное сообщение)

Author(s): Konstantin Aleksandrovich Rudenko / Language(s): Russian Publication Year: 0

The article considers the collection of medieval ceramics of the National Museum of the Republic of Tatarstan. It includes finds from archaeological sites of Volga Bulgaria and Golden Horde sites in the Volga region. The author traces the history of this collection back to the second half of the 19th century. Findings from F. Ballod’s digs in the Golden Horde’s capital cities, so far little known to the researchers, are of special interest. The author examines main approaches to studying medieval ceramics by Kazan archaeologists in the 20th century and defines various groups of ceramics, mainly from Bolgar hillfort.

Импортная глазурованная керамика Московского Кремля (по раскопкам 2007 г.)

Author(s): Vladimir Yu. Koval / Language(s): Russian Publication Year: 0

The archaeological excavations in the Moscow Kremlin carried out in 2007 uncovered a collection of imported glazed ceramics (146 samples). This is the most numerous collection of all previous finds of such ceramics in the Kremlin over more than 100 years.Sherds of vessels produced in the middle — second half of the 14th century in the Golden Horde towns in the Lower Volga region make almost half of this collection. Most of them are made of soft white Qashan (quartz-frits) decorated with polychrome (black-and-blue, black/green-and-blue-and-turquoise) painting, often with addition of white engobe. A very small group (about 5%) are sherds of red-clay ceramics with green transparent lead glaze without any decoration; these were manufactured in towns of the South-Eastern Crimea. Chinese celadons and blue-and-white faience make an unusually big group (1/5 of all finds), yet these vessels were represented only by small fragments found in 16th — 17th centuries layers. The Turkish faience (from Iznik) of the first half of the 16th century, which is a very rare find in Russia, make 13% of all finds. Including, sherds of vessels with red background, which are the first finds of this kind in Moscow and in Russia as a whole. The most enigmatic groups include sherds of imported plates without any decoration and bowls with brown decoration. These were likely produced in Asia Minor or in the Caucasus. Another type of vessels decorated by white engobe were probably imported from North-Western Europe — Holland or Germany (a tripod vessel).

Города в кочевых империях Внутренней Азии

Author(s): Nikolay Nikolaevich Kradin / Language(s): Russian Publication Year: 0

The urbanization processes on the Inner Asia during periods of the nomadic empires were studied. Xiongnu had rural settlements and towns, populated mostly by farmers. The Uighur Khaganate had a few fortresses and one imperial trading mega-city. The Liao Empire opened a new stage in the steppe urbanization. The annexation of a growing number of significant agricultural territories to the empire required creation of a more sophisticated mechanism of government. The Khitans built large cities with gorgeous temples and palaces to house the imperial court and the emperor’s officials. There were about fifty known Khitan towns. The excavations of towns show that their population was international. In the beginning of Genghis Khan nomadic empire, the Mongols quite soon felt the deficit of trained specialists in various trades. During the first decades of the existence of their empire, they organized a large scale mobilization of human resources. By means of the forced relocation of large masses of people, or through involving into this process a vast number of adventurers, profiteers and gentlemen of fortune, the Mongols set up the conditions for an unprecedented intercultural exchange and integration of cultures, religions and civilizations. Thus, the Mongol imperial cities appeared.

О некоторых предметах декорировки костюма и украшениях конца XIII — начала XV вв., связанных с золотоордынской традицией

Author(s): Svetlana S. Ryabtseva / Language(s): Russian Publication Year: 0

The items of costume decoration and adornments, produced in conformity with the Golden Horde traditions were spread quite widely, from the Volga region to the Balkans. They were worn by both the elite and the plain people. In some cases, local imitations are presented. Some of them (for example, metal tops of caps, earrings in the form of a question mark, a number of plaques for clothes, belt and bag) could be worn by the Adygei, Polovtsi, Early Russians, Lithuanians, East Romance and mixed Balkan population (up to Bulgaria and Macedonia).

Терминологический аспект в изучении однонефных храмов средневекового Крыма

Author(s): Vladimir P. Kirilko / Language(s): Russian Publication Year: 0

Smaller churches with one apse and the nave rectangular in plan — undomed and without pillars to divide its internal space in bays — are the most common type of medieval churches in the Crimea. Such religious structures, rather diversified, are spread across the peninsula and include the majority of all existing churches today. The choice of terminology plays an increasingly important role in their studies, due to controversial use of such terms as ‘basilica’, ‘single-nave basilica’ or ‘basilica-type building’ to define them. The present study led to the following three conclusions. 1. When making a choice between functional and architectural approach, if a definition of an archaeological object is required, the second approach should be preferred. 2. It is unacceptable either to refer to those church structures, which do not have such characteristic features as ‘basilican section’ and ‘basilican lighting’, as basilicas, or to attribute them to ‘basilican type’, in order to avoid distorting the mere idea of it as a structure and its architectonic. 3. ‘Single-nave temple’ seems to be the most suitable term to use for the typological identification of such buildings (or, the full term would be: ‘a church, rectangular in plan, with one-part nave and a semicircular/faceted ‘apse’), or a ‘chapel’.

Проблемът за средновековните сезонни селища от територията на дн. Югоизточна България (трансхуманс или номадизъм)

Author(s): Boris D. Borisov / Language(s): Bulgarian Publication Year: 0

The study addresses the problem of the medieval seasonal settlements from today’s South-Eastern Bulgaria. Three of them are located on the territory of the mining and electricity complex of “Maritsa-Iztok”. Two of them are entirely excavated and are situated on the land of Gledachevo village, the third one is partially studied and is located nearby Polski Gradets village, and the last one — in the area of “Shihanov bryag” nearby the city of Harmanly.Archaeological data undoubtedly points to the fact that there is no cultural layer in any of the seasonal settlements. There are neither archaeological materials nor artefacts excluding some pottery pieces. There are no graveyards, which once again is a proof of the brief habitation in these areas. According to the ethnographical data, there are four basic types of stock-breeding. The first is the so-called Alpine or mountain stockbreeding, the second one — transhumance, the third one — nomadism, and the fourth one — stationary livestock farming.The analysis of the archaeological and ethnographical data allows us to infer that, for the time being, there is no connection between seasonal settlements and transhumance or nomadism. Anyway, there is no doubt that they are related to the mobile stock-breeding.

Мнимое княжество Киркельское в Юго-Западном Крыму XIII—XV вв.

Author(s): Victor L. Mytz / Language(s): Russian Publication Year: 0

The brief overview of the current studies on Qirq Yer discussed here demonstrates that, in spite of all academic attempts, a number of questions regarding history of this place in 13th—15th centuries are still unanswered. The suggested dates for the Mongol conquest of the town in 13th century (1238, 1260, 1298/99) or 14th century (1342—1363) are not supported by archaeological evidence. No real sources of 13th—15th centuries are known to witness presence of Yashlau beys and Kudulak family (clan) in the Crimea. Not even khan’s jarligs of 1459 and 1468 released to the residents of Qirq Yer mention them. All along this period between the thirteenth and sixteenth centuries, no “Alan” or “Tartar” name of a prince of Qirq Yer is known, nor there is any information of whatever ‘principality’ that existed here. Hence, there are no grounds to discuss existence of a certain Kirkel Principality in 13th—15th centuries.

Образно-сюжетный репертуар восточноевропейского скифского звериного стиля: принципы и результаты классифицирования и кодирования

Author(s): Anatoliy R. Kantorovich / Language(s): Russian Publication Year: 0

In the context of steady growth of the archaeological material, the systematization and classification of the array of images of the Scythian-Siberian animal style becomes very important in order to create the uniform language for its description. The article presents an algorithm for classifying this source and substantiates the taxonomy and hierarchy of classification levels. The article presents main results of the classification of 2207 full-figured and reduced images of the Eastern European Scythian animal style (within the Scythian archaeological culture), identifying 345 morphological types. It is demonstrated by what way a set of images of the Scythian animal style can be formalized with the help of alphanumeric code. It is proposed to apply these principles of classification and coding to other local variants of the Scythian-Siberian animal style, which will provide a consolidated basis enabling their comparison.

Сарматское завоевание Северного Причерноморья (современное состояние проблемы)

Author(s): Sergey V. Polin / Language(s): Russian Publication Year: 0

The author addresses the problem of decline of the Great Scythia and the Sarmatian conquest of the Northern Black Sea region. The archaeological data suggest that there is no link between these events, because there is more than one hundred years between them. This idea, advanced twenty-five years ago, has been supported by new arguments over the past years. Nevertheless, new publications appear from time to time with different speculations on this issue based on obsolete arguments. These publications disregard modern condition of sources in the Northern Black Sea region. And they are relentless: the disintegration and disappearance of the Great Scythia and appearance of the Sarmatians in the Northern Black Sea region are not related and are separated by time.

К изучению жeнcкиx украшений из могильника с трупосожжениями Пржитлуки культуры с керамикой пражского типа

Author(s): Dagmar Jelínková / Language(s): Russian Publication Year: 0

The paper deals with some adornments from cremation graves of the Prague-type pottery culture (PTPC) in Přítluky. Written documents reveal that 3 graves yielded objects identifiable as bronze pendants. One grave contained a trapezoidal sheet-metal pendant with two rows of points at the lower edge, and fragments of another pendant, the second grave most probably contained fragments of a pendant of the same type, and the third grave yielded a part of an unspecified bronze pendant. Similar, mostly undecorated, trapezoidal pendants occurred, sometimes together with large trapezoidal pendants decorated with two rows of tiny points at their lower edge, in contexts of cultures of the Eastern European forest zone since the 5th century. Occurrence of such pendants among the finds of PTPC might represent a contribution of these cultures to emergence of new cultural units during migrations from the east to the west in the 2nd half of the 6th and in the early 7th century. The contacts in opposite west-eastern direction might be indicated by the occurrence of several Merovingian artefacts in Eastern Europe. Attention in this regard has been paid to buckles with trapezoidal shield with crosswise grooves at the base of the tongue, which occur with several cultures of the forest zone and one specimen was also found in a cremation grave of PTPC in the cemetery of Großprüfening, Bavaria.

Об особенностях морфологии и декора «волынских серег» с тиснеными подвесками

Author(s): Svetlana S. Ryabtseva / Language(s): Russian Publication Year: 0

The “Volhynian type earrings” are typical for the full jewelry dress of the population of Eastern Europe in the 10th — the beginning of the 11th century. We put the attention for the decorations with a hollow pendant, welded from two halves, which we selected in type “A” of “Volhynian earrings”. Their production on the territory of Old Rus’ is confirmed by finds of dies from the burial of a jeweler in the Peresopnytsky cemetery in Volhynian and at the Gnezdovo settlement in the upper reaches of the Dnieper River. Outside Eastern Europe, such decorations are known from the territory of Poland, Hungary and Sweden.The studied items vary by overall dimensions, design of the rings and suspension. The rings are especially different in size and set the decorating parameters, whereas the suspension, for all its morphological differences, does not differ much in length. There are two variants for rings. The first is a smooth ring. The second one is a smooth ring, unchained in the lower part; one more element is attached to it, creating the effect of “lunula”. Rings with lunula are very characteristic for this type of jewelry. Variants with simple rings are less common, but they bring these products closer to other varieties of “Volhynian earrings”. Pendants are significantly different in proportion (there are more elongated, there are broad, squat) and decor characteristics. Judging by the sufficient variability of the pendants, there were quite a few masters with dies and skills for making these complex elitist ornaments.

Природный ландшафт поселения Картал в эпоху энеолита

Author(s): Igor V. Bruyako / Language(s): Russian Publication Year: 0

The author uses palynological data to offer a reconstruction of landscape and climate in the vicinity of the Eneolithic settlement of Kartal. The pollen section should be considered extremely valid, since it is made in buried soil. The period of the Bolgrad-Aldeni accounted for the climatic optimum of the Holocene. This fact has been repeatedly pointed out by experts. This warm and humid cycle of oceanic climate largely contributed to the development of agrarian cultures of the early Eneolithic. Termination of life in Kartal in the period of the Bolgrad-Aldeni and subsequent population gap, which falls on the second half of the VI Millennium (5500—5000 BP), based on available data, was not accompanied by any abrupt climatic fluctuations. However, by the time Cernavoda I population appeared in Kartal, the climatic situation had become much less comfortable than in the Gumelnita period. In the most general terms, we can talk about a much more continental climate, general aridity and, consequently, low humidity.

Предисловие

Author(s): Sergei Gennadievich Bocharov,Ayrat G. Sitdikov / Language(s): English,Russian Publication Year: 0

«Крымский поход» Тимура в 1395 г.: историографический конфуз, или археология против историографической традиции

Author(s): Victor L. Mytz / Language(s): Russian Publication Year: 0

The author analyzes a historiographic tradition related to the so called Timur’s “Crimean campaign” (or of his protégé Edigu) in 1395, during the war with Tokhtamysh. According to this tradition, this campaign led to devastation of a significant part of the Crimea, including its most important urban centers — Chersonese, Mangup, Solghat, Caffa. A detailed comparison of written accounts and archaeological materials, however, does not prove this view. Information about Timur’s campaign in Crimea originates from a biased Egyptian source. Most of the other contemporary accounts — Greek, Latin and Armenian — “ignore” this catastrophe. The archaeological research does not yield any reliable data to prove that any of the Crimean towns were ruined in late 14 th c. Overall, it can be substantially inferred that Timur’s western campaign in 1395 did not affect the Crimean territory.