NEW LOOK TO THE FIRST GLASSMAKING WORKSHOP DISCOVERED IN KYIV PODIL

In 1950 V. A. Bohusevich carried out the first stationary excavations in Kyiv Podil which unearthed the archaeological sites with remains of ironwork, glasswork and woodworking. One of them, an assemblage with the remains of glass processing was interpreted as a workshop where bracelets, rings and smalt were made. It was dated by a copper coin of Alexei Comnenus to the years of his reign — 1081—1118. However, despite such a craft complex was found in Podil for the first time, and despite the extreme lack of archaeological data on the only workshop, previously known in Kyiv thanks to the excavations of Vikentiy Khvoika in 1907-1908, publications were limited to brief mentions of it, leaving its complex of finds out of the context. The collection of finds from V. A. Bohusevich excavations as well as field documentation and the excavation report are stored in the Institute of Archaeology of the NAS of Ukraine which allows to refer to the source base. The paper provides the publication of this complex of finds at the first time, and interpretation of the material in the light of modern archaeological concepts. The attention, first of all, is directed to two main categories of finds, which are the glass and fragments of pottery, the most numerous in the collection. Both of these categories as well as the amphorae fragments highlight the analogies in later archaeological complexes than previously thought. Well-dated archaeological features show the similarities with materials from the 12th and 13th centuries. This allows us to refine the dating of this assemblage towards a later one. We cannot conclude confidently that the glass manufacture was located here because these conclusions require certain evidence, such as a glass-making furnace, raw materials, remnants of production, and rejected products. The remains of the real glass furnace have not been found in situ as well as most of the other components. However, given the presence of certain materials such as: bricks with riveted liquid glass, fragments of trading glass, bracelets of certain types and colors with the same size ratio, it may indicate that a certain glass-making complex may have been located nearby.