Expedition members of the Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences discovered the seal of Prince Yuri Dolgoruky, the founder of Moscow, near Suzdal.
Spasskoe settlement 7 is a small settlement discovered by archaeologists in 2017 on a small hill 10 kilometers from Suzdal at the source of a small river Karshi, the right tributary of the Nerl. During the excavations in 2022-2023, experts gathered a large collection of finds dating back to the 12th century, the first half of the 13th century. However, Spasskoye Settlement 7, in terms of appearance, composition of finds and material culture, 12-13. It does not stand out among the general settlement mass of the centuries.
Exceptions are two items associated with the everyday life of the nobility – a bronze weight from a wrought iron and a suspended lead seal with a diameter of 2.3 – 2.5 centimeters. On the obverse of the latter, St. George is depicted fully grown with a spear in his right hand, alongside the inscriptions “OAGIOS” and “GEOR”. The reverse side depicts a bident, a primitive sign, similar to the tamga of Rostislav Yuryevich, the son of Yuri Dolgoruky.
It was Yuri Dolgoruky who finally confirmed that the seal belongs to the analysis of the geographical distribution of seals similar to it. Only 17 of them are known, 10 of them were found in North-East Russia. Only two seals of this type have an unequivocal archaeological reference, with the seal from the Spassky settlement 7 being the third.
Academician Nikolai Makarov, director of the IA RAS, emphasizes that all this is a convincing argument in favor of their identification as the seals of Yuri Dolgoruky. The find near Suzdal is significant as it is a sure sign of the presence of representatives of primitive power in Suzdal Rus, where Yuri Dolgoruky carried the control center of North-East Russia.
According to Makarov’s hypothesis, the seal sealed a document that archaeologists have not yet found, in which the prince donated small plots of land for service.
Source: Ferra
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