Sergey V. Makievsky^a,#

^a Institute of History, Archaeology and Ethnography of the Peoples of the Far East, Far Eastern Branch RAS, Vladivostok, Russia

^#E-mail: makievskiy@list.ru

Keywords: blacksmithing, tools, anvils, cast iron, casting, Jurchens, Primorsky Krai, the Krasny Yar fortified settlement.

The article focuses on the characteristics of blacksmith anvils found during the study of Jurchen fortified settlements in Primorye. Finds of metal anvils at the sites are rare, therefore, researchers have formed an opinion that the Jurchen artisans used stones as anvils. Recent studies have shown that their workshops could be equipped with both stone and metal anvils. Most of the information about the anvils was obtained during the investigations at the Krasny Yar fortified settlement – the Upper capital of the Eastern Xia state (1215–1233), where anvils and fragments of anvils made from cast iron were found. An analysis of the data obtained showed that the Jurchen cast iron anvils have a well-established shape, but may differ in size, weight, and the presence of a horn-shaped element. The paper also provides information about anvils forged from iron.

DOI: 10.31857/S0869606322030114