DECORATIONS MADE OF ORNAMENTAL STONES IN COLLECTION OF BILYAR MUSEUM

Abstract

The article highlights classification of the beads and pendants from carnelian, amber, gagat, crystal, chalcedony, lapis lazuli stored in the exposition of the Bilyar Museum. Bilyar fortress is considered a reference monument of the pre-Mongol Volga Bulgaria. 64 decorations were studied. The scheme proposed by A.V.Artsihovsky were used for description and classification of the decorations. The author describes decorations, gives the analogies from the other medieval settlements, traces the trade routes and specifies the towns, where the beads and their preparations came from. Decorations made of ornamental stones were mainly spread from Central Asia or through Central Asia. Carnelian and amber decorations were widespread. The availability of amber raw materials on the Bilyar fortified settlement testifies about the local production of amber artifacts. Also, the presence of defective carnelian beads, tells about the local refinement of this category of goods.