Women`s neck and breast adornments of the Finno-Ugric and Turkic peoples of the Ural-Volga region as a source for reconstruction of the archaeological costume

The costume of the ancient population of the Volga-Ural region cannot be studied without reference to ethnographic materials of such modern Finno-Permian and Turkic ethnic groups as Mordvins, Chuvash, Mari, Udmurts, Tatars and Bashkirs. The paper deals with the systematization of women’s neck and breast adornments of the listed peoples and represents a major step towards the attribution, interpretation and reconstruction of similar archaeological artifacts. A general classication of traditional neck and breast adornments was carried out. Seven independent categories were distinguished: single-row or multi-row simple neck and chest necklaces, neck «collars» and neck-breast necklaces with a narrow («ribbons») or wide («breastplates») organic base, shoulder belts and chest buckles. Particular attention was given to the ethnographic concept of «breast-plate», its genesis and evolution in the Volga-Ural region. The general term includes such items of predominantly female costume as a chest band, adornments and a cloth breastplate with similar functions of the previous products. But the origin of such items may be different. Archaeological analogues of breastplates should be interpreted as adornments. All types of «breastplates» were preserved by the Tatars and Bashkirs and partly by Finno-Ugrian ethnic groups (for example, Zakama Udmurts and Eastern Mari people). Variations in the types of «breastplates» among Finno-Ugric clothing of the Volga-Ural region can be explained УДК 902:391.7[(=511.1+512.1)](470.4/.5)DOI 10.19110/1994-5655-2022-18-28 19Известия Коми научного центра Уральского отделения Российской академии наук № 1 (53), 2022by borrowing. But it is impossible to exclude the independent origin of such items.