Traces of History in Artefacts

This study investigates archaeological evidence of Varangian (Scandinavian) presence along the Dnipro route through a multidisciplinary analysis of metal artefacts and truncated spheroidal weights from museum collections in Ukraine. Fourteen non-ferrous metal objects, including costume elements, jewellery, and utilitarian fittings, were examined to determine their typology, origins, and manufacturing technologies. Chemical analyses revealed multicomponent alloys with distinct arsenic and antimony impurities, differentiating Dnipro-region metal from that of northern Rus’. Comparative evaluation connected these items to Scandinavian prototypes from Birka, Gotland, and other Baltic Sea contexts. A second focus of the study is a collection of 71 truncated spheroidal weights from six Ukrainian regions. Metrological patterns and markings link the weights to the Scandinavian ertog/øre system and suggest their use in trade and early tax collection. Their distribution, especially concentrations in the Kyiv and Chernihiv regions, aligns with the formation of the Rus’ state and its fiscal structures. The presence of early types in western Ukraine suggests earlier, previously undocumented Scandinavian activity. Overall, findings expand the database of Rus’-period metallurgy and clarify the Varangian role in economic and political processes of the 10th–11th centuries. The study of these objects has gained new importance since the beginning of the Russian-Ukrainian war in 2022. This war, now in its fourth year, has already led to the loss of several million museum exhibits as a result of bombing and the looting of museums by Russian occupiers. In this context, the preservation of information about cultural heritage through publication remains especially urgent

First world war · Lithuanian · Looting · Politics · State (computer science) · World War II · Ancient and Medieval Archaeology Studies · Historical and Archaeological Studies · Metallurgy and Cultural Artifacts