EARLY MEDIEVAL MIRRORS WITH A CENTRAL LOOP FROM THE SUMTSOV KHARKIV MUSEUM OF HISTORY COLLECTION

Abstract

The archaeological collection of the Sumtsov Kharkiv History Museum contains 69 mirrors with a central loop on the reverse side, which were discovered by museum expedition in 1982—2021 at the Verkhnii Saltiv (VS), Staryyi Saltiv (SS) and Rubizhne burial grounds. 63 mirrors were unearthed in the burial assemblages of the big Verkhnii Saltiv necropolis: 26 mirrors come from 22 catacombs of the burial ground (VS 1), 14 mirrors from 12 catacombs of the third burial ground (VS III), 23 mirrors from 21 catacombs of the fourth burial ground (VS IV). One more mirror comes from the burials of the Rubizhne burial ground and 5 mirrors from the catacombs of the Verkhnii Saltiv necropolis. Most of the mirrors were found intact. Only catacombs 70 (VS 1) and 110 (VS IV) contained the mirrors that were deliberately broken in antiquity. Mirror fragments with traces of being in the fire were found in catacomb 19 of VS III. A half of mirror was found in catacomb 6 of VS III, while a whole mirror was also found in the same assemblage. In all cases, mirrors were part of the grave goods of adult women of reproductive age. Mirrors in most cases were lying face downwards and were located not far from the head of their owner. Mirrors from the museum’s collection are quite diverse in terms of ornamental motifs on the reverse side of HX. There are mirrors in the collection, which according to the classification of V. B. Kovalevska belong to taxa 1, 4a, 4g, 4z, 9b, 10a, 13, 14b, 17v, 20d, 22v, 23b, 27, 31v. The catacomb grave goods shows that mirrors of taxa 1, 4a, 4g, 4z, 96, 13, 22v were widespread among the Alan population throughout the entire existence of the Saltiv culture. Mirrors of taxa 10a, 14v, 17c, 20d, 22v, 23v, 27, 31v, and mirrors with lotus-shaped ornament are more typical of the Saltiv assemblages of the 1st century. At the same time, during this period the most popular the mirrors of 17в taxon were, which numerically prevail over mirrors of all other types. Imported (Chinese) mirrors in the Saltiv assemblages are represented in the form of replicas, which were made too far from the original. All replicas of imported mirrors were found in burials belonging to representatives of the social and property upper class of the Saltiv society in the region.