Early medieval ring-shape amulets

The article presents the analysis of space distribution and chronology of ring- shape pendants-amulets with thickening of the 5 th - 10 th cc. The investigation is based on a database comprising information on 123 amulets. The authors single out two taxa for the pendants in question: 1.1 loopless one, and 1.2 looped one. Amulets 1.1 were mostly spread in the Volga-Kama region in the late 5 th - 6 th cc., and in the North Caucasus (starting from the second part of the 5 th or 6 th cc.). Amulets attributed to taxon 1.2 are derivatives of taxon 1.1, they functioned from the first part of the 8th c., mostly in the North Caucasus.