Non-ferrous metal of the jewelry pieces from the Shekshovo 9 cemetery of the 10th - 11th centuriesin Suzdal Opolye (chemical composition)

The paper explores the metal composition of 64 samples selected from the itemscoming from redeposited cremated and inhumated burials of the 10th - early 11th centuriesfrom the Shekshovo 9 cemetery in Suzdal Opolye. The analysis of a small but chronologicallycompact sample of the Shekshovo items dated to the 10th - early 11th centuries confirmed specific features of the chemical composition of the alloys used to make the belt sets of Bulgarianproduction that had been documented earlier at other sites, and enabled the researchers tostate with more confidence that these specific features are linked to the aforesaid productioncenter. Presence of a local technological tradition of making items from brass with mediumand high content of zinc and lead confirms that Shekshovo had its own jewelry production atthat time and implies that local craftsmiths had access to fresh zinc-containing raw material.