Jewellery of Princely Kiev

In the capital of Kievan Rus’, princely Kiev, almost 70 medieval hoards have been discovered to date. The hoards published in this book contained gold and silver jewellery of the ruling dynasty, nobility and the Christian Church. They were unique to Kiev and their quantity and magnificence of style cannot be matched by anything found either in any other former city of Rus’, or in Byzantium. Most of the objects has never been published outside the former Soviet Union. During the 17th-20th centuries, many medieval hoards were gradually unearthed; some disappeared soon after they were found. This book provides a complete picture of the three largest medieval hoards discovered in Kiev: in 1906, 1842 and 1824, and traces the history and whereabouts of other lost treasures. Other treasures took pride of place in some of the world’s top museums. This publication highlights the splendid heritage of medieval Kievan jewellery. It illustrates not only the high level of art and jewellery craftsmanship in the capital, but also the extraordinary religious, political, cultural and social development of Kievan Rus’, the largest and most powerful East Slavic state in medieval Europe.