Сопла з Жидичина

Abstract

У статті вводиться у науковий обіг колекція сопел, які відображають рівень металургійного виробництва в районі Луцька у XIV ст.

The article publishes a collection of nozzles and their fragments found within the settlement complex of Ancient Rus city Zhydychyn, situated near Lutsk and mentioned in the chronicle under 1227. Nozzles were found during the archaeological research near the St. Mykola Monastery situated on the territory of «posad» (trading quarter) of the city. The finds were in the structure 2 with oval delineation, 3,2 × 2,4 m measurement, and 0,7 m depth. Ceramic material found there allows the authors to date the structure by the 14th c. In the filling of the structure 4 entire nozzles and 27 fragments of various size (12 backsides with sockets, 9 fused endings, and 6 fragments of central parts of nozzles) were discovered and restored. While nozzles were not concentrated in a single place of a structure, there are reasons to presume that collection was not a treasure, but was left in the object at the moment when it stopped functioning. There are two groups of long (23,0–24,5 cm) and short (20,5 cm) nozzles. External diameter of them is more unified: nozzles 4,2—4,5 cm thick prevail. The most similar are the diameters of the inner canals of nozzles coming to 2,2 cm. Besides, this magnitude is not only mean, but also precise in more then one third of the nozzles measured. All nozzles are supplied with sockets (widening) on the external side. Its diameter varies within 4,7—7,0 cm, but a set of nozzles with 5,0—5,2 cm diameter can be well defined. To evaluate the level of explicitness of a socket, which is important for the quality of joining a nozzle to the blowing bellows, it is proposed to use a special index, coefficient in ratio of diameter of socket and the external diameter (thickness) of a nozzle. Outward features allow the authors to reconstruct generally the process of modeling the nozzles. The main action was to stick a flat blank measured before to the wooden mould, to butt-join its borders and upset them after or sometimes smooth over the external surface. Determination of set of close measurements of the products allows the authors to presume that during the nozzles production certain measures of length equal 2,2 cm, probably one vershok, were used. All the nozzles were used in purpose which is evidenced by their fused endings. In some cases traces of welding on the nozzles to the wall of a furnace are seen closer to the fused ending on the surface, which indicates on the depth of their immersion into the furnace, about 3,5 cm. Fused cuts on some of the fragments testifies to the second use of some nozzles. Measurement of sockets indirectly indicate minimal diameter of a hose of blowing bellows. The existence of well seen sockets, comparing to usual flat ones, in nozzles from Zhydychyn indicates the increased rate of blowing, and hence, the possibility of reaching higher temperature in a furnace. Perhaps it reflects a pass from the bloomary iron production to improved one. Nozzles collection from Zhydychyn was probably left by a metallurgist or an organizer of iron production in nearby sites of the Styr River valley. This production most likely related to the monastery’s economy, and reflected the period of economical activity in the region in times of building of Lutsk castle by Liubartas the Gediminid in the 14th c.