Knitted Mitten From the Excavations on Remezov Street in Tobolsk

The article is devoted to the study of a knitted mitten discovered during archaeological excavations in 2006, in the upper part of the city of Tobolsk. During the research on Remezov Street, it was possible to identify an urban estate of the late 17th — first half of the 18th centuries, as well as part of the city street, where the mitten was found. The uniqueness of the find lies in the fact that it has been preserved almost in a whole, which allows us to find out its dimensions, the material from which it was made and the method of creation. It has been established that the product was knitted from woolen threads using several knitting needles in a circular manner. With the help of stratigraphic data, as well as numismatic material, it is possible to date the find from 1729–1788. It is suggested that the production of the found artifact had local nature. Taking into account the mittens that were discovered in Tobolsk, as well as archaeological materials from Western Siberia, an attempt to determine the time of the spread of various knitting methods in the region was made. It is concluded that knitting on needles was spread into the territory of Western Siberia later than knitting with a needle. This also evidences that mittens, or knitted products in general, were endowed with a certain sacred meaning, and could be used in various rituals

Archaeology · Excavation · Engineering · Eurasian Exchange Networks · History · History and Cultural Heritage · Metallurgy and Cultural Artifacts