Belarusian scientists will continue to explore the territory of ancient Drutsk in search of archaeological sensations

October 9, Vitebsk / Sergey Kochetov - BELTA /. Belarusian scientists will continue their work on the territory of ancient Drutsk (Tolochin district) in search of collective burials similar to the burial with a tombstone discovered this summer. This was announced today by Olga Levko, Head of the Center for the History of Pre-Industrial Society at the Institute of History of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, Doctor of Historical Sciences, at the presentation of a unique archaeological find at the regional museum of local lore, BELTA correspondent reports. The uniqueness of the find lies in the fact that until now, kurgans with stone tombstones have not been found; this is a peculiar interweaving of pagan and Christian traditions. Also, during the excavations, burial inventory was discovered: remnants of clothing (collars) embroidered with gold and with an ornament of the Byzantine type, fragments of fabrics, also of the Byzantine type, gilded and one silver button, which indicates that ordinary citizens were not buried there. In total, scientists have discovered the remains of 38 people. All materials are currently being studied. "There are 2 more places where we assume the possibility of finding the same collective burials, they will be investigated, and perhaps we will have more chances to specify the dating of this object," said Olga Levko. According to preliminary data, scientists date the find to the second half of the 12th - the first decade of the 13th centuries. Scientists associate this find with one of the sad pages of history related to military operations, as indicated by arrowheads in the remains of two people. It is not yet possible to determine who was buried - local residents or conquerors. The kurgan is a subject of the history of ancient Drutsk, one of the centers of ancient Russian principalities in the territory of Belarus. "The find allows us to broaden the horizon of our knowledge about the history of this ancient principality," the scientist added. -0-