ABSTRACT
Among the building materials used in Kievan Russia, the ceramic vessels used primarily in the construction of the vaults and also in the brickwork of the upper parts of the building are of importance. Their widespread use in Byzantine architecture has long been emphasized by scholars.1 An example of this can be seen in the construction of the cupolas in the Mangana Palace complex in Constantinople (built between the ninth and twelfth centuries), where the recesses of the vaults were filled with amphorae laid dry.2
