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Staraya Ladoga, to the East of St Petersburg, was once a
thriving medieval Russian city, with a fortress, flourishing
monasteries and numerous churches once decorated with
rich frescoes. The area has produced a vast range of items
from the 8th to 10th centuries, which are of value not only
from the scholarly point of view - they shed light on various
periods in the development of this region - but are also
fascinating to all those interested in the early history of the
ancient state of Rus. The museum display includes personal
adornments, articles of bone and metal, clothes,
anthropomorphic figurines, primitive skis and leather
footwear.
Some of the objects are of Scandinavian origin or locally
produced items made after Scandinavian models. Imported
goods include combs of the 8th to10th centuries,
draughtsmen and glass necklaces, while the most typical
examples of personal ornamentation were fibulae or clasps.
Of exceptional interest is a 9th-century wooden rod with a
runic inscription intended for exorcism.
A hoard with a set of blacksmith's tools tells us much about
the production of metal items in the 8th century, and this
group also included a bronze rod terminating in the head of
a man with small birds' heads turned towards it. Bone
carving, another major medieval craft, is mainly represented
by pieces dating from the 10th century. As regards
woodcarving, the earliest examples from the Ladoga
complex date as far back as the 8th century, nearly two
centuries earlier from those from any other source. Tools
associated with the work of women - spinning and weaving
wool and linen - are also on display, along with examples of
silk and woollen textiles and linen, and footwear.
Towns, settlements, burial grounds and hoards provided the
museum with its collection of artifacts representing the culture
of Ancient Rus from the 10th to 12th centuries, the culture of
the common people, princely families and warriors of Slavonic,
Baltic, Scandinavian and Finnish tribes. Not only
are there ordinary objects produced by urban craftsmen, but
also an isolated group of artifacts of bronze, silver and gold,
much executed by skillful jewellers.
Jewellery for the nobility has been found in numerous
hoards uncovered at Gnezdovo, Shalakhovo, Nevel,
Borshevo and other sites, such as the remarkable
enamelled kolts (temple pendants) which formed part of
Russian women's headwear. By this date, goldsmiths were
already familiar with a wide range of techniques such as
various types of casting, soldering, chasing, pricking and
stamping, and they also decorated their works with
granulation, filigree, gilding, niello and coloured enamels.
If you enjoyed this collection, you might want to also visit the other collections at the State Hermitage Museum.
Russian Culture
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Griffin Pendant
Full description
Rod with a Terminal
8th century
Full description
Male Figurine
10th century
Full description
Zoomorphic Terminal
9th-10th centuries
Full description
Ring Pendant (Kolt)
11th-12th centuries
Full description
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