THE GRINDED DISCS OF THE MIDDLE URALS: TECHNOLOGY, FUNCTION, INTERPRETATION

Abstract

Grinded disks represent a category of artefacts widely spread across a vast territory from East Baltics and Scandinavia to Far East. The disks from the collections of the Middle Trans-Ural sites feature a significant variety. However, the research literature lacks a formed typology of this category of artifacts. The understanding of their production technology is also scarce. As a result of the analysis of the historiography of the issue, the paper lists most of the known grinded disks of the Trans-Urals and presents a typology of these artifacts. The issue of the relationship between the shape of the products and their functions is reviewed. Despite the small sample, statistical methods were applied using the STAGRAPHICS Plus software package. In addition, two discs from the collection of the Lipchinsky settlement, which are interpreted as sinkers, were introduced into scientific discourse. © 2021 The Author(s).