World History and Culture: Exhibition "Vikings. The Way to the East" opened in the State Historical Museum

On June 2, 2021, the State Historical Museum opened the exhibition “Vikings. The Way to the East" based on archaeological materials from the museum collections and devoted to the life and culture of wanderers from Scandinavia.

The exhibition's centrepiece is the reconstruction of a ship - a symbol of military and trade campaigns. The weapons, armour and equipment of an equestrian warrior illustrate the military development of river routes. The exhibition presents a unique collection of helmets. One of them persevered in fragments. It was exhibited for the first time with a 3D reconstruction. Recently discovered hoards of silver coins show the widespread trade relations of Vikings, from Eastern Europe to the Arab Caliphate.

Natives of Scandinavia were not only fearless warriors but also skilled craftsmen - jewellers, blacksmiths, bone carvers. The exhibition presents sets of silver and bronze gilded women's jewellery, as well as reconstructions of garments made by modern producers using ancient technology. The main exhibit of this section is an X century women's dress made of Chinese silk, which has no analogues in other museum collections.

A separate part of the exhibition is devoted to the results of the latest research of the archaeological collections, performed jointly with the Kurchatov Institute National Research Centre. For the first time, the State Historical Museum showcases items from the recent excavations of the Smolensk Archaeological Expedition. After the complete restoration, it displays a collection of objects found during the study in 2018 of one of the richest burial mounds of the Gnezdovo Archaeological Complex. This collection includes a sword, gold Byzantine coins, jewellery set, playing dibs and much more.

The exhibition is located in the New Exhibition Hall. The entrance is to the right of the Zero Kilometre in the direction of the Resurrection Gate.

The exhibition will run until January 10, 2022.