Ceramic Complexes of the Don Settlements of Gorodets and Scythoid Cultures: Experience of Comparative Analysis

The article is devoted to one of the aspects of interaction between two population groups in the forest-steppe Don region. These interactions are related to settlements of the Gorodets and Scythoid cultures of 5th – 3d century BC. In particular, such interactions manifest as transformations of the Gorodets ceramics that gained more dominating Scythoid shapes. The article offers a formalized assessment of common features in the crockery. Previously such assessment was visual. Comparison is imposed on 25 Gorodets and 107 Scythoid modelled kitchen pots. The research compares scaling and the reference profile height and defines the shape similarity index . 22 Gorodets vessels (88%) turn out similar to 69 Scythoid samples (64%). Their similarity indices are 95 to 98%. It is the result of Gorodets potters borrowing crockery shapes from their local neighbours. This should be the consequence of their mutual business. Poorly progressed ethnic mixing is proven by a limited range of Gorodets cookware missing crockery. It is assumed that five Gorodets pots with not really Scythoid profiles and proportions reflect how potters were adapting to acquire new shapes. Scythoid traditions influence is also noticeable in the ceramics production technology. The research compares artificial admixtures detected in the moulding compositions with petrographic analysis imposed on fragments of 80 Gorodets and 108 Scythoid vessels. Both ceramic groups have similar ingredients of the moulding compositions. Among them complex compositions prevail. The study finds eight matching ratios of artificial admixtures with two minor deviations. It proves that different processes mix most probably due to kinship ties of their bearers. Two groups of settled people from the Don forest-steppe interact and make their ceramic materials illustrate dominations of the more socially and economically developed group. However, they do not allow doubts in the ethnocultural authenticity of the Gorodets dwellers.