FEATURES OF BOKKAS FROM THE COLLECTIONS OF MUSEUMS IN VOLGOGRAD AND THE VOLGOGRAD REGION: RAISING THE PROBLEM (Based on the Tsarev Burial, Solodovka-I-II)
Years of Bokkas research in the museums of the Volga region make it possible to generalize about the first design features of the Bokk framing system and its interaction with birch bark and tissue parts of caps. Widely known through written and pictorial sources, this female headdress of Mongolian Dominate in the steppes of Eurasia is common in medieval graves of nomads from Mongolia to the Dnieper. However the degree of preservation of the found Bokkas leaves much to be desired. Findings made throughout the years in the Volga region allow better comparing one of the varieties of birch pommel of boot-shaped type based on the materials of museum collections of regional museums in Volgograd, the Volga region, and the museum of local lore of Saratov. The Volga museums are an important link to understanding the processes of distribution and interaction of different types of Bokkas. The lack of clear criteria for comparison of Bokkas leads to confusion when the detached parts of these hats are found and erroneously distinguished into separate types. At the same time some other headdresses are erroneously attributed to Bokkas. This paper is devoted to the peculiarities of the construction of frame systems of the Bokkas found in the Volga region.