Problems of Studying the Purpose of Disks with Concentric Ornament in Russian Archaeology

Abstract

The article is devoted to a historiographical review of scientific works, which provides an analysis and purpose of disks with concentric ornament, common in the Urals and Siberia in the first half of the 1st millennium AD. The stages of the history of the study of bronze disks with concentric ornament with the definition of their purpose in a particular complex are distinguished and characterized. When describing each of the stages, the most significant works of the authors who worked during this period are given within the framework of the designated topic, the main ideas and concepts are highlighted. The author provides several points of view of researchers on the purpose of disks with concentric ornament. The first considers disks as elements of armor or armor. The second defines them as objects of ritual and religious practices. The third notes the purely aesthetic function of the discs as costume decorations. The fourth combines several interpretations about the place and role of these products in the life of the ancient population of Siberia, as well as the reflection of the idea of the calendar. As a result, it is concluded that currently there is no consensus about the purpose of disks with concentric ornament, and different researchers agree only that the local population of Siberia and the Urals used these imports differently.