Owing to various reasons, the phenomenon of Veliky Novgorod was not sufficiently explored and recorded into the world history. After all, for some centuries this merchant town was perhaps the most populated and wealthy megapolis of the Medieval Europe. It controlled the territories that in its area surpassed any of the European kingdoms and in the period of its power the Slavic merchants and seafarers took the dominating position on the market of Baltic trading. Russian ships sailed across the whole water area of Baltic Sea and all passages of Baltic-Caspian, Baltic-Black Sea and Baltic-White Sea trade routes. Hundreds of ships delivered goods from Europe, Mediterranean and Middle Asia to Novgorod. Justly, the most popular hero of Russian epics was a successful “wealthy guest” Sadko who judging by the ancient manuscripts traded on Caspian Sea.
History of the Middle Ages was in fact based on navigation of the great konungs from Norway, Sweden, Denmark, England and Iceland to Russia and back. It would seem that all influential homes of Europe were willing to become related with the rulers of Ancient Russia. All over Europe the rich men were wearing Russian furs and in the cathedrals candles made of Russian wax were burning. Nevertheless, not a single Ancient Novgorodian ship was found so far, neither in the famous digging of Novgorod, nor in the digging of Old Ladoga. However at the bottom of Ilmen, Volkhov, White Lake, Ladoga and the Gulf of Finland there are if not the whole bodies than the frames of ships, the witnesses of perhaps the most magnificent age of the history of Russia, that are lying down and waiting for their time.
Thanks to accumulated riches the Novgorodian Republic for several centuries had successfully been repelling the attacks on its western advanced posts of the Finnish, Swedish, Danish and German challengers for controlling the western extremity of the Great trade route. Moreover, the only Republic in Russia organized naval crusades to Finland, Sweden and Norway to punish the competitors in their own homes.
We are certain that the studies in the context of our project will finally provide the world science with the testimonies of those distant times.