The Purpose of Vessels Wrapped in Birch Bark, according to Archaeological and Ethnographic Sources
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24852/2587-6112.2026.1.136.144Keywords:
archaeology of Modern times, archaeology of St. Petersburg, Okhtinsky Cape, Nienschanz, Nien, Okhtinskaya shipyard, black-flattened ceramics, irrigation ceramics, birch bark braid, Christian Gottfried GeislerAbstract
The article deals with the definition of the functions of such a category of finds as vessels in a birch bark braid, using the example of the Okhta-2 site. There are 4 obvious functions: repair of vessels using birch bark ties, strengthening to protect against breakage, keeping food in the cold and protecting hands when placing the vessel in the oven. The possibility of repairing and strengthening vessels was illustrated in the works of Belarusian ethnographers N. Y. Nikiforovsky and E. M. Sakhuta. The use of black-lined vessels wrapped in birch bark is reflected in the engravings of Christain Geisler and his ethnographic notes on life in Russia. The vessels found in birch bark braid date from a wide range of the end of the XVIII – the end of the XIX century. According to written references and sketches, black-lined braided jugs can be attributed to the life and everyday life of the most famous "Petersburg type" – okhtinky milkmaids.
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