Manufacturing of horn whistles from sites of Sayan-Altai of the 1st millennium AD.: results of experimental-traceological research

The article presents the results of an experimental traceological study of horn whistles, conducted to determine the technological methods in their manufacture in the Sayan-Altai in the 1st millennium AD. The main attention is paid to the creation of the internal cavity (chamber) of the whistle due to the use of additional tools in this process. Morphologically suitable tools for the experiment were made, which were made of iron rods of low-carbon steel, which could serve as a tool for creating whistles, their cutting part was made in the form of a straight blade, an awl and a curved blade. Based on the data known from th e scientific literature, replicas of whistles from roe deer horn were made using these tools. A comparative traceological analysis of expe rimental and archaeological data (traces of scraping the internal chambers of the original whistles) was carried out. The study was conducted on the materials of the Hunno-Sarmatian period of the site Oroktoy (Mountain Altai) and the ancient Turkic period of the sites Markelov Mys-2 and Bely Yar-2 (Khakass-Minusinsk Basin). This approach allowed us to compare the experimentally obtained information with archaeological materials. The article presents the results of the analysis of technological operation s for the manufacture of internal cavities of horn whistles. Characteristic traces on the surface were revealed, which mad e it possible to distinguish the tools used. The experiment confirmed the possibility of making whistles with various tools and revealed techn ological methods when working with a separate tool. The main stages of whistle production are highlighted: creating a blank, drilling holes, forming an internal cavity, finishing the holes and polishing the surface. It is concluded that the sequence of techno logical operations and the set of tools correspond to the level of home production.

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