Archaeologists from the Kulikovo Field State Museum-Reserve in the Tula region have uncovered a rare weapon dating from the late 16th to early 17th centuries. The steel claw, adorned with silver, appears to have belonged to a high-status individual, potentially a prince or governor from the Time of Troubles. Such artifacts are exceptionally uncommon in Central Russia, according to the museum’s press service as reported by RIA News.
The weapon, known as a klevets, is a melee tool featuring a single-sided beak-like projection designed for precise strikes. Klevtsy were widely used among Polish nobility and were also present among the Russian aristocracy, serving as ceremonial symbols of status as much as practical arms.
Restorer Vitaly Shmelev noted, “The restoration specimen I am examining is crafted from steel and bears a beak-shaped projection on one side and a hammer-shaped projection on the other. Its original mass before restoration was 382 grams.”
Scholars believe this Tula find aligns with the Time of Troubles period. Earlier in the forests along the Zasechnaya Line, investigators have already identified weapons from the same era, including a Polish-Hungarian sword dating to the late 16th century and into the early 17th century, which supports the historical context of regional conflicts and shifting power during that era.
Similar klevtsy from the Tula region are held in the museum collections of the Armory Chamber, the State Historical Museum, the Hermitage, and the Artillery Museum. These items are largely ceremonial, reflecting the prestige and authority of their owners as much as their martial function, and they offer a tangible link to the social structure of the period.
Earlier archaeological work has highlighted the pivotal role of animal resources in Stone Age life, underscoring a long continuum of human tool use and material culture that culminates in later periods such as those represented by this rare klevets find. The ongoing study at Kulikovo Field continues to illuminate how elite status and ceremonial practices intersect with weaponry in late medieval and early modern Russia.