The 10th - early 11th century artifacts in Karelia and in the Southeastern Ladoga region: ethnocultural aspect

This is the first presentation of the catalogue of the 10th - early 11th century artifacts retrieved from archaeological sites in Karelia (11 sites) and tumuli of the Southeastern Ladoga region (74 localities).The catalogue includes decorative items (various types of fibulae, pendants, neck-rings, bracelets) and weaponry (swords, some types of axes and spearheads, shield-bosses). There were also bone artifacts with dragon head figures, metal-coated vessels, boat braces, veterinary toolkits, whip handles, and some other imported items. The chemical analysis of the jewelry demonstrated that the early findings from the Old Karelian forthill Paaso were made of the ordinary and leaded brass: equal-armed fibulae, bracelet cover plates, penannular fibulae, which is typical of the archaeological findings from the the 8th-11th cc. in Northwestern and Northeastern Russia (Rus'). The chemical analysis of jewelry from the tumuli located along the banks of Oyat' River and the settlements of the Lake Onego basin (Chyolmuzhi, Ileksa III) showed that the items were made in the 10th - early 11th cc. The analysis was conducted in 2017 and included Scandinavian fibulae and local Balto-Finnic jewelry. The study revealed the prevalence of copper-zinc alloys so typical of the Viking era in Scandinavia, Baltic regions, and Northwestern and Western Rus'. However, in the 11th - early 13th cc. the metallic composition of jewelry coming from the Southeastern Ladoga region changed significantly. The non-ferrous metal items were recycled and jewe-lers started using multi-component alloys. The population that created tumuli in the 10th - early 11th cc. in the Ladoga region was mostly of the Balto-Finnic and less of the Scandinavian origin. Scandinavians arrived in the Northwestern Ladoga region at the time when it had already been populated by the people of the Balto-Finnic origin. Scandinavians did not develop a lasting network of permanent settlements in this area, unlike their previous experience in Southwestern Finland.