CRAFTS AND TRADE IN THE MEDIEVAL TOWNS OF SOUTHERN KAZAKHSTAN AND SEMIRECHYE BASED ON ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE
Abstract
This article uses archaeological evidence to characterize the most significant areas of medieval craft production including pottery, blacksmithing, copper and alloy processing, glassmaking, and jewellery making. The research is based on materials obtained during excavations of medieval towns in southern Kazakhstan and Semirechye. The study of artifacts employed natural science methods, which allowed the author to determine the technological operations of individual types of crafts, the composition of raw materials used, and the products manufactured. The progressive evolution of craft production led to the formation of an urban market and a stratum of merchants engaged in the purchase and sale of finished goods and raw materials. The results of archaeological research, which are consistent with written sources, clarified the directions and inventory of handicrafts exchange at the levels of intraregional, interregional, and international trade.
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