Ceramic Production of the Kulai Culture in the Novosibirsk Ob Region: Based on Materials from the Kamenny Mys Burial Ground

Abstract

Purpose. The Kulay Cultural-Historical Community was one of the largest formations in Western Siberia in the early Iron Age. The Kamenny Mys burial ground is located in the Kolyvan district of the Novosibirsk region. The study is devoted to the technical and technological analysis of 49 vessels of Kulay ceramics (Novosibirsk variant) of the Kamenny Mys burial ground. Results. It was determined that natural clays of medium plasticity, possibly pretreated, were used as the initial plastic raw material. The dominant recipe for the clay paste is clay + broken stone (68 %). The construction was carried out according to the tank-bottom program with the help of flaps. The hollow body was constructed using patchwork molding. Mainly mechanical smoothing processed the surfaces of the vessels. The firing of dishes could be carried out in fireplaces or hearths. Conclusion. Ceramic technology reflects the initial mixing of different pottery skills. Stability is retained by the substrate skills of the selection of the initial plastic raw material, the design of the beginning and the hollow body. Mixing is manifested at the level of adaptive skills – methods of composing molding materials and machining surfaces. Such a situation may be a consequence of the interaction of groups of the Kulay population with the carriers of the Bolsherechenskaya culture and the beginning of their mixing, which led to the fusion of technological pottery skills.