Cast Iron Dishware from Juketau: preliminary interdisciplinary research results

Abstract

The work deals with the results of interdisciplinary research of cast iron dishware from the town of Juketau – one of the large towns of Volga Bolgaria which continued to exist in the period of the Ulus of Jochi (the Golden Horde). Information of dishware morphology are represented in the article. The archaeometric research is based on the investigation of the microstructure of cast iron samples with surface mapping using the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) technique. The microelemental composition was determined with the use of emission spectral analysis (ESA). The characteristics of the production technology were revealed as a result of studying the elemental and phase composition across the area of the transverse fracture and longitudinal polished section. The results of spectral analysis allow single out two primary groups with different trace impurities characterizing the distinctive features of raw material.

Keywords

• archaeology
• Juketau
• the Ulus of Jochi
• the “Golden Horde”
• 14th century
• medieval metallurgy
• cast iron dishware
• archaeometry
• scanning electron microscopy