Brief Communications of the Institute of Archaeology (Краткие сообщения Института археологии), 2024
In 2014 a wooden artefact was found in the Troitsky excavation trenchin a layer dating back to th... more In 2014 a wooden artefact was found in the Troitsky excavation trenchin a layer dating back to the early 11th century in Velikiy Novgorod. Based on ethnographicanalogies, this wooden component was identified as a cart turning mechanism and a frontfork. In the Northwest of Medieval Rus this is the first find of this kind, which enabledthe researchers to use a holistic approach for reconstructing the body of four-wheeledvehicles. The closest parallels come from Polish Pomerania and Silesia, similar items arealso found among ethnographic materials in Central Europe and the Baltic region. Thesedata suggest non-local origin of this cart in early Novgorod. The technical design of thiscart shows a number of archaic features inherited from the earliest turning mechanismsin the wheeled transport; these features substantially reduced mobility of such vehiclesin narrow urban streets. This find adds substantially to our knowledge on the use of cartsin the Novgorod region in the medieval period.
The article deals with comprehensive study of four horn spoons from the early strata of Troitsky ... more The article deals with comprehensive study of four horn spoons from the early strata of Troitsky and Nerevsky excavation sites from Veliky Novgorod. The main hallmark distinguishing these artefacts among analogies is highly artistic geometric interlaced ornament, which has not been studied fully and is not discussed in Russian historiography. The complex use of archaeological and artistic analysis made it possible to interpret the origins of interlaced ornament in archaeological contexts. The closest typological and stylistic analogies were found in the medieval urban centres of Middle Sweden, on the boundaries of the Scandinavian and Sami cultures. The research prompted an assumption about the North European origin of these spoons from the Novgorod cultural deposit. The ornaments of these artefacts can be regarded as one of the areas of Scandinavian art influenced by Sami tradition.
Аннотация. Данная работа посвящена комплексному анализу усадьбы «Д-2» Неревского раскопа второй п... more Аннотация. Данная работа посвящена комплексному анализу усадьбы «Д-2» Неревского раскопа второй половины Х в. Рассматривается история ее изучения, характеризуется застройка владения, дается подробный разбор вещевого комплекса древнейшего яруса и анализируется пространственное распределение отдельных категорий находок. В заключении статьи обосновывается время заселения усадьбы и описывается ее вероятный облик во второй половине Х в. Annotation. This work is an interdisciplinary analysis of the urban property "Д-2" at the Nerevsky excavation site of the second half of the 10 th century in mediaeval Novgorod. Here, the history of its investigations is considered, the layout of the area is characterized, a detailed study of the complex of artefacts from the earliest horizon is presented and the spatial distribution of particular categories of finds is analysed. In the article's conclusion, the time of the occupation of the property is grounded and its possible character in the second half of the 10 th century is described.
In this article, the author identifies small wooden blocks with marks and some playing boards div... more In this article, the author identifies small wooden blocks with marks and some playing boards divided into fields as Medieval games. These objects were discovered during excavations in Novgorod inside the strata from the turn of the 10th - 11th centuries up to the middle of the 13th century. The closest analogies to these objects were found among the pieces for the Scandinavian "game-race with direct combat" of Daldos and Sahkka, known from the 19th century in Denmark, Norway and in the north of Finland through the study of ethnographers.
To the question of the so-called «pre-level layer» of the Nerevsky excavation site Study of the «... more To the question of the so-called «pre-level layer» of the Nerevsky excavation site Study of the «pre-level layer» of the Nerevsky site is one of the most important problems of the archaeological investigation of Early Medieval Novgorod for many decades. This issue is connected to the questions of the origin of Novgorod, the time of its settlement and dates of several groupscf objects. This research attempts to resolve this problem. The first part of the article is devoted to the appearance of the term «pre-level layer» and to the develop¬ ment of approaches to its study. The second part criticizes the most of the theses of the previous investigations. The absence of the cultural deposits, formed before the appearance of the first layers of building in this part of Novgorod, is proved due to the getting of new data about dates of mass finds in the oldest layers of the Nerevsky site, making of the reconstruction of the initial relief of the Nerevsky End at the moment of its settlement and analysis of field documentation.
Brief Communications of the Institute of Archaeology (Краткие сообщения Института археологии), 2024
In 2014 a wooden artefact was found in the Troitsky excavation trenchin a layer dating back to th... more In 2014 a wooden artefact was found in the Troitsky excavation trenchin a layer dating back to the early 11th century in Velikiy Novgorod. Based on ethnographicanalogies, this wooden component was identified as a cart turning mechanism and a frontfork. In the Northwest of Medieval Rus this is the first find of this kind, which enabledthe researchers to use a holistic approach for reconstructing the body of four-wheeledvehicles. The closest parallels come from Polish Pomerania and Silesia, similar items arealso found among ethnographic materials in Central Europe and the Baltic region. Thesedata suggest non-local origin of this cart in early Novgorod. The technical design of thiscart shows a number of archaic features inherited from the earliest turning mechanismsin the wheeled transport; these features substantially reduced mobility of such vehiclesin narrow urban streets. This find adds substantially to our knowledge on the use of cartsin the Novgorod region in the medieval period.
The article deals with comprehensive study of four horn spoons from the early strata of Troitsky ... more The article deals with comprehensive study of four horn spoons from the early strata of Troitsky and Nerevsky excavation sites from Veliky Novgorod. The main hallmark distinguishing these artefacts among analogies is highly artistic geometric interlaced ornament, which has not been studied fully and is not discussed in Russian historiography. The complex use of archaeological and artistic analysis made it possible to interpret the origins of interlaced ornament in archaeological contexts. The closest typological and stylistic analogies were found in the medieval urban centres of Middle Sweden, on the boundaries of the Scandinavian and Sami cultures. The research prompted an assumption about the North European origin of these spoons from the Novgorod cultural deposit. The ornaments of these artefacts can be regarded as one of the areas of Scandinavian art influenced by Sami tradition.
Аннотация. Данная работа посвящена комплексному анализу усадьбы «Д-2» Неревского раскопа второй п... more Аннотация. Данная работа посвящена комплексному анализу усадьбы «Д-2» Неревского раскопа второй половины Х в. Рассматривается история ее изучения, характеризуется застройка владения, дается подробный разбор вещевого комплекса древнейшего яруса и анализируется пространственное распределение отдельных категорий находок. В заключении статьи обосновывается время заселения усадьбы и описывается ее вероятный облик во второй половине Х в. Annotation. This work is an interdisciplinary analysis of the urban property "Д-2" at the Nerevsky excavation site of the second half of the 10 th century in mediaeval Novgorod. Here, the history of its investigations is considered, the layout of the area is characterized, a detailed study of the complex of artefacts from the earliest horizon is presented and the spatial distribution of particular categories of finds is analysed. In the article's conclusion, the time of the occupation of the property is grounded and its possible character in the second half of the 10 th century is described.
In this article, the author identifies small wooden blocks with marks and some playing boards div... more In this article, the author identifies small wooden blocks with marks and some playing boards divided into fields as Medieval games. These objects were discovered during excavations in Novgorod inside the strata from the turn of the 10th - 11th centuries up to the middle of the 13th century. The closest analogies to these objects were found among the pieces for the Scandinavian "game-race with direct combat" of Daldos and Sahkka, known from the 19th century in Denmark, Norway and in the north of Finland through the study of ethnographers.
To the question of the so-called «pre-level layer» of the Nerevsky excavation site Study of the «... more To the question of the so-called «pre-level layer» of the Nerevsky excavation site Study of the «pre-level layer» of the Nerevsky site is one of the most important problems of the archaeological investigation of Early Medieval Novgorod for many decades. This issue is connected to the questions of the origin of Novgorod, the time of its settlement and dates of several groupscf objects. This research attempts to resolve this problem. The first part of the article is devoted to the appearance of the term «pre-level layer» and to the develop¬ ment of approaches to its study. The second part criticizes the most of the theses of the previous investigations. The absence of the cultural deposits, formed before the appearance of the first layers of building in this part of Novgorod, is proved due to the getting of new data about dates of mass finds in the oldest layers of the Nerevsky site, making of the reconstruction of the initial relief of the Nerevsky End at the moment of its settlement and analysis of field documentation.
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Papers by Andrey Grinev
excavation sites from Veliky Novgorod. The main hallmark distinguishing these artefacts among analogies is
highly artistic geometric interlaced ornament, which has not been studied fully and is not discussed in Russian historiography. The complex use of archaeological and artistic analysis made it possible to interpret the
origins of interlaced ornament in archaeological contexts. The closest typological and stylistic analogies were
found in the medieval urban centres of Middle Sweden, on the boundaries of the Scandinavian and Sami cultures. The research prompted an assumption about the North European origin of these spoons from the
Novgorod cultural deposit. The ornaments of these artefacts can be regarded as one of the areas of Scandinavian art influenced by Sami tradition.
Annotation. This work is an interdisciplinary analysis of the urban property "Д-2" at the Nerevsky excavation site of the second half of the 10 th century in mediaeval Novgorod. Here, the history of its investigations is considered, the layout of the area is characterized, a detailed study of the complex of artefacts from the earliest horizon is presented and the spatial distribution of particular categories of finds is analysed. In the article's conclusion, the time of the occupation of the property is grounded and its possible character in the second half of the 10 th century is described.
excavation sites from Veliky Novgorod. The main hallmark distinguishing these artefacts among analogies is
highly artistic geometric interlaced ornament, which has not been studied fully and is not discussed in Russian historiography. The complex use of archaeological and artistic analysis made it possible to interpret the
origins of interlaced ornament in archaeological contexts. The closest typological and stylistic analogies were
found in the medieval urban centres of Middle Sweden, on the boundaries of the Scandinavian and Sami cultures. The research prompted an assumption about the North European origin of these spoons from the
Novgorod cultural deposit. The ornaments of these artefacts can be regarded as one of the areas of Scandinavian art influenced by Sami tradition.
Annotation. This work is an interdisciplinary analysis of the urban property "Д-2" at the Nerevsky excavation site of the second half of the 10 th century in mediaeval Novgorod. Here, the history of its investigations is considered, the layout of the area is characterized, a detailed study of the complex of artefacts from the earliest horizon is presented and the spatial distribution of particular categories of finds is analysed. In the article's conclusion, the time of the occupation of the property is grounded and its possible character in the second half of the 10 th century is described.