Purpose. The article presents results of studying the elemental composition and manufacturing technology of turquoise jewelry found in barrow 1 of the Ak-Dag I burial ground of the early Scythian time. Scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy were used to determine the elemental composition of the mineral. The presence and ratio of the number of elements in the table indicates that the items are made of turquoise. The basic elements of the mineral include oxides of copper, phosphorus, aluminum and iron. A relatively large amount of iron oxide gives turquoise minerals a more saturated green color. The composition of the samples under study is extremely rich in zirconium, which allows us to identify the field where the raw material was obtained.
Results. A traceological study of the artifacts considered was based on the proven methodology of experimental-traceological analysis. As a result of experimental and technological research, we conclude that the process of manufacturing occurred in three stages. Initially, the formation of the main planes of the workpieces and grinding of the ends took place. At the second stage the artifacts were drilled, the starting points of drilling were located at the narrow ends of the items. The traces of work that are visible on the artifacts indicate the use of easel, high-speed drilling. At the third stage the artifacts were processed with a fine-grained abrasive, as a result of which the final products were given a smoothed shape.
Conclusion. In general, the production technology of the artifacts considered can be described as relatively perfect. There were closest analogues of the products from the Ak-Dag I site found in the same region. A similar method of inclined drilling was also used by the Scythians of Altai on their stone products.
We describe two metal vessels, procured by looters and offered to D.G. Messerschmidt, who in 1722 traveled across southern Krasnoyarsk Territory. A bronze cup, judging by a description in researcher’s journal and by the accompanying drawing, resembled Old Turkic specimens. However, the hunting scene engraved on its body suggests Chinese provenance. A silver vessel from the vestry of Fort Karaulny church is peculiar to 7th–10th century Sogdian toreutics. It evidently belongs to a group of vessels with polygonal bodies, specifi cally to type 1—octagonal. Having been manufactured in Sogd, polygonal vessels were exported to China. Chinese jewelers copied the form of “wine cups” and adorned them with traditional fl oral designs and various scenes. An octagonal silver cup with an Uyghur inscription, found in 1964 in a kurgan at a medieval cemetery Nad Polyanoi, was likewise manufactured by Tang artisans. Other polygonal silver cups are listed—heptagonal and sexagonal. It is concluded that vessels made of precious metals testify to stable trade relations that emerged in 700–1100 and connected Siberia with Sogd and the Tang Empire.
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