Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Archaeologists discovered a 10th-century Meryan axe during excavations near the village of Shulets, near Rostov the Great. The Rostov Kremlin State Museum-Reserve press service reported this on October 22.
| An image of the thing can be seen at the link. |
"A unique iron axe, typical of the ancient Meria, has been discovered. (…) Archaeologists have been exploring an ancient settlement dating from the 10th to 13th centuries and an associated burial ground. Dozens of iron and copper objects were discovered during the work. A particularly remarkable find was a complete iron axe from the 10th century," according to a post on the museum-reserve's VKontakte page.
The axe, with an elongated, narrow blade, measures 12 x 6.6 cm and weighs 550 g. The press service noted that such axes were common among Finno-Ugric peoples in the early Middle Ages and could be used for both work and combat.
This is a rare find for Rostov—similar axes were previously found about a century ago at the Sarskoye settlement. The Schultz axe is the first to be found outside of this settlement, and it provides important evidence of the material culture of the "rural" Meri people. After study, the find will be transferred to the Rostov Kremlin collection, undergo restoration, and be displayed at exhibitions.
In September, scientists from the Arctic Research Center of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia) discovered an ancient paired Stone Age burial ground dating back approximately 5,500 years. The burial ground yielded the skeletons of an adult and, presumably, a teenager, along with a wealth of grave goods. Among the finds were a large number of weapons: stone arrowheads of various types, composite knives with bone handles and flint inserts, and numerous other blades.
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