The article presents an ethnoarchaeological study of iron smelting as practiced by the indigenous population of Siberia. The relevance of it is accounted for by the fact that archaeological (pre-written) and ethnographic (written) data demonstrate continuous development of traditional iron metallurgy in the region since the early first millennium A.D. up until the early 20 th century. Author suggests that thanks to the common physical and chemical processes involved ethnographic descriptions of iron production can help us reconstruct iron smelting practices used even further back in time. The undertaken research yielded the following results. Firstly, Siberian iron smelters used different types of iron ore together and the choice of ore depended on the quality of iron required. Secondly, ethnoarchaeological data revealed that they also had different types of blacksmith's bellows at their disposal. Thirdly, the Siberian climate with its changing summer and winter seasons, as well as the quantity of iron needed, had an impact on the types of iron smelting furnaces developed within the same culture. Finally, the 18 th to the 20 th century written data indicate certain similarities in iron smelting technologies applied in different Siberian cultures, and that seems to constitute a basis reliable enough for reconstructing ancient technologies of the preliterary era.
В статье впервые публикуются итоги комплексных исследований городища Усть-Таган, входящего в состав Шайтанского комплекса археологических памятников на юге Томской области. Сделан вывод о том, что городище Усть-Таган в X-XIII вв. являлось опорным укрепленным пунктом, построенным у выходов железной руды для её добычи и охраны. Главными занятиями населения являлись черная металлургия и скотоводство с преобладанием в стаде лошади. Происхождение керамических традиций, представленных в материалах городища, следует искать в комплексах Верхнего Прииртышья. Появление в Верхнем Приобье скотоводов-металлургов, принесших с собой новые знания о производстве железа, скорее всего, объясняется распадом «кимако-кыпчакского» объединения и большими миграциями с территории Верхнего Прииртышья.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.