Unique Ceremonial Axe With Marks Of Legendary Viking Chief Rurik Discovered

MessageToEagle.com  – Archaeologists excavating near the village of Shekshovo in Suzdal, Russia have discovered a unique ancient axe with marks of the Viking chief Rurik. Rurik, also spelled Rorik or Hrorekr, was a legendary founder of the Rurik dynasty of Kievan Rus.

Rurik is often referred to as a legendary Varangian chieftain. The Varangians or Varyags was the name given by Greeks and East Slavs to Vikings who between the 9th and 11th centuries ruled the medieval state of Kievan Rus’ and formed the Byzantine Varangian Guard.

The true identity of Rurik is not entirely known. According to some historians the Viking chief was either from the Scandinavia peninsula or Jutland (modern Denmark).

In 862, he seized the town of Ladoga, on Lake Ladoga and established a stronghold there. Later he most likely went southward along the Volkhov and captured Novgorod. Rurik remained in power until his death in 879. His successors (the Rurik Dynasty), however, moved the capital to Kiev and founded the state of Kievan Rus’, which persisted until the Mongol invasion in 1240.

No body has yet been found inside the burial mound near the village Shekshovo where scientists have been conducting research. However, this unique battle axe was discovered together with a golden horseshoe brooch with gold. These two objects are valuable for the study of the early history of North-Eastern Russia.

According to Slavorum “Hatchets with silver inlay – ceremonial weapons of X-XII centuries, represented by a small group of finds originating in the territory of Northern Russia, Volga Bulgaria, Scandinavia, the Baltic States and Poland.

This is one of the earliest examples of such ceremonial weapons found on the territory of Russia. Th axe indicates the presence of princely aristocrat administration in the center of the Old Russian settlement in the North-East of Russia, in the territories, as until recently it was thought for a long time been under the control of the local nobility.”

See also:

Explore The Mysterious Ancient World Of The Vikings

Famous Viking Ragnar Lodbrok – Legendary Fearless Sea-King Of The North

Mystery Of The Brave Viking Chief Buried On The Gokstad Ship

Viking Ingvar The Far-Travelled And His Great Expedition To The East

According to the FamilyTreeDNA Rurikid Dynasty DNA Project, Rurik appears to have belonged to Y-DNA haplogroup N1c1, based on testing of his modern male line descendants. N1c1 is not widely found in Scandinavian countries, but is overwhelmingly found among Baltic and Finnish ethnicities. The new archaeological discoveries can shed more light on the history of the region as well as the identity of the Viking Chief Rurik.

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