Archaeologists in Russia have discovered a rare medieval wild boar tusk that was likely used as a good-luck charm by a warrior or noble, a new study reports.
This unusual find, a large tooth fitted with an engraved metal cap, has been dated to between the mid-12th and early 13th centuries. It was found in Novgorod the Great (also known as Veliky Novgorod or Novgorod), one of the oldest major cities in Russia. One feature of the amulet, in particular, was highlighted.
“It’s extraordinary because of its size. It’s huge,” Natalia Aniosovaco-author of the study and a metallurgist in the department of archeology at Lomonosov Moscow State University told Live Science. The tooth is not complete, but what remains is 3.9 inches (10 cm) in length, with the widest point being 1.1 inches (2.8 cm). His and his colleagues’ research revealed that the tooth came from a wild boar that was at least 8 years old and weighed more than 220 pounds (100 kg).
“Such an animal would not have been hunted for food,” he said, noting that domestic pigs were a more practical and common food source at the time. The wild boar may have been eaten anyway, but the team doesn’t know for sure.
Another feature that makes the amulet unique is its mount. Although it appeared to be made of silver, Aniosova was surprised to find that it was almost 100% tin – specifically, a tin-lead alloy that mimics silver. Like today, tin was not as valuable or expensive as silver, but because there were not many sources of tin in Europe at the time, it was still rare.
Close-up of the tin mount and its engraved decoration.
(Image credit: Tynina EA et al. Volga River Region Archeology (2026))
It is interesting, Aniosova pointed out, that such a soft material was carved with incised decoration. “It is not easy and this jewelery is quite elaborate,” he said. “It’s a very well made item.”
All of these unusual features appear to align with the discovery of artifacts in a part of the Troitsky XVI excavation area, where wealthy individuals may have resided. In fact, it was probably a hunting trophy of an aristocrat, noble or military man, Aniosova said.
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According to the study recently published in the journal Nature, historical texts report that hunting wild boar in what is now Russia was the privilege of “druzhina,” or military retainers, and the elite class in medieval times. Volga River Region Archeology. Even if the wild boar was eaten, at least one of its teeth was extracted and then replaced with metal. The team believes it was placed as a good luck charm primarily because of its size.
“It is highly likely that this mounted tusk served as a martial or hunting talisman,” the researchers wrote in the study. “It symbolized the transfer of the animal’s physical power to the hunter and also served as a charm for good fortune.”
Aniosova said that similar animal amulets with holes at the top, which were worn as necklaces, were popular in Veliky Novgorod. The newly found wild boar’s tusk is missing the top part, but it may have once been pierced.
Close-up of engraved ornament on the top of a boar’s tusk.
(Image credit: Tynina EA et al. Volga River Region Archeology (2026))
However, it would still have been a rare item. Boar tusk amulets were common in earlier times, but between the late 11th and early 13th centuries they were very rare, despite the widespread belief that these teeth had magical properties.
According to Aniosova, the amulet can be linked to Scandinavian mythology. Indeed, some of the first residents of Veliky Novgorod were from Scandinavia. But this amulet was made 150 years after they left the area, so the connection is hypothetical, Aniosova said.
Veliky Novgorod appears first in historical documents in the ninth century and was a prominent trading hub In medieval politics it was known as Kievan Rus. Aniosova said archaeologists have theorized that at the time the boar tusk amulet was made, the city was inhabited by landowners and/or people involved in the fur trade.
The discovery is a “highly significant and unusual discovery” Alexey Gippiusa linguist at HSE University in Moscow who is familiar with Novgorod archaeology, told Live Science in an email.
Gippius, who knows the researchers but was not involved in the new study, said the research “sheds new light on the origins and functioning of the mythological beliefs of the early Russian elite.”
Aerosology, P. (Ra). A tusk of a wild boar in a metal mount from the Troitsky XVI excavation area in Veliky Novgorod: a comprehensive study – Поволгская археогия. Povolzhska Archeology. https://archaeologie.pro/en/archive/56/1097/