Stamped Pottery Featuring Turquoise Glaze Excavated at Golden-Horde Solkhat

Archaeological researches of Golden-Horde city of Solkhat and its close environs uncovered local and imported stamped pottery originating from the layers from the late-thirteenth to the early-fifteenth centuries. The group of imported glazed ware from Golden-Horde Solkhat and its environs consists of the fragments of vessels made of kashi, celadon, Spanish lustre, as well as stamped yellow-clay and imported red-clay vessels from other areas of the Ulus of Jochi. Especially interesting are embossed yellow-clay artefacts showing the ornament with under-painting of blue (turquoise) glaze. These vessels are globular, with a high conical neck, widening towards the top. As a rule, they are single-handled: the vertical handle of specifically profiled cross-section, the upper junction is located in the middle of the neck, the lower one in the upper body. The bottom rests on a high, slightly conical ring-foot. The place where this ware was made is a matter of discussion. As the finds in question are rare, I. V. Volkov has supposed that they were produced for a short period of time. In Solkhat, they originate from the assemblages dating back to the second half of the fourteenth century. Most likely, the Crimean Yurt of the Golden Horde got these embossed yellow-clay jugs with the population migrating to Solkhat. These artefacts are very few in number on the territory of the settlement and in its close environs. So far, the place where they were produced remains obscure; however, the researchers have suggested that they could have been made in the North Caucasus region, in the city of Madzhar. Stamped ware with turquoise glaze painting, excavated at the medieval city of Solkhat, are published for the first time.