“In the layers of the second half of XVII, an“ underground casino ”was discovered. The fact is that in the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich, gambling was prohibited and severely punished. Players had to go into all sorts of tricks to hide their addiction, ”the Pskov Region Archaeological Center said in a message on Instagram.

According to experts, in the case of an intruder’s visit, one could sit on the playing field on a bench or cover it with a rag, hiding from prying eyes.

“Last year we found a lot of chips for the game, and now - one more proof of the diverse pastime of the Pskov people,” archaeologists say.

Previously, scientists from the Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences explored the territory of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin and discovered parts of the construction of the funicular of the 19th century.