Church lighting appliances in Old-Russian towns (after materials from excavations of the Large Fortified Settlement near Shepetovka)
Among the finds from excavations of the Large Fortified Settlement near Shepetovka of the late 12th - first half of the 13th century, 23 metal fragments of lighting appliances related with church interiors have been identified. Construction and stylistic analysis of these objects showed that they belonged to lamps of different kinds. Some are elements of at least two church chandeliers of different size and manufacturing quality going back to the Byzantine tradition (parts of candlesticks: prongs/brackets - 4 items; rods/studdings - from 1 to 5 (?) items and cups/plates for the flowing candle-wax - 10 items). Another part of finds (a half of a cross-shaped/quadrifoliate bronze plate with cut slots and four cups of the corresponding size for melted wax) served as the basis for reconstruction of a candlestick uncommon in the Old-Russian archaeology and manufactured by a local artisan using in his own way elements typical of Byzantine lamps of a quadrifoliate structure. The third assemblage is constituted by three chandeliers - single-type hemispherical shallow cups on a ring base.