Main » 2009 » March » 3 » Treasure of the ancient Viking
Treasure of the ancient Viking
13:16
The find which has been found out recently in pojme of the river of Berezina in Borisovsky area, is unique. To tell about it more in detail we have asked the senior scientific employee of department of archeology of the medieval period of Institute of history of National academy of sciences of Belarus Oleg Iova.
-- On Berezina, in that place where in 1812 the French armies were forwarded, the international scout camp was spent. Students from Belarus, and also Holland, France, the USA, Spain, Czechia investigated events of that war - searched for a place of a crossing, a burial place to establish there a monument. The senior lecturer of pedagogical university Igor Grutso, the supervisor of studies of archeological excavations - I was the project head.
And suddenly - absolutely casual find. The restorer of the Belarus state museum of history of the Great Patriotic War Sergey Zaharov has come across in pojme the rivers sword fragments. Originally it has correlated it with events of 1812, but was soon found out - the sword is dated IX-X centuries. Certainly, we have continued excavation on this place. The treasure lay under black torfjanikovym a layer on depth about twenty centimetres. Klinok a sword it is found by pieces, and the handle made from iron and covered with a silver notch, has remained. Have found 260 silver coins, so-called dirhamov Arabian Halifata. It is revealed also nine girek which soldiers-dealers used at that time, - iron with bronze notches. Each of them weighed certain quantity of grammes. After all there were no such units as, say, one dirham or two, coins were simply weighed earlier. For this purpose also served girki. It is necessary to tell, to us has very much carried. It is the first find in Belarus when the full set girek is found out. It will help to study weight system of those times.
Besides, the big fragment of a high-standard silver bracelet is found. It, most likely, used not as an ornament, and as settlement means: if it is necessary to buy something, broke off a piece, weighed - and purchase and sale was made.
-- How all this medieval set has got in I will understand the Belarus river?
-- Before the termination of examination of anything it is impossible to confirm, but my version is that. The Viking was the owner of these things. At that time they widely traded on all our river water area. To me it is thought, there was a following. The Viking floated by the ship when there was a skirmish either with companions, or with any enemy. Most likely, the sword was at it in a hand because a sheath it is not found. The person have hard wounded or have killed, it has fallen in water, and things which with it were, remained in the river. podumattolko, they have lain in pojme the rivers about ten centuries!
-- Where now there is a treasure and what its further destiny?
-- Now it on studying in National academy of sciences. The first results have shown that the considerable part of coins - from Bagdad and is dated the beginning of IX century. But will be, probably, and coins of X century. It will help to specify sword and treasure dating as a whole. But examination will occupy long enough time, I think, till the spring. Then we will solve where to store it further.
