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The article deals with the pottery from the Sarmatian burial grounds of the Southern Urals and Western Kazakhstan. Pottery was placed in the graves of the representatives of all social stratums of the nomadic population. In more expensive imported dishes were usually placed. Sarmatian ceramics was actively used both in household and in religious ceremonies. Specially produced vessels for burial rites are found in the graves, as well as utensils already used in the household, including those repaired. The author points out the signs which prove that the pottery had been in household use before being placed in the grave: the presence of soot on the inner and outer walls of the vessels; grease stains and traces of boiling over liquid food; repair marks; (broken handles, chipped edges of the vessels, etc.); scuff marks and homemade polishing; the change of color on the surface the vessel and on the layers of the potsherds. The characteristics proving that the pottery was specially manufactured burial rites include: the use of raw materials with rough natural impurities; poor quality battering (uneven distribution of tempers); negligence in the moulding; short-term exposure to temperatures below 450 C during firing;) the absence of soot on the walls of the vessel; the absence of repair marks. The examination of the surface of the vessels and experimental work let the author make an assumption about the functional use of some types of pottery. |
