Mokhovoye
Encyclopedia
Mokhovoye is a settlement
in Kaliningrad Oblast
, Russia
, located at the south-western corner of the Curonian Lagoon
, near Zelenogradsk
. It was important in early medieval
history as a likely starting point of the Amber Route to the south. Kaup is the name of a hill immediately north of Wiskiauten, where a large burial site with Scandinavian grave goods
was found.
sprang up there in the early 9th century. Kaup may have been its name, because the place-name is cognate to Old Prussian (and Germanic) terms for "purchase". Marija Gimbutas
describes it as "the gateway for the traffic leading to the east via the lower Nemunas basin into the lands of the Curonians, Lithuanians, and other Baltic tribes".
Following the decline of Truso
to the south and Grobin to the north in the course of the century, Kaup succeeded them as the principal regional colony of Swedish
merchants from Birka
. It was superbly sited along the sand-barred shore particularly rich in amber
, hidden from potential enemies within a bay "where islands, shoals, and complicated channels made the approach slow and observable".
Kaup flourished as a market town protected by a garrison until the end of the 10th century, when Harold I's son, Haakon, a Dane, raided Samland. This attack, attested by Saxo Grammaticus
, probably contributed to the downfall of Kaup, which was again burned to the ground by the Dane Canute the Great
during his anti-Prussian raid in 1016. The Norsemen raids ended in the 11th century. They abandoned the Curonian shore for good, but the Prussians continued to occupy the site until the Northern crusades
of the 13th century.
Another town, Cranz
, was built just north of Wiskiauten, but closer to the Baltic Sea
shore. After 1945 the name of the German settlement was Russified as Mokhovoye.
archaeologists of the 19th century found a large cemetery, consisting of up to 500 tumuli. Of these, only a few still subsist: continuing activities of amateur Russian archaeologists approach vandalism in that they result in razing of several tumuli each summer. The finds unearthed at Mokhovoye highlight Swedish
rather than Danish
connections of the medieval Scandinavian colonists.
The tumuli are semi-spherical, less than one meter in height and ranging from five to twelve meters in diameter. A huge boulder was placed on top of each barrow. Some burial mounds were surrounded by stone rings. The Vikings were cremated elsewhere, together with their swords and arrows, before ashes of the dead and their burnt weapons were deposited inside the barrows.
Types of settlements in Russia
The classification system of the types of inhabited localities in Russia, the former Soviet Union, and some other post-Soviet states has certain peculiarities compared to the classification systems in other countries.-Modern classification in Russia:...
in Kaliningrad Oblast
Kaliningrad Oblast
Kaliningrad Oblast is a federal subject of Russia situated on the Baltic coast. It has a population of The oblast forms the westernmost part of the Russian Federation, but it has no land connection to the rest of Russia. Since its creation it has been an exclave of the Russian SFSR and then the...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, located at the south-western corner of the Curonian Lagoon
Curonian Lagoon
The Curonian Lagoon is separated from the Baltic Sea by the Curonian Spit. Its surface area is . The Neman River supplies about 90% of its inflows; its watershed consists of about 100,450 square kilometers in Lithuania and the Kaliningrad Oblast.-Human history:In the 13th century, the area around...
, near Zelenogradsk
Zelenogradsk
Zelenogradsk, is a town and the administrative center of Zelenogradsky District of Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia, Located on the Sambian coastline near the Curonian Spit on the Baltic Sea...
. It was important in early medieval
Early Middle Ages
The Early Middle Ages was the period of European history lasting from the 5th century to approximately 1000. The Early Middle Ages followed the decline of the Western Roman Empire and preceded the High Middle Ages...
history as a likely starting point of the Amber Route to the south. Kaup is the name of a hill immediately north of Wiskiauten, where a large burial site with Scandinavian grave goods
Grave goods
Grave goods, in archaeology and anthropology, are the items buried along with the body.They are usually personal possessions, supplies to smooth the deceased's journey into the afterlife or offerings to the gods. Grave goods are a type of votive deposit...
was found.
History
Archaeological excavations, undertaken in 1899, 1932, and 1979, suggest that a major centre of Old PrussiansOld Prussians
The Old Prussians or Baltic Prussians were an ethnic group, autochthonous Baltic tribes that inhabited Prussia, the lands of the southeastern Baltic Sea in the area around the Vistula and Curonian Lagoons...
sprang up there in the early 9th century. Kaup may have been its name, because the place-name is cognate to Old Prussian (and Germanic) terms for "purchase". Marija Gimbutas
Marija Gimbutas
Marija Gimbutas , was a Lithuanian-American archeologist known for her research into the Neolithic and Bronze Age cultures of "Old Europe", a term she introduced. Her works published between 1946 and 1971 introduced new views by combining traditional spadework with linguistics and mythological...
describes it as "the gateway for the traffic leading to the east via the lower Nemunas basin into the lands of the Curonians, Lithuanians, and other Baltic tribes".
Following the decline of Truso
Truso
Truso, situated on Lake Druzno, was an Old Prussian town near the Baltic Sea just east of the Vistula River. It was one of the trading posts on the Amber Road, and is thought to be the antecedent of the city of Elbląg . In the words of Marija Gimbutas, "the name of the town is the earliest known...
to the south and Grobin to the north in the course of the century, Kaup succeeded them as the principal regional colony of Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
merchants from Birka
Birka
During the Viking Age, Birka , on the island of Björkö in Sweden, was an important trading center which handled goods from Scandinavia as well as Central and Eastern Europe and the Orient. Björkö is located in Lake Mälaren, 30 kilometers west of contemporary Stockholm, in the municipality of Ekerö...
. It was superbly sited along the sand-barred shore particularly rich in amber
Amber
Amber is fossilized tree resin , which has been appreciated for its color and natural beauty since Neolithic times. Amber is used as an ingredient in perfumes, as a healing agent in folk medicine, and as jewelry. There are five classes of amber, defined on the basis of their chemical constituents...
, hidden from potential enemies within a bay "where islands, shoals, and complicated channels made the approach slow and observable".
Kaup flourished as a market town protected by a garrison until the end of the 10th century, when Harold I's son, Haakon, a Dane, raided Samland. This attack, attested by Saxo Grammaticus
Saxo Grammaticus
Saxo Grammaticus also known as Saxo cognomine Longus was a Danish historian, thought to have been a secular clerk or secretary to Absalon, Archbishop of Lund, foremost advisor to Valdemar I of Denmark. He is the author of the first full history of Denmark.- Life :The Jutland Chronicle gives...
, probably contributed to the downfall of Kaup, which was again burned to the ground by the Dane Canute the Great
Canute the Great
Cnut the Great , also known as Canute, was a king of Denmark, England, Norway and parts of Sweden. Though after the death of his heirs within a decade of his own and the Norman conquest of England in 1066, his legacy was largely lost to history, historian Norman F...
during his anti-Prussian raid in 1016. The Norsemen raids ended in the 11th century. They abandoned the Curonian shore for good, but the Prussians continued to occupy the site until the Northern crusades
Northern Crusades
The Northern Crusades or Baltic Crusades were crusades undertaken by the Christian kings of Denmark and Sweden, the German Livonian and Teutonic military orders, and their allies against the pagan peoples of Northern Europe around the southern and eastern shores of the Baltic Sea...
of the 13th century.
Another town, Cranz
Cranz
Cranz may refer to:Family name: , German writer , German mathematician * Christl Cranz , German skier , German Christian scholar...
, was built just north of Wiskiauten, but closer to the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
shore. After 1945 the name of the German settlement was Russified as Mokhovoye.
Archaeology
In a wood skirting the modern settlement GermanGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
archaeologists of the 19th century found a large cemetery, consisting of up to 500 tumuli. Of these, only a few still subsist: continuing activities of amateur Russian archaeologists approach vandalism in that they result in razing of several tumuli each summer. The finds unearthed at Mokhovoye highlight Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
rather than Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
connections of the medieval Scandinavian colonists.
The tumuli are semi-spherical, less than one meter in height and ranging from five to twelve meters in diameter. A huge boulder was placed on top of each barrow. Some burial mounds were surrounded by stone rings. The Vikings were cremated elsewhere, together with their swords and arrows, before ashes of the dead and their burnt weapons were deposited inside the barrows.