Gunflints from 16th/17th century archaeological assemblages from the central part of the Severskiy Donets River (south-eastern Ukraine)

Abstract

The river Severskiy Donets is a large right-bank tributary of the river Don, a major waterway of the East-European plain. The middle section of the river divides two natural and climatic zones ‒ steppe and forest-steppe. Active colonization of this sector of Eastern Europe began in the 16th century and ended up in the first half of the 18th century, including these territories into the Russian empire as its integral parts. Colonization saw a spontaneous settling of the right-bank Ukraine by natives as well as systematic migration of “servicemen” from major cities. The military-administrative organization of the territories was based on a network of small fortresses and stockaded towns. The first of them was the fortress of Czareborisov (founded in 1599), subsequently followed by the fortresses of Chuguev, Torsk, Maiaki, Kazachia Pristan etc. The fortifications were represented by shallow ditches, underground shelters, palisades (made of logs), and watchtowers. The armament of the garrisons comprised cannons, different types of guns, including guns with flintlocks (so-called batterylocks). During archaeological excavations of these monuments, small series of gunflints were found. The authors examine the gunflints as a special type of geometrical microlithic artefacts with the exclusive function of producing sparks. The gunflints from forts in the middle section of the Severskiy Donets correspond to the ‘European-type’ (i.e. blade-based gunflints). The gunflints published here are made of different flint raw materials. The majority is produced of quality flint from local Upper Cretaceous deposits. A smaller amount of gunflints is made of flint characteristic of the Upper Volga flint sources (central part of the Greater Moscow area). Apparently, these gunflints were supplied to outlying forts alongside with ammunition.