Metal Cauldrons in the Kipchak Culture

The paper considers the finds of riveted iron cauldrons on the northwestern periphery of the Sayan-Altai from the burials of nomads of the second half of the IX–XIII centuries. Descriptions of the finds are published and information on the dating and ethnic and cultural affiliation of the burials where artifacts were found are provided. The place of cauldrons in the burial rite of the nomads of the Eastern Desht-i Kipchak is noted as emphasizing the high social status of the buried. The similarity in production technology, the shape of iron riveted cauldrons and their places in the burials of the eastern Kipchaks and bronze riveted cauldrons of the Polovtsians in Eastern Europe is recorded. A hypothesis has been proposed about the appearance of riveted bronze cauldrons among the Polovtsians, similar to the iron originals of the eastern Kipchaks, in connection with the migration of the latter to the steppes of Eastern Europe.