Social attribution of belt mounts from open trade and craft settlements of the late 11th - early 15th с. in the Upper Don region

The paper explores 28 belt mounts of Askis and Bulgar origin found at trade and craft settlements of the late 11th - early 15th centuries in the Upper Don Region. The finds are mostly dated to the second half of the 13th-14th centuries. The mounts are accompanied by scarce weapon items and imported vessels. The origin of the items is related to the population which participated in the symbiosis of cultures of Medieval Russia and the East. After first marches on Medieval Russia in the middle - the third quarter of the 13th century, the Mongol elite renewed old trade routes and manzili in the Upper Don region. Belt mounts and strap-ends with gold and silver appliques became indicators of this process for the Askis culture. In subsequent periods Askis imitations and mounts of Bulgar origin were spread across the Upper Don Region. Most of these items are associated with armed convoys of merchant caravans of Bulgar-Turkic origin. Some of these groups crossed the Upper Don Region in transit; some population lived at open trade and crafts settlement fulfilling protection functions.