A HEARTH CHAIN FROM THE COLLECTION OF THE ZMIIV MUSEUM OF LOCAL LORE
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37445/adiu.2026.03.08Keywords:
Early Middle Ages, Khazar Khaganate, Saltiv Cultural-Historical Community, hearth chains, household equipment.Abstract
The object of study and analysis in this paper is an iron chain kept in the collection of the Zmiiv Museum of Local Lore in the Kharkiv Region. The artefact belongs to the Saltіv cultural complex (mid-8th — mid- 10th century). It has clear, undeniable analogies within this specific archaeological horizon. This type of kitchen equipment was placed over the hearth in the dwellings of the Early Medieval Alans, who constituted a significant part of the forest-steppe population of the Khazar Khaganate. Notably, all currently known hearth chains of this type have been discovered within the Kharkiv Region (the forest-steppe part of the Siversky Donets basin). Despite the small number of such artifacts, it is still possible to determine their characteristic common features: the presence of clearly distinguished upper, middle, and lower parts; usage of twisted wire and the construction of the chain from single and double figure-of-eight links; and the presence of additional pendants attached to the main part of the chain in the form of short wire hooks and flattened, wide paw-shaped hooks. The length of the device allows for the reconstruction of the minimum height of the dwelling, which was 230—235 cm. According to ethnographic data, the domestic hearth and the chain above it played an important role in the worldview and traditions of the historical Alans and modern Ossetians, which is occasionally reflected in the archaeological record. The reverence for this kitchen device, historically linked to the ancestor cult, played — and in some places still plays — an important role in the daily life, rituals, and social relations of the Alans / Ossetians. We hope that the publication and preliminary analysis of this artifact, kept in the collections of the Museum of Local Lore, will draw researchers’ attention to collections of small museums — of which there are so many in Ukraine — as an important source of our ancient history.
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