The Cup of Vladimir Davydovich as an Evidence of Intercultural Contacts

The article is devoted to a unique find, a silver cup of the Chernigov Prince Vladimir Davydovich (1139-1151), found on the Tsarev (Sarai al-Jadid) city site during the 1843 excavations. The cup is notable for its size (8 liters) and especially remarkable for the toast inscription engraved on its upper edge. This discovery is widely discussed in a wide range of publications. In this article, the cup is treated as an evidence of cultural ties between Ancient Rus and the Steppe. The dialectal features of the inscription point to the Southern Russian origin of the craftsman. According to the author, the cup was made in 1139, when Vladimir Davydovich occupied the Chernigov throne. After the death of the Prince, his widow married the Polovtsian Khan, and it is owing to the Polovtsians that the cup could reach the Golden Horde capital. From The excavations on the Tsarev (Sarai al-Jadid) city site have produced items of local origin, for which the cup under consideration could evidently serve as prototype.