Novgorod, Letters from the Middle Ages

Production
2004, France
French
00:52:00
Genre
documentary
archeology
Marc Jampolsky
Marc Jampolsky
Gédéon programmes
Gédéon programmes

Novgorod in Northwest Russia is one of the few cities that escaped destruction by Mongol invaders. Cathedrals and icons from the 10th, 11th and 12th centuries bear witness to its illustrious past. But even more astonishing are the numerous letters written on birch bark that have survived beneath the soil of this ancient city for more than 1000 years. These 'messages' relate the facts of everyday life during the Middle Ages. The film documents these treasures uncovered during the excavations of summer 2003 and is interwoven with fictional re-enactments of Medieval Novgorod.