Construction of Metallurgical Structures in the Perm Pre-Ural in the Middle Ages
摘要
The study of metallurgical objects constitutes a pivotal domain of archaeometallurgy. Given the frequency with which artifacts are destroyed, researchers must confront the challenges of their identification and interpretation. The primary sources for these studies were the products and byproducts of the bloomery process. However, construction materials are seldom analyzed. The preliminary approbation of research in this direction, as presented in this article, is based on medieval materials from the Perm Pre-Urals. The Kama metallurgical structures are represented by furnaces and forges built on clay beds with the use of conglomerate, quarzitic sandstone, sandstone, limestone, biomorphic limestone, gravelite or quartzite. The Chusovaya river population utilized conglomerate (Telyachiy Brod, Salamatovo), while the population of the Inva and Obva rivers interfluves used sandstone (Anyushkar, Rachevo), forming the structures and cementing the stones with tin clay composed of sand, grass, crushed shells, organic matter or pure clay. The research shows that different admixtures originating from different forges or different types of structures were used at a singular site. The selection of the rock materials was probably determined by the proximity of the deposits, while the selection of admixtures may have been customary. The evolution of the building tradition is congruent with the context of Eastern Europe.