Chinese Lacquerware from the Pazyryk Burial Ground Chineta II, Altai
Chinese Lacquerware from the Pazyryk Burial Ground Chineta II, Altai
DOI: 10.17746/1563-0110.2017.45.4.102-112
P.K. Dashkovskiy1 and О.G. Novikova2 1Altai State University, Pr. Lenina 61, Barnaul, 656049, Russia 2State Hermitage Museum, Dvortsovaya nab. 34, St. Petersburg, 190000, Russia
This article describes fragments of lacquer from the early nomadic burials in mounds 21 and 31 at Chineta II, northwestern Altai. Their location in the graves, material, and distribution pattern suggest that these fragments belonged to wooden cups. The analysis, which included methods of analytical chemistry, infrared and Fourier spectrometry, revealed that the remains of paint resembled those of Chinese lacquerware coatings based on qi-lacquer ??. The analysis of the paint layers showed that the lacquer coatings were manufactured following the traditional technology used in ancient China. The red upper layers, similar to those known as zhu-qi ??, were applied over dark brown layers of qi-lacquer (?). Parallels are found among the Chinese lacquers from Pazyryk, Bugry II, etc., owned by the State Hermitage Museum. The comparison of samples from Chineta II with those from high-ranking Scythian Age burials in the Altai suggests that lacquer items were imported by the nomads from a single manufacturing center in China in the Scythian period. It has been suggested that persons buried at Chilikta II mounds 21 and 31 must have belonged to the elite, although these burials were inferior to the “royal ” mounds at Tuekta, Pazyryk, Bashadar, Berel, Katanda, etc., in terms of status.
Keywords: Altai, early nomads, Pazyryk culture, funerary rite, Chinese lacquerware, qi-lacquer (?), FTIR spectroscopy, science-based methods
