Pages: 447-452

The earliest phase of the formation of the Russian funerary rites still remains poorly studied since there are practically no reliably dated sites up to the mid-11^th century. Beginning with the mid-11^th century, Russian inhumations appear throughout the entire NovgorodLand demonstrating diverse variants of the rite but remaining nevertheless within the frame of the Christian canon.
A detailed dendrochronology has been developed for Novgorod archaeology, due to which the types of antiquities from the excavations of Novgorod are well dated. The same types of things were found in funerary monuments of the rural population of Novgorod land. These circumstances give us the opportunity to distinguish small groups of chronologically significant things among them that go out of use no later than the mid-12^th century. They perfectly mark the initial stage of the old Russian funerary culture of the Novgorod Land.

Keywords: Novgorod Land, medieval archaeology, chronology, Christianization, burial sites, funerary rite, decorations

Information about author:

Vladislav Sobolev (Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation). Saint Petersburg State University. Universitetskaya Emb., 7/9, Saint Petersburg, 199034, Russian Federation
E-mail: [email protected]