Lead Ingots and Products Made of Materials from Samosdelka Settelment

Abstract

Samosdelka settlement in the Volga delta is the archaeological remains of the city of Saqsin. Common finds for this area are lead ingots, both individual and in the form of hoards. Some of the ingots have a correct geometric shape, some imitate certain objects, while others are shapeless, and there are also many ingot pieces. The medieval traveller Abu Hamid al-Garnati, who lived in Saqsin, wrote that the inhabitants of the city used tin ingots in trade. It is likely that he actually meant lead, since in medieval alchemy, lead and tin are identical. The material of the largest hoard of lead products from a semi-dugout of the 12th century with a total weight of 412.328 kg has allowed to identify individual categories of the ingots. A certain relationship has been traced with the measures of weight widespread in the medieval East. In this case, it should be stated that a large weight error is in place. Only a small number of ingots fall within certain weight standards. Most of the ingots in hoard treasure are randomly shaped. Only geometrically correct ingots can be subdivided into three groups, which generally correspond to the weight norms of ratl, mann and large Khorezmian mann. These ingots can be conventionally considered exchange equivalents or weights. Small ingots could serve as a means of exchange, or “fractional coins”. The weight and cost correspondence has been established more precisely for original products − gryvna-shaped ingot, trapezoidal weights.

Keywords

• archaeology
• samosdelka settlement
• the city of saqsin
• the middle ages
• lead ingots
• weight and monetary standards
• exchange equivalent