A Settlement Site of the Golden Horde Period in the Area of Ulan-Khol Village in the Lagansky District of the Republic of Kalmykia

Abstract

The paper discusses a visually identified archaeological site of the Golden Horde period located in an understudied area of the Republic of Kalmykia. The surface finds are represented by fragments of brick ornamented with ceramics, a spindle, copper coins, lead items with direct counterparts in the Golden Horde antiquities of the Lower Volga, Northern Caucasus, Byzantium, and other regions. Brick and slag of melted brick, traces of metal processing in the form of lead splashes and copper smelting waste indicate the presence of craft production in the settlement. The presence of ceramics from the Lower Volga region, North Caucasus and the territory of the Trebizond Empire at the site allows the authors to assume that this was a small settlement possibly located on a caravan route from Majar to Hajji Tarkhan and further to Sarai. In this case, the archaeological site can be interpreted as a caravanserai. The settlement should be studied across wider areas using modern technologies and excavation methods.

Keywords

• archaeology
• 14th century
• republic of kalmykia
• ulan-khol
• golden horde period
• caravan routes
• ceramics
• brick
• copper coins