Natalia Spasskaya

Mikhail Sablin

Kirill Mikhailov

The article studies the bone remains of horses that were found in strata dating from the 9th – early 10th cc. in Novgorod (Rurik’s hillfort). The material comes from small specimens with a rough body composition, which are morphologically similar to existing aboriginal breeds: Mongol, Kazakh, Polish primitive horse. The bones bear no traces of butchering, hence there is no indication that the horses could have been eaten. All the skulls belonged to stallions, 5 to 15 years old, which had been actively used for riding. All of the above indicates the possible military, or druzhina, nature of the site.