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About 400 artifacts unearthed in Rogachev District

Photo by the Institute of History of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus

MINSK, 19 July (BelTA) - About 400 artifacts were found by archaeologists in Rogachev District during the summer, Olga Drevilo, a researcher with the Department of Archaeology of the Middle Ages and Modern Times at the Institute of History of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, told BelTA.

Luchin is a small agro-town in Rogachev District. In ancient times, it was a large city located on the border of three principalities - Polotsk, Chernigov and Smolensk. The present-day Luchin was on the way of the Varangians to the Greeks route. For these reasons, the site is of interest to archaeologists who have been working here since 2023.

“The excavations were conducted from 30 June to 13 July. During this time, about 400 individual finds were unearthed. Among them are beads, crosses, household items and a lot of bracelets, which was typical for the 12th - 13th centuries. They were in vogue back then. As for mass finds such as ceramics, we had lots of them: about 100kg of sherds,” the archaeologist said.

Among rare artifacts is a book clasp.

“A book clasp indicates status. Not every city, much less a small one, could afford a church book. However, we have already found two such clasps in Luchin,” Olga Drevilo noted.

She explained why the area of Luchin is interesting to archaeologists. “Firstly, there is a very high concentration of fortifications in Rogachev District, which is not typical for other regions. Secondly, it was a border of the Smolensk, Chernigov and Polotsk principalities. Therefore, our goal is to find the Luchin described in the historical chronicle. If it was on the Dnieper, it would be part of the Smolensk principality,” she said.

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