Pages: 599-639

The article introduces two new and previously unpublished burial places for nomadic warriors from the burial mound “Molokanova Shchel” (near the village of Praskoveevka — Gelendzhik, Krasnodar Krai). Both burials of 35—45 year-old men were accompanied by certain sets of weapons — quiver kits, sabers and a spearhead. One of them contained a helmet composed of 4 parts and an ax; the other one contained the remains of a wooden shield with metal parts. Determining the dating of both complexes in the framework of the Golden Horde time, the authors dwell in detail on the attribution of the helmet and the remnants of the shield, linking their appearance in the Northeast Black Sea Coast with the resettlement here of the black hoods from the Southern Russia in 1260s. This raises the question of the need to take into account the contribution of the “pre-Mongol” Eastern European nomads, trapped inside the Golden Horde along with much of their traditional material culture, in modern disputes about the sources of armament of the population of the Golden Horde.

Keywords: North-Eastern Black Sea Region, Golden Horde, nomads, military affairs, armament, combat headgear, shields

Information about author:

Alexander Dmitriev. Non-public joint-stock company “Heritage of the Kuban”. Krasnoarmeiskaya St., 16, Krasnodar, 350063, Russian Federation.
E-mail: [email protected]
Evgeny Narozhniy. Doctor of Historical Sciences. Non-public joint-stock company “Heritage of the Kuban”. Krasnoarmeiskaya St., 16, Krasnodar, 350063, Russian Federation.
E-mail: [email protected]