During excavations in Moscow, archaeologists found fragments of two church bells from the late 18th – early 19th centuries. This was reported on February 18 on the website of the mayor of the city.
It is noted that the finds were made near the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Stary Simonov. The artifacts were found during the laying of utilities.
According to archaeologists, the weight of the first fragment is more than 13 kg, and its dimensions reach 21 by 15 cm. A fragment of an inscription in Church Slavonic can be seen on the surface.
“It is interesting that the fragments of the bronze alloy belong to different bells. In addition, they preserved fragments of inscriptions. This will help specialists restore their history. It is possible that the fragments fell into the ground during the demolition of the bell tower of the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 1928. The bells could have simply been thrown off it, ”said the head of the Moscow City Heritage Site Alexei Yemelyanov.
Yemelyanov also said that on the second fragment found a fragment of an inscription in civilian script, which was introduced by Peter I in 1708 for printing secular publications, writes Gazeta.ru.
First, archaeologists will carefully study the artifacts, then they will restore them and donate them to the capital’s museum fund.
On February 15, archaeologists found miniature scales of a medieval merchant in Pskov. The trade inventory was in a wooden case with a leather lid.