Археологические исследования Охтинского некрополя
Archaeological Excavation of the Cemetery on Okhtinsky Cape

Summary/Abstract: In the course of archaeological research undertaken by the Saint-Petersburg Expedition in 1993—2009, an old cemetery was excavated on the Okhtinsky Cape. It is located on the left coast of the Okhta River, at the distance of 360 m from its mouth. On the whole, 311 preserved and numerous displaced remains were uncovered on the site. The main time span of the cemetery can be dated by 17th c., but it could have started in 16th c. A number of graves were destroyed or reburied when building new fortification of Nyenschanz in the middle of 17th c. The burials are predominantly Christian, most of them in coffins, oriented to south-west. They yielded scarce finds, such as: items of clothes and attire, Swedish coins, bullets, all belonging to the North-European circle of antiquities. Features of funeral ceremony distinguished on the Okhtinsky cemetery can point to different cultural traditions by their orientation, ways of burial and aspects of grave pits. Unearthed remains of multi-ethnic dwellers of the Neva region who had populated this territory before foundation of Saint Petersburg have both research and memorial value.

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