Ближний Восток и его соседи

g 178 h David Nicolle 40. A proper archaeological excavation of the Zolotarevskoe fortified settlement on the eastern borders of what was, at the time of the Mongol assault in 1237 AD, medieval Russia uncovered an astonishing array of military equipment, both Russian and local Finnish-speaking tribal, as well as Mongol. While the armour, harness and items of everyday and religious life may have attracted most attention, the great variety of arrowheads deserves comment. Most of the arrowheads are believed to have been Mongol, shot at or against the fortified settlement by the invaders. Even the small selec- tion seen here shows a great variety of sizes and forms, although the majority are fully within what other archaeological sites show to have been typical Mongol types. The main exceptions are the quadrilateral crossbow bolts, the most obvious of which is the third from the left (lower row). Yet even this, like many of the other arrow or bolt heads, can also be found in the Mamlūk arsenal as represented by finds from Syria. (State Historical Museum, Penza; V. Shpakovsky photograph). 41. The variety of arrowhead types found in late medieval, 13th to 15th century graves from the pre- or north Caucasus steppes seems to be smaller, perhaps because hunting for food was of less importance amongst partially settled peoples. The double headed arrowhead seen here, like the chisel-headed forms seen in many other parts of the steppes, was primarily a tendon or vein cutting weapon used against unprotected targets such as animals. The presence of a large and clearly socketed arrow head is also interesting, although in this case the blade might have been designed for a light javelin rather than a heavy arrow. (Hermitage Museum. St. Petersburg; author’s photograph).