TERRACOTTA FIGURINES OF KAFIR KALA: CLASSIFICATION EXPERIENCE AND NEW FINDS

Abstract

Terracotta is one of the most abundant archaeological materials that are often found during excavations of
archaeological sites of the pre-Arab period or when monitoring their condition. The ancient settlement of
Kafirkala is a small but extraordinary city, which presumably served as the residence of the rulers of Samarkand
during the 7th and early 8th centuries. During this period, pottery production reached a high level here, including
the production of artistic ceramics and terracotta. The terracotta obtained during excavations at the site was
divided into several groups: – hand-made; made using a combined technique - combining hand modeling and a
stamp (in which the head, or less often the entire front part, was imprinted); and stamped terracotta (figurines,
plaquettes, moldings and stamp impressions on ceramics). Typically, the methodology for studying Central
Asian stamped terracotta is based on iconographic analysis and selection of analogies, but in this case its
technological features are also taken into account. An analysis of the finds of Sogdian stamped figurines of
horsemen showed that there were a limited number of initial matrices for making terracottas, but which were
widely used by the artisans of Kafirkala. The article also examines the cult orientation of individual characters
in terracottas and images on ceramic vessels.