Suchergebnisse

Introduction. The focus of this study is on the material culture of one of the major cities of south-eastern Taurika Sugdeja in the 12th and early 13th centuries, as well as archaeological sources that allow to highlight stratified archaeological complexes and horizons of that time. Special attention is paid to the justification of chronological indicators presented by household objects, decorations, objects of Christian cult and imported red clay glazed ceramics. The latter, based on modern chronological developments and the archaeological situation, is the most important indicator. It is common to combine this pottery into a group of Middle Byzantine Production (MBP).

Methods. The standard methods, which are usually involved for the study of archaeological materials, are used in the work: stratigraphic, typological, and comparative.

Analysis. The materials from decades of excavation in Sudak, which are stored in archives and museum repositories now, have been studied again. As a result, 5 sites with layers of the 12th – early / first half of the 13th centuries have been located in the different part of the medieval site, including the port area, as well as more than two dozen finds of the MBP were attributed.

Results. The newly obtained data allowed us to conclude that Sugdeja occupied a rather large area during the studied period and the city continued to maintain contacts with the Central Byzantine lands during all this time. Moreover, the findings of different stylistic and chronological types of ceramics indicate the presence of such contacts both during the reign of the Komnenoi and Angeloi, and after the conquest of Constantinople by the Latins in 1204.

Introduction. Three exemplars of Middle Eastern fritware of the 12th–13th centuries, which were first discovered on the territory of a Byzantine town on the Eski-Kermen plateau during the excavations in 2018 and 2019, are presented in the article. They belong to the three different decorative groups, which had not been found in the Crimea before and are rather rare in the archaeological sites of Eastern Europe in general. Methods. The methods of archaeology and art history are involved in the study. First of all these are a stratigraphic method for the chronology of the contexts and artifacts, as well as a comparative method to identify the origin of finds. Analysis. The vessels under study belong to different decorative and stylistic groups of oriental ceramics. The plate and one jug find parallels among the products of the Raqqa workshops from the first half to mid 12th century and late 12th to mid 13th century. Another jug most likely comes from Iran and can be dated to the 12th–13th centuries. Results. These kinds of vessels were not very common outside the region of their production. At least we have very little information about these facts now. So the finds from Eski-Kermen are important for expanding the area of distribution of these types of fritwares. In addition, their presence in a small provincial Byzantine town indicates the residence there in the 12th–13th centuries of the local elites, who could get and own such expensive and quite rare things.