15 August Russia celebrates the Day of the archaeologist — an informal celebration of unusual scholars who sit in their offices and looking for treasures literally under our feet. Only in the last nine years of the Moscow archaeologists have found 45 thousand artifacts.
this year across the city excavations will be conducted at approximately 200 sites. Main located at the intersection of Big Glades and Staromonetny pereulok in Kitai-Gorod in the former Warm trading rows on the territory of the Novodevichy convent, the cinema “Art” and the former Pottery settlement in Sauze. The works are in these areas: experts studying the village Stolbovo-1 in the settlement of the City.
to see the lump of earth a scientific sensation, need long time to learn and practice, consider themselves experts. On the eve of the professional holiday mos.ru talked to archaeologists, on account of which hundreds of precious finds and great discoveries.
the Cultural layer of Moscow in some places exceeds 10 meters, so professionals possible to find artifacts from history. In most cases the excavations carried out before the repair and construction works or in the improvement of streets. Individual work — definition of boundaries of objects of cultural and archaeological heritage. “From previous generations of archaeologists we have a lot of information about the monuments that were found. Unfortunately, often they are reduced to a point on the map. To take them under protection, you need to clearly define their boundaries,” — said Vladimir Berkovich, Deputy General Director of “Archaeological investigations in construction”. Historian and archaeologist 30 years studying different areas of the capital.
According to him, in recent years large work was carried out in the Troitsky and Novomoskovsky administrative areas. They did a lot recently deceased scientist Michael Geany. In those areas, and he found ancient burial mounds and a mine for the extraction of white stone.
the archaeological heritage is considered to be the entire city center within the boundaries of the Chambers-Collegiate shaft. Any construction work here must be accompanied by excavations. This year, the researchers worked with the builders of the objects needed to combat COVID-19, in particular, on the territory of the 31st hospital, said the head “Capital archaeological Bureau” Konstantin Voronin. “We are a small component of the urban infrastructure life. Without our research to prepare a project, the city will not be able to agree” — he added.
In Moscow, archaeologists can work not only in summer but also in winter. “When the heat is on the site just built a canopy from the rain. And in the winter over the excavations establish pavilions — stationary heating with a heat gun or portable. The ground is covered for the night with heat-insulating material, so he didn’t freeze”, — p��jasneet Vladimir Berkovich.
This spring, archaeologists have suspended field work because of the pandemic, resumed excavation in the second half of June. However, in the list of finds this year has a lot of valuable artifacts are safe with traces of hacking of XIX–XX centuries, and painted tiles of the XVIII century, and faience Bank fondant and a clay whistle in the shape of a Nightingale of the nineteenth century.
According to Konstantin Voronin was not until the excavations, archaeologists moved the tables — engaged in the processing of collections and preparation of research reports. “We completed our academic research on the objects found a few years ago. And most importantly, we finished the restoration of the magnificent weapons complex, which was found in one of the log cabins of the early seventeenth century. They found fragments of European armour together with items of the Eastern military culture. This complex clearly shows the place of Russia on the border of West and East”, — said the head of “Capital archaeological Bureau”.
Particularly rich in finds was 2019, archaeologists found more than 10 thousands of artifacts.
According to him, at first archeologists thought that the so-called thunder arrow: people found these stones thought they were messengers of heaven, and worn as amulets. “But, continuing the excavation, we found ceramics of the Neolithic period. That is, we recorded the remains of a temporary settlement of this era,” — said the expert.
a Lot of interesting things found on Pyatnitskaya street. There between the modern layers of soil, archaeologists were able to find layers of XV–XVI centuries, with fragments of ceramic vessels and coins. During the restoration of the houses of the merchants Varginia find here a unique collection of nearly a thousand tiles that decorated the manor furnace. Tiles with pictures of animals were shown in the Moscow zoo, and after the collection was moved to the exhibition in the Museum of Moscow.
nearly a thousand artifacts found in the former orphanage in Kitaihorodska travel. This is one of the few buildings in Moscow, which was not damaged in the fire of 1812. In the coming years it restored, and while there are scientific studies. “Among the artifacts of the XVI–XIX centuries there were also found ceramics of the Neolithic period. Another remarkable discovery — the skull of a horse found in the drainage well of the XVIII century”, — said Vladimir Berkovich. Scientists suggest that the discovered fragments of pottery may indicate that once there was the ancient Park of fishermen.
these are the findings of archaeologist considers the most valuable. “I was in Moscow quite a long time, but the last few years gave me those finds that make a little different look at the cultural layer” — said Vladimir Berkovich. ��n recalled that before the artifacts of the Neolithic across archaeologists rarely, once, for example, was accidentally discovered by construction Manager. It was the axe fatyanovo culture (III thousand BC — the bronze age).
In the Neolithic period, many ancient civilizations only started to be formed. Mankind then still went from hunting and gathering to agriculture and animal husbandry is the time when there were no Ancient Rome or Ancient Greece.
According to Konstantin Voronin, one of the most spectacular of his discoveries was the treasure the beginning of the XVII century. Five years ago, his team was able to detect from 20 pounds of silver coins. But with great warmth he recalls another discovery. “It was the burial of a cat with a cross. The cat that lived somewhere in the end of XV century. We called it between themselves “Orthodox cat.” This discovery touched me so much I said to this cat are not only scientific, but also human sympathy,” — said the archaeologist.
He added that archaeology sometimes reveals the unexpected history without written sources. While valuable findings or not — in his opinion, the issue of filing. “If the artifact to write a good article, it will be known as valuable, if not write no. I believe that any discovery has some value simply because it is the legacy of the past: from a piece of pottery to coins,” said Konstantin Voronin.
As an exact science can be judged by the signs of the recent past.
He explained that the cultural layer formed year after year of lost things: coins, keys, Bobby pins. Given that Moscow has long not been covered with stone, here was no bridge, where he removed to the trash, and it somehow remained in the ground. “It turned out a code of human life. Each of us forms the historical memory of our existence,” — said the head of “Capital archaeological Bureau”.
to find a valuable artifact, it is not enough just to watch, said the archaeologist. Scientists sift soil manually, and sometimes can not do without special equipment. “In Moscow the ground is very saturated. Therefore, a coin the size of a fingernail you may not see, and a metal detector will find it,” — said Vladimir Berkovich.
the Archaeologist remembered one such case: on Prechistenka found a chess figure, inside of which were silver coins. “Without the detector, the figure could not see, but it rang, the man picked her up, I realized that the bone may not ring, hyped, and found coins,” — said Vladimir Berkovich. The same figure was later found in one of the museums conservators opened it, but the treasure inside was not.
In the Arsenal of the archaeologists there are new devices and laboratory technologies, increasingly they are attracted to the work of other scientists: soil scientists, geochemists, geophysicists, biologists, paleogeografii. According to Konstantin Voronin, modern archaeology is somewhat similar to criminology, because it uses a lot of analytical data.
using the methods of natural science research experts can better understand the living conditions of our ancestors. Pollen samples, for example, to know what was growing in a certain area at one time or another, and on this basis to restore the landscape. Coal from numerous Moscow fires helps to establish the age of the buildings. “The radiocarbon method gives us a more accurate date that is later confirmed by numismatic finds. So, in the excavations was found a fire horizon of late XIV — early XV century. There we found coins of Vasilii Dmitrievich, son of Dmitry Donskoy, who ruled at this time,” said Konstantin Voronin.
Another unusual way of collecting data archaeologists have used during works near the building of Gostiny Dvor. There they studied the remains of insects that lived alongside humans in the XIII century. “It became clear that among these bugs, there are no human parasites (lice and others) and any of the pests that would eat supplies, such as flour. Such seemingly unexpected and challenging moments can attest to the hygiene of our ancestors. So, this place is the estates, where people look after themselves and were very civilized. We concluded that the Muscovites in the XIII century was neat, at least in this place”, — said Konstantin Voronin.
Discovering something of value, experts from applied discovery on the plan, indicating the exact location and depth. Then she is sent to offsite laboratory, where it undergoes primary treatment: it gently remove the soil, take pictures, draw sizes, make in-depth inventory and special report. If necessary, find send it for restoration, which may take from weeks to several years. And after archaeological artifacts are sent to the exhibition. “We now pass to the Museum of Moscow is a unique place, where for many years collected archaeological finds”, — said Vladimir Berkovich.
From tiles to ancient coins: what else have you found in Tsaritsyn and Lefortovo during excavations
See the main findings of the last decade on the Internet. The Moscow’s Department recently launched a website with a virtual exhibition, where there are toys, household items, stove tiles, finds of stone age religious paraphernalia, coins, stamps and even treasures. The earliest dated Neolithic period, the most recent — the beginning of the twentieth century. Each artifact is accompanied by photos and description, stating the age, function and the place where the find was discovered. The exhibition plan regularbut to fill up.
According to Vladimir Berkovich, archaeology today is on the rise — any building and repair work on historical sites are accompanied by excavations. And as in Moscow such there are many objects, archaeologists, as representatives of a rather unique profession, are always very popular. “To a tight schedule of modern construction to perform quality work, you need a large number of professional personnel. Now produce not many archaeologists,” he says.
the Department of archaeology of Moscow state University named after M. V. Lomonosov. In addition, the ranks of specialists can top graduates of history departments in other universities that are of archaeological practice. “Across the country very few professionals, we know all of them literally in the face”, — said Vladimir Berkovich. He also added that for the training of specialized personnel need more education institutions.
However, said Konstantin Voronin, young people who are fond of archeology, a lot today, and you can find those who will be ready to get to work.
