Reticulated Ceramics of Umilenie Settlement

Abstract

The paper addresses the reticulated ceramics discovered in 1927 by V.I. Smirnov during the excavation of Umilenie settlement located in the vicinity of Lake Galichskoye. The characteristics of reticulated ware are provided, their local features are outlined, and the specifics of ceramic complexes is determined. The collection includes reticulated ceramics with speckled and thread imprints, smoothed and shaded; ware decorated with speckled prints is predominant. The most common molding compound recipe is sandy ferruginous clay with debris. The ceramics was ornamented only with imprints only, and the edge of the pot was often decorated. A characteristic feature in the ornamentation of reticulated ceramics is outlined, which is a zigzag of pits, sometimes consisting of two rows, in the upper part of the vessels. Low-profile pot forms prevail; profiled ceramics with a prominent ribbed shoulder and jar-shaped ware are present in smaller numbers. Umilenie settlement is an important site, and the study of its ceramic material makes it possible to raise urgent questions concerning the formation of reticulated ceramic traditions at the turn of the Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age in the Kostroma Volga Region.