Origin and Date of Cast-Iron Moldboards from Southern Siberia
https://doi.org/10.17746/1563-0110.2024.52.1.080-088
Abstract
The study addresses the dating and provenance of cast-iron moldboards found in Southern Siberia (the Altai Mountains, Khakassia, and Tuva). For the first time, a similar artifact from the Katanda valley, Ust-Koksinsky District, Republic of Altai, is described. The traditional idea that such artifacts date to the Tang epoch (618–907) is unwarranted. New interpretations of inscriptions on moldboards are proposed, indicating ties with the metallurgic center in Qiyang, Shahe County, Hebei Province, China. Certain specimens could have been manufactured in Qiyang, while others may be local replicas of Chinese prototypes. The closest parallels are those from Northern China, dating to 900–1400 (Song, Liao, Western Xia, Jin, and Yuan states). Those from Southern Siberia likely date to th e 13th–mid-14th century, when that territory was part of the Mongol and Yuan empires. The appearance of Chinese moldboards and their replicas in Southern Siberia was caused by the establishment of military-agricultural settlements, and progress in agriculture and metallurgy under the auspices of Yuan governors, who needed food to supply the army.
Keywords
Supporting agencies: This study was supported by the Russian Science Foundation, Project No. 22-78-10121. The author expresses her deepest gratitude to N.V. Polosmak for providing materials and assistance in working on the article.
About the Author
M. A. Kudinova
Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Pr. Akademika Lavrentieva 17, Novosibirsk, 630090
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Review
For citations:
Kudinova M.A. Origin and Date of Cast-Iron Moldboards from Southern Siberia. Archaeology, Ethnology & Anthropology of Eurasia. 2024;52(1):80-88. https://doi.org/10.17746/1563-0110.2024.52.1.080-088
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