Sputnik correspondent Stanislav Androsik compiled a rating of the most interesting finds.
Many discoveries were made during the summer season of field research. Now scientists are studying their findings, and we will remember the five most important relics that have enriched Belarusian history.
Older than Tutankhamen
In the Vitebsk region, on an ancient peat bog, a candidate historical sciences Maxim Cherniavsky.
Most importantly, it has been completely preserved in unique natural conditions. At the same time, the age of the find is approximately four thousand years, which means that it is older by a whole thousand years than the famous burial mask of Tutankhamen.
Maxim Cherniavsky said that this is the second such discovery in Belarus, and the first was found literally ten meters from the second and is now stored in the Academy of Sciences.
Scientists were also able, thanks to characteristic signs, to establish that four thousand years ago this bone spoon was used by a right-handed person.
Hammer of Thor
It's no secret that the ancient trade route "from the Varangians to the Greeks" passed through the whole of modern Belarus along the rivers. For a long time, Belarusian archaeologists have found various artifacts related to the Viking Age.
This year, for the first time, students of the Faculty of History of BSU during excavations found three completely preserved amulets of the Normans -
According to Vitaly Sidorovich, the head of the archaeological practice of the history department of the Belarusian State University, the uniqueness of this find lies in the fact that, as a rule, amulets were made of iron, which is subject to destruction.
Historians have determined that "Thor's hammers" were made in Scandinavia at the turn of the 9th - 10th centuries AD. They were found at the settlement of Kordon, which was a trading outpost of the Varangians in the north of the modern Vitebsk region.
By the way, the settlement of Kordon is much older than the famous Gnezdovo, which is located near Smolensk. Belarusian historians expect that many more finds will be made thanks to research at Kordon.
Seal of the patroness of Belarus
One of the most mysterious figures in Belarusian history is the personality of Euphrosyne of Polotsk. Her name is associated with the construction of a beautiful architectural monument - the Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior, and the famous cross made by Lazar Bogsha, which was lost and recently restored.
Archaeologists have been exploring the territory of the Spaso-Evfrosinevsky Monastery in Polotsk for several years now. In August, during excavations near the temple built by the first Belarusian saint,
This is a special hanging seal, which was used in the Middle Ages in Belarus to fasten important documents. According to the characteristic images and the inscription on the seal - "Lord, help Your servant Ofrosinya for many years," archaeologists determined that the artifact belonged to Euphrosyne of Polotsk herself.
Vitovt Chess
In Grodno, the reconstruction of the Old Castle continues, which is seriously criticized by historians. During preparatory work excavations were carried out on the territory of the castle.
Archaeologists have found a chess piece made of bone. The boat, according to scientists, is not only made in the image and likeness of real ships that were used in the Middle Ages, but also dates back to the 14th century, when Vytautas was the Grand Duke of Lithuania.
A similar discovery was made in Grodno back in 1931. A similar figure was found on Castle Hill by the founder and director of the Grodno Archaeological Museum, Jozef Edkovsky.
Cross of the Livonian War
Belarus because of its geographical location repeatedly became the theater of hostilities. During excavations under the supervision of senior researcher of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus Marat Klimov in the Vitebsk region, the size of a palm.
Historians studied the territory of the former Sokol fortress, which was burned down during the Livonian War in the 16th century. Scientists believe that the cross belonged to the commander of the archers from the army of Ivan the Terrible.
The unique circumstance is that archaeologists know the exact date when the cross was buried in the ground. The fortress Sokol was burned down by the army of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania under the leadership of Stefan Batory on September 25, 1579.
A year and a half ago, the Decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus “About the eradication of archeological artifacts and archeological artifacts” came into force in the country. And he immediately made a lot of noise. Archaeologists and historians shouted "Hurrah!" and “they threw bonnets into the air”, but most of the citizens affected by the legal act of the head of state were preparing to go on protest marches, were going to dive into the deep underground and dry crackers, just in case! They were not going to abandon the instrumental search, but no one knew how the situation would develop further. Enough time has passed and, it seems, in Baghdad - everything is calm! Passions subsided, and if you don’t run into trouble, then you can continue to dig into the past of the country. For those who still do not understand a short video.
I explain to those who are in the tank, and still did not enter because of which all the fuss. The decree regulated the use of metal detectors, geolocators and other technical devices for searching for things with history. So now in Belarus it is forbidden to find artifacts older than 120 years old, which have been preserved in the cultural layer, at the bottom of lakes, rivers, swamps, as well as artificial reservoirs. There are a bunch of other "no"s, but that's the main one. At the same time, you can look for lost keys, jewelry, belongings of relatives, no one bothers to rummage through the basements and attics of abandoned houses (only they must be really ownerless, from the word at all) or “grim” the pioneer badge of your beloved grandfather, dropped by him in the heat of the battle for Minsk (on his deathbed, he asked his beloved grandson to find a relic, even indicated the approximate location). Yes, after all, you're just collecting scrap metal. That is, there are many “holes” in the Decree, and not a single normal judge will want to contact you, unless, of course, during the detention you did not find the cross of Efrosinya of Polotsk or the treasure of Napoleon.
At the age of 9, my friend was introduced to instrumental search by his father, it was a long time ago, many do not live that long. The youth grew up, studied to be a historian, bought a sophisticated metal detector and went to the fields. True, he is not the usual "black digger", as, as a rule, scientists call lovers of subject historical research. He calls himself "white", because ... but more on that in an interview with him.
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— Sasha, do you remember your first field trip?
- Still, it was in 1996, my father brought me to the field near the village of Studenka, not far from the crossing great army Napoleon across the Berezina. There is such a road there, some call it Educational, some Gvozdeva - a very promising place to search. The point is this. The French retreated, the Russians hung, in the truest sense of the word, "on the tail." But the soldiers and chiefly the officers fled, having plundered vast wealth. The stretched convoy did not allow to break away from Kutuzov's troops. Therefore, Napoleon introduced a limit on the number of wagons with trophies, so the captain, for example, relied on one wagon, the colonel - two, the general - three. There were gendarmes at the crossing, and all the superfluous vehicles simply burned. Can you imagine how much is left? Of course, much was immediately found by local and Russian soldiers, but much was lost. And there is just a sea of forged nails left, they are constantly “raised”, hence the name. In the early 80s of the last century, back in the days of the USSR, one person simply settled here. He was a teacher and he soldered the first metal detector according to some schemes. Legends about his finds still circulate. For the first time, I found a Katkin nickel, such a healthy coin. Well my life has changed...
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- Many people are engaged in digging, what has changed with the issuance of the Presidential Decree?
— You know, at one time I bought a drop dead expensive and very cool device, it cost 1000 euros. It was quite a long time ago, he fought back quickly. Now a simple ICQ (the popular Garrett ACE 250 metal detector) in Poland costs 50 bucks, that is, the financial entry bar has seriously fallen. In my opinion, on the contrary, over the past couple of years, there have only been more lovers of subject search. In Borisov alone, about 1,000 people are doing this, and in Miska, according to my estimates, more than 30,000. So far, I have not heard that there are serious problems with the state. But still, that's not the way to "prohibit". I agree that amateurs interfere with scientists. They simply lack the knowledge, understanding of how to work with artifacts, but they are interested in history. Why not make this type of activity licensed? If you want to walk around with a metal detector, be kind, take courses, pass an exam, get official permission. Everything you find, you first bring to the museum. If a thing is interesting and of historical value, then after evaluation it is bought from you at a commercial price, if not, do what you want. This will be more correct than simply banning, and I am sure that many cool things will remain in the country, and not go to Russia for a third of the cost. I know cases when Muscovites took the finds in 15-20 hours.
- What did you find yourself?
- Yes, I found a little bit of everything, but I've been digging for more than 20 years, now, however, I do it much less: family, work. But cool finds, I'm sure, I have ahead. There were different things. Once with his father, on the Brilevsky field, they discovered the remains of a soldier from the war of 1812, the police were called, and he was reburied. I know that many just pass by, do not want to get involved, so that there are no problems. I don't understand this, in a human way. Yes, and the first thing I would do is make the diggers clean up after themselves, my most popular find is “alcotalers” and bottles, seriously. Almost everyone passes by, and I always take any metal. The earth will always pay back for care. Look, a kilogram of glass costs 10 kopecks, scrap metal - 15 kopecks. Sometimes you go to a clearing, looking for yourself, collecting garbage along the way. In an hour or two you will collect his full car, then you will hand over - 10-15 dollars and earned. In nature, physical education, again did a good deed. Beauty!
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“Well, okay, not you. What people found, I'm sure there is information. What is the income of diggers?
“Now finding a virgin place is unrealistic. I think that 90 percent of the treasures have already been knocked out. I know that in the "golden" days, serious diggers earned more than $ 10,000 a month, and if they found something really interesting, then much more. It was a long time ago, I didn’t see it myself, but the guys said that a man found a ring somewhere in the 10-12th century, on it was the image of the Ascension of Alexander the Great. So this "bolt" instantly went for half a million dollars. Yes, what a long way to go, on the same Brilevskoye field in 2004, the largest treasure in Eastern Europe in the early Middle Ages was found - a sword, a set of weights and about 240 dirhams. Several coins were unique. 2-3 copies worldwide have been preserved. You won't be able to sell it yourself. Therefore, I say that it would be correct to license the type of activity. If they themselves do not need it, then the state can act as an intermediary in the sale, get their penny for it. Everyone is happy!
For 2 hours of walking around the field, the guys did not find anything serious, so a couple of nails, some kind of metal debris, which, as a result, gained about 30 kilograms. Pan Sasha took everything with him, said that he would give it up and get his rightful 4.5 rubles. He estimates the potential of the field somewhere in a ton of scrap metal, and, of course, one can never rule out the possibility of discovering something valuable, both historically and materially. Just don’t say that it violates the cultural layer, every year the field is plowed several times (among the finds were the remains of a modern harrow and a caterpillar track from a tractor). In general, in my opinion, the epic with "digging" and regulating people's activities without permission to search from the Academy of Sciences, but with metal detectors is just beginning. This is an interesting hobby, comparable to hunting or fishing, and with the right attitude of the state towards people who are passionate about subject search, it can bring a lot.
And the fool found a forged nail.
At the end of April, the skeletons of an adult and a child were found near the entrance to the citadel.
The remains lay at a depth of one and a half meters. It is already known that this is a burial place of the times of the Great Patriotic War. In 1941, this place was called the killing field: in the first hours of the attack, the Germans fired machine guns at everyone who tried to get out of the fortress. The dead were not buried, but thrown into ditches and sprinkled with earth.
Now experts are studying the find. Search work will be carried out at the burial site. According to the memories of survivors, up to 200 remains can be found at this site.
And in early June, another burial from the Second World War was found in the Brest Fortress
It is assumed that the burial dates back to 1941. As of Saturday June 6, the remains of 10 people were found, including 3 children.
Excavations on the territory of the Brest Fortress were carried out by the 52nd separate specialized battalion of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Belarus and the 90th separate special search battalion of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. Works were carried out on the Central Island and on the Kobrin fortification.
“According to the memoirs of the participants in the defense of the Brest Fortress, who were captured, the Nazis forced them to bury the dead defenders on the territory of the fortress. As a rule, in large-caliber craters,” explained Alexander Korkotadze, head of the 5th Fort branch. A German aerial photograph has been preserved, which depicts the fortress after the battles. The places where there were funnels were excavated and the remains of the defenders and their families were found.
Now work continues. The Russian battalion departed for the place of deployment. Their Belarusian colleagues are excavating near the Eastern Fort. In July, it is planned to start work on the Border Island (Terespol fortification of the Brest Fortress).
The found remains are most likely to be reburied under the slabs of the memorial.
lieutenant Dikhno for №21
The identity of the officer who died in the first days of the war on the territory of the Brest region was established by search engines from Russia and Belarus during joint excavations. According to the head of the department of the ministry for perpetuating the memory of those who died defending the Fatherland, Vladimir Popov, it was possible to establish the fate of the officer who died in June 1941, who had previously been listed as missing according to archival documents.
Thanks to the seal found with the remains and work with the “Memory of the People” portal, which was created by the Russian Ministry of Defense, it turned out that it was Lieutenant Dikhno Ivan Markovich, commander of the economic platoon of the 184th Turkestan rifle regiment of the 75th rifle division.
According to documents on irretrievable losses, he was born in 1910 in the village. Pervolochnaya (misprint, but most likely Perevolochnaya), Pryluky district, Chernihiv region (Ukraine) and went missing in 1941.
In addition, the remains of four of its defenders were raised on the territory of the Brest Fortress. In total, since the beginning of joint search work (since May 25, 2015), Russian and Belarusian military personnel have discovered and raised the remains of 15 Red Army soldiers who died during the Great Patriotic War.
Of these, four on the territory of the Brest Fortress and 11 Red Army soldiers who served in the 184th Turkestan rifle regiment and died in the first days of the war on the territory of the Malorita district of the Brest region.
In Minsk, work is underway to decipher two "soldier's medallions" that were found along with the remains.
Joint search operations are carried out in accordance with the work plan of the Council of Ministers of Defense of the member states of the Commonwealth of Independent States for 2015. The names of the defenders of the Fatherland are being returned from oblivion by servicemen of the 90th separate special search battalion of the Western Military District and the 52nd separate specialized search battalion of the Republic of Belarus.
Search work will last until June 7.
In addition to the sensational excavations in Polotsk, where artifacts and buildings associated with Euphrosyne of Polotsk were brought to light, there were many interesting archaeological finds throughout the country. The leaders in the number of archaeological sensations are the north of Belarus
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Falcon: the archer was not spared, but they found the gate from the engraving
1579 year
Archaeologists say they did not count on sensations in the Rossony region. Like last year, during the excavations of Sokol, one of the six forts of the archers of Ivan IV the Terrible, they expected to find bullets, arrowheads, and shoe forgings. But they found a bone cross. The rarest, unlike bronze, which is found even in plowed fields. And also - the remains of the owner of the artifact and his warhorse.
The cross was found during the study of the building, as we believe, one of the commanders of the archers. Probably prosperous - he had several sets horse harness, rich dishes, - says the candidate of historical sciences Marat Klimov from the Institute of History of the National Academy of Sciences.
There are two plots on the cross: on the one hand - St. Nicholas, on the other - Nikita Besogon. The discovery dates back to September 25, 1579, when Sokol stormed the troops of the Commonwealth, sparing no one. The artifact was found covered with a knife, separate from the remains. Archaeologists have a version: the owner of the cross lost faith in salvation, closed himself in the house, removed or tore off the cross and committed suicide.
Klimov says: a part of the gate, known from an ancient engraving, was also found in Sokol. And at the end of the excavations, they found a basin from where archers could eat. Perhaps a special analysis will reveal food particles on it.
Osovets-2: peat bog spoon
II millennium BC
The Krivinsky peat bog on the border of the Beshenkovichi and Senno regions is a unique region in Eastern and Central Europe in terms of Stone Age archeology. Peat was mined and drained here from the 1930s to the 1980s. At the same time, about a dozen settlements of the period from the early Neolithic to bronze age- this is the V - II millennium BC. e.
In a small excavation of this year (12 sq. m.), flint tools, flakes, and ceramics typical of Stone Age monuments were found. But the layer of peat has preserved bone, wooden products and structures, chips. There are those who have not met before.
This year they found 2 amber pendants, one of them intact, a set of pendants made of animal teeth, beads. In general, by objects made of horn and amber (amulets, zoomorphic figurines of ducks, snakes, symbols of the sun), we can find out what the ancestors believed in, - clarifies Maxim Chernyavsky, candidate of historical sciences from the Institute of History. - Not only that - the peat perfectly preserved the bones and scales of fish, small bones of animals.
The main find is a bone spoon. Whole, with a slight dent, because of which it could be thrown away. This is the second such find on the territory of Belarus and the oldest (perhaps even in all of Eastern Europe) - offhand it is given 4 thousand years with a “tail”. The first spoon was found a couple of decades ago in an excavation ... 15 meters from the new find.
Navra: unknown graves of the Krivichi
The burial mound near the village of Navra in the Myadel region is mentioned in the scientific literature from late XIX century. It was explored in the 1930s and 1980s. Since 2012, the work has been supervised by Nikolai Plavinsky, Candidate of Historical Sciences, Head of the Department of the International State Ecological Institute named after A.D. Sakharov BGU. This year, students and volunteers worked for 5 weeks.
The burial ground consists of 2 mound groups. The main one is 120 mounds, of which 50 have been explored at the moment, says Plavinsky. - This year we started to study the second group of 13 mounds. They unearthed one burial mound in it, but other burials were found nearby in the forest. Judging by them, in the 10th - early 11th centuries, people could be buried not only in mounds according to the rite of cremation, but also next to them, probably in wooden structures on the ancient surface. This is an unknown type of burial for the north of Belarus.
The archaeologist notes that such a discovery is more important than specific material finds, among which the details of women's jewelry that have been on fire should be noted first of all:
In the burial mounds, two mounds, damaged by predatory excavations, were mainly explored. Despite the fact that the barrows turned out to be badly destroyed, typical burial goods of the 11th-12th centuries were found in one of them: pots, ornaments and household items.
Krevo: settlement and bone lining
X - XIII century
In Krevo, they continued to explore the ancient settlement of the 10th-13th centuries - a monument of early city culture that appeared before the construction of the Kreva castle in the 14th century.
The expedition was led by Oleg Dernovich, candidate of historical sciences, leading researcher at the Institute of History. He sees a number of similarities with similar settlements in Eastern Europe. In addition, the ancient Kreva hill fort reveals the pages of Balto-Slavic contacts in this region.
This season, a fragment of stone paving was found, - says Dernovich. - It could be a fragment of the decoration of the premises, and part of the paving of the yard. Many animal bones were found. A bone carved overlay was found next to them, but so far its function has not been clearly defined. This overlay is decorative and is also of artistic interest.
Slavgorod: the place of the chronicle battle
984
In 2014, near Slavgorod, in the land of the ancient Radimichi, they found a burial place for a Krivichan woman. Then they discovered a stone with a large trident of Prince Vladimir.
This suggested that the annalistic battle of Peschanka in 984 could have taken place not near Gomel or in the Bryansk region, as they wrote earlier, but near Slavgorod, - says Aleksey Avlasovich, a senior lecturer at Mogilev State University. - And the Krivichi obviously participated in this battle - they helped to conquer the Radimichi squad of the Wolf's Tail, the governor of Prince Vladimir.
The trident on the stone, the historian notes, certainly indicates that these lands were included in the Ancient Rus'. This year Avlasovich and his students refined the hypothesis at one of the cemeteries in the Slavgorod region. A burial according to the pagan rite of cremation was discovered. And in one of the burials there was a belt set of a combatant in good condition.
BY THE WAY
What else was found at the excavations of summer 2017 in Belarus?
Brest region. Almost two dozen ancient burials, most likely XI-XIII centuries, near the village of Panasovichi, Berezovsky district, as well as a mace 4,000 years old.
Vitebsk region. Two "Thor's hammers" of Scandinavian warriors in excellent condition, a fibula, a needle with a "wolf tooth" ornament and a key pendant in the Kordon complex of the Shumilinsky district.
The Grodno region. The foundation of the 16th-century monastery church in the village of Lavrishevo, Novogrudok District.
Minsk Region. A slab from the grave of the commander of Novogrudok Kazimir Malyavsky (died in 1718) in the cemetery near the Church of the Body of God in Nesvizh.
Mogilev region. A fragment of a necropolis of 15 graves in the agricultural town of Radomlya, Chausy district.
One of the largest burials of the victims of the Great Patriotic War was unearthed near Gomel. We are talking about thousands of Soviet soldiers, refugees and residents of the city, who were destroyed by the fascist invaders. In the first hole, two dozen human bodies and many personal items, the estimated length of the mass grave is about a kilometer. It was the locals who were able to find the mass grave from the stories of their parents, according to German aerial photographs bought on the Internet ( , "SB" for April 17, 2017).
A compressed autumn field on the outskirts of Gomel, just like 77 years ago. Then it became a place mass execution. This is evidenced by today's findings, says volunteer Vitaly Medvedev:
- Here, look, the skull, there is a hole in it from a bullet. And here I found five such skulls in a row. Apparently the bodies were stacked. You see, people killed like logs, these are not movie shots, but our history. 
This story is a local legend. Along the village of Krasnoe (a suburb of Gomel) in 1941, an anti-tank ditch was dug - the line of defense of the city. It was his invaders who used it as a ready grave. Eyewitness accounts were recorded immediately after the liberation of the city Soviet troops. They were registered more to search for war criminals than to perpetuate the memory of the dead. The Gomel ditch was filled up in the early 1960s. There is almost no documentary data left, only popular rumor, shares memories Gomel resident Vladimir Kotov:
- This is my father's story. At that time he was a teenager. In the autumn of 1941, I accidentally saw several trucks in the distance. The Germans brought people to be shot. He hid in the bushes. When the shots and screams subsided, he began to make his way to the place of execution. The Germans left, but one of our soldiers was still alive. He got out of the ground and asked his father: “Someday, if the war ends, son, let them bury us.” My father told me this story, my friends and I decided to get to the bottom of the truth. 
Rural legends are fact-checked. Through the Internet, caring descendants acquired German photographs of military aerial photography of Gomel and its environs in 1941. The village of Krasnoye and the anti-tank ditch were clearly visible on them. They asked the tractor driver: dig. And there the bones... They fell asleep back. We turned to the village council, and then to the 52nd separate specialized search battalion, which is engaged in military excavations.
Our dialogue is interrupted by a cry: “Found something interesting! »
They bring a part of decayed clothes, and in it is a sewn-in purse with Soviet coins of the 1930s and 40s. Meager belongings for the future, which was taken away by the invaders. Coins are found here different, says foreman of the 52nd separate specialized search battalion Denis Gribovsky:
- In a few days, the remains of supposedly 20 people were found, all from the time of the Second World War, many skulls were shot through. Also various personal items: glasses, clothing items, Soviet, Lithuanian, Polish coins. It is possible that those killed were refugees or prisoners displaced from these territories. There is a lot of work here. So far, we have dug out a trench of about 10-15 meters, and the length of the anti-tank ditch is 700 meters. We plan to work until the end of October. 
The scale of the burial may shock contemporaries. For two years, more than 110 thousand Soviet soldiers were destroyed in the dungeons of the Gomel camp "Dulag-121". During the years of occupation, the population of Gomel decreased 10 times - from 150 to 15 thousand people. Military and civilians may be mixed here, the deputy puts forward the version Director of the Gomel Regional Museum of Military Glory Konstantin Mishchenko:
- How many people are buried in this moat is unknown. But the bill can go into the thousands.
Facts from documents have been preserved that five mobile crematoriums and furnaces of a brick factory worked in the city to exterminate Gomel residents and prisoners of Dulag-121. But they simply could not cope with the terrible tasks of the Nazis. People were buried en masse at the site of the modern Centralny stadium, some were taken out of town. Most likely, in this anti-tank ditch.
At the moment, fighters of the 52nd battalion and volunteers of historical and patriotic clubs - 15-20 people are working at the excavation site. As local volunteers assure, there is not enough strength, the length of the moat is 700 meters, the width is 4, so you won’t have time with shovels and enthusiasm before frost, you need equipment. Plus a trailer, at least with hot tea, the weather is rainy. The activists hope that their work will lead not only to the reburial of the remains, but also to the creation of a small memorial with a chapel on this site in memory of the victims of the past war.
By the way, a priest from the local church read a prayer for the repose of the souls of the dead near the wooden cross erected on this site by the residents of the agricultural town of Krasnoe, and then held a memorial service.
