Zelentsova O.V., Mitoyan R.A., Saprykina I.A.

Key words: medieval Mordva, Kruykovsko-Kuzhnovsky cemetery, belt set, chronology, chemical composition, manufacturing technology, attribution.
The belt set from burial 505 of Kruykovsko-Kuzhnovsky cemetery (mid-Volga region) belongs to a rare type of belts which has analogies in the finds from Karancslaujto (northern Hungary) and Minino (Lake Kubenskoye, Northern Dvina basin). Analysis of the grave goods revealed that the burial dates to the 10th c. and is, like the burial at Karancslaujto, a warrior’s one. Stylistically, the two belt sets are similar; however, analysis of the manufacturing technology and chemical composition revealed that the artifacts had been manufactured in different workshops, even though they could have followed a common model. Certain characteristics of the belts from Hungary and the mid-Volga region indicate that both were custom-made items. The existence of such items could indicate a certain differentiation within the warrior milieu, with the belt as a mark of distinction.