BRONZE BOWL FROM THE KAHOVKA RESERVOIR

Abstract

The article examines the cultural and chronological attribution of the bronze bowl discovered in 1966 in the areas of the Golden Horde-era hillfort of Velyki Kuchugury destroyed by the Kakhovka reservoir. The bronze piece with silver inlay has Arabic inscriptions, images of people and animals. Protective magical formulas, reinforced by verses from the Quran, were activated with the help of a substance (water, oil, milk) that was poured into the vessel. It was believed that the bowls helped to cure certain diseases and bites of poisonous animals. It is for this feature that some researchers have called them «poison bowls». «Absorption» of magical formulas and images with the help of liquid has been used in religious practice since the times of ancient Egypt, pre-Christian and pre-Islamic traditions of the Judeo-Aramaic population of the Middle East. Between the 7th and 10th centuries, this healing method became widespread among the Muslims of the region, eventually resulting in the production of metal magic bowls in Syria and Egypt from the 12th century. It is assumed that they were created for pilgrims, and the healing and therapeutic qualities could be transmitted through an intermediary.
In the late 14th and early 15th centuries, depictions of people and animals were banned and only resumed in the early 17th century, mainly in Iran and India. This gives reason to consider early magic bowls as purely Arabic. The dates of most of the known Arabic magic bowls, including the «poison bowls», do not go beyond the 12th–14th centuries. Dating of these types of objects in museums in Europe, Egypt, and Canada proves the correctness of these conclusions. Given the closeness of the analogies, the bowl from the Velyki Kuchugury hillfort can be dated to the middle – second half of the 14th cen-tury, which corresponds to the time of the existence of the Golden Horde city. This is the only find known to us from this archaeological site. The publication of the bowl from the funds of the Khortytsia National Reserve proves that its place of production is probably Syria or Egypt.