Archaeologists excavating a historic cemetery in Russia have discovered two medieval skeletons buried with battle axes and equestrian gear, suggesting the individuals may have been tax collectors.
Since 2020, researchers have been working at the Gnezdilovo burial ground, a 7-acre site northeast of Moscow, originally found in 1851. During recent excavations, they examined around 50 “undisturbed burials” within the cemetery, known for its significant finds including “prestigious jewelry, coins, and weapons.”
One notable burial, labeled grave No. 59, includes the remains of a 35-to-40-year-old man interred with various artifacts: a bronze belt buckle shaped like a lyre, a knife, a broken ceramic vessel, and a metal battle axe. This type of axe, characterized by a “small hammer” on one end and a semicircular notch at its base, was common in the 11th and 12th centuries and has parallels in Volga Bulgaria, a region now part of Russia.
Adjacent to this grave, another burial site contains the remains of a man aged 25 to 30. His grave includes a complex wooden burial structure, a lyre-shaped buckle, a lock, a knife with sheath remnants, equestrian gear like stirrups and a saddle buckle, and a similar battle axe. The archaeologists also found a set of weights, possibly used for weighing coins collected as taxes.
While the exact identities of the deceased remain unknown, their high-status artifacts and the nature of their burials suggest they may have held fiscal roles, such as tax collectors. The findings provide valuable insights into the military culture of northeastern Russia during that era.
