Moulded Jewelry of the Kazan Tatars: experience of ethnic-archaeological and technological study

Abstract

From the variety of moulded artifacts studied by the authors, it is obvious that the Kazan Tatar craftsmen were familiar with elementary and rather complex casting technologies. Casting from a ready-made model into closed earthen moulds was the simplest and most widespread. This is how most of the moulded jewelry was made. “Splash" casting and casting on a melted wax model were known among the complex methods. They are of particular interest in terms of identifying the origins of casting technologies closely related to the medieval traditions of the Turkic, Finno-Ugric, Slavic ethnic groups of Eurasia. In different periods of ethnic-cultural history, the casting work was at various stages of technological evolution, which is explained by a number of historical reasons, particularly related to the assay legislation of the Russian Empire.

Keywords

• archaeology
• ethnography
• the tatars
• metal art pieces
• casting technologies
• ethnic traditions
• ethnic-cultural relationships