Staraya Russa, excavations. Old Russa. Archaeological excavations of the layers of antediluvian Russia Excavations in Stary Russa
Hello friends!!!)))
We brought our eldest son to work in the Old Russian archaeological expedition, to our old friends)))
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According to archaeological data, the city arose in the second half of the 10th century, thanks to salt mines. The first known written mention is in the 12th century as a city of artisans and state-owned salt works. Due to its location on the way "from the Varangians to the Greeks", trade developed, and Staraya Russa was among the largest cities of the then Russian lands. During the Novgorod campaigns of Tsar Ivan IV Vasilyevich the Terrible, as well as during the Time of Troubles, the population of the city declined sharply (out of 8 thousand, only 38 people survived!).
The city was visited by Emperor Peter I, on whose orders salt production was expanded, crafts were created for logging for shipyards.
Since 1776, Staraya Russa has been a district town of the Novgorod province.
In 1878, on the salt springs of the eastern part of the city, a balneological resort was created, one of the oldest in Russia, which today is the main glory of the city. Many prominent figures of Russia came to the resort at different times.
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This is what the Pyatnitsky excavation site looks like, which is located next to the Resort and not far from the Salt Lake. Now there is a study of cultural layers of the XIV century. In this field season, two birch-bark letters #47 and #48 have already been found. 
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Here's a little closer: 
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Now the reconstruction of the Cathedral Square and the Central Alley is underway, communications are being shifted, all construction work is preceded by protective archaeological research. Look at the scale of the work: 
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The central alley is located on the site of the lost Trade Rows, whose foundations are currently being explored. 
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Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery.
Desert is based on the right bank of the river. Polist in 1192 by Martyry "Rushanin" (later - Archbishop of Novgorod, canonized).
Until the 17th century there is very little information about the monastery; it is only known that there was one stone church of the Savior (1198), dismantled and rebuilt "on the old basis" in the middle of the 15th century. Archbishop Euthymius II. Now the monastery is located within the boundaries of the modern city, to the northeast of its center.
After the "Swedish ruin" the monastery was significantly expanded: in 1628 - 1630s. the Church of the Savior was rebuilt, the stone churches of the Nativity of Christ, the Presentation of Christ with a refectory, “under the bells” of an unknown dedication (bell tower) were erected. All these buildings have been preserved as a compact group.
In the XVIII-XIX centuries. all the ancient buildings were remodeled, new buildings of the monastery and theological school were built. In 1892, in the southern part of the monastery, near the city street, a large cathedral of the Old Russian Icon of the Mother of God was erected, designed in the spirit of eclecticism. In the 1920-1930s. some buildings (walls, towers, a chapel, etc.) were dismantled and several residential four-story houses were built in their place.
During the Great Patriotic War, all the monuments of the monastery were seriously damaged and continued to collapse in the future. By the beginning of the restoration work, they were in an emergency state, and some of them were in a semi-ruined state.
Restoration work on the monastery complex was carried out in 1961-1973. (headed by T.V. Gladenko). All ancient buildings have been restored in the forms of the 17th-19th centuries. (The Church of the Savior - with the restoration of some elements of the 15th century) and adapted for the local history museum and art gallery of the Starorussky branch of the Novgorod Museum-Reserve, and the Cathedral of the Icon of the Mother of God - for a sports school "- V.A. Yadryshnikov (Architectural heritage of Veliky Novgorod and the Novgorod region).
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The Museum of Local Lore annually hosts archaeological exhibitions that tell about new finds of the field season. 
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South wall of the Cathedral of the Transfiguration 
While everything. There are still a lot of video panoramas of Staraya Russa from different points, but I hope that they will be posted with detailed descriptions on my blog
And here is our report that we announced at the Novgorod conference. 12 pages of text, 17 minutes of airtime and 60 slides. In general, it turned out, as they say now - longread (or whatever it is). But everything is told here.
So, let's begin. (slides click to enlarge)
In 2015, the Novgorod University expedition continued its traditional excavations in Staraya Russa, and also conducted exploratory research in the regions of the region.
In July-August, work continued at the Pyatnitsky-II excavation site in Staraya Russa.
This excavation was laid in 2013 to the south of Pyatnitsky-I. One of the goals was to connect the studied territory with the area of the excavation site X, which was explored by Alexander Filippovich Medvedev and Galina Pavlovna Smirnova in 1969-1970. This would make it possible to harmonize the stratigraphy and building horizons in the historical core of Rusa on an area of approximately 500 sq. m. Which is doubly relevant due to the fact that the bright finds and complexes discovered at excavation X were dated at that time almost exclusively on the basis of clothing material and ceramics.
The forthcoming work on the synchronization of the complexes of excavation X with the materials of the Pyatnitsky excavations will allow us to check the conclusions made by our predecessors at the modern level (and using dendrochronology).
This is what the excavation looks like at the beginning of the season.
And it's already in the middle -
Excavation work this season has been hampered by two factors: continuous heavy rains, and the need to clear the numerous structures, pavements, and stones that covered most of the excavation area (well, funds were rather limited).
The work was carried out in 10 and 11 layers. The total thickness of the strata studied in 2013-2015 was 2-2.5 m
The main filling of the layers in the southern part of the excavation was made up of manure layers with an admixture of grass. In the northern part, layers of serious fires were revealed, in which structures of tiers III and IV were destroyed.
In the central part of the excavation, the bottom part of the pit of the cellar-glacier of the New Age was finally investigated. There is also a dig under the well of the end of the 19th century, interrupting the medieval buildings. In the southwestern corner of the excavation, the corner of the buried excavation X continued to be recorded.
The level of the ancient surface for the building horizon of the 1370-1380s was traced: within the excavation, a slope in a southerly direction up to 20-30 cm is recorded.
In the field season of 2015, the remains of 22 different structures were discovered or further explored at the Pyatnitsky-II excavation site. The study of 7 buildings that were opened in previous seasons was continued.
Another 15 buildings of the second half of the XIV - XV centuries. discovered during the dismantling of the cultural layer.
Particularly noteworthy is a complex of 8 residential, utility and industrial buildings, as well as 3 manor pavements, assigned to tier III (early 1370s - late 1380s). It is a synchronous building horizon of the estate "B", which makes it possible to almost completely study the planigraphy of the estate.
Tier III was first identified ten years ago, back at the Pyatnitsky-I excavation site in 2004-2005. on the basis of the younger dendrodates of the PS-5 log house and the line of the interestate palisade (1373). At the Pyatnitsky-II excavation site, we began to study it in 2014.
In 2015, the blockhouse PS-48 and pavement No. 3 were additionally explored, in addition, 5 blockhouses, an industrial furnace, a pole structure, 2 pavements, and a pole enclosure were discovered and studied.
The orientation of the development is related to the direction of the street, the flooring of which is probably located in the immediate vicinity to the west of the site. Judging by the line of the inter-estate palisade discovered in the territory of the Pyatnitsky-I excavation site, the northern border of the estate passes directly behind the wall of the Pyatnitsky-II excavation site. In the southwestern corner of the excavation, in its western wall, the remains of a palisade line, which bounded the study area from the west, continued to be recorded. This line of the palisade was also recorded in excavation X.
The combination of plans shows that outside the Pyatnitsky-II excavation site, the palisade continues for about 2 m in the SSE direction, and then turns at a right angle to the ENE (for 2.8 m) and ends with a rope marking the gate and the entrance to the estate.
Due to the fact that the northern, western and southern boundaries of the estate “B” partially fell into the studied area, its configuration (trapezoidal in plan) and area (around 500 sq. m. - dimensions 25 x > 16 m) can be approximately determined ).
On the territory of the estate at the level of this tier, an unusual building structure was recorded. Wooden structures (8 residential, utility and industrial buildings, as well as 3 pillar structures) were located along the perimeter of the estate. The central part is largely paved with floorings made of poles and planks. The entrance to the estate, judging by the path marked on the area of excavation X, was located from the south.
Tier III structures:
Large residential building(log-four-wall PS-5) was located in the NW corner of the estate. The design of the furnace, which had a brick hearth, seems characteristic. The erection of the log house is dated 1373.
To the east of the house was pillar structure(PS-49), traced along the pillars with characteristic grooves designed to insert horizontal boards or planks.
Even to the east, along the northern border of the estate, there was frame-four-wall(PS-50) with internal dimensions of approximately 3.5 x 3.5 m. The lower crowns of the walls and the remains of the flooring have been preserved.
Of interest is the design of a large, obviously industrial ovens- a large rectangular (2.5 x 1.5 m) five-wall log box filled with calcined stones. The upper horizon of stones, smeared and smoothed with clay, forms a smooth, even sintered surface, which is a furnace. Judging by the specific design and ethnographic analogies, this is probably a blacksmith's forge.
This interpretation is supported by a large number of fragments of iron slag found in the filling of the log house and to the west of it, as well as an admixture of ferruginous particles, which imparted a specific rusty color to the strata. In the immediate vicinity to the west of the structure, iron bits, fragments of a spear, a pink salmon scythe, an iron dart, and an ax blade were found. A higher density of fragments and rivets of tsrens (27 units, i.e. 1/3 of the total number found) was also noted here. Apparently, the entrance to the building was in the central part of the southern wall - it is marked by a cluster of stones forming a paving between the frame and the wooden pavement.
Even to the east, in the NE corner of the excavation and the estate, there was pillar structure(PS-58) - a light outbuilding adjoining the east to the forge.
To the south, the western part of another log-four-wall(PS-52). 1-2 crowns of walls and a charred plank flooring have been preserved from it.
From the south, another log house (PS-54) closely adjoined it.
Two crowns of very carelessly chopped walls and a flooring of poles have been preserved. The filling of the log house under the layer of destruction is represented by manure with an admixture of grass, which was crammed into the cracks in the flooring. Most likely this is a facility for stall keeping of livestock.
The remains of a large log structure (internal dimensions within the excavation 4.8 x 2.2 m) were investigated in the SE corner of the excavation. The logs of two crowns of the walls have been preserved. The filling of the log house is represented by a layer of manure. A possible interpretation is a building for stall keeping of livestock.
To the north of the PS-55 log house, a pavement was fixed.
Its southern part, adjoining the log house, was dismantled in antiquity, and the northern part will be further explored next year.
In the SE corner of the excavation (and the farmstead), the remains of a small charred oak log cabin filled with calcined clay and burnt bricks were found.
Apparently, this design should be interpreted as a log cabin of a large furnace cut off by the pit of excavation X.
The discovery of this structure made it possible to combine the planigraphy of the Pyatnitsky-II excavation site with the materials from excavation X. Medvedev and G.P. Smirnova to tiers 7-8 (there were three charred oak crowns of walls, a brick under the furnace and a charred wooden flooring lying under it). Dimensions 1.6 x 2.5 m.
From the west and south, the log house is outlined by a palisade (which was perceived by A.F. Medvedev as the walls of the structure, which is somewhat contradicted by the chain adjoining the palisade), from the east - by a pillar construction of the enclosure. Perhaps we have a production complex in front of us, located in the southwest corner of the estate. Hypothetical interpretation of A.F. Medvedev - salt pan (from the nearest squares in 2015 there are 16 fragments and rivets of tsrens).
A pavement about 3 m wide from aspen poles led to the production furnace from the log house located to the north. From the east, this pavement and the log cabin of the production furnace were fenced off with a pole fence, traced on the basis of 3 pillars (one of which was recorded in excavation No. 10) and a raft of boards and planks placed on the edge. The total length of the structure is 7.2 m.
To the north of the pavement, remains of a four-wall frame (PS-51) were found, extending into the western wall (dimensions within the excavation - 3.3 x 3 m).
The log cabin, in all likelihood, representing a residential building, existed for a rather long period of time - throughout tiers III-IV. The remains of 4 crowns and two horizons of the flooring have been preserved from it.
The destruction of this structure in a fire (together with the rest of the buildings of tier III) is marked with lenses of ash and coal. In their thickness, a collapse of calcined stones of the furnace, numbering several horizons, was revealed.
The complex of finds includes fragments of an amphora, three amber beads, and a fragment of mica. It should be noted the discovery in the strata associated with the death of the log house, blanks of hanging lead seal.
From the north, it was adjoined by another four-wall log house (PS-48) - probably an outbuilding. From it, the lower crowns of the walls and improvised steps have been preserved. As one of them, a large inverted split trough 1.7 m long was used.
The central part of the estate was paved. On an area of 12 x 8-12 m, a pavement of poles, boards and planks laid in different areas in different directions is fixed. It is characteristic that in most of such a spacious pavement, its flooring is laid directly on the ground, without lining.
In the northern part of the excavation, under structures of tier III, the remains of buildings of the previous tier IV (1360s - early 1370s) were recorded. This horizon includes:
- remains of the southern part of the log cabin PS-8 (the main part of the structure was explored in 2005-2006 at the Pyatnitsky-I excavation site, the younger dendrodata - 1366). In 2015, fragments of burnt logs from the eastern and southern walls of the building were unearthed, as well as foundation structures - linings and pillars - "chairs". The total area of the building is more than 45 sq. m;
- the first stage of existence log house PS-51, which has already been mentioned above.
- log cabin(PS-56) uncovered at the bottom of the studied strata in the NE corner of the estate. Logs of the lower crown of the southern and western walls, details of the flooring, as well as the collapse of the stones of the heating device have been preserved from the structure;
- picket line, limiting the estate "B" from the north.
Speaking about the characteristics of the studied estate, it should be noted the density of finds in the cultural layer. Firstly, a significant amount of mass material (10.5 thousand ceramic fragments were recorded), despite the fact that the stratifications were studied for a rather short period. This, apparently, can be explained by the high intensity of life. Secondly, a relatively small proportion of finds made of inorganic materials is specific - objects made of leather and wood predominate. Thirdly, the number of fragments of tsrens - iron pans for salt digestion - increased 4 times. In the overlying layers, let me remind you, they were quite few.
Now let's move on to the finds.
The collection of finds at the Pyatnitsky excavation site in the 2015 season includes 1688 items.
Among them, leather goods predominate, accounting for more than half of all finds.
First of all, these are the full shapes and details of shoes (boots predominate).
Noteworthy is the discovery of a shoe of a Western European cut (this is the second such find at the Pyatnitsky-II excavation site).
The collection also contains mittens, scabbards, balls, covers, thimbles.
Of considerable interest is the trimming of the edge of the leather sheet with the preserved inscription of 4 letters: "FATI...", probably being part of the owner's inscription - FATI<АНА>.
The next largest group of finds (18% of the total, 308 items) are wood products. Pegs of stringed musical instruments (4 units) and an item previously identified as a part of a bagpipe. If so, then this is the first find of such a musical instrument on the territory of medieval Russia.
Details of looms -
trough - 
Three specific wooden pieces with dowels found in recycled use.
For now, their purpose remains a mystery.
Other wood finds -
There are relatively few ferrous metal products. 
Finds of non-ferrous metal are even less numerous. Of greatest interest are the blanks of hanging lead seals. There are rings (10 units), slips (6 units) and buttons (4 units).
Textile products are represented primarily by fragments of various fabrics. Of particular interest are several samples of burgundy-dyed cloth (probably Western European) -
And also 3 fragments of silk -
Bone products -
Glass beads are not numerous, but amber beads are well represented -
Ceramics -
Thus, the strata studied at the Pyatnitsky-II excavation site in 2015 date back to the second half XIV - the beginning of the XV century. Research will continue (well, if some cataclysm does not interfere ...) in the next field season.
Based on the results of the field season (and in connection with the anniversary), an exhibition of archaeological finds from 2012-2015 was held in the Staraya Russian Museum of Local Lore. "A look into the past. A thousand-year history of Staraya Russa in archaeological finds.
But we did not limit ourselves to the Pyatnitsky excavation alone. Archaeological reconnaissance was carried out in the Novgorod, Shimsky, Poddorsky, Okulovsky, Borovichsky, Demyansky, Lyubytinsky, Khvoyninsky, Pestovsky districts of the Novgorod region.
The whole map was pierced with pins.
Among other things, exploration work was carried out on the former territory of the Antoniev Monastery in Veliky Novgorod.
The cultural layer in the northern part of the former monastery territory was discovered by S.N. Orlov in the early 1970s. and contacted the “village of Volkhovsky” that preceded the monastery. In 1973-1974 he carried out extensive (but remained unpublished) excavations, and in subsequent years, numerous observations. In the course of research in 2015 (5 pits), we were able to clarify the data on the distribution and thickness of cultural strata on the territory of the former monastery garden.
The cultural layer has a thickness of 50 to 130 cm. The results of the study in some cases contradict the conclusions of S.N. Orlov, set out in a single publication:
- in the north-eastern part of the territory of the site, where S.N. Orlov notes the main deposits of the "village of ore-workers and jewelers", only a weakly expressed cultural layer was recorded, obviously belonging to the peripheral part of the settlement of the XII-XVII centuries;
To the east of the “new building” of the Humanitarian Institute, in the area where S.N. Orlov did not record cultural deposits, on the contrary, strata were identified that had a high density of ceramic content and dated to the 13th-18th centuries;
The greatest intensity of cultural deposits, as expected, was found in the southern part, at the junction with the historical territory of the monastery ensemble. Stratified cultural strata of the 12th-17th centuries lie here, apparently marking the residential zone of the settlement and containing a large number of ceramic fragments.
A large exploration project was carried out by our expedition team in August-September 2015. We are talking about surveying the route of the fiber-optic line, which crosses the Pestovsky, Khvoininsky, and Lyubytinsky districts for 242 km.
As a result, it was found that on most of the route, the objects of archaeological heritage do not fall into the zone of construction work.
The only problematic area was the territory of the long-suffering village near the village of Belkovo, Khvoyninsky district, which had already been repeatedly damaged during the laying of oil pipelines. At the time of the inspection, it turned out that the work on laying the route in this section had already been partially completed without the consent of the state bodies for the protection of cultural heritage (LLC "SantTransStroy" (Samara)), which led to damage to the monument.
The cable laying furrow itself (the width of the trench is 0.3 m, the depth is 1.2 m) did not cause much damage, but in the coastal part a half-filled horizontal directional drilling pit was noted (having dimensions of 4.6 x 1.5-1.8 m and depth of at least 1.5 m). ]The wall of the pit was cleaned (which made it possible to fix the statigraphy) and the dump was moved.
Information about the location of the archeological monument "Belkovo, Settlement I" on the projected route was brought to the attention of the state body for the protection of monuments and designers. The project has been adjusted: it will not cause further damage, since. does not provide for earthworks on the territory of the monument.
A lot of time and effort was spent in spring and summer to stop the destruction of the archaeological complex near the villages of Zaruchevye and Bor in the Okulovsky district, which was being destroyed by a quarry for the construction of the M-11 highway. The development of quarries is carried out by Almaz LLC.
Despite all efforts, it has not yet been possible to stop the destruction of the monument.
In this regard, some bewilderment is caused by the position of the state body for the protection of monuments, which agreed on the sections on ensuring safety, developed by the notorious LLC "GAMAS", despite the most serious remarks on their quality and reliability. According to the situation at the beginning of autumn, one newly discovered object and part of the long-known settlement of Zaruchevye IV, VIII were destroyed, and a group of hills and a ground burial ground were also damaged.
Here are our results for the year.
Report materials used Toropova E.V., Toropov S.E., Samoilov K.G., Kolosnitsyn P.P., Kolosnitsyna E.E. Field research in 2015 in Staraya Russa and the Novgorod region read on January 26 at the conference of the XXX scientific conference “Novgorod and Novgorod land. History and archeology” (provided by the authors).
We invite you to take part in the excavations of the ancient Russian year with a unique preservation of the finds and gain basic knowledge of archeology.
Full description
Staraya Russa is one of the largest medieval centers of the Novgorod land and the most ancient cities of Russia, founded at the beginning of the 11th century. In the summer of 2019, we will work in the layers of the 13th century, one of the most dramatic and significant periods in the history of Russia. At this time, events took place that left their mark on the entire subsequent fate of the Russian principalities - the Tatar-Mongol invasion, wars with the Livonian and Teutonic Orders. At the Pyatnitsky excavation, a medieval city estate is being studied, on which the remains of various structures and a huge number of ancient objects made of metal, bone, ceramics, leather, wood, fabric, glass, amber and other materials have been preserved. Among them are household items that tell about the ordinary life of our ancestors, and unique finds that shed light on the secrets of history. The school was organized on the basis of the Old Russian Archaeological Expedition of the Center for Archaeological Research of the Humanitarian Institute of Novgorod State University named after Yaroslav the Wise. The head of the expedition is Elena Vladimirovna Toropova, Candidate of Historical Sciences, Director of the Humanitarian Institute of NovSU. The head of the school is Pavel Pavlovich Kolosnitsyn. The main backbone of the expedition is made up of researchers from the Center for Archaeological Research of Novgorod State University. The excavations will be attended by students of the Faculty of History of NovSU, HSE internships, students from Germany, members of the archaeological school and volunteers from various cities of Russia. DATES The first shift is from 14 to 27 July. REQUIREMENTS FOR PARTICIPANTS The main requirement for participants is one - desire. If you do not have experience, do not worry - we will teach you the basic necessary skills at the excavation site during the work. SCHOOL PROGRAM Most of the school participants' time will be devoted to direct work at the excavation site. Physical activity is different - from cleaning with a brush and washing the finds, to carrying a heavy stretcher. We work 6 days a week (Sunday - day off) from 9 to 19.00 with a lunch break, on Saturday the working day is usually shortened. Work at the excavation implies compliance with the rules of work, safety precautions and the daily routine adopted in the expedition. The school includes a series of lectures and practical classes "Fundamentals of Archeology", which will be held both directly at the excavation site and indoors, as well as various excursions. Participants who graduate from school will receive certificates. Three meals a day - breakfast - lunch - dinner in the dining room or cafe. Accommodation - a place (bed / folding bed) in common rooms (3-4 people) in a hostel, hostel or rented apartment. In the application for participation, you must specify the selected shift, last name, first name and patronymic, age, place of work / study, home address, phone number and other contacts for communication. Be sure to tell us about your interests and why you want to participate in the school. Indicate if travel expenses are to be reimbursed (give an estimate of the cost of the tickets and the reason why the reimbursement is required).
Who is needed
Man
Female
16 - 100 years old
Language skills
Additional Information
REQUIREMENTS FOR PARTICIPANTS 1. Desire. 2. From the age of 18 without restrictions 14-15-year-olds only accompanied by adults, we decide on the participation of 16-17-year-olds in each case separately (usually we take)
What to do
Excavation work
Number of working hours
48 per week
Number of days off per week
Additional Information
Most of the time the participants of the school will spend directly in the work on the excavation. We work 6 days a week (Sunday is a day off) from 9 to 18:30 with a lunch break, on Saturday the working day is usually shortened. Work at the excavation implies compliance with the rules of work, safety precautions and the daily routine adopted in the expedition. Physical activity is different - from cleaning with a brush and washing the finds, to carrying a heavy stretcher. So we will select a job for every taste and opportunity. The school includes a series of lectures and practical exercises "Fundamentals of Archeology", which will be held both directly at the excavation site and indoors. The participant will not “just dig”, but will be able to get acquainted in practice with modern methods of field research from professional archaeologists, communicate with students and specialists, and also touch antiquity with their own hands.
scientific collaborator Department of the study of problems of archeology of the Novgorod land at the REC IGUM NovSU, head. Museum of Archeology of Novgorod State University, author of the archeology blog starcheolog in LiveJournal"Trinity option" No. 15 (234), August 1, 2017
Staraya Russa (until the 16th century - Rusa) is located south of Lake Ilmen in the modern Novgorod region. Founded at the turn of the 10th and 11th centuries, for a long time it was the second largest city in the Novgorod land. Now Staraya Russa, among other things, is the most important and interesting archaeological site. It is being researched by the Old Russian Archaeological Expedition of Yaroslav the Wise Novgorod State University (NovGU) led by E. V. Toropova. This year, archaeologists are working in two directions.
The first is the continuation of systematic research at the Pyatnitsky excavation site, which has been carried out since 2002 and is supported by the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences of the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (project 17-01-18035e). The excavation is located in the historical center of the city, close to mineral springs, on the territory of the historical core of Rusa. The total thickness of the cultural layer deposited in the 11th–20th centuries in this area reaches 6 m. In it, as, in particular, in the layer of Veliky Novgorod, organic matter is perfectly preserved: wood, leather, bone, fabric, etc.
The remains of the buildings make it possible to restore the layout of the estate that fell within the excavation area, and many artifacts tell about the material culture of the medieval city.
In the 2017 season, excavations are going on in the layers of the first half - the middle of the 14th century. The estate under study has an atypical layout for that time: residential and industrial premises are located along the perimeter, and numerous floorings are fixed in the central part.
The number of finds is in the hundreds. These are leather shoes, ceramic and wooden utensils, tools, household items, jewelry and much more.
The most striking of the finds of this season are birch-bark letters and bone seals.
The letter is a fragment of a document, from which three lines have been preserved, while the whole is one, the middle one. Only two letters survived from the top, and about half from the bottom. The text informs about a certain period or period of time, measured from Ilyin's day (July 20 according to the Julian calendar) to the Great Day - Easter. It would seem that there is not much information, but it is important to mention church holidays in correspondence or a document, which has replenished the linguistic, grammatical, paleographic and other scientific piggy banks.
No less important is the discovery in the 14th century layer of three applied seals for impressions on wax. In shape, they resemble pawns with holes for hanging on a cord. But on the "sole" images are cut out. One depicts an anthropomorphic figure: either an angel with wings, or a person holding something in his hands.
On the second, a certain beast is carved. Similar images are found on jewelry of the 14th-15th centuries, and at the end of independence, the “fierce beast” was depicted on the lead seals of Veliky Novgorod.
The second area of research is rescue archaeological work in the course of a large-scale reconstruction of Cathedral Square and the improvement of the central streets of Staraya Russa.
Cathedral Square, which before the revolution was called Torgovaya, appeared rather late, at the end of the 18th century, after Catherine's redevelopment, as a result of which the city center was moved. For two hundred years, there were shopping arcades and Gostiny Dvor, the remains of which were also found during the research. It is not surprising that among the finds there are many coins and trade seals of the 18th - early 19th century. XX century.
Excavations have shown that before the appearance of the square, in the 15th - first half of the 18th century, there were estates and wood-paved streets here. Due to the fact that the cultural layer preserves organic matter, many objects made of leather and wood have been found. Especially a lot of leather shoes. Among the striking finds are a hanging lead seal of the sovereign governor, a mother-of-pearl pectoral cross of the 16th century (the closest analogue of which was found in Latvia, among the remains of a Russian soldier who died during the siege of Cēsis Castle in the Livonian War), a spearhead from the 17th–18th centuries, jewelry and much more .
One of the finds - a whistle from the layers of the 17th-18th centuries - has already become famous, but this fame is largely accidental. Posting the photo on the blog and in the VKontakte group, the archaeologists joked, calling it a dinosaur. The journalists picked it up, and within a day the “dinosaur from Staraya Russa” was known throughout Russia. In fact, the whistle with a melodic sound is most likely a stylized image of a dove.
Despite the abundance of finds, the season is not over yet and will bring many discoveries that you can follow in
The 50th birch bark was found at the Pyatnitsky excavation site in Staraya Russa, Novgorod Region. An employee of Yaroslav the Wise Novgorod State University, archaeologist Pavel Kolosnitsyn, reported about his find: “For 18 years I have been working towards this. For 18 years they were found at other excavations, they were found next to me, they were found at the excavation which I led. And today I finally found it myself At the end of the day, I sat down to check the washed birch bark from the boxes in which the bulk material is put from squares. On the fourth tray I take out a small bundle and see letters on it. Today, at the Pyatnitsky excavation site in Staraya Russa, birch bark No. a well-preserved fragment of a birch bark document originating from the layers of the second half of the 13th century. Research is carried out by the Archaeological Expedition of NovSU. The head of the expedition is Elena Toropova, director of the Humanitarian Institute of NovSU. The head of the excavation is Kirill Samoilov.
Photo from the Facebook page of Pavel Kolosnitsyn
In early July, at the Troitsky excavation site in Veliky Novgorod, they found the first birch bark in this archaeological season. She was assigned the number 1114. A valuable artifact was discovered on July 1 by students of the Russian State Pedagogical University named after A.I. Herzen. The letter has been poorly preserved. It contains two readable lines (they are still being studied), and the third, apparently the initial one, has been lost. Aleksey Gippius, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, presented the initial version of the reading of the diploma.
The very first birch bark was discovered on July 26, 1951 at the Nerevsky excavation site in Novgorod. It contained a list of feudal duties ("pozem" and "gift") in favor of three landowners: Thomas, Iev and the third, who may have been called Timothy. This letter was found by Nina Akulova, a Novgorodian, who came to the excavation to earn some money during her pregnancy leave (a monument was erected on her grave in honor of this find). Already in 1952, the first birch bark was found at the Gnezdovsky settlement near Smolensk - by an expedition of Moscow University led by D.A. Avdusin. This was followed by discoveries in Pskov - by the expedition of G.P. Grozdilov in 1958, in Vitebsk - during construction work in 1959. In Staraya Russa, the first find of birch bark was made in 1966 by an expedition of the Institute of Archeology led by A.F. Medvedev.
In total, over 1200 birch bark letters have been found in the entire history of archaeological excavations, of which 1114 - in Veliky Novgorod, 50 - in Staraya Russa, 19 - in Torzhok, 16 - in Smolensk, 8 - in Pskov, 5 - in Tver, 4 - in Moscow and 8 more diplomas - in Zvenigorod Galitsky, Mstislavl, Vitebsk, Staraya Ryazan and Vologda.
