Waist-Belt Pouches (Bags) from Medieval Burial Grounds of the Vetluga-Vyatka Interfluves Area

The waist-belt pouches/bags from the 9th-11th-century burial ground sites of the Vetluga-Vyatka river interfluve refer to four basic types according to their form, technique of manufacture and decoration. Type 1 items have been found mainly in male graves, types 2 and 3 equally in male and female graves, type 4 is represented by a single instance. Judging by the location of the pouches in the graves, they were worn on the belt. The analysis of the contents of the pouches makes it possible to conclude that their destination had been more iconic than functional: the majority of the items from them seemed to be represented by amulets. Type 1 pouches, most common in the Vetluga-Vyatka interfluve, local in origin, are characteristic of the medieval Mari costume. Purses the second type had penetrated into this territory as a result of cultural and trade contacts with neighbors, especially with the Bulgars.