Igor Marzalyuk

Several years ago local residents reported that unknown grave robbers discovered elements of armor and a sword of the knight who fought and died there in November 1501, head of the museum Aleksei Batyukov said. They took the sword and simply threw the other artifacts away. A team of archaeologists and divers, including historian and archaeologist, MP Igor Marzalyuk soon arrived at the site. Underwater excavations at the Vikhra River lasted several days and recovered the remains of an armored horseman, his horse and armor, including a helm, spurs, fragments of chain mail, and a glove. These were the first underwater excavations in the history of independent Belarus.