Archaeologists in the Volyn region are examining the so-called “Merchant’s Treasure” discovered in Volodymyr in 2025, which includes a unique assemblage of ancient Rus glass bracelets—573 complete pieces along with a large quantity of fragments.
According to Baiuk, the hoard was uncovered during extensive archaeological investigations carried out in 2025 in the historic Apostolshchyna area, located within the bounds of Prince Vladimir’s Okolnoe City in Volhynia.
Alongside numerous archaeological finds, an exceptional hoard was uncovered at archaeological site No. CLXXXVII (187). Known as the “merchant’s treasure,” it consists of 573 complete Old Russian glass bracelets, a large cross-encolpion worn by high-ranking clergy, nine bronze and eight marble small pectoral crosses, 18 diamond-shaped buckles decorated with pseudo-granulation, five silver temple rings, a lead plate shaped like a stylized falcon trident, a shield-shaped silver ring, a bronze bracelet, seals bearing a solar symbol within a circle of the “Dorohhychyn type,” as well as various other artifacts and fragments, according to the report.
The archaeologist stressed that finding such a large quantity of complete glass bracelets is without precedent in archaeological research across the territory of the Kyivan Rus’ state. The Volodymyr assemblage contains 573 intact bracelets, classified into 109 types that vary by form (twisted, smooth, trapezoidal), color (including green, blue, purple, yellow, and multiple shades of gold), and diameter, ranging from 4.0 to 5.9 cm. Some groups consist of identical pieces numbering between five and 31 items, while others appear as single examples or in small sets of two to five.
This refers only to bracelets found intact. The reconstruction of a large number of fragments found here should significantly supplement the collection.
The researcher stated that the owner of such riches was likely a merchant who either intentionally brought the goods to the market in Vladimir or fled with them to Volhynia during wartime. The hiding of the hoard, he explained, was most likely connected to the Mongol-Tatar invasion led by Batu Khan, which struck the center of the Volhynian principality — Prince Vladimir — at the end of winter in 1241. These events are recorded in the Galician-Volhynian Chronicle, which recounts that Batu captured Vladimir and devastated it mercilessly, along with the city of Halych and countless other towns.
He highlighted that the research results are of outstanding scientific and social importance. This marks the first discovery of such a large collection of bracelets. While these women’s jewelry pieces were common in the urban material culture of the pre-Mongol period, intact examples were previously found only rarely. For the first time, researchers can conduct a comprehensive analysis of this type of artifact, drawing on the extensive source base provided by the treasure.
After scientific processing, the materials will be transferred to the Volodymyr Historical Museum named after Omelyan Dvernitsky for exhibition, following the precedent of previous finds from the princely capital. Baiuk also noted that further display in national museums is highly likely.
The research, carried out as a legally required stage before developing archaeologically sensitive areas, was conducted by the Volyn Archaeological Expedition of the State Enterprise “Scientific Research Center ‘Archaeological Protection Service of Ukraine’” of the Institute of Archaeology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, in collaboration with Volyn National University named after Lesia Ukrainka, the Administration of the State Historical and Cultural Reserve in Lutsk, the Administration of the State Historical and Cultural Reserve “Ancient Volodymyr,” and the All-Ukrainian Association of Archaeologists, commissioned by Volodymyr City LLC. Ukrinform also reported that this year, valuable artifacts from the Scythian, Sarmatian, and other historical periods were uncovered by researchers from the Bilsk Historical and Cultural Reserve in Poltava region.
