Residents of Lopkhari, a village in the Shuryshkarsky District, have discovered two supposedly silver items dated 12th or early 13th century, the Press Service of the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Area Government reported.

A chalice dome adorned with eight holy apostles as well as a whole chalice depicting four holy apostles have been handed over to experts for further study. The District Service of Cultural Heritage Protection and experts from the Shemanovsky Museum and Exhibition Center will further examine the discovery site.

Back in 1982, four other silver artifacts were discovered in the Shuryshkarsky District by Lopkhari schoolchildren. The accidental discovery included a chalice on a tray featuring Alexander the Great’s ascension, designed by Byzantine masters of the late 12th and early 13th centuries, as well as two chalice domes and a chalice decorated with niello ornaments shaped as birds, dragons and other mythical creatures. The discovered items were crafted in Northern Europe during the late 12th to early 13th centuries.