Belt Plates from the Pitersky (Stepanovo Plotbishche) Burial Ground

Over 600 bronze belt plates found during excavations on the medieval Pitersk (Stepanovo Plotbishche) burial ground site are for the first time introduced into scientific circulation with their description and classification provided. The resource is located on the right bank of the Kama water reservoir and is exposed to flooding and destruction. In 1997-1999 and 2001, 21 inhumation rite burials and one sacrificial complex were studied and surface finds collected. Judging by the burial rite and the artifact nature, this archaeological complex can be dated to the 9th-11th centuries.