Pages: 379-396
The author analyzes metal products found at the hillfort of Bolshiye Kuchugury in 1950—1970 as stray finds. Among them, of interest are a few iron tools for woodworking and agriculture, a mortar and a bracelet with benevolent inscriptions, a gold ring, and a silver ingot-sauma. The analysis of the cultural and chronological attribution of the discoveries showed that their dating doesn’t go beyond the second half of the 14th — first quarter of the 15th century. The latter doesn’t agree with the view of a number of researchers, according to which the hillfort of Bolshiye Kuchugury (Ordu city) existed until the middle — third quarter of the 15th century.
Trade development of population of the hillfort of Bolshiye Kuchugury is indicated by the discoveries of silver ingots-sauma. Products similar to the ones from “Kuchugury” were distributed across large territories of the Golden Horde. Absence of such discoveries at synchronous monuments in the Lower Dnieper region may indicate that their appearance in the region was not the result of trade links. Some of the products find direct analogies among the sites in the Volga region (Bulgar ulus) and moved along with the population of the Mamay Horde.
Keywords: Lower Dnieper basin, hillfort of Bolshiye Kuchugury, Golden Horde, Ordu city, stray finds, adzes, chisel, mortar, finger ring, ingots-sauma, bracelet
Information about author:
Mikhail Elnikov (Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine). Candidate of Historical Sciences. Zaporizhzhe National University. Zhukovsky St., 66, Zaporizhzhya, 69063, Ukraine.
E-mail: [email protected]