Features of the Manufacture of Medieval Brass Thimbles from Southwestern Crimea

Abstract

The work presents the results of studying metal thimbles found in 14th century slab graves on the Eski-Kermen plateau. It is established that they are made of pure brass. The thimbles are divided into two groups according to their technological features. The first group includes thimbles from graves 10 and 11/2021, similar both in shape and in the nature of their decoration. To create the decoration on the thimble from grave 11/2021, one simple impact tool with a blunt-needle point (a kanfarnik) was used. To decorate the thimble from grave 10/2021, a kanfarnik was used only to create punched rows on the body. The decoration on the top of the thimble is made more carefully, using a complex tool with an oval working end. A thimble from grave 16/2022 is allocated to a separate group, it belongs to a completely different production tradition. It is made by folding and soldering a pre-decorated flat pattern of the product, which is followed by pressure in a mold matrix. Soldering of the seam of the product was carried out with tin solder.