Archeology

The Blacksmithing Arts of Novgorod the Great

The archeological excavation of the Nerevsky End neighborhood in Novgorod in the 1950s revealed a massive amount of material about…

Decoding References to Items from Novgorod Archeological Digs

Novgorod the Great was founded around 860, and by the 14th century had grown to be one of the largest…

11th-century Russian-style Crossbow Quiver

Introduction Today I am displaying an 11th-century Russian-style quiver for crossbow bolts. The piece was constructed using woodworking, leather carving,…

The Revealing World of Medieval Kievan Rus’ Applied Art

I recently finished reading a chapter from “The History of Russian Art” on the applied arts in Kiev and the…

The Fascinating Splendor of Medieval Kievan Architecture

The 10th century rise of Kiev as a centralized power in Rus’, the official state acceptance of Christianity in 988,…

Leatherworking and Shoemaking in Novgorod the Great

My research on Russian quivers for the project I’m working on led me to the article below, about leatherworking in…

Quivers and Bow Cases in Medieval Rus

I was starting to work on a quiver for my crossbow bolts, and found this book while trying to locate…

The Arrival of the Crossbow in Medieval Rus’

I was recently doing some research into medieval archery, and came upon a book by A.F. Medvedev that was completely…

Pagan Elements in the Decorative Art of Medieval Rus’: Rusalia, Simargl, and Pereplut

Today, I’d like to present an article I recently finished reading by B.A. Rybakov, about the symbolism on silver cuff…

Trade Relations Between Volga Bulgaria and Northern and Eastern Europe in the Pre-Mongol Period (9th-early 13th cent.)

Today’s post is a translation of an article about the important trade route which passed through Volga Bulgaria between Europe…