Moscow’s chief archaeologist Leonid Kondrashev has said that a spate of recent archeological findings in the capital could shift the date of the city’s founding back by 100 years, the Moscow News Agency reports.
“Moscow’s true age is a debatable issue that requires a deeper and very careful study,” Kondrashev said.
Moscow’s founding is dated to 1147 when it is referenced in the Hypatian Codex as the meeting point between Prince Yuri Dolgorukiy and Northern-Novgorod prince Svyatoslav.
Archeological evidence could be used to refute this date, Kondrashev claims. The capital has experienced a boom in archeological findings in recent months which could muddy the city’s history.
Kondrashev believes that the city was actually founded 100 years prior, during Kievan Prince Iziaslav I campaigns against the Galindian tribes.
Kondrashev said scholars would be reluctant to agree on an earlier date because 1147 has already become entrenched within the city’s historical narrative.