Bead items of the Kudashevsky I burial ground of the III-V centuries

The article is devoted to the systematization and classification of the unique glass and stone beads burial items of the Kudashevsky I burial ground of the III-V centuries A.D. The Kudashevsky I burial ground is located in the Mid­dle Kama region, more precisely in the Bardymsky district of Perm region. The author used the method of recon­struction and also made a correlation between the items of glass colour beads and other items found in the burials. As a result, the author distinguished different types of items according the morphology: necklaces, chestpieces, belts. According to the materials of the beads (amber, rock crystal, honey onyx, quartz) and their composition the items were divided into modal (rase), basic (for example, the necklace from the grave 324) and component (the belt from the grave 171) ones. The unique chestpiece could be made only by professional master whereas the other items might belong to local inhabitants or imitate import model. The items were found in the burials of rich men and women and were the markers of their high social status. The items of glass colour and stone beads appeared in the Kama region as a result of trade and other contacts of the ancient people. The investigation of the items indicate the complex proc­ess of migration on the territory of the basin of the Kama River in the I-V centuries A.D.