An Early Iron Age Foundry at Kargat-4, Southwestern Siberia

An Early Iron Age Foundry at Kargat-4,
Southwestern Siberia

DOI: 10.17746/1563-0110.2019.47.3.048-054

I.A. Durakov¹ and L.S. Kobeleva^2
1Novosibirsk State Pedagogical University, Vilyuiskaya 28, Novosibirsk, 630126, Russia
²Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pr. Akademika Lavrentieva 17, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russia

During the excavations at an Early Iron Age site of Kargat-4 in central Baraba, a foundry was discovered. The complex consisted of a melting-furnace in the center of a dwelling, and several utility pits. We give a detailed description of these features, their associated artifacts, and the archaeological context. Among the items from the infill are fragments of at least five clay molds, three crucibles, drops of spilt bronze, a fragment of a nozzle, and bronze tongs. The casting-kit included three stone utensils—two whetstones and a hammer. All the molds were destined for casting-celts. The best-preserved mold had two halves, which were found inside a dwelling (in a utility pit and at the entrance) and outside it. For each artifact a detailed description, the results of the analysis, and parallels are provided. The techniques of manufacturing molds and crucibles, such as those found at the site, are reconstructed. These are shown to have originated in areas situated west or southwest of Kargat-4. During the Early Scythian age, they were practiced in northern Kazakhstan and the Trans-Urals, and they were apparently introduced to central Baraba by people of the Bolshaya Rechka culture during the Bronze-to-Iron-Age transition, as evidenced by the Berlik and Krasnoozerka cultures.

Keywords: Early Iron Age, Baraba forest-steppe, settlement, foundry, melting-furnaces, bronze-casting