Weaponry of the upper Taz River Selkups according to metallographic studies (based on materials from the Kikki-Akki burial ground)

Abstract

The paper presents the analysis of the weaponry items (108 arrowheads, 2 spearheads, and 2 glaive heads) recovered from the 17th–19th cc. burial ground of Kikki-Akki (Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Taz River) of the Upper Taz Selkups, aiming at the reconstruction of the technology of their production. With the aid of the methods of metallographic analysis, it has been established that the production of ferrous metal weapons was carried out by professional craftsmen. As raw materials, blacksmiths used malleable blooms, without special additional processing, consisting of unevenly carbonized steel and, less often, of iron or a mixture of both. Operations of smith forging of hot metal constituted the basis of the technology for the production of weapons. While doing so, the main attention was paid to finishing the external forms of the products, without using complex technological schemes. The production process, as a rule, was taking place at an optimal heating temperature. In general, weapons, although being not of a high quality, complied with technical specifications for their use.

Keywords

• northern selkups
• armament
• metallographic analysis
• production technology