Scientists at the Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences discovered during excavations on the Sofiyskaya Embankment of Veliky Novgorod the remains of a wooden tower and the fortress wall of a medieval defensive fortification - Okolny City. Among the finds are birch bark letters, one of which with a draft will, a battle ax, chess pieces and the seal of the posadnik Fyodor Danilovich, the head of the city at the beginning of the 15th century. This was reported by the press service of the institute.

“The fact that the wall of the Big Okolny city was passing here is known from the records of Novgorod in 1626 and 1675, but parts of the structures of defensive structures of the 16th – 17th centuries were discovered for the first time in this place. Judging by the written sources, the remains of the Doslansky travel tower and the wall section near the Borkovskaya tower were discovered, ”said Pyotr Gaidukov, deputy director of the Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

  • Beginning of work at the Dmitrievsky excavation — 3.
  • © Press Service of the Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences

According to archaeologists, the construction of the wall of the Okolny city with walls and towers began at the end of the XIV century, during the period of the highest prosperity of the Novgorod state. Val at that time was the second row of the city’s military defenses after the detinets - the Novgorod Kremlin.

In the XVI century, the wall with the towers was rebuilt to wage a cannon battle and to protect the city from the river. The fortress wall on the banks of Volkhov also protected Novgorod from spring floods. In the XVII century, by order of Peter I, the dilapidated walls were dismantled.

  • Excavation video in Veliky Novgorod

The Novgorod archaeological expedition explored the least explored sections of the Okolny city and excavated the entire thickness of the cultural layer in the area of ​​Sofiyskaya Embankment. In two excavations on the shore, the lower rims of the coastline of the wall and the Doslansky tower passage were found.

The discovery of the tower makes it possible to calculate the location of the neighboring Borkovskaya tower and the street of the same name, which previously descended to the Volkhov shore.

  • The remains of the fortress wall at the Dmitrievsky excavation — 5
  • © Press Service of the Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences

During excavations of the remains of the 16th-century wall, archaeologists made finds dating back to earlier periods of Novgorod history. Scientists have discovered knives, saws, axes, chairs, hammers, birch bark boots, the remains of barrels, oars, ships, boat oarlocks, leather shoes, body crosses dating back to the 12th-15th centuries. Several West European textile fillings, Russian and Livonian coins were also found.

A study of the Novgorod cultural layer showed that devastating fires often raged in medieval Novgorod.

“We are faced with the harsh reality of life in a wooden medieval city. In a layer with a thickness of one meter, we recorded three large fires. At the beginning of the 15th century, a residential building with a stove and farm buildings completely burned down here. The fire was very strong, the coal layer was 40 cm, the charred floors of the house and the two lower corners of the log house were preserved in it, ”said Natalya Sarafanova, one of the leaders of the work.

  • Finds in the Dmitrievsky excavation site — 3: an ax, a pendant, a pectoral cross, a chess piece, a noisy pendant, a sinker. The end of the XIV - beginning of the XV century
  • © Press Service of the Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences

During the excavation of one of the houses, scientists discovered the first birch bark letter in the archaeological season of 2020, written on two sheets of birch bark and representing a draft will. The author listed his debtors and instructed relatives to collect debts from them: money, salt, meat and grain.

  • Birch-bark letters No. 1122/1123 (right) and No. 1124 (left) - the first letters of the archaeological season of 2020
  • © Press Service of the Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences

Four more birch bark letters were found in this estate in the layers of the late XIV - early XV centuries. Scientists are currently working on their translation.

Other significant findings included two loose lead seals (one of them belonged to the Novgorod posador Fedor Danilovich, who was the head of the city until 1435), as well as the Novgorod silver coin of the 1430-1440s, wrote a chess piece, a noisy pendant, a battle ax and a large number of body crosses.

  • Hanging lead seal of the posadnik Fedor Danilovich
  • © Press Service of the Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences

In one of the tiers of the building in the courtyard, an accumulation of wooden ship parts was found: the owner of the estate used a boat that had served his age to pave the yard.

According to the Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the completion of work on the Sofia Embankment of Veliky Novgorod is planned in mid-June.