Pottery from the 2023 Excavations at the Ken-Bulun Settlement (Kyrgyzstan)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24852/2587-6112.2025.3.331.349Keywords:
archaeology, Middle Ages, Central Asia, pottery/ceramics, tableware, pottery technology, clay, inclusionsAbstract
This paper deals with the results of the study of frequent pottery from two excavation areas at the Ken-Bulun settlement in 2023. In both sections, there is a predominance of handcrafted ceramics, previously divided into groups 1 and 2. Group 1 is mainly represented by tableware, group 2 — by kitchen and transport ware. During study the technology of making ceramics, another way of preparing molding paste has been revealed — using a mixture of two natural clays in a wet state, one of which contains a large amount of iron oxide, the other contains a very small amount of it. However, the prevailing tradition is to use only red clay. Three recipes prevail in group 1: clay without temper, clay + organic, clay + organic solution. In groups 2 and 3, the clay+soil +organic solution recipe prevails. In addition to the bulk of pottery, which fits into the previously presented classification, there are fragments of vessels and products that go beyond its scope. These include fragments of jugs decorated with streaks of paint, vessels made of pure clay without mineral inclusions, with a smoothed and polished surface, as well as disc-shaped items with cross-like cutouts.
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