The first medieval necropolis has been discovered in Veliky Novgorod. A 1,700-year-old “barbarian” burial site has been discovered on the border of the Roman Empire in Germany. Archaeologists in Kazakhstan have discovered 10 kurgans, or burial mounds, dating back to the Middle Ages, and some of them have “whiskers.”
The first medieval necropolis was discovered in Veliky Novgorod. More than 150 burials have already been found in layers of the 16th-14th centuries, the press service of the Novgorod Museum-Reserve reported. The medieval necropolis was discovered by archaeologists during excavations of the Church of John the Baptist in Veliky Novgorod. This is the first burial of this type discovered during excavations.
“During excavations of the Church of John the Baptist in the Museum Quarter of Veliky Novgorod, starting from the layers of the 16th century, a unique object was discovered – a necropolis. Such cemeteries had not been discovered before,” the museum reported.
According to the Deputy Director of the Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences Petr Gaidukov, archaeologists are studying the burials of Novgorodians who were born and baptized in the Church of John the Baptist.
“More than 150 burials have already been found in layers of the 16th-14th centuries. Gradually, an idea of the funeral rite is being formed: the body of the deceased was placed in a structure already prepared in the ground: a coffin, a block or a sarcophagus 40-45 cm wide, covered with a large sheet of birch bark and closed with a lid. They buried without anything, at best, in burial shoes – a kind of slippers made of leather, rarely in boots, probably according to the formula – “naked born, naked I leave,” – he said.
Earlier, archaeologists at the Troitsky excavation site in Veliky Novgorod discovered an atypical birch bark letter, which became the 1,189th in the series. As the museum staff explained, it was written not along the birch bark, as usual, but across it, and does not have the traditional “bow” to the addressee at the beginning, but on the contrary contains an unpleasant wish for him: “From Prokosha to Nechaev. Enjoy.”
It is planned to build a national historical and archaeological center named after Valentin Yanin on the territory of the Troitsky excavation site. The project to build a multifunctional museum center for storing, studying, restoring and displaying Novgorod antiquities has been supported at the government level. The storage building will consist of five floors, one of which will be underground. It is planned to equip the center with high-tech restoration equipment. Construction will begin after archaeologists complete the study of the cultural layer at the Troitsky excavation site.
A 1,700-year-old ‘barbarian’ burial site has been discovered on the outskirts of the Roman Empire in Germany. Archaeologists believe the man was buried in the first half of the 4th century. Archaeologists in Germany have discovered a 1,700-year-old burial site of a ‘barbarian’ who lived on the outskirts of the Roman Empire. His grave goods included glassware, clay pottery and a fine-toothed comb.
Archaeologists say the man in the grave belonged to a Germanic tribe that was part of the Alemanni federation and was around 60 years old when he died. Gizem Dakmaz/State Office for the Preservation of Monuments, Regional Council of Stuttgart
The grave, believed to date from the first half of the fourth century, contains the remains of a man who died in his 60s. It was found in May during excavations ahead of the construction of new homes in the center of the village of Gerstetten, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) east of the city of Stuttgart in southwestern Germany, according to a translated statement from the Stuttgart Regional Council.
The excavation site where the piles of bones were found. The grave was discovered in May during archaeological excavations ahead of the construction of a housing estate in the village of Gerstetten, about 40 miles east of Stuttgart. Gizem Dakmaz/State Office for the Preservation of Monuments, Stuttgart Regional Council
The statement said the grave was elaborately constructed and surrounded by a wooden chamber, and was in a secluded but prominent location. Among the grave goods, one glass goblet was of particularly high quality and may have come from the nearby Roman fort of Gunzia (now Günzburg), while the distinctive features of other grave goods suggest they were found further north, in the Elbe-Saale region of what is now central Germany.
Photo of the excavation site. Archaeologists say that Germanic burials from this period are rare in the region, and there is reason to believe that two more graves may be nearby. ArchaeoBW/State Office for the Preservation of Monuments, Regional Council of Stuttgart
The northern border of the Roman Empire in this region, known as the Upper Germanic Limes, ran just north of Gerstetten; beyond it lay the lands known as Magna Germania or Greater Germany, where the Germanic tribes lived. The Roman Limes was heavily guarded by legionaries stationed in forts along the border, such as Fort Guntia, but the Germanic way of life and Germanic burials were also practiced outside the forts.
The grave goods included vessels made of ceramics and glass. One high-quality glass goblet may have come from a nearby Roman fort. Yvonne Mühleis/State Office for the Preservation of Monuments, Regional Council of Stuttgart
The Romans called the Germans “barbarians,” a Greek word that originally meant “people who speak differently,” which they applied to non-Roman peoples outside their territories. After the fifth century, Germanic barbarians led by the Visigoths and Vandals invaded Roman lands in the south and hastened the fall of the empire.
The man buried in Gerstetten was likely one of the Alemanni, a confederation of Germanic tribes whose people lived near the Upper Rhine Valley, according to the statement. Alemanni graves from this time are rare in the region, the statement said. They were usually found in groups of five to 12 people, and archaeologists believe two more graves may be found in a nearby area.
Among the burial goods of the “barbarian” was this elaborate comb, which was sent to a nearby laboratory for cleaning and restoration. Yvonne Mühleis/State Office for the Preservation of Monuments, Regional Council of Stuttgart
One of the dead man’s ribs has already been radiocarbon dated at a laboratory in Mannheim. The results show the man was buried between 263 and 342 AD, the statement said.
Archaeologists in Kazakhstan have discovered 10 kurgans, or burial mounds, dating back to the Middle Ages, and some of them have “whiskers.” Found in the Ulytau region of central Kazakhstan, three of the mounds are what archaeologists call “whiskered mounds” or “mounds with whiskers.” These are burial mounds with ridges of stones running along them.
“Whiskered” kurgans from the Middle Ages (c. 600 to 1500) are common in Kazakhstan; more than 400 of them have been discovered in Central Kazakhstan alone. These kurgans range in diameter from 10 to 50 feet (3 to 15 meters) in length.
The team excavated one mound that lacked the “whiskers” and found the remains of a man buried with a triangular arrowhead. It is unclear who he was or how he died, but later research may shed light on the cause of his death.
The remains of a burial mound or barrow. In this case, it has two stone ridges known as “whiskers.” Margulan Institute of Archaeology
The exact date of the newly discovered mounds is unclear, but they appear to date back to the Middle Ages, according to the Margulan Institute of Archaeology. At that time, some people in Kazakhstan were nomadic, while others were more sedentary.
For example, many sedentary people lived in the city of Taraz, which flourished in southeastern Kazakhstan and was a major stop on the Silk Road between China and Europe. But other people in Kazakhstan were more nomadic. The most famous of these groups were the Mongols, who conquered the region in the 13th century. The newly discovered kurgans may predate the Mongol conquest, but they appear to have belonged to a nomadic group.