The Find of the Saber in the Suburb of Tula

The saber reviewed in this paper is the first, and, presently, the only find of a long-bladed weapon in the Oka-Don region dating from the formation period of the Russian medieval state. It was discovered in the northwestern fringe of the Tula urban district in the vicinities of the Konino village in the Upka river basin (the Upka is the right tributary of the Upa river). The excavations at the saber findspot have not revealed an occupation deposit of a settlement, remains of a burial or traces of ritual practice. Based on the analysis of the structural elements and artistic features, this weapon can be dated to the second half of the 10th – first half of the 11th centuries. Therefore, the find is related to the group of sites dating to the middle period and the later period after the destruction of the Supruty fortified settlement. The closest site of the same period is a fortified settlement near the Ketri village located 3,6 km west of the saber findspot.