Bast shoes as archaeological material: origin, classification, restoration (the case of the finds made in Sviyazhsk and Kazan)

Abstract

The article is devoted to the study and restoration of footwear made of bast and birch bark in the 17th-19th centuries from the 2012-2013 archaeological excavations in Kazan and Sviyazhsk. Historical and archival research on the site combined with archaeological analysis allowed to clearly date each artifact. The study of archaeological footwear revealed the morphology of the items and their manufacturing technology. In order to preserve the unique finds, a system of restoration measures has been developed, which made it possible to restore the fiber structure. For conservation and restoration of the articles, a mixed methodology of processing archaeological finds made of textiles and wood has been applied. At the stage of items drying, a method that allowed retaining the form and color has been used. On the basis of analogies and the data of ethnography, it was determined that, according to the type of plaiting, the bast shoes found are characteristic of the local population, while a birch-bark unit refers to the northern (Novgorod) variety, whereas a bast shoe with interwoven leather straps finds an analogy in Moscow and Yaroslavl.

Keywords

• the Middle Volga region
• Sviyazhsk
• Kazan
• the Late Middle Ages
• the new time
• archaeological footwear
• bast shoes
• restoration
• morphology