Libmonster ID: EE-1299
Author(s) of the publication: M. G. Rabinovich

Moscow, Nauka Publ. 1978. 236 p. (I)

Moscow, Nauka Publ. 1982. 335c. (II).

Veliky Novgorod - one of the largest economic, political and cultural centers of Ancient Russia - has long attracted the attention of historians. More than 100 years ago, the question was raised about the archaeological study of this city. Success in this work is associated with the development of Soviet archaeology, with the activities of corresponding members. Academy of Sciences of the USSR A.V. Artsikhovsky and his school. In terms of its scope, the excavations of Novgorod have no equal either in the USSR or abroad. These are the largest and best-placed studies of the medieval city, important for solving a variety of problems.

The success of the Novgorod archaeological expedition, which was previously awarded the State Prize and is now awarded the highest award - the Lenin Prize, is due not so much to the (albeit important) circumstance that A.V. Artsikhovsky called a special archaeological happiness , but to the relatively good state of the cultural layer (perekopy make up only 2-3% of the studied area), but to the excellent the preservation of wood and other organic remains in it, and even not so much due to the fact that the high level of archaeological research methods was constantly improved from the very beginning, new methods of fixing, processing and preserving materials, their dating and scientific determination were developed. The main factor in the success of these works is the traditional research strategy that has already become traditional, in which excavations are not something self-sufficient, closed in the framework of special archaeological problems. The general understanding of the task and the program of excavations are determined by the needs of the historical study of our country. "Archeology is history armed with a shovel," said A.V. Artsikhovsky.

These characteristic features of the expedition's works are reflected in the collections published under the editorship of B. A. Kolchin and corresponding members. Academy of Sciences of the USSR V. L. Yanina, serving as a continuation

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"Proceedings of the Novgorod Expedition" in the series "Materials and Research on the Archeology of the USSR" of the Institute of Archeology of the USSR Academy of Sciences 1 . Their content can be divided into three large sections.

Major generalizing articles by B. A. Kolchin and V. L. Yanin that open each of the books - "Results and prospects of Novgorod Archeology" (I) and " Archeology of Novgorod 50 years "(II) - summarize the research, formulate the main tasks, justify the program of further work. The article about the 50th anniversary of the excavations in Novgorod briefly describes their history, especially the work of the expedition, shows the development of views on the archaeological study of Novgorod as a whole, which led to a modern, historical statement of archaeological problems that are not confined to narrowly archaeological topics. When formulating the achievements of the expedition, the authors note at the same time that there were mistakes, incorrect or inaccurate definitions of certain structures (for example, II, p.12, 19) or things. Methodically instructive is the definition of the layer left by the garden of the twelfth century (II, p. 27).

The reader, even an expert archaeologist, is struck by the mass nature of the finds. In the Nerevsky excavation, the largest, the authors indicate 90 thousand so-called individual finds (and in total in the post-war excavations there are more than 125 thousand) and millions of mass finds (for example, more than 2 million fragments of ceramics, hundreds of thousands of skin fragments, 20 tons of animal bones). When 16,700 specimens of various iron tools, more than 6,000 fragments of glass bracelets, more than 2,000 slate spinning rods, and more than 4,000 fragments of ancient fabrics are included in the scientific circulation as a result of excavations, when 1,100 buildings, including 450 residential buildings, are examined at the excavation site alone-these results are unprecedented in archaeological science to a huge extent. they expand the possibilities of research, allowing, in particular, to refer to statistical methods that, before the work of the Novgorod expedition, could only be applied on a case-by-case basis. Some types of archaeological finds were found in Novgorod for the first time. There is now a whole literature on the significance of the discovery, for example, of letters on birch bark. More than 600 certificates have already been found.

Let us focus on some of the conclusions of the article "Archeology of Novgorod 50 years", made on the basis of the totality of these sources. The hypothesis about the origin of the oldest core of the city and its further development seems convincing. According to the authors, the oldest settlement was a tribal town (on the territory of the later Slavna), which the northwestern neighbors called Holmgard. This word contains its original name "Hill", and the fortification on the Sofia side arose later, and subsequently the settlement included the Hill. It was in relation to Kholmgorod, or Holm, that the city called Novgorod was new. It can be added that the name "Hill" was characteristic of a number of East Slavic cities, and even in this area there are two more cities with this name (one - in the Novgorod land, it fell into the Pskov Province when the provinces were established, the other-the lot of the princes of Kholm-was in the Tver land); the largest Hill was in the Galician land.

Perhaps a little more hypothetical, but no less important, is the conclusion about the nature of the Novgorod boyars, who came from the tribal nobility and were initially associated not so much with land ownership as with participation in the princely administration (in collecting tribute, vir and sales). Some part of these fees formed the material basis for the boyars ' existence. Only later did the boyars become large landowners.

A significant scientific conclusion about the development of handicraft production is based on the technological analysis of the discovered handicrafts. The article "Archeology of Novgorod 50 years" shows that in the Middle Ages, labor productivity growth was achieved mainly by rationalizing the production process: the weaving of fabrics was simplified, the ornamentation of products was reduced, and the multi-layered blade of the cutting tool was replaced by a welded strip of steel. At the same time, the quality was often reduced and the service life of products was shortened, but their range was expanded, labor costs were reduced, differentiation was strengthened, and the organization of crafts was improved (II, pp. 121-124). Three periods of development of crafts with their own specific features are revealed.

So it's about inference, you-

1 Proceedings of the Novgorod Archaeological Expedition, 1956, vol. I; 1959, vol. II; 1963, vol. III, IV.

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They go beyond the study of a single city - even if it is the largest - and are important for studying Russian history and medieval feudal society as a whole.

A number of articles published in the collections are studies on individual problems of the history of Novgorod or broader ones - on the history of Ancient Russia as a whole, but using the materials of expedition 2. V. L. Yanin identified objects that were considered mysterious-wooden cylinders with a whole system of internal channels, with deeply embedded inscriptions and princely signs - as a kind of constipation which held together sacks of fur money (kuns) received by collectors of princely vir and sales. The inscriptions indicate the share due, according to the laws of that time, summarized in Russkaya Pravda, to the collector himself. Such a definition, wittily argued, sheds new light on the problem of the relationship between princes and boyars, which was mentioned above. The idea that the local tribal aristocracy in the X - XV centuries actively participated in the collection of taxes and the princes shared their income with them is important for studying social relations in Russia in the era of early feudalism (II, p. 153).

B. A. Kolchin, having compared data on the distribution of glass beads and bracelets, bone objects, iron, stone, amber, etc. found in various excavations and dating from different chronological periods, significantly supplemented his previous works on the stratigraphy and chronology of Novgorod. The method developed by him is important for archaeological science in general, especially for the study of medieval Russian cities, and is widely used in Russia and abroad.

G. V. Borisevich continued the research of Novgorod buildings begun by P. I. Zasurtsev 3, reconstructing building details, decorations, houses, entire estates and even streets. V. I. Povetkin, after examining the found cases of stringed plucked musical instruments, individual parts and blanks for handicrafts, restores the horns and psaltery known from Russian written and pictorial sources and suggests (with a certain degree of hypotheticism) reconstruction of their sound. The publication by A. N. Molvygin and V. L. Yanin is dedicated to a hoard of Danish and Livonian coins found on Nutnaya Street in the late 14th and early 15th centuries. The use of Livonian coins, as the authors think, influenced some features of coinage, which began in Novgorod in 1420.

The group of articles is a publication of materials of raskhopok 4 with a detailed description of the cultural layer in specific areas, a description of all the opposite layers, tiers of bridges and related structures, finds, with a carefully thought-out definition of the material found, comparing it with similar archaeological finds and data from other sources, and a detailed description of the research methodology. The authors draw conclusions about the initial stage of settlement of the studied site, the further development of its development, the ownership of open houses and estates. These are necessary publications for specialists, which will appeal to anyone who will be engaged in the study of Novgorod and archaeological excavations of other cities.

It is necessary to emphasize the importance of combining detailed studies of individual sections of the city with archaeological observations conducted throughout its territory. No matter how perfect the method of stationary archaeological research is, it is still such that, perhaps, no city in the world can be fully explored with the same degree of detail due to the enormous complexity of excavations.

2 These are the articles of the second collection: Yanin V. L. Archaeological commentary to the Russian Truth; Kolchin B, A. Chronology of Novgorod antiquities; Borisevich G. V. Horomnoe zodchestvo Novgoroda; Povetkin V. I. Novgorodskie gusli i gudki (opyt kompleksnogo issledovaniya); Molvygin A. N., Yanin V. L. Novgorodskiy klad livonskikh moneti XV V.

3 Zasurtsev P. I. Homesteads and buildings of ancient Novgorod. - Proceedings of the Novgorod Archaeological Expedition, vol. IV.

4 Kolchin B. A., Chernykh N. B. Ilyinsky excavation. Stratigraphy and chronology, Yanin V. L Tikhvin excavation; Kolchin B. A., Khoroshev A. S., Mikhailovsky excavation; Khoroshev A. S. Excavations of the southern part of the Plotnitsky end; Rybina E. A. Gotsky excavation; Yershevsky B. D. Archaeological observations in Novgorod in 1969-1974 (I); Kolchin B. A., Rybina E. A. Excavation in the southern part of the Plotnitsky end. Kirova St.; Khoroshev A. S. Novye materialy po arkheologii Nerevskogo kontsa [New materials on the archeology of the Nerev End].

page 129

Even in Novgorod, which is more fully explored than other cities of the USSR, special excavations cover only a relatively small part of its ancient territory - a little more than 21 thousand square meters.meters. It is an achievement that the Great Street was opened for 37 m, Kholopya-60 m, Kozmodemyanskaya-60 m (II, p. 32). The excavation sites were chosen very carefully, taking into account the needs of both studying the history of the city and ensuring timely research of the cultural layer - this important source that disappears as a result of various earthworks carried out in the modern city.

Most of the most important sites of Novgorod are now more or less studied, but archaeological observations over its entire area, significantly inferior in completeness to stationary excavations, give an idea of a much larger territory. A combination of both methods is now used in many cities. Systematic observations of the cultural layer were first made in Moscow in 1926 by P. N. Miller; in the early 1930s, they were significantly improved by a team of archaeologists working under the leadership of L. V. Artsikhovsky and P. N. Miller at Metrostroy. In the future, the Novgorod expedition 6 made a significant contribution to the methodology of these works .

For 50 years, the Novgorod Expedition and its associated scientific circles and seminars have become a school of archaeological work for many MSU graduates, Soviet and foreign interns. E. A. Rybina's article "Novgorod seminar at the Department of Archeology of Moscow State University" reveals an interesting aspect of the expedition's work: extensive communication of young scientists in search of comparative materials, links of Novgorod with other Russian lands and foreign countries; draws attention to the place of studying the history of Novgorod in the development of Russian social thought up to the beginning of the XIX century.

Unfortunately, peer-reviewed collections are not free from inaccuracies. On page 7 (II) it is stated that the expedition of 1932 was the first professional archaeological expedition to study the ancient Russian city. But back in 1926, the State Historical Museum, together with the Ryazan Museum, organized the Staroryazansky archaeological expedition under the leadership of V. A. Gorodtsov. The history of excavations in Novgorod in the post-war years is described in detail in the collections, and if not all the participants, then all the leaders of the excavations are named. Such information is not given about the pre-war years (only the participants of the 1932 excavations, B. A. Rybakov and M. K. Karger, are mentioned) (II, p. 7). These data could have been presented in a more complete form7 .

G. V. Borisevich, arguing with Yu. P. Spegalsky about the presence of a ceiling in chicken huts (II, p.273), refers to the review of P. I. Zasurtsev and V. L. Yanin on Spegalsky's book 8 , which allegedly refutes the latter's statement about the absence of a ceiling in such buildings. However, there is no such refutation in this review (it is published in No. 3 of Sovetskaya Archeologiya for 1975, and not in No. 4, to which Borisevich refers). The question, in essence, remains open, since no details of the ceiling structure were found during excavations, and the location of the side window usually on the males of the end facade of the house, which is visible in many medieval images, speaks rather in favor of the reconstruction of Spegalsky.

The number of such comments could be increased to 9 , but this is not the task of the review. Here are books containing important research, first-class publications of archaeological materials, and interesting hypotheses.

6 See: Rabinovich M. G. P. N. Miller and the Archeology of Moscow. Materials and research on the archeology of the USSR (MIA USSR), 1949, N 12; On the route of the first stage of the Moscow Metro. l. 1936.

7 Artsikhovsky A.V. Excavations on Slavna in Novgorod. - MIA OF the USSR, 1949, N 11, p. 120, 154; his. Excavations in the eastern part of the Courtyard in Novgorod. - In the same place. You can also note that the excavations on Slavna were led by A. E. Alikhova and S. A. Tarakanova (main excavation), S. V. Romanovskaya (excavation on Posolskaya Street), excavations on Yaroslav's courtyard - S. A. Tarakanova (1), G. B. Fedorov (2), E. I. Goryunova (3), P. I. Zasurtsev and H. A. Rubstein (4), A. V. Nikitin (5), A. L. Mongait and M. G. Rabinovich (6).

8 Spegalsky Yu. P. Zhilishche Severo-Zapadnoy Rus ' IX-XIII vv. M. 1972, p. 75, 76.

9 The publisher could not avoid typos, but did not attach a list of them. Thus, on page 94 (II) we read that by the end of the 1981 season, the number of birch bark letters found reached 395, and 539 of them were published, and 23 more, i.e. 562.

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M. G. Rabinovich, NOVGOROD ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXPEDITION: RESULTS OF THE FIRST FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY. ARCHAEOLOGICAL STUDY OF NOVGOROD ; NOVGOROD COLLECTION. 50 YEARS OF EXCAVATIONS IN NOVGOROD // Tallinn: Library of Estonia (LIBRARY.EE). Updated: 29.01.2025. URL: https://library.ee/m/articles/view/NOVGOROD-ARCHAEOLOGICAL-EXPEDITION-RESULTS-OF-THE-FIRST-FIFTIETH-ANNIVERSARY-ARCHAEOLOGICAL-STUDY-OF-NOVGOROD-NOVGOROD-COLLECTION-50-YEARS-OF-EXCAVATIONS-IN-NOVGOROD (date of access: 17.02.2025).

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