Archaeologists found "Slavic baseball balls" in Veliky Novgorod

During excavations in the historical center of Veliky Novgorod, archaeologists discovered game balls of the XII century. This was reported in the Novgorod State Museum-Reserve.

“Scientists found several small leather balls and their fragments on the XV Trinity Excavation near the Kremlin,” the report said.

“The balls were made from two round blanks. They were sewn with a leather ribbon and packed with horse hair, moss and other materials that gave them elasticity, ”said Andrei Stepanov, head of the Center for Organization and Ensuring Archaeological Research of the GMZ.

According to him, these goals of the ancient Slavs played a game similar to a Russian bast shoes, but according to the rules similar to the rules of modern baseball.

In addition to balls, scientists discovered ancient Russian bronze jewelry, a nail and an armor -piercing arrow tip. Archaeologists dated the finds of the first half of the XII century.