The Funeral Ware from Tikhvinsky Necropolis in Tsarevokokshaisk City: Preliminary Study Results

Abstract

The article is devoted to the results of conservation excavations of the Tikhvinsky necropolis, located in the territory of Yoshkar-Ola (former Tsarevokokshaisk) city, the Mari El Republic. The site dates from the late 17th to the early 20th century. In the course of the excavations, 781 burials have been studied. The majority of the burials had been executed in the Orthodox rite, containing a considerable number of Christian religion objects: baptismal crosses, medallions, and small icons. However, in many graves, objects indicating the presence of remnants of paganism in the funeral rite have been discovered. Among these, it is necessary to note the presence of the funeral ware – all in all 65 glass and ceramic vessels, almost half of them broken or damaged, which reflects the ancient ritual of "spoiling things". The classification of the funeral ware according to typological and technological features is offered. This category of grave goods is of great interest for the study of the funerary culture and everyday life of the population that inhabited Tsarevokokshaisk in the late 18th – early 20th centuries.

Keywords

• the Middle Volga river region
• the Mari El Republic
• the late 18th – early 20th centuries
• Tikhvinsky necropolis
• Tsarevokokshaisk city
• cult objects
• glass and ceramic funerary ware
• stamps