Golyshkin A.O., Medvedev A.P. Pottery Complex from the Upper Don Fortified Settlements of the Sarmatian Period
Alexander О. Golyshkin, Postgraduate Student, Department of Archaeology and Ancient History, Voronezh State University, Prosp. Moskovskiy, 88, 394052 Voronezh, Russian Federation
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Aleksandr P. Medvedev, Doctor of Sciences (History), Professor, Head of the Department of Archaeology and Ancient History, Voronezh State University, Prosp. Moskovskiy, 88, 394052 Voronezh, Russian Federation
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Abstract. The article analyzes the pottery from Upper Don fortified settlements of the Sarmatian period (1st –mid-3rd centuries AD). In addition to fibulae, buckles, mirrors, and jewelry, an important archaeological marker of the Upper Don fortified settlements is represented by gray clay pottery ware similar to Sarmatian grave goods. There are about 2,800 pottery units found in the cultural layer and buildings: 50 whole and 2,750 fragments, which make it possible to determine the vessel type. The authors have developed a typology based on upper profile parts of vessels and divided the pottery into four groups with different origins: 1. Gray clay pottery ware (dishes, jars, and large pots) typically referred to as ‘Sarmatian’, although it was more likely made in the Maeotian or Northern Caucasian manner; 2. Fragments of Greek amphorae; 3. Sarmatian handmade ware – both domestic (pots) and ritual (censers); 4. Local handmade ware (absolutely dominated the cultural layer of the settlements). The local handmade ware is significantly different from Sarmatian ware both in its shape and technology. It includes three main pot types demonstrating the preservation of the Scythian period ware-making traditions. There are some considerable changes in the ornamentation of vessel rims, with mainly oblique incisions. The authors note that the cultural layers of Upper Don fortified settlements contain many covers with hollow handles – a phenomenon characteristic of the southern East European cultures dating back to the first centuries AD. They also draw attention not only to various correlations of pottery and handmade ware in the cultural layers of fortified settlements but also to the distinction of handmade ware sets from some sites. In general, the pottery complex from the Upper Don fortified settlements reflects the ethnocultural situation on the northern fringes of Sarmatia, which formed as a result of the Sarmatians’ interactions with various groups of local sedentary populations.
Key words: Upper Don, fortified settlements, Middle and Late Sarmatian cultures, pottery, typology.
Citation. Golyshkin A.O., Medvedev A.P., 2025. Keramicheskiy kompleks verhnedonskih gorodishch sarmatskogo vremeni [Pottery Complex from the Upper Don Fortified Settlements of the Sarmatian Period]. Nizhnevolzhskiy Arkheologicheskiy Vestnik [The Lower Volga Archaeological Bulletin], vol. 24, no. 2, pp. 40-55. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15688/nav.jvolsu.2025.2.3
Pottery Complex from the Upper Don Fortified Settlements of the Sarmatian Period by Golyshkin A.O., Medvedev A.P. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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