Pottery of the Russian Population of Western Siberia of the 17th – 18th Centuries: Production Technology and Chronology

Abstract

Introduction. The purpose of the study is to develop a chronology of the existence of pottery of the Russian population of Western Siberia in Modern times. The task is to identify and analyze chronologically significant signs of pottery from archaeological complexes of Modern times. The processing of dated archaeological complexes containing ceramic material served as the basis for determining the chronology of pottery. To build a chronological scale of Russian ceramics of Modern times, a technical and technological analysis of ceramics from urban monuments: Mangazeya, Tobolsk. The definition of ceramic production technology was based on the historical and cultural approach of ceramics research proposed by A. A. Bobrinsky. The analysis of ceramic manufacturing technology includes the following sections: the study of the composition of the molding masses, the method of constructing the vessel, methods of surface treatment, firing.
Results. Ceramics from the layers of the Tarsk fortress of the 17^th and 18^th centuries are analyzed. The most common recipes for clay paste are the following: clay + sand, clay + chamotte, clay + organic. Most of the dishes are made on a circle or by sculptural modeling with modification on a circle and fired in a reducing medium. The ceramics of the Tobolsk Kremlin are made of clay paste consisting of clay, sand of different sizes and concentrations, clay and organic, clay +stone. It is made by sculptural modeling with modification on a circle, fired in a reducing medium. Typical for Mangazei ceramics are admixtures of sand, chamotte, dry clay and organic. The dishes were made sculptural by tape with a hand-made potter’s wheel.
Conclusion. Three chronological periods were revealed. The predominance in the first quarter of the 17^th century of polished tableware, in the third quarter of the 17^th century of ceramics made entirely on a potter’s wheel, an increase in the variability of additional surface treatment. The 18^th century was characterized by a greater variety of ornamented and glazed ceramics, and a new shape named “krynka” appeared. The morphological features of the profiling of the corollas of pots during the selected periods are revealed. Further analysis of ceramics from reliably dated archaeological complexes will allow us to create detailed chronological scale for Russian Siberian ceramics.