At the center of attention for the pro-seminar will be a Turkic kurgan (barrow) found in southern Ukraine (see http://www.chingul.org.ua). The grave goods found in the kurgan are datable in the twelfth – thirteenth centuries and originate from various
regions: Western Europe, the Byzantine and Islamic Mediterranean and beyond. The grave goods include arms and armor, metalwork, textiles and costumes, ceramics as well as remains of flora and fauna. We will investigate the phenomenon of personal and heritage inventories in grave goods and beyond. Therefore, the holdings of treasuries will be considered, and the manner in which these objects have been accumulated. Through this lens, the questions of gift exchange, tribute and booty will also be examined. In short, what were inventories of goods in their contexts, and what roles did they play? The time span of the comparative material we will be reviewing stretches from the 5th to 14th centuries CE, with references back to earlier inventories; the space is Eurasia, with particular focus the world of the nomadic steppe polities. For Medievalists, Art Historians, Historians, Archaeologists and Anthropologists. Reading knowledge of main European research languages desirable; familiarity with Arabic, medieval Greek or Latin useful.