The history of researching ceramic products of the medieval settlement Kastek

Abstract

The article discusses the stages of archaeological excavations of the medieval town of Kastek, located 2.5 km south of the village of Kastek in the Zhambyl district of Almaty region, at the foot of the Kholod Tobe mountain and the history of the study of the found ceramic products. Excavations of the territory of the medieval city were carried out comprehensively from 2011 to 2020. During the annual excavations, numerous types of ceramic products were discovered, thanks to which a view of the medieval city opens. Ceramics is the main source of periodization of the cultural layer of medieval cities and settlements. In addition, pottery production and its products determine the high skill of artisans. The found ceramic products are determined by 2 stages: the end of the VII-X century; X-the beginning of the XIII century. In the manufacture of ceramic products, local raw materials were used – natural additives (clay, feldspar, quartz). The collection of ceramic products found in the medieval town of Kastek is so well preserved that it allows you to group them, classify them depending on the features of use, divide them into types and forms. The use of the comparative-analytical method in the study of a group of ceramic products allows us to achieve the goal of the research article. Archaeologist A. Nurzhanov, who conducted a comprehensive research work related to the ceramics of the medieval city of Kastek. Despite more than 10 years of research, many scientific articles have been published related to the ceramics found in the city. The information contained in these scientific articles refers to this research article, the degree of its study and the characteristic situation are discussed. Ceramic products are the only source that answers many questions when studying cities. Therefore, the study of ceramics remains a very important and relevant issue. Therefore, readers will be presented with the course of archaeological excavations of the medieval city of Kastek, types and images of the found ceramic products.