Bulgarian Bone Details of the Equipment of Horse and Rider of the X–XIV Centuries

Abstract

The paper presents a typology of bone details of a horse and rider of Volga Bulgaria and Bolgar Ulus of the Golden Horde in terms of artifacts of 6th Bulgarian sites: Bilyar, Bolgar, Suvar, Staro-Kuibyshev fortified settlements, Ostolopov settlement and Bilyar of the Golden Horde period (III Bilyar settlement). Bone and antler were used in a manufacture of horse clasps for hobbles, halter fasteners, horse pendants, girth clasps, halter plates, waist onlays, belt loops, swivels. More than half of the items come from the collection of Bolgar, and a third belong to the collection of Bilyar. Finds that appeared only in Golden Horde period were identified. They include waist onlays and belt loops. More over, belt loops are dated narrowly – 40-50 years of the 13th – the beginning of the 14th centuries. Such items were status and were rare. In the pre-Mongol Volga Bulgaria born and antler were used for making the horse equipment: the halter fasteners, the horse clasps for hobbles and the girth clasps. The girth clasps were typical precisely for pre-Mongol period. The origins of pre-Mongol Bulgarian horse and rider equipment lay firstly in Khazar Khaganate. The investigated material demonstrates link with local Finno-Ugric population, with Russia and with nomadic steppe.

Keywords

• archaeology
• bone products
• volga bulgaria
• golden horde
• bilyar
• bolgar
• girth clasps
• swivel
• belt loops
• bone manufacturing
• rider