Potters’ Districts in Bolgar of the Golden Horde Period

Abstract

Many years of archaeological studies at Bolgar settlement have allowed to identify and determine the areas of a Golden Horde city which specialized in the production of pottery products. The existence of two main sites was established, where the potters' districts were located: in the area on the other side of the river and on the southwestern periphery of Lake Galankina. The districts were allocated based on the arrangement of large industrial complexes – pottery furnaces. In the first case, one can only talk about the nature of the organization of production and the composition of the products. In the second case, an analysis of the spatial location of residential buildings, industrial zone, necropolises, nearby monumental structures, fortification lines, as well as relief features allow to determine the boundaries of the pottery district of Bolgar in the Golden Horde period, and outline the principles of the organization of the internal layout of the area. The total area of the pottery district near Lake Galankina was at least 43.5 hectares. The period of existence of the specified area was short and occurred in the 1330s – early 1360s.

Keywords

• archaeology
• medieval city
• social topography
• craft
• pottery furnace
• middle volga region
• golden horde