Pages: 187-197 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.55086/sp255187197

The study of radial and lobed temporal rings (headpieces, earrings) in the light of annalistic data on the settlement of the Radimichi, Vyatichi, and Severians has been going on for more than 125 years. The common origins of both these “tribes” and their most specific jewelry in the Romny culture have been determined. The north-west of Chernigov land (hereinafter, Bryansk region of the Russian Federation) is a “junction” of these three single-culture areas of the 11th—12th centuries, along with the Romny culture that preceded them, and the Baltic territories. This provides a fruitful opportunity to study the chemical composition of ray and blade rings of different types originating from one region of Ancient Rus’ in contamination with their ethnocultural attribution. The chemical analysis was carried out in the BSU laboratory. According to its results, the most direct technological heir of the rings of the Romny culture of the 10th century are the beam rings of the Severians of the 11th century (group V according to E. Shinakov, 1980) (silver is gradually replaced by tin in alloy with copper), and the rings of the Radimichi (group III) are a technological innovation, consisting mainly of copper, as well as the still disputable ethnocultural attribution of the “Desna type” rings. The Vyatichi paddle rings, by their chemical composition (tin bronze), are apparent heirs of the rings of group V (“post-Northern”), but not of the rings of the “Desna type”.

Keywords: chemical analysis, radial temporal rings, the Romny culture, the Severians, the Radimichi, the Vyatichi, the Desna region

Information about authors:

Evgenii Shinakov (Bryansk, Russian Federation). Doctor of Historical Sciences. Bryansk State University named after Academician I.G. Petrovski. Bezhitskaya St. 14, Bryansk, 241036, Russian Federation
E-mail: [email protected]
ORCID: 0000-0002-7151-9948
Sergei Kuznetsov (Bryansk, Russian Federation). Candidate of Chemistry. Bryansk State University named after Academician I.G. Petrovski. Bezhitskaya St. 14, Bryansk, 241036, Russian Federation
E-mail: [email protected]
ORCID: 0000-0002-6885-6433
Vladislav Piskunov (Bryansk, Russian Federation). Independent researcher.
E-mail: vladpiskunov[email protected]