Chorna Mogyla (Black Grave) in Chernigiv

The Chorna Mogyla was the first burial mound of the pre-Christian Rus state that was excavated in Chernigiv in 1872.

Those types of burials were very common on the territory of pagan Rus and were analogous to the Egyptian pyramids. Some of the Old Russian necropolises comprise more than 1,000 burial mounds.

One of the most famous that has been preserved on the territory of Ukraine up to now is the Chorna Mogyla Mound.

During the archeological excavation an unusual (for this region) statue of bronze was found among the burial accessories. Along with the other findings it was given to the Russian History Museum.

Among all the items that were excavated on the territory of Rus from the IX to XI centuries, there was nothing like the statue. And of course, it became the focus of much attention.

The closest items are the Scandinavian antiquities that were found during the excavation on the territory of modern Iceland. Dated by the X-XI centuries, they depicted the god Thor.

Among the other things there were also found - a lot of silver ornaments and other funeral items.

The local stories tell that the Prince Chorny – the founder of Chernigiv - was buried in the mound.

Today, the historical site Chorna Mogyla is a well-known part of the National Sanctuary “Ancient Chernigiv”.