Published on: 2026-09-10
Source: Moscow Government – Правительства Москвы –
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Moscow archaeologists have restored a large collection of archaeological finds dating from the late 17th century to the first third of the 20th century. They were all discovered in Minaevsky Lane, located in the Maryina Roshcha district of the capital. Archaeological research was conducted in 2025. Among the artifacts found are clay and porcelain dishes, stove tiles, candlesticks, old coins, pectoral crosses, smoking pipes, children’s toys, as well as ceramic and glass containers. The finds will soon be transferred to the Museum of Moscow.
“During excavations in Minaevsky Lane, archaeologists found about 900 items: approximately 500 individual finds and around 400 ceramic fragments. The collection of household items is particularly notable: among the artifacts are pharmaceutical and trade containers, as well as personal care accessories. These items offer insight into the everyday life of Muscovites and help reveal how their preferences and tastes have changed over several centuries. Archaeologists have already cleaned and restored all the artifacts. They will soon be transferred to the Moscow museum fund,” said the head of the city’s Department of Cultural Heritage.
Most of the finds consist of antique tableware from the 19th to early 20th century. The collection includes items made of porcelain, glass, as well as white clay, black-glazed, and glazed ceramics. For example, archaeologists managed to assemble most of a white clay vessel from fragments. It is a painted jug. Its graceful walls are decorated with a red-brown pattern. Such patterns were popular: they gave ordinary tableware a festive appearance.
Among the porcelain items, a miniature cup from the well-known factory of the Society for the Production of Porcelain and Faience Products of M.S. Kuznetsov stands out. It is decorated with a delicate floral pattern and the inscription — “On your angel’s day.” By the beginning of the 20th century, the society included several domestic factories. It was one of the largest associations in Europe. About two-thirds of all porcelain in Russia was produced at Kuznetsov’s factories.
The archaeological collection was also supplemented with stove tiles. In old times, they were used for cladding. They helped stoves retain heat longer and made the home cozier. One of the tiles has been almost completely preserved. On its white surface is depicted a multicolored vase with three flowers. Such polychrome relief tiles appeared in Russia in the second half of the 17th century. They featured images of animals and birds, as well as plant and geometric patterns. In the 18th century, the fashion for stove decoration changed: they began to feature Baroque-style drawings with narrative compositions. Fragments of similar smooth painted tiles were also discovered in Minaevsky Lane.
Ceramic and glass containers occupy a special place among the finds: vials, small bottles, droppers, jars. They were intended for storing medicines, perfumes, cosmetics. Such items became widespread in the 19th century. Many of the discovered artifacts have elegant shapes, original embossed patterns, and inscriptions. Among them, a pharmacy vial made of colored glass stands out. It bears a raised inscription ‘Farmacie’ and depicts a double-headed eagle.
Another item is a porcelain doll made in the 19th century from glazed white clay. It might have been the favorite toy of some little Moscow girl. Another unique find is a brass candlestick, whose massive base is decorated with a pattern. Before the advent of electricity, such items were essential attributes of every Moscow home.
Archaeologists also found a whole ceramic bowl. This item belongs to East European maiolica of the 17th–18th centuries. An inscription is applied to its white glazed surface. According to researchers, it is written in Czech or Slovak. Scientists have not yet been able to determine the language precisely. Presumably, this phrase encodes a life motto addressed to the owner of the bowl. Notably, its bottom is not glazed. This indicates that the item is not part of a ceremonial, but of an everyday set of tableware.
In addition, the collection of valuable finds included personal belongings of the townspeople. For example, ceramic smoking pipes, pectoral crosses, buttons from the 19th to early 20th century made of copper alloy. Equally interesting are the copper coins from various periods. The earliest of the eight found at this site dates back to 1737.
A special mention should be made of the brass uniform badge depicting the coat of arms of Moscow under the imperial crown. Such emblems, usually attached to headwear, were worn by officials in the 19th to early 20th century.
The Maryina Roshcha district, where archaeological excavations were conducted, is located in the North-Eastern Administrative Okrug of the capital. Minaevsky Lane received its name in the mid-1980s. In past centuries, the Neglinnaya River—a left tributary of the Moskva River—flowed near this place. In the 19th century, it was enclosed in a brick pipe, and later in a concrete collector.
By the mid-19th century, a large plot on the right bank of the Neglinnaya River belonged to Kozma Minyaev, a merchant of the 3rd guild. After his death in the 1870s, the estate passed to his son Vasily, and then, at the end of the 1880s, to his grandson Grigory. Starting from the late 19th century, the new owner began leasing or selling the land in parts. Thus, in 1914, the city purchased from Grigory Minyaev the parcel between Tikhvinskaya and Novosushchevskaya streets.
In the mid-1980s, an academic building of the Moscow Institute of Transport Engineers was constructed on the territory of Minaevsky Lane. This building was dismantled in December 2023 to erect a new building and sports complex. Before construction work began, archaeologists conducted surveys, which led to the discovery of unique artifacts hidden beneath the soil.
Since the beginning of 2026, around three thousand archaeological artifacts have been transferred to the Museum Fund of the Russian Federation.
Photographic materials and other information about the cultural heritage of Moscow are also available in the “Cultural Heritage” section of the city media bank “Mosphoto”.
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