The jewelry from minerals on the materials from the collections of the cemeteries I-V centuries A.D. of the basin of Kama river

The article is devoted to the systematization and classification of the unique minerals: garnet, chalcedony, rock crystal, cornelian, amber, quarts found at the burial areas of eight cemeteries of the basin of Kama River. This research is of great interest as the artifacts have been collected and classified. The author has carried out a morphological analysis of the jewelries and has made an attempt to determine their role in burial ritual of ancient population in the Middle Kama area. The minerals from the burial areas of eight cemeteries (Tarasovo, Saigatska, Pokrovska, Niva, Ust-Sarapulka (Udmurtia), Turaevo I (Tataria), Krasnoyar, Kudash (Perm Krai)) have been studied. 257 items, among which there were separate items of minerals (243) and jewelry items (14), containing minerals in types: brackets, buckles, pommers of handle of sword, ring, pendants, were studied. Jewelries and items with their inserts were more typical for the monuments. This fact made the authors conclude that these items played a great role. Iron swords are fixed with chalcedonic disks only in men's burials. The collection of minerals from Cudash cemetery is the most outstanding one as it has a wide variety of stones items: garnet, rock crystal, honey onyx, chalcedony, cornelian and amber, 12 items of polychromatic style. Jewelries were used not only to ornament a body, people's clothes or to fulfill aesthetic and military functions, but also to play a role of an amulet. The investigations into these collections indicate the process of migration among ancient peoples in the basin of Kama River in the I-V centuries A. D.