SHIELD-FINGERTIP OF AN EARLY IRON AGE ARCHER FROM THE EASTERN AMUR REGION*

The article presents the results of the analysis of a stone product with a hole, originally defined as a hollow. Analysis of morphological features, traces of the use of the object made it possible to establish its functional purpose as a shield for protecting the thumb when shooting from a rifle.

Key words: Eastern Amur region, Round Lake, Early Iron Age, Uril culture, Poltsevo culture, finger guard.

Introduction

In 2010, the collection of materials from the Polce culture (VII-VI centuries BC - IV century AD) from the settlement of Polce I (radiocarbon date of the VII-III centuries BC [Hong Hyun-woo, 2008, p. 19]) near the village of Kukelevo of the Jewish Autonomous Region, which is kept at the Institute of Archeology and Ethnography (IAET) SB RAS, a stone product with a hole was discovered. The label attached to the artifact says in pencil: "Kukelevo 1963, w-sh 1. Poltso, sq. 6D, floor". However, the item itself has a different cipher entry: "DV-62 / Co. -232". The image of the product was published by A. P. Derevyanko among the materials of the settlement of the Polish culture Kochkovatka II as loshchilo [1976, Table LX, 10], but on the artifacts from this monument there are the following cipher records " KCH-68 / N... "and" Koch-II-70/N...". Therefore, this hollow could not be in the collection of things from the settlement of Kochkovatka P. In the collections of the Institute of Electrical Engineering of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, a collection of objects (mainly ceramics) has been preserved, on which the same encryption abbreviation is indicated as on the stone hollow. It belongs to the monument Round Lake, located near the village of Kukelevo on the river. 1). Excavations of Early Iron Age settlements in the village of Kukelevo near old gas tanks and on Krugloe Ozero were conducted under the supervision of A. P. Okladnikov and N. N. Zabelina in 1962 (Derevyanko, 1973, p. 46). A settlement of the Uril culture was studied on Round Lake (hence the "Ko" in the entry on the subject under study). One dwelling was excavated here by A. P. Derevyanko in 1968. * * The Uril culture on the territory of the Eastern Amur region dates back to the end of the second millennium BC - the fifth century BC [Ibid., p. 53, 266; Grebenshchikov and Derevyanko, 2001, p. 6, 72].

Archer's Finger Guard

The stone "hollow" is made on a primary pebble chip (Fig. 2). As a result of chipping from the end edge

* The work was carried out within the framework of the project RGNF N 11-01-00258 (History of Siberia, Vol. 1: Siberia in antiquity and the Middle Ages) and NSh-4880.2012.6.

The author thanks Doctor of Historical Sciences V. P. Mylnikov for his help in preparing the photo material.

** The full content of the materials has not been published.

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Figure 1. Map of the location of the Round Lake monument.

2. Finger guard from the settlement of Krugloe Ozero. Here and further photo by V. P. Mylnikov.

an oval shape (length 3.84 cm, width 2.32 - 2.48 cm) and triangular in cross-section were obtained from river pebbles. Then the base of the blank was processed - it was given a concave shape. This work was done with a semi-circular or oval abrasive with a width of 1.5 cm, so the edges are clearly visible on the long sides of the base of the workpiece. The sampling depth relative to the edges of the blank is 1.0 - 1.5 mm. The entire surface of the base of the product is smooth, polished, on the side faces there is a slightly rough pebble crust.

One of the side faces also underwent additional processing - it was flattened. A small groove between the edge of the hole and the end edge of the product may represent a trace from the tool that was used to press the surface. As a result, a rounded edge appears on this side. The flattened surface (width 10 - 14 mm) was further polished, possibly during the use of the product. On it in the middle part-in the area approximately from the upper to the rounded edge of the object, as well as on the edge itself, there is a strip 6 - 10 mm wide of polished potholes. On the second side surface, without signs of additional processing, there are also visible dents, deeper and slightly polished.

A biconically shaped hole (inner diameter 3.6 mm, outer diameter approx. 6 mm). The axis of the hole is perpendicular to the plane of the edge of the product, but relative to the object as a whole is at an angle of approx.10°.

The presence of a concave base, a hole near one of the edges, flatness on one side of the strip and dents indicates that the product was used as a shield that protected the thumb from hitting the bowstring when shooting from an arrow. A strip of polished dents appeared as a result of the shock actions of the lowered bowstring. The flattened side of the shield probably served as a support for arrows (shelf), the rapid movement of which

3. Reconstruction of archery: shield on the left thumb, bow in the left hand, arrow to the right of the bow.

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4. Reconstruction of archery: shield on the left thumb, bow in the left hand, arrow to the left of the bow.

5. Position of the shield on the left finger and the bowstring in the lowered state.

b. Reconstruction of archery: shield on the right thumb, bow in the right hand, arrow to the right of the bow.

7. Position of the shield on the finger of the right hand and the bowstring in the lowered state.

Fig. 8. Ways to grip the bow handle with the left hand. 1 - low; 2-high.

3). The base of the shield could be additionally polished in case of loose fixation on the thumb. The movement of the shield on the finger is indicated by the presence of potholes on the flattened side of the object: the shield, which was attached to the finger with a loop threaded through the hole, could slide down during archery, so the bowstring strike partially fell on the upper part of the fingertip.

The finger guard could be used by both right-handed and left-handed users. When gripping the handle of the bow with the left hand, the shield was put on the thumb with an opening to the wrist. In this case, the arrow could be located on the right and left sides of the bow (Fig. 3,4). It is possible that when the bow was grasped with the left hand, the arrow was more often located to the left of it. This is evidenced by traces of potholes in the lower part of the shield closer to the hole (Fig. 5). When grabbing the bow with the right hand, the shield had to be turned outwards with the hole. The arrow could also be located to the left or right of the bow (Figs. 6, 7). This finger guard was used, most likely all-

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go, with the so-called shallow grip of the bow handle. With a deep grip, the bowstring strike would fall not on the phalanx of the finger, but on the wrist [Gordienko] (Fig. 8).

Conclusion

Such protective shields are very rarely found in the monuments of the Amur region. The closest analogue of the finger guard from Round Lake is a miniature clay "model of a thumb guard used for archery by almost all forest tribes of Siberia", found in the dwelling No. 2 of the settlement of the Poltsevo culture Amur Sanatorium in Khabarovsk [Okladnikov and Derevyanko, 1973, pp. 292-293; Derevyanko, 1976, p. 292-293]. p. 97]. This shield is a rectangular plate with rounded corners. One of its long sides is chamfered, perhaps like a Round Lake shield, to support the arrow shaft (shelf). The shield was fixed on the finger by means of a loop made of organic materials (rope, leather) passed through two opposite holes in the protrusions on the back side of the product (Fig. 9, 1). The only bone shield of the Middle Ages in this territory was found in border 277 of the Korsakov burial ground on Ussuriysky Island (Medvedev, 1991, p. 206, Table LXXXVI, 13; 2005, p. 114] (Fig. 9, 2).

It is possible that a stone shield in the form of a bear figurine was found in a burial of the beginning of the developed Bronze Age on Lake Baikal. 9, 4). The researchers who published the find consider it a pendant (Bobrov, Volkov, and Herman, 2010, p. 77, Fig. 1). However, the presence of a polished surface, as well as injuries on the torso and head, determines the similarity of this product with the Krugloozersk shield, and the opposite holes in the paws and the semi-oval cutout between the latter cause associations with the shield attachment scheme from the Amur Sanatorium. Among the Siberian peoples, giving the shield the shape of a bear, as well as the image of this animal on the fingers, was intended to protect the hunter from the blows of evil forces, as well as bring him good luck [Legends of Kazym, 2005, p. 49].

The data collected by A.V. Baulo on Siberian shields indicate that in ancient times they were made of metal: bronze finger guards were found in Yamal (II-III centuries AD) and in the Saigatinsky IV burial ground (XIII - XIV BB.), silver shields were brought to the Ob region from Volga Bulgaria (XII - XIII centuries). 9, 5-7) are also known from the Khanty [Ibid., p. 49; Baulo, 2002, p. 35, Fig. 44; Rudenko, 1929, p. 33].

In the ethnographic materials of the Amur peoples, such finger guards are absent. According to Yu. A. Sema, Nanais, Nivkhs, Orochi, Ulchi, Manegra, Orochons (men) "at the end of the XIX century. they wore a massive bone ring on their thumb, which served as a sign of maturity, "the ability to handle a bow and arrow." Its practical purpose was twofold: first, it protected the finger when shooting arrows, and secondly, it served as a horizon limiter" (1973, p. 230) (Fig. 9, 3).

9. Thumb protectors from archaeological (1, 3) and ethnographic (2, 4 - 6) finds. 1-Amur Sanatorium [Okladnikov and Derevyanko, 1973, p. 293]; 2-Korsakov burial ground [Medvedev, 1991, p. 206, Table LXXXVI, 13; 2005, p. 114]; 3-peoples of the Amur region [Sem, 1973, p. 230]; 4 - Utinkin burial ground [Bobrov, Volkov, Herman, 2010 fig. 1]; 5-7-peoples of the north of Western Siberia [Baulo, 2002, p. 35, Fig. 44].

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Thus, in the Early Iron Age and in the Middle Ages in the Amur region, plate guards were used to protect the thumb when archery. Perhaps they were made more often from bone and horn, which are poorly preserved in this region. Metal shields have not yet been found. Taking into account the Amur ethnographic materials, we can say that the main trend in protecting the fingers of the archer's hand was reduced to the disappearance of plate shields and the appearance of rings with the same practical functions among the Amur peoples.

List of literature

Baulo A.V. Cult attributes of the Berezovsky Khants. Novosibirsk: Publishing House of IAET SB RAS, 2002, 92 p. (in Russian)

Bobrov V. V., Volkov P. V., German P. V. Utinskoe pogrebenie [The Utin burial site]. - 2010. - N 4. - p. 76-84.

Gordienko G. Learn to shoot from a bow. - URL:/ / http: / / www. lukdeda. ru/ (accessed 02.12.11).

Grebenshchikov A.V., Derevyanko E. I. Pottery of ancient tribes of the Amur region (beginning of the Early Iron age). Novosibirsk: IAET SB RAS Publ., 2001, 120 p. (in Russian)

Derevyanko A. P. Early Iron Age of the Amur region. Novosibirsk: Nauka Publ., 1973, 356 p. (in Russian)

Derevyanko A. P. Priamurye (I millennium BC). Novosibirsk: Nauka Publ., 1976, 384 p. (in Russian)

Legends of Kazym: catalog. Khanty-Mansiysk: Polygraphist Publ., 2005, 58 p.

Medvedev V. E. Korsakov's burial ground: chronology and materials. Novosibirsk: Nauka Publ., 1991, 175 p. (in Russian)

Medvedev V. E. Nepokornykh Necropolis. Bolshoy Ussuriysky: an island of archaeological treasures // Nauka iz pervykh ruk [First-hand Science], 2005, No. 2, pp. 108-123.

Okladnikov A. P., Derevyanko A. P. The distant past of Primorye and the Amur region. - Vladivostok: Far Eastern Publishing House, 1973. - 340 p.

Rudenko S. Graficheskoe iskusstvo ostyakov i vogulov [Graphic art of ostyaks and voguls]. - 1929. - Vol. 4, issue 2. - pp. 13-39.

Sem Yu. A. Nanaytsy. Material culture (the second half of the XIX - mid XX centuries). Ethnographic essays. - Vladivostok: [B. I.], 1973. - 315 p.

Ceramics of the Polish culture in the East of Asia (V century BC-IV century AD): Author's abstract of the dissertation of the Candidate of Historical Sciences. Novosibirsk, 2008, 30 p. (in Russian)

The article was submitted to the editorial Board on 19.12.11, in the final version-on 10.01.12.

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