Weaponry and Military Affairs of the Medieval Population of the Kuznetsk Basin: A Historiographical Review of Archaeological Research in the 21st Century
DOI: 10.23951/2307-6119-2026-3-105-117
This article analyzes research on weaponry and military affairs among the medieval population of the Kuznetsk Basin, published in the first quarter of the 21st century. It reviews works that address the publication of archaeological weaponry and examine the characteristics of military science in the medieval Kuznetsk Basin, and presents them in chronological order. The historiographical analysis draws on the works of V. Bobrov, V. Borisov, A. Vasyutin, S. Vasyutin, V. Gorbunov, A. Ilyushin, N. Kuznetsov, D. Savinov, M. Suleimenov, and Yu. Shirin and other scholars. Analysis of these authors' works identifies the first quarter of the 21st century as a distinct period in the development of historiography on the weaponry and military science of the medieval population of the Kuznetsk Basin. During this period, numerous publications on weaponry items and systems based on excavations of medieval archaeological sites appeared. Monographs and articles include sections on the typological classification of weaponry and their typological-chronological analysis. The latter becomes the primary method for constructing relative chronology schemes for closed artifact complexes and archaeological sites. The emergence, chronology, and evolution of specific types of weaponry in the Kuznetsk Basin during the Middle Ages are examined. Cultural borrowings of weaponry that emphasize the high social status of warriors are discussed. Studies have emerged that determine the specialization of buried warriors by weaponry, distinguishing between lightly armed mounted archers and heavily armed horsemen, and also examine the social status of military burials. During this period, research appeared aimed at reconstructing archaeological, ethnographic, and ethnocultural weaponry complexes. These studies demonstrate the diversity of weapons used in the local environment. Ranged weapons held a leading position. The first attempts to reconstruct, in general terms, the tactics, strategy, and specific combat techniques of medieval warriors of the Kuznetsk Basin also appeared.
Keywords: Kuznetsk Basin, Middle Ages, military science, weapons, historiography
References:
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Issue: 3, 2026
Series of issue: Issue 3
Rubric: ANTHROPOLOGY
Pages: 105 — 117
Downloads: 5