USHACHI, BELARUS—According to a report in Belarus News, archaeologists from the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus have unearthed an aristocratic residence in the north of the country that dates to the twelfth century. The estate seems to have belonged to the Polotsk princes, who ruled the Duchy of Polotsk, which comprised most of present-day northern Belarus during the medieval period. At the site, the archaeologists have so far unearthed household architecture, as well as the remains of an oven and a silver ring. National Academy of Sciences archaeologist Marat Klimov notes that this is the first time any Polotsk noble residence has been discovered outside an urban area, and that it could have been occupied by any of the princes, inclunding Vseslav the Sorcerer, an eleventh-century prince who was the most well-known ruler of the Polotsk dynasty. To read about a recent medieval discovery in Russia, go to "Medieval Russian Memo."
