Archaeologists have found the oldest seal of the Russian Prince Yaroslav the Wise from the 11th century
A seal of the 11th century Prince Yaroslav the Wise has been found in Veliky Novgorod. This was reported by the Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
The seal was found at Yaroslav's Court, a local architectural monument where, according to legend, Prince Yaroslav's luxurious palace was located. Yaroslav the Wise was the son of Prince Vladimir, who baptized pagan Rus.
"A unique artifact was found at the very threshold of the Nikolsky Cathedral, the second oldest Russian church, built by Yaroslav's great-grandson," said Russian Minister of Culture Olga Lyubimova.
On one side of the seal is a bust of St. George with a spear at his right shoulder. This is symbolic, because Yaroslav received the name George at baptism. On the other side is an image of a sign in the form of a trident. This is the family symbol of the Rurik dynasty.
The seal is compositionally similar to the famous coin "Yaroslavle Srebro", which was minted by Prince Yaroslav in Novgorod at the beginning of the 11th century. Only eight such coins have survived to this day.
It is known that Yaroslav reigned in Novgorod for a long time. Because he stopped paying tribute to his father, Vladimir was going to go on a campaign against his son, but died of illness before that could happen.
