Archaeological excavations: locations. Where are the excavations in Russia

24.02.2022

An archaeological expedition is not only an option for a budget trip, but also a great opportunity to learn more about history, see firsthand how archaeological research is carried out, and meet interesting people.

To do this, you do not need to be a professional archaeologist or historian. It is enough just to have the desire to work for several weeks in the field, live in a tent (or maybe not in a tent, but in a quite comfortable dwelling) and soak up the expedition romance. The fact is that archaeological excavations always require working hands - the same hands that will dig the ground, clean up artifacts. Often, for these purposes, they invite schoolchildren, students, just. The costs for meals and accommodation of participants are usually covered by the organizers. You only need to pay the fare. Moreover, many expeditions are even willing to pay for the work - not so much, but enough to cover the cost of travel, souvenirs and beer with ice cream. Although someone manages to earn quite good money during the season, it's all about qualifications and work experience. In addition, such expeditions usually arrange various lectures, excursions, and trips for their participants. So you can not only work in the fresh air, but also see a lot of interesting things, as well as change the field of activity.

How to find the right expedition for you? Very simple. It is enough to enter the words “work in an archaeological expedition” or something similar in any search engine, and you will get an impressive list of archaeological exchanges, sites and blogs of expeditions. For those who are friendly with the VKontakte service, you can search for archaeological groups - there are many of them, links to other groups are usually indicated there. Well, then it's a matter of choice. I must say right away: there are not just a lot of proposals, but a lot.

Here is a list of some sites and groups to help you in your search:

VKontakte groups:

Foundation Archeology

(Perhaps you know more sites or groups. Write to me and I will add them to this list).

I'll tell you about my experience. At some point, I realized that I was tired of being an "armchair scientist", I needed real practice, I needed to understand how archaeological material is mined and processed in general. There were no special ideas; a friend who worked at the Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences was not eager to help, and then I turned to the Internet. Within a few minutes, I entered contact information about myself in one of the exchanges. A day later, an invitation came to excavations in the Rostov region. You could go dig on or on. All I had to do was buy a ticket to my destination and back. All other expenses were taken by the organizers. In addition, the program included various educational trips and excursions around the Rostov region: to, Novocherkassk, Rostov-on-Don, Belaya Kalitva, as well as relaxing on the river and other delights of field life.

We worked from 6 to 8 hours a day, depending on the weather and the pace of work. Every hour there were 10-minute breaks and one half-hour break in the middle. The rest of the time was at our disposal. In addition, during the work we constantly talked, played some games. I remember once we got an insanely difficult site: the stone was small and constantly crumbled, cleaning was difficult. The head of the expedition "threw" 8 people on this square. We honestly tried to work, but the work went with a creak. And it is not clear for what reason, among us there was a conversation about God. As you know, this is where the most heated debates arise. It seems that our cries were heard on the Don. But what was our surprise when, after an hour and a half, the boss came up and announced that we had brilliantly coped with the work!

That year I worked on the expedition all summer. It was not only a luxurious holiday, but also a very educational trip. On excursions, they told us and showed us much more than ordinary sightseers. We then traveled a significant part of the Rostov region. In addition, it is one thing when you study history from textbooks, and quite another when you clean the bones, the foundations of houses with your own hands, you see how mounds were arranged and much, much more.

Two years later, I went on an expedition to the ancient capital of Russia. It was there that Rurik first came to reign. This time I no longer had to look for where to go - the invitation began to come by themselves, I had only to choose. A completely different style of work, a different material with which I had to work - if in the Rostov region there was stone, then here it is wood. The work was headed by Professor Kirpichnikov from St. Petersburg, one of the leading experts in this region. Again there were various lectures, trips. Well, of course.

It is difficult to convey the feeling when a piece of a shard or bone, beads or a bead is shown from the ground. Sometimes there were more significant finds. Contrary to popular belief, gold-silver-diamonds are very rare, it's really good luck. But during the excavations, you are filled with excitement, you rejoice at every smallest find. And there is also a very strange feeling when you touch those things that belonged to people who lived a long time ago, touch their culture and way of life. And you begin to understand life and history a little better, to look at what is happening a little differently.

So a trip to archaeological excavations is not only a wonderful vacation, not only learning new things, but also understanding oneself.

Russian archaeologists have unearthed many amazing finds that help to better understand the history of the country and mankind. We recall the 7 biggest sensations of Russian archeology.

Princess Ukok

An amazing find by archaeologists in the Altai Mountains, on the Ukok Plateau, which thundered not only throughout Russia, but became famous all over the world. In 1993, Novosibirsk archaeologists found a woman's burial there dating back to the 5th-3rd centuries BC. Due to the climate of this place, as well as the depth of the burial, the grave was ice-bound, which means it was preserved from decomposition.
For several days, trying not to harm the burial, archaeologists melted the ice. In the burial chamber were found six horses under saddles and with a harness, a deck of larch with bronze nails. The mummy of a young girl (at the time of her death she was about 25 years old) is well preserved. She was wearing a wig and a silk shirt, woolen skirt, felt socks and a fur coat. Scientists argue whether it was a noble person or whether she belonged to the middle stratum of Pazyryk society.
Indigenous Altaians believe that floods and earthquakes on their land are connected with the fact that the "princess" was transferred to the museum, and they demand to return her to the Ukok plateau. In the meantime, an amazing exhibit can be seen in the Gorno-Altaisk Museum, where an extension and a sarcophagus were specially created for it with the maintenance of temperature and humidity conditions.

Birch bark letters

It took a long time to reach this discovery: from the annals it was known that in Russia they wrote on birch bark, archaeologists sometimes found tools with which they wrote, but assumed that these were hairpins or nails. Birch bark letters were searched near Novgorod, but the Great Patriotic War began, and the search stopped. Only in 1951, at the Nerevsky excavation, was the Birch Bark Letter No. 1 finally discovered. To our time, more than a thousand birch bark letters and even one birch bark icon have already been found. Residents of Novgorod find them when laying communications, and Chelnokov, a native of Novgorod, found a fragment of “Diploma No. 612” in his own flower pot when transplanting flowers!
Now letters are known from various places in Russia, as well as Belarus and Ukraine. These are official documents, lists, training exercises, drawings, personal notes containing a variety of vocabulary - from love to obscene.

Scythian gold

On the vast territory between the Danube and the Don rises many mounds. They remained here from the Scythian tribe, and each mound is “gold-bearing”, because only the Scythians put so much gold into the burial places of both the nobility and ordinary people. Gold for the Scythians was a symbol of life after death, and therefore it was placed in all barrows and in a variety of forms. Raids on Scythian mounds began in the Middle Ages, but even now archaeologists find treasures in them. In one of the burial mounds, a burial of a female warrior with weapons and golden beads was found, in another, a bronze panel depicting the battle of the Greeks with the Amazons, in the third, a diadem made of sheet gold... Hundreds of kilograms of Scythian gold jewelry are filled with the collections of the Hermitage and other famous museums.

Unknown type of person

On March 24, 2010, Nature magazine published a sensational article about the "Denisov Man", whose remains were found in the Denisova Cave, located in the Anui River valley in Altai. A bone of the last phalanx of a child's finger, three huge molars belonging to a young man, and a phalanx of a toe were found in the cave. The researchers conducted a DNA analysis and found that the remains of the bone date back to a period of 40,000 years ago. Moreover, the “Denisov man” turned out to be an extinct type of person, whose genome is significantly different from ours. The evolutionary divergence of such a person and a Neanderthal occurred about 640 thousand years ago. Later, these people became extinct or partly mixed with Homo sapiens. In the cave itself, archaeologists unearthed 22 layers corresponding to different cultural eras. Now any tourist can get into this cave.

White Sea labyrinths

There are labyrinths in all parts of the world among peoples at different stages of development. In Russia, the most famous labyrinths are located near the White Sea: there are about forty of them, of which more than thirty are on the Solovetsky Islands of the Arkhangelsk region. All northern labyrinths are made of medium-sized stones, they look like an oval in plan, and inside there are intricate passages leading to the center. Until now, no one knows the exact purpose of the labyrinths, especially since there is more than one type of them. But most often archaeologists associate them with the cult of the dead and funeral rites. This theory is supported by the fact that on the Big Zayatsky Island, under the stone heaps of the labyrinth, archaeologists found burnt human bones and stone tools. There is an assumption that the ancient people who lived by the sea believed that the soul of a deceased person is transported through the water to another island, and it should not return back. The labyrinth served this purpose: the soul “wandered” in it and returned back to the kingdom of the dead. It is possible that labyrinths were also used in initiation rites. Unfortunately, the study of labyrinths is difficult, because, while digging out the labyrinth, the archaeologist destroys the monument itself.

I continue the theme of the inconsistency of versions of the thickness and composition (clay) of cultural layers that are exposed during archaeological excavations
Previously posted content:

Kostenki
At the beginning of 2007, a sensation shocked the scientific world of the planet. During excavations near the village of Kostenki, Voronezh region, it turned out that the finds found were about 40 thousand years ago.

Apparently, archaeologists came up with this date because of the depth of the finds. Because even taking into account all the radiocarbon datings carried out, the age is doubtful for one reason: scientists still do not know the content of radioactive carbon in the atmosphere of the past. Was this indicator constant or changed? And repelled by modern data.

In the place of archaeologists, I would pay attention to the depth of the artifacts. It is they who speak of the cataclysm. How can archaeologists themselves fail to see this objective fact?
Although they themselves write about it, and omit the conclusions:

It turns out that during the cataclysm-flood there was a strong volcanic activity! The ash layer is solid, given that the nearest volcano is thousands of kilometers away. So, because of such a smoky atmosphere - there was a long and harsh winter!

Animal bones. As in the case of mammoths - a huge cemetery.

“Horse” layer IV “a” from the Kostenki site 14. Excavations by A.A. Sinitsyn

A layer of mammoth bones from the Kostenki site 14. Excavations by A.A. Sinitsyn

At the conference in 2004, they examine the section of the Kostenki 12 parking lot

Excavations on the Angara River (Irkutsk Region - Krasnoyarsk Territory)
Here the thickness of the "cultural layer" can be explained by the floods of the river in the past. But the river cannot deliver such an amount of clay and sand, it will rather wash it away and carry it downstream. I think the water stood for a long time, and then the river washed its floodplain in these deposits. So:

Excavation at the Okunevka site

Archaeological excavations of Ust-Yodarma

Excavations at the construction site of the Kuyumba-Taishet oil pipeline at the Paleolithic and Neolithic sites "Elchimo-3" and "Matveevskaya Square" in the Lower Angara region on the left and right banks of the Angara

And found this:

Iron arrowheads! During the Paleolithic and Neolithic eras!!??

In total, about 10 thousand square meters were excavated. m, excavation depth - 2.5 m.
During the excavations, archaeologists found about 10 arrows of the 13th-15th centuries with iron tips. All arrows were in one place, which surprised archaeologists.

And they immediately rejuvenated the find to the 13th-15th century! Those. it looks like this. If, during excavations, archaeologists find only bone products, primitive stone objects and tools, this is the Neolithic or even Paleolithic. And if bronze products - the Bronze Age. From iron - not earlier than the XIII century! And even after the arrival of the Europeans, after Yermak.

At this depth:

find these iron products:

Remains of stone buildings on the Angara under a layer of clay

If we go back to how thick and what exactly the cultural layer looks like, then look at these photos:

Excavations in Novgorod

Almost to the ground, a rotten log house in humus on the surface of the earth - everything is as it should be (Novgorod)

Excavations of the sanctuary of Ust-Poluy, YNAO

A wall, a fence made of logs was simply cut off by a stream of water or mudflows. Those. the wall was not burned, it did not rot, the logs were simultaneously broken at the base

Archaeological Museum of Berestye, Belarus

Berestye is a unique archaeological museum in the city of Brest (Belarus), on a cape formed by the Western Bug River and the left branch of the Mukhavets River, on the territory of the Volyn fortification of the Brest Fortress. The museum was opened on March 2, 1982 at the site of archaeological excavations carried out since 1968. At the heart of the museum are the unearthed remains of the settlement of ancient Brest, the construction of a craft settlement of the 13th century. On the territory of Berestye, at a depth of 4 m, archaeologists excavated streets paved with wood, the remains of buildings for various purposes, located on an area of about 1000 m². The exposition presents 28 residential log buildings - one-story log cabins made of logs of coniferous trees (including two of them preserved for 12 crowns). Wooden buildings and pavement details were preserved with specially developed synthetic substances.

Around the opened ancient settlement there is an exposition dedicated to the way of life of the Slavs who inhabited these places in ancient times, archaeological finds made during excavations are presented - products made of metals, glass, wood, clay, bones, fabrics, including numerous jewelry, utensils, details weaving machines. The entire exposition is located in a covered pavilion with an area of 2400 m².

After the excavation, the object was surrounded by a building and covered with a glass roof. But look, it is 3-4 m below the current level of the earth's surface. Were the ancients so wild that they built fortifications in pits? Another cultural layer? As we found out, it does not happen like that at the age that they give buildings.

This is what the castle might have looked like

The pavement was obviously made during the reconstruction from the remnants of the roof, etc., that they dug up, but did not know where to attach ...

Iron ax found during excavations

Tool

Found leather shoes. This fact suggests that the catastrophe happened here quite recently. But it is possible that the soil isolated the shoes from oxygen, and to this he owes such safety.

Glass bracelets. So in what century did glass appear?

An interesting fact is the discovery of the skulls of a cat, dog, horse and bison. Question: were they buried next to the dwellings (or were the skulls of the eaten bison and horse thrown out nearby) or were they all covered by a mudflow wave? And so fast that even cats and dogs could not feel the threat, as they usually feel earthquakes and try to escape.

A. VEKSLER, General Director of the Center for Archaeological Research of the Main Directorate for the Protection of Monuments of Moscow, Professor.

On March 14, 2004, the Moscow Manege, a priceless monument of world architecture, burned down. Fires in the history of Moscow happened often. And the building of the Manezh (exercise) appeared on the conflagration that formed during the war of 1812. Moscow then burned down almost completely. But by the fifth anniversary of the victory over Napoleon's army, most of the buildings were rebuilt. The arena was erected very quickly, in just six months - they were in a hurry to parade troops in the presence of Emperor Alexander I. Over two thousand soldiers (a whole infantry regiment) marched in front of the Russian emperor, who was saluted by Europe shortly before. But despite the haste, erected a masterpiece. The project of the building was developed by General Engineer August Betancourt, the construction was supervised by engineers A. L. Carbonier and A. Ya. Kashperov. The huge interior space - 166.1 by 44.7 m - did not have a single supporting column. To cover the building, a unique unsupported structure of wooden trusses, which has no analogues in world practice, was created. The fame of the Manezh spread throughout Europe, foreign engineers came to get acquainted with the floor system. The design of the external design of the building was created by the famous architect O. I. Bove. The arcades of window openings, separated by Tuscan columns, made the building elegant and austere. In addition to military reviews, exhibitions, charity evenings, and festivities were held in the Manezh. A grandiose concert arranged in this building in 1867 entered the history of Moscow culture. The orchestra was conducted by Hector Berlioz and Nikolai Rubinstein, 12 thousand spectators came to the concert. In 1872, the Polytechnic Exhibition worked in the Manege. Many bright events have been preserved in the service record of the building, which gave the name to the central square of the capital. After 1917, the architectural monument was turned into a government garage. Forty years have passed, and the Manege - the Central Exhibition Hall - was returned to Muscovites. Now it's burned out. We are assured that the Manege will soon be revived. It's too early to talk about it: there are scaffolding on Manezhnaya Square. And with the help of archaeologists, we can look into the past of this space, called the Manege.

Science and life // Illustrations

In the spring and summer of 2004, around the clock - at night with searchlights - specialists and workers of the Center for Archaeological Research of the Main Directorate for the Protection of Monuments of Moscow (CAI) conducted excavations in the Moscow Manezh, related to the restoration of this outstanding monument of architecture and history after a fire. Before the start, preliminary archaeological design was carried out: archival documents, historical plans, data on drilling, etc. were studied. At present, a favorable situation has developed in the capital for the development of archeology. The Moscow government, the Moscow Committee for Architecture, the Department of Urban Planning Policy, Development and Reconstruction of the City consider preliminary archaeological research to be as necessary a part of the construction "production cycle" as geological or restoration work.

It was impossible to explore the entire area inside the walls of the Manezh at once, because under the building there is a metro security zone, and heating mains, and communications, as well as basements and deep-seated technical rooms that have survived from the time when government garages were located here. All these underground structures significantly disturbed the cultural layer, and in the project for the organization of archaeological work, the "cleanest" sites, in our opinion, were initially identified. It was here that ten excavations 8x8 m in size were laid, inscribed in a single geodesic system of squares 2x2 m. The length of the steel beams determined the size of the excavations. They were welded to fasten the sides of the pits, the walls of which were then sheathed with boards. The pressure of technogenic soils in the center of Moscow is extremely high, and archaeological excavations were developed in compliance with the technology of underground tunneling, as well as safety regulations.

Linearly located, with small intervals, the excavations made it possible to obtain graphic sections of the horizon of the cultural layer and to reveal archaeological stratigraphy - a system of strata. The upper horizon under a thick concrete slab was composed of deposits of the 18th - early 19th centuries, on average, three meters thick. When excavating ancient Russian cities, the top layer is often removed without any viewing, with the help of mechanisms. Meanwhile, the Moscow experience of a wide study of not only the lower ancient layers, but also the entire thickness of the strata, including the construction stages of the 18th - early 20th centuries, is interesting. The materials of the post-medieval period have become a familiar area of research for archaeologists in Western Europe and America, but Russian scientists have almost no such experience. There is no doubt that the so-called late monuments are also very important for the history of the city, for urban ethnography, and in a practical sense - as objects of museum display. Therefore, the development of the upper layers under the concrete slab of the Manezh was carried out with all possible care. The architectural details and building materials found during the excavations are connected with the history of the construction of the building and, undoubtedly, will be important for its subsequent restoration. In the thickness of broken bricks, lime, construction debris with inclusions of coal and ash, there were also household items, dishes, fragments of glass damask, clay smoking pipes, smooth stove tiles with hand-made plot and ornamental painting.

Manual sorting of the land and the use of metal detectors made it possible to discover many interesting household items, including numerous coins minted under Peter the Great and his successors up to Alexander I. The gold two-ruble coin, which appeared as a result of the monetary reform of Peter the Great, is unique. It was minted in 1720 at the Kadashevsky mint in Zamoskvorechye. On the front side of the coin there is a bust image of Emperor Peter I in a laurel wreath and armor, over which a cloak is put on, fastened on the right shoulder with a buckle. On the emperor's chest is a palm branch. The words of the circular inscription on the obverse side: "TSR PETER ALEZSHVICH. VR (ALL RUSSIA) AUTOMATIC" are separated by dots. On the reverse side is a full-length image of the holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called, who embraces with his left hand a vertical oblique cross, located behind the figure of the saint. Circular inscription on the reverse side: "COIN. NEW. PRICE. TWO RUBLES 17-20". The date digits are separated by a figure of a saint. Such coins have not been found before during excavations either in Moscow or in other Russian cities. "Dvukhrublevik" in Moscow did not take root - in Russia they traditionally honored the Trinity, from here came three kopecks and three rubles.

In the horizon of the 18th century, ruins of bricks, white stone, powerful wooden structures from large merchant houses that stood here are noted. How these houses looked can be judged from the engraving "Skating from the Ice Mountains on the Neglinnaya River" by Gerard Delabarte (1790s), which depicts the trading house of the eminent merchant Mikhail Gusyatnikov. Trading establishments, shops and taverns then stood along the entire coast. Their material traces were discovered by archaeologists in the strata of the upper horizon of the cultural layer.

In the horizon of the second half of the 16th-17th centuries, the thickness of which ranged from 1.5 to 2 m, the Tver road paved with wood was revealed. It ran from the Kremlin branch tower of Kutafya towards Bolshaya Nikitskaya Street, then went along Mokhovaya Street and, turning towards Tverskaya Street, went uphill. The pavement consisted of rounded logs and planks with a diameter of 20-30 cm, laid on longitudinal powerful logs. Archaeologists managed to trace three or four tiers of this road paving, made at different times, from Tsar Ivan the Terrible to Alexei Mikhailovich. Numerous iron shoe forgings, a fair amount of lost coins (copper pools and silver kopecks), Western European and Russian trade seals were found near the pavements. A variety of household implements were also found in this horizon: wrought iron products, knives, scissors, torches for torches, horse bits, collars. In the cellars, large thick-walled vessels for storing grain, the so-called "korchagi", have been preserved.

In residential log cabins, stains of baked clay from stoves were clearly distinguished, there were relief tiles: red (without irrigation), muraved (green), "tsenin" (polychrome). Of particular interest are the open ovens made of clay and mud bricks that stood in the yards of the archers who lived here: in summer, food was cooked in the air.

Finds of weapons and items of military equipment were repeatedly noted in this horizon: iron arrowheads, lead bullets, fragments of chain mail armor, which is quite natural, since since the time of Ivan the Terrible, in the area of the future Manezh and Manezhnaya Square, the settlement of the Stremyanny Streltsy Regiment of the personal guard of the sovereign was located. It was these archers, who stood at the "stirrup" of the king, who amazed foreigners with their high skill, shooting and artillery art. They enjoyed the special patronage of the sovereign and therefore were placed in close proximity to the Kremlin.

At the base of the horizon of the suburban development near the Manezh, deposits of clean, "sterile" sand were found, which covered the coal layers. The chronicles of that time note a great fire in 1493, then, according to the decree of Grand Duke Ivan III, all courtyards, shops and churches on the banks of the Neglinnaya River were demolished, and the space of 109 sazhens (more than 200 m) from the Kremlin wall was ordered not to be built up in order to defense and fire fighting. On the ancient plans, an unbuilt "behind wall" is shown here, and a certain time gap is noted in the deposits of the cultural layer.

Under the horizon without structures and finds, deep log cellars of the XIV-XV centuries, traces of the building of the Zaneglimenya settlement of the Grand Duke's time, were revealed. A variety of household utensils, jewelry, handicraft tools were found here. The structures of this horizon are dated not only by stratigraphy and pottery assemblages, but also by coins. Among the rarest numismatic finds is one of the first Russian coins: a silver "denga" minted at the end of the 14th - at the very beginning of the 15th century by Prince Vladimir Andreevich the Brave, a hero of the Battle of Kulikovo. Simultaneously with Dmitry Donskoy, who minted coins in Moscow, he began minting in his inheritance in Serpukhov. Along with this domestic unique item, a Western European "artig" was discovered, a coin of the Livonian Order of the Crusaders, minted in Reval (Tallinn). In Veliky Novgorod, before the appearance of its own "dengi" around 1410, Western European coins were in circulation and were called "artugs". One can, perhaps, assume that the coin came to Moscow not with a crusader knight, but with a Novgorod merchant guest, especially since the Volotskaya road began here, which went to Novgorod through Volok on Lama. In Moscow, for many decades of archaeological research, such a coin was found for the first time.

And, finally, a special place among the finds of the archaeological complex of this era is occupied by a steel sword, discovered in a mainland pit under a layer of coal, together with ceramics of the late 14th century. Presumably, the sword was hidden on a burned-out feudal estate during a surprise attack on Moscow by Khan Tokhtamysh in 1382. The chronicle describes "Tokhtamyshev's ruin" as follows: "... and there was fire from there, and from here a sword, ovii, run away from the fire, shrouded with a sword, and friends run from the sword, burning with fire." The sword, which has been on fire, has a length of 94 cm, and the blade and handle, topped with a metal bump, are perfectly preserved. Similar swords are known to researchers from numerous illustrations in the Nikon Chronicle, but in Moscow, only parts of these military weapons were occasionally encountered before. The sword was a characteristic weapon of a feudal horseman, referred to in ancient Russian documents as a "sword sword" or "swordsman". The owner of the sword found by archaeologists could have been a warrior of the Grand Duke, who, after one of the most tragic events in the history of Moscow in the 14th century, could not return for his weapon.

In the study of the lowest layer of strata under the Manezh, at a depth of 6-7 meters, finds of the early period of the city's history were noted. Fragments of glass bracelets, slate whorls, rough, so-called "gray" ceramics found in the mainland depressions date back to the 12th-13th centuries. At that time, here, in the District, one of the earliest Moscow settlements was located.

An unexpected surprise for the researchers were found in the mainland more than four dozen graves. The burial inventory contains ornaments typical of the Eastern Slavs: ring-shaped rings that hung in garlands at the temples, complex wire bracelets and lattice rings on the hands, similar to those found in the burial mounds of the Vyatichi, one of the women had a twisted silver hryvnia in the chest area. It is curious that copper tweezers, which even then the Slavs used for cosmetic purposes, were also placed in the same burial. By the way, the shape of the tweezers almost does not differ from the modern one. The necropolis found at the base of the strata is the oldest known outside the Kremlin. But if there was a cemetery here, then there was also a temple nearby, about the existence of which no written information has been preserved. Let us recall how the Laurentian Chronicle, in the story of the invasion of the Batu Horde on Moscow in 1238, sadly noted that "... the city and the holy churches were betrayed, and the monasteries and villages were burned." It remains to be hoped that one of these temples, towering before Batu's invasion in Zaneglimenye, will be able to be discovered in time.

At the Manezh, construction work is now in full swing, and archaeologists are in the midst of scientific research on the collection, which contains more than 4,000 valuable finds. Their painstaking restoration is carried out in the laboratories of some scientific institutions. Serious support in the excavations at the Manezh city archaeologists was provided by scientists from the Institutes of Archeology and Geography of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Comprehensive natural-science research at archaeological sites was carried out by the well-known soil scientist and paleogeographer Professor A.L. Aleksandrovsky. The scientist revealed a number of important points characterizing the natural environment in which Muscovites lived during the Middle Ages. Now we know how the historical landscape of the studied territory was formed.

The first signs of the development of the above-floodplain terrace of the Neglinnaya River by man are represented by the arable horizon. Its remains were found in a number of places on the slope of the terrace. It was the Slavs-Vyatichi, farmers, contemporaries of Yuri Dolgoruky, who initially plowed the land and grazed herds on the banks of the Neglinnaya. Here, as already noted, one of the first Moscow graveyards was arranged. According to archaeological and geomorphological studies, the burial ground was located on the surface of the terrace and on the upper parts of its eastern and northeastern slopes. For analyzes - chemical, radiocarbon, dendrological - a collection of samples and specimens was collected. We hope that the results of the research will bring valuable information in addition to the findings of archaeologists.

Thus, even the first results of chemical analyzes showed a high concentration of some elements, indicating the presence of metallurgical production in the study area, as well as the use of various substances by Muscovites in everyday life. In some of the analyzed skeletons, elevated concentrations of a number of toxic elements were revealed, which indicates the connections of the inhabitants of the area with production, and also allows us to conclude that these substances affect the health and behavioral reactions of ancient Muscovites. With the help of methods of natural sciences, preliminary information was obtained on the composition and dating of tree species, from which pavements were laid, houses and outbuildings were built.

After the completion of the excavations, the collection of finds was presented in the White Chambers - an exhibition hall of the Main Directorate for the Protection of Monuments of Moscow, popular with Muscovites. In the future, it is planned to create a permanent archaeological exhibition already in the spacious dungeons of the Manege.

There have always been many historical mysteries in the world. Fortunately, the answers to many questions turned out to be practically under our very nose, or rather under our feet. Archeology has opened the way for us to know our origins with the help of found artifacts, documents and much more. Until now, archaeologists tirelessly dig out more and more new imprints of the past, revealing the truth to us.

Some archaeological discoveries simply shocked the world. For example, the Rosetta stone, thanks to which scientists were able to translate many ancient texts. The discovered Dead Sea Scrolls turned out to be extremely important for the world religion, allowing to confirm the texts of the Jewish canon. The same significant finds include the tomb of King Tut and the discovery of Troy. The discovery of traces of the ancient Roman Pompeii has given historians access to the knowledge of the ancient civilization.

Even today, when it would seem that almost all science is looking forward, archaeologists are still finding ancient artifacts that can change our understanding of the planet's past. Here are ten of the most influential discoveries in world history.

10. Mound Hisarlyk (1800s)

Hisarlik is located in Turkey. In fact, the discovery of this hill is evidence of the existence of Troy. For centuries, the Iliad of Homer was nothing more than a myth. In the 50-70s of the 19th century, trial excavations were successful, and it was decided to continue the research. Thus, confirmation of the existence of Troy was found. Excavations continued into the 20th century with a new team of archaeologists.

9. Megalosaurus (1824)

Megalosaurus was the first dinosaur to be explored. Of course, fossil skeletons of dinosaurs were found before, but then science could not explain what kind of creatures they were. Some believe that it was the study of Megalosaurus that was the beginning of many science fiction stories about dragons. However, not only this was the result of such a find, there was a whole boom in the popularity of archeology and humanity's passion for dinosaurs, everyone wanted to find their remains. The found skeletons began to be classified and exhibited in museums for public viewing.

8. Treasures of Sutton Hoo (1939)

Sutton Hoo is considered Britain's most valuable treasure. Sutton Khu is the burial chamber of a King who lived in the 7th century. Various treasures, lyre, wine goblets, swords, helmets, masks and more were buried with him. Surrounding the burial chamber are 19 mounds that are also graves, and excavations at Sutton Hoo continue to this day.

7. Dmanisi (2005)

Ancient man and the creatures that evolved into modern Homo sapiens have been studied for many years. It would seem that today there are no white spots left in the history of our evolution, but a 1.8 million-year-old skull found in the Georgian city of Dmanisi made archaeologists and historians think. It represents the remains of the Homoerectus species, which migrated from Africa, and confirms the hypothesis that this species stands separately in the evolutionary chain.

6. Göbekli Tepe (2008)

For a long time, Stonehenge was considered the oldest religious building in the world. In the 60s of the XX century, this hill in southeastern Turkey was potentially older than Stonehenge, but very soon it was recognized as a medieval cemetery. However, in 2008, Klaus Schmidt discovered 11,000-year-old stones there, which were clearly processed by a prehistoric man who did not yet have either clay or metal tools for this.

5. Headless Vikings of Dorset (2009)

In 2009, road workers accidentally stumbled upon human remains. It turned out that they dug up a mass grave in which more than 50 people with severed heads were buried. Historians immediately looked into the books and realized that once there was a massacre of the Vikings, it happened somewhere between 960 and 1016. The skeletons belong to young people in their twenties, the story suggests that they tried to attack the Anglo-Saxons, but they resisted very zealously, which led to the massacre. Vikings are said to have been stripped and tortured before being beheaded and thrown into a pit. This discovery sheds some light on the historic battle.

4. Petrified Man (2011)

Findings of fossilized human remains are far from new, but this does not make them less terrible and, at the same time, attractive. These beautifully mummified bodies can tell a lot about the past. Recently, a petrified body was found in Ireland, its age is about four thousand years, scientists suggest that this person died a very cruel death. All the bones are broken and his posture is very strange. This is the oldest fossilized man ever found by archaeologists.

3. Richard III (2013)

In August 2012, the University of Leicester, together with the City Council and the Society of Richard III, organized, leading to the discovery of the lost remains of one of the most famous English monarchs. The remains were found under a modern parking lot. The University of Leicester has announced that it will be initiating a full DNA study of Richard III, so the English monarch could become the first historical figure whose DNA will be tested.

2. Jamestown (2013)

Scientists have always talked about cannibalism in the ancient settlements of Jamestown, but neither historians nor archaeologists have ever had direct evidence of this. Of course, history tells us that in ancient times, people in search of the New World and riches often found a terrible and cruel end, especially in the cold winter. Last year, William Kelso and his team discovered the punctured skull of a 14-year-old girl in a pit filled with the remains of horses and other animals that the settlers ate during the famine. Kelso is convinced that the girl was killed to satisfy her hunger, and the skull was pierced to get to the soft tissues and brain.

1. Stonehenge (2013-2014)

For many centuries, Stonehenge remained something mystical for historians and archaeologists. The location of the stones did not allow us to determine what exactly they were used for and how they were arranged in this way. Stonehenge remained a mystery that many struggled with. Recently, archaeologist David Jackis organized excavations that led to the discovery of the remains of bison (in ancient times they were eaten and also used in agriculture). Based on these excavations, scientists were able to conclude that Stonehenge was inhabited in the 8820s BC and was not at all conceived as a separate object. Thus, pre-existing assumptions will be subject to revision.