Glazed Pottery of Bilär Hillfort: Typology Analyzed

Abstract

Introduction. The paper discusses glazed pottery of the pre-Mongol era discovered within excavation section 44 of Bilär hillfort between 2015 and 2018. Earliest explorations of the archaeological site date back to the beginning of the 18th century but the first archaeological survey proper — that included a few shovel test pits — was conducted by A. Bashkirov in 1929. However, it was only in 1967 that A. Khalikov as head of the Bilär Archaeological Expedition arranged systematic investigation of the site. Studies of glazed ceramics from the pre-Mongol era became a priority area but its classification was never developed. Goals. So, the work attempts a description and systematization of the unique archaeological materials. Materials and methods. The work analyzes glazed pottery items discovered within excavation section 44 at the site of Bilär. The research methods employed for systematization are as follows: visual/descriptive, statistical, technological ones, those of comparative analysis and analogies. Results. The extensive glazed pottery collection examined attests to Volga Bulgaria had developed widest trade relations in the pre-Mongol period. The key directions included the Near and Middle East, Asia Minor, Rus, Byzantium, and the historical region of Shirvan (group of imports). Conclusions. The article yields a classification of glazed pottery items (both locally produced and imported ones), determines main trade directions and chronological frames for the latter to have arrived in the site. Insights into proportions between groups of imported ceramics and quantitative analysis make it possible to outline three chronological stages that essentially correspond to the heyday, apogee and decline of trade relations.