Russian scientists have conducted a detailed study of lead trade seals used by ancient Russian merchants in the pre-Mongol invasion era. The result of this research is the first map of the locations where these artifacts have been discovered by archaeologists over the past 150 years. According to the press service of the Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), studying this map will allow for a more detailed understanding of the economic landscape of ancient Russia.
“This type of medieval artifact has been known for about 150 years, but until now, they have not been fully studied. These seals were probably used in trade operations: they could seal goods and serve as marks for duty payments. Our publication reveals for the first time the extensive topography of the discovery sites of these seals, which can be an important element in understanding the economic connections of the ancient Russian principalities,” noted Pyotr Gaydukov, Deputy Director of the Institute of Archaeology of the RAS.
Lead seals of ancient Russian merchants are round or oval pieces of lead with a diameter of 7-11 millimeters, featuring a through-channel and imprints of drawings on the surface. These artifacts were first discovered in 1864 by the Polish archaeologist Mečyslovas Davainis-Silvestraitis near the Western Bug River, which explains their name “Drogichin-type seals.”
Researchers compiled data on more than 30,000 found seals, studied in the territories of modern Russia, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine, and Belarus over the past 150 years. Half of all discovered specimens were found in four voivodeships in Poland, around 7,700 in Russia, and the remaining 7,100 in other countries. In Russia, the largest number of seals was found in the areas of Veliky Novgorod, Gorodets-on-Volga, and Smolensk. Princely signs of the Rurikids are often found on most of them, indicating a possible role of these artifacts in trade operations on behalf of princes.
Image: S. V. Ivanov’s painting “Trade in the Land of Eastern Slavs”