The Chemical and Structural Peculiarities of the Kazan Khanate Cast-Iron Cookware in the 14th–15th Centuries

Abstract

The article presents the results of the examination of the fragments of cast-iron cauldrons found in the territory of the Kazan Kremlin, which date back to the period of the Kazan Khanate in the 14th–15th centuries. The examination of the samples of cast-iron cookware was carried out using the methods of scanning electron microscopy and optical emission spectroscopy. We analyzed the structure and the micro-trace composition of the samples of Kazan cast-iron and undertook its comparative study with the samples of Bolgar and Juketaw cast-iron cookware. We found out that the fragments of cast-iron articles from the Kazan Kremlin are characterized by a wide variety of technologies and chemical composition, in the sample there are both pro-Bolgar samples and those that are chemically and structurally different from it. The correlation analysis of the trace elements of Bolgar, Kazan and Juketaw cast-iron allowed to establish alleged markers of the iron-bearing ore in the territory of the Volga region, which together with other Golden Horde samples may help to understand the phenomenon of the extension of iron foundry tradition and its artefacts in the region. The study also provided convincing evidence of the existence of a link between iron foundry traditions in the Middle Volga region during the two-century period.