Pendants and large glass beads from the Uvek fortified settlement of the Golden Horde period in the Lower Volga region

The paper describes the study of glass pendants and large beads from the Uvek fortified settlement, which was one of the large Golden Horde cities. The analysis of the glass pendants helps reconstruct some events of the Golden Horde past related to the development of intercultural relationships. The study sample included 21 items. Such attributes as production technology, ornamentation, form and color were used for typology. All ornamented items have a form typical for beads. The color and the ornamentation are characteristic of Golden Horde items. The form of the beads and the pendants was determined based on their longitudinal-to-lateral cross-section ratio. The classification of the Uvek pendants made it possible to single out prevailing types of beads and pendants that have analogies in the Golden Horde workshops of the Volga region. Besides, the assemblage in question includes specimens that have parallels in the sites of Central Asia, late nomadic kurgans of the Volga region and Mordovian cemeteries.