Fragments of Architectural Details from Excavations of Alushta Burial Ground
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24852/2587-6112.2025.5.164.170Keywords:
archaeology, Crimea, Alushta, 14th century, stone sculpture, Seljuk style, Horde way of life, medieval temple, chancel screen, tombstoneAbstract
Excavations of the Alushta necropolis were carried out successively by N.V. Pyatysheva, E.V. Veimarn and Yu.V. Kukharenko in 1950–1951. Since none of them introduced the results of their studies into scientific circulation, archival resources – excavation reports, field diaries, collection inventories, measurement drawings, old photographs and other documents, as well as partially surviving finds, especially individual architectural details – are of primary importance for a correct understanding of the remains of the temple discovered there and an objective assessment of various interpretations published in later periods by other specialists. In particular, it was discovered that fragments of a carved limestone product, which were recently found in museum collections, belonged to a slab, possibly from a chancel screen or a tombstone, the front face of which was decorated with a continuous geometric ornament, that is typical for local stone sculptures of the Golden Horde period. Other lapidary finds are represented by a fragment of relief wickerwork and a cornice pattern. It is also suggested that heavily damaged iron objects, usually interpreted as the remains of window grilles, could in fact have been votives in the form of iron crosses, the use of which has been noted on many church buildings in the region.
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