A new analysis of ancient DNA from walrus snouts uncovered in Ukraine suggests a thriving 4000-kilometer medieval trade route.
When archaeologist Natalia Khamaiko first started digging in a vacant lot at 35 Spaska Street in Kyiv, Ukraine, in 2007, her expectations were low. Previous archaeological surveys had yielded little, despite the site’s location along what had once been a thriving medieval waterfront, where Norse merchants from Scandinavia traded furs for silver minted in the Islamic world.
Walrus ivory was one of the most prized commodities in medieval times, valued across Europe and the Islamic world for its use in sword hilts, gaming pieces, and sacramental objects. Walrus tusks were transported still attached to the animal’s snout, then broken off once they were ready to be carved.
Archaeologists found these walrus skull fragments in Kyiv, Ukraine, likely discarded after the precious tusks were snapped off for carving.Together, the evidence suggests the Kyiv walrus bones originated in Greenland or even the islands of the Canadian Arctic, rather than northern Russia, the researchers write this month in the. “It’s a convincing result, and a surprising one,” Sindbæk says.
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