MANGYSHLAK PENINSULA ON THE SEA TRADE ROUTES OF THE GOLDEN HORDE PERIOD (ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND NUMISMATIC STUDY)

Abstract

The authors consider the results of archaeological studies, including the discovery of 14th century numismatic findings at the following sites of Mangyshlak peninsula: Manata caravanserai on Manata slope of the Ustyurt plateau, Sherkala trading ground in the vicinity of Sherkala mountain, Ketikkala settlement and Azhbaba trading square (bazaar) on the bank of a shallow bay on the southern coastline of the Kochak Bay in the area of Kochak cemetery. The archaeological sites of Manat, Sherkala and Azhbaba were previously unknown and unstudied. The results of studies and analyses of archaeological findings comprising household items are generally published separately from the numismatic finding and their analysis. The authors of this article combined the publication of the artefacts and the results of both studies. The following conclusions are proposed: Mangyshlak Peninsula belonged to the Golden Horde in the 14th century; trade routes facilitated trade relations primarily between the Volga region and Khwarezm, a new direction of the trade route from the Caspian Sea coast across the Ustyurt Plateau was discovered; certain known medieval toponyms on the coastline of Mangyshlak Peninsula are suggested to by identified with the studied archaeological sites; the most active period of commodity-monetary relations at the surveyed sites corresponds to the 760s – 775/1359 – 1373; throughout the Great Turmoil period Mangyshlak was located in the influence area of Sarai khans; since the from the early 1370s the economic influence of Khwarezm on the Mangyshlak region sharply increased (primarily in the field of saturation of local markets with domestic coins).