The Use of Ore Minerals in the Sacred Sphere of the Ancient Population of the Urals

Abstract

This paper deals with iron and copper ores used not in metallurgical production but in the cult and partly economic practice of the ancient population of the Middle Transurals. Iron ores have been used since ancient times to produce paint of red shades. Pieces of burnt iron ore have been found on many sites of almost all eras, from the Paleolithic to the Middle Ages. Ochre-colored objects used in cults and rituals of antiquity are also known. The peculiar «pencils» are particularly interesting–pieces of iron ore (magnetite and hematite) with erased surfaces. They are frequent finds in the cult complexes of ancient sanctuaries. Very rarely, iron ore (brown ironstone) was used to make the pommel of maces, axes, nuclei, and abrasive saws. Jewelry (pendants and beads) and sacred objects were made from other ores (malachite, copper, and iron pyrite). © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023.