Pages: 307-320 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.55086/sp265307320
Ancient Russian heraldic pendants are among the most important sources for the study of Ancient Russian heraldry and statehood.
In 2025, archaeological excavations at Staraya Ladoga uncovered an Ancient Russian heraldic pendant bearing symbols on both sides that S. V. Beletsky attributed to Mstislav of Tmutarakan and Yaroslav the Wise. Of the approximately 200 pendants currently recorded, fewer than ten were recovered by specialists from securely documented cultural layers and are available for study. The Staraya Ladoga find therefore has a particularly important archaeological context.
The analysis of the Staraya Ladoga pendant pays particular attention to its manufacturing technology. Previous studies of such pendants have devoted insufficient attention to technological aspects, even though production methods changed over time. A thorough study of the manufacturing technology of this category of objects may provide a means of correctly distinguishing and attributing “document pendants” and “jewelry pendants.”
The authors identified three additional heraldic pendants that were demonstrably cast in the same mold as the Staraya Ladoga specimen. Four further pendants with identical designs are also known, although their association with this mold remains uncertain. The pendants show evidence of careful mechanical finishing after casting, as well as prolonged use.
Keywords: Ancient Rus, heraldry, pendant, Staraya Ladoga, archaeological excavations, manufacturing technology, casting
Information about authors:
Konstantin Gorlov (Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation). Institute for History of Material Culture, Russian Academy of Sciences. Dvortsovaya Emb., 18, Saint Petersburg, 191186, Russian Federation
E-mail: [email protected]
ORCID: 0000-0002-1373-3719
Marianna Pavlova (Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation). Institute for the History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Dvortsovaya Emb., 18, Saint Petersburg, 191186, Russian Federation
E-mail: [email protected]
ORCID: 0000-0002-3381-8701