Staraya Ladoga: The Ancient Capital of Russia
27 May, 2003 – 20 September, 2003

The opened exhibition celebrates the 1250th anniversary of Staraya Ladoga. The exhibition organized by the State Hermitage Museum, the Staraya Ladoga Museum of History, Architecture and Archeology and the Institute of History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The show presenting the life, economy and beliefs of the early medieval people.

Started about two centuries ago, the archeological exploration of Staraya Ladoga (founded about 753) continues to the present day. Materials which it yielded, laid into the foundation of the Hermitage collection of Staraya Ladoga antiquities, allow archeologists to make hypotheses about the town's origin and development. They shed light on the early history of both Russia and countries connected to it by trade routes of Early Middle Ages. Artifacts unearthed by several generations of archeologists are preserved and examined at the State Hermitage Museum and the Staraya Ladoga Museum.

Beads
8th-10th centuries
Larger view

Iron spear and javelin
8th century
Larger view