A Mongolian Age Iron Shield from the Khakass-Minusinsk Region
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 24217014 |
|---|---|
| Authors | A I Poselyanin (0000-0001-9746-9291, Katanov Khakass State University), O A Mitko (0000-0002-7741-3167, Novosibirsk State University) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 54 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 67-76 |
| Publication date | 2026-10-04 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Archaeology Ethnology and Anthropology of Eurasia (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1563-0110 • E-ISSN: 1531-832X |
| Publisher | Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography SB RAS (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.17746/1563-0110.2026.54.3.067-076 |
| OpenAlex | W7220404336 |
| References cited | 3 |
We describe a partially preserved iron shield discovered in the Uybat steppe, Republic of Khakassia, in 2019. Measuring 65 cm in diameter and weighing over 4 kg, it is fl at, rounded, and riveted from 14 identical segmentshaped iron plates. The edge is decorated with a pattern of fi ne serrations. In the central part, the plates are joined by a two-piece boss with a narrow belt-clip located on the inside of the shield. The perimeter of the boss on the front side is decorated with rectangular cutouts and openwork crescents with protrusions. Graphic reconstructions of the outer and inner surfaces of the shield are presented. Variants of its use in combat and marching positions are discussed. The shield was made at one of the Near Eastern workshops. An exact parallel is an iron shield excavated from a medieval settlement of Beshtam-Kala on the Zhana-Darya River, the Aral region, which had been destroyed during the Mongol conquest of northeastern Khorezm in the early 1200s. We propose that the Uybat specimen was used during the feud between Genghis Khan’s ancestors, in which peoples of the Altai-Sayan belonging to the Great Khan’s ulus were embroiled. Its owner could have been a Kyrgyz or Mongolian warrior fi ghting in Tutuha’s army, which in 1293 conquered all the “Five Tribes” of the Yenisei Kyrgyz. The fi nd evidences political and socio-economic ties between major regions of Central Asia and southern Siberia during the High Middle Ages.
graphic reconstruction · High Middle Ages · iron shield · serrated edges · shield boss · Ancient and Medieval Archaeology Studies · Eurasian Exchange Networks · Metallurgy and Cultural Artifacts
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |