Medieval Papal Seal Unearthed in Estonia

News July 16, 2026

Excavation site, Tallinn, Estonia
GO Property OÜ/Muinasprojekt OÜ
SHARE:

TALLINN, ESTONIA—Estonian Public Radio reports that a well-preserved fourteenth-century papal seal, or bulla, belonging to Pope Clement V was unearthed in Tallinn, Estonia’s capital city on the shore of the Baltic Sea. Archaeologist Mihkel Tammet of archaeological field research company Muinasprojekt OÜ said that the bulla was found in a medieval layer that also contained ceramics and other artifacts. He thinks it may have been brought to the site with waste and soil carried from Old Town to fertilize fields and gardens. “Only three papal bullae—papal seals—are known from Estonia, and all of them are attached to documents in the Tallinn City Archives,” added historian Ivar Leimus. To read about silver and gold coins unearthed in feature that feature portraits of several medieval popes, go to "A Catalog of Princes."

  • Features July/August 2026

    Secrets of the Serpent

    Is a Native American origin story embedded in Ohio’s colossal earthwork?

    Read Article
    Serpent Mound
    Timothy E. Black
  • Features July/August 2026

    Slinging Insults

    Greek and Roman soldiers fired pointed barbs at their enemies

    Read Article
    Lead sling bullet inscribed with the Greek inscription MATHOU
    Courtesy Michael Eisenberg
  • Features July/August 2026

    Inside Africa’s Houses of Stone

    Archaeologists are rethinking how kings shared power beyond the great capitals of medieval Zimbabwe

    Read Article
    Ad/AdobeStock
  • Features July/August 2026

    Tennis, Anyone?

    Discovering the origins of the peculiar racket game that swept sixteenth-century France

    Read Article
    King Louis XIII's jeu de paume court at the Palace of Versailles
    © Denis Gliksman, Inrap