Wooden objects bearing Christian and pagan symbols from the excavations at Novgorod and Staraya Russa
Деревянные предметы с христианской и языческой символикой из раскопок в Новгороде и Старой Русcе [Derevjannye predmety s xristianskoj i jazyčeskoj simvolikoj iz raskopok v Novgorode i Staroj Russe]
Résumé
The paper deals with wooden religious objects from the excavations at Novgorod and Staraya Russa. Special attention is paid to the chronology of these objects and the question of possible links between their cult functions and the timber species used for their manufacture. The study has been carried out in the Laboratory for Conservation and Restoration of Archaeological Wood at the Novgorod State Museum. Both items bearing clear Christian meaning and those related to pagan beliefs were included into the study. Altogether 190 artifacts were examined: 159 from Novgorod and 31 from Staraya Russa. All of them date from the 10th–15th centuries. Most of the Christian objects were found in layers that had formed in the 12th–13th centuries, while the items thought to have been associated with the pagan cult come from the layers dated to the 10th–11th centuries. Twenty different timber species were identified, most of which are common for the northwestern Russia. The choice of wood appears to have been either accidental or determined by practical considerations, showing no connection
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