Problems of Chronology of Slavic-Russian Pottery of the 10th – 18th Centuries: Research Experience

Abstract

Purpose. Ceramics are the most popular material in the Slavic-Russian archaeological settlement sites. The aim of the work is to analyze the chronological schemes proposed by the researchers, created on the basis of ceramic materials of the Slavic-Russian settlement complexes of the European part of Russia and Western Siberia, to identify chronologically significant signs of pottery. Results. Various aspects of ceramic production were taken into account in the construction of chronological scales for ceramics of monuments of the European part of Russia. Researchers base their chronologies on the technological features of the production of tableware: the composition of the molding mass, the presence of impurities, the method of firing vessels and comparison with analogies from monuments for which a chronological scale has already been developed. In the chronology of Siberian ceramics, the experience is only based on the materials of Tobolsk. To distinguish the chronological columns, the Siberian authors use the analysis of the morphology of vessels, the color of the shard and a comparative analysis with the materials of the European part of Russia. Conclusion. To obtain reliable conclusions about the belonging of ceramics to a particular chronological period, it is necessary to take into account all factors, such as: the context of the occurrence of chronological groups in the layers, the morphological features of the corollas and vessels in general, the technology of production of dishes, comparative analysis with similar materials from clearly dated layers. Such a comprehensive examination of the ceramic material will make it possible to construct a chronological column for a particular monument with the greatest confidence. Given the amount of ceramic material on archaeological sites, the problems of creating a universal chronological scale, classification scheme and the use of unified terms are seen as very relevant.