KNOTS ON STRAPS, LACES, ROPES FROM EXCAVATIONS: INFORMATIVE OPPORTUNITIES
Abstract
The article examines the knots tied on ropes in ancient and medieval times, found by archaeologists in Western Siberia and Kazakhstan during the excavations of sites of various types. Unfortunately, despite the fact that such finds are occasionally encountered during archaeological research, the knots have not yet become the subject of interested attention of specialists. Probably, this is also due to the scanty number of publications on the analysis of knots. The poor state of preservation of knots, as well as the inability of some scientists to analyze knots, do not contribute to the study of knots. The author believes that knots on cords and ropes, if properly studied, can be full-fledged archaeological sources. While studying the knots, the author received information that knots on ropes can indicate certain features in the cultures of past societies: methods of tying up prisoners or tying up animals, the existence of certain tools, etc. The fact that nodes exist over a long period of human history allows us to analyze them over a wide area using various types of sources.
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