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Will start my “digging story” by telling you about my last digging in Latvia- it was archaeological work in my home city – Jelgava ( old name: Mitava, Mitau) …
This city was hardly destroyed during booth word wars, but after the second world war, when Latvia was ocupated by USSR, the old city was destroyed almost completely and only few places and buildings was left. That was because USSR decides that easier and faster would be to build new city, but not reconstruct old buildings…
that is how city was look like:

















and, that is how it looks like after second word war and at the time, when USSR started to destroyed it completle... as you see, in some places where was buildings, now are empty places....











one more reason why Jelgava was destroyed, is that in 1945 USSR decided to took a film "великий перелом" /great change/ and for that they blow up few buildings in Jelgava, and in end of 1945 beginning of 1946 made new city project....

the "new city" was build directly over old one, so, when we started our work, that is what we saw:


city underground looks like a pie: old cultural layer, then ruins layer ( in some places it was more than 1 meter) then some spalls and road.

Cultural layer in some places was more than 2 meters deep, and here you can see me with friend digging basis of old house:








we found also wooden houses basis:










speaking about founding, mostly it was coins, military things, use things..... but because city was burning during second world war, quality of items wasn`t very good ... the time of foundlings was from 16th century until second world war time... photo of foundings and other coming soon

This is nice! Waiting more...

Thanks!

So, as I sayd before, we found many different coins there. Mostly it was Livonian, Swedish, Lithuanian, Poland, German, Russian and Latvian coins, but was some others too ... Unfortunately, because fire and chemicals that was used at winter to keep road ice free, conditions of old and cooper coins was bad, there was much coins that turn to dusts when someone was founded them. Here you can see example:
It was Lithuanian grosch, Sigismund I Old, around 1530 y.




Mostly coins was dig out using metal-detectors, but some of them was founded without. Here are photos from process:
me




and my workmates






Swedish coins mostly was from 17th century: Gustav II Adolf, Christina, Carl X, Carl XI and Carl XII , and there was and Swedish coins, and Livonian (Rigas) by Swedish occupation.

mostly we found solidus, and here you can see few of them:
Solidus, 1647, Christina







But was also other value, like 5 ore ( Carl XII 1692)




There was also few Riga- free city coins, and here is the most beautiful of them: solidus, 1575 or 1756







Jelgava (Mitava) was the capital of Courland, so thats why there was some coins of Courland.
Here you can see a kinda rare coin - 1 grossus of Ernest Johann Biron 1763.. but, ass you see, condition is poor







and here is 3 grossus of Ernest Johann Biron 1765, also rare founding, and also not so good condition, but it`s hard to find Biron coins in good condition and prices for them are kinda expensive even in Latvia.





more photos are coming

Very interesting, it is a pleasure to read more. In particular, interested in importing Courland history, especially numismatic sense.

I`m glad that you have interest about this topic )

Few more coins categories:
During our archaeological work, we found many Poland/Lithuanian coins, and dates of them was since 17th century. Most common coins was cooper solid coins of John II Casimir. But because it was made from cooper, mostly coins was in bad condition, but, there were few in good.
Actually, this coin is one of the popular founding in Latvia, during search with metal detector, at this summer I found about 15 cooper solids of this ruler.
Here you can see few solids that was founded during archaeological work.











this both solids was minted in Lithuania, there was founded few polish too, but quality is bad (

Variety of this region coins was kinda big, here is 1/12 thaler ( apr. end of 18th century)





and 1/24 of thaler 1624






The Biggest part of coins was from Russia ( imper and USSR).
Time of coins : from begining of 18th century til II WW, but we found 2 coins of 1960`s probably they doped there at some buildings or reconstruction work time in 60`s-70`s.
Variety of russian coins also was big.
den'ga:





2kopeeks 1907



5kopeek 1858





50 kopeek 1899






USSR 3+2 kopeek 1940




ussr 20 kopeek 1951







And, as I said many times before, mostly coins was in bad condition even silver..... and a lot of coins was melt by fire, as you can see here:

next thing about what I would like to tell, are Clay tobacco pipes... It`s interesting to study about them, maybe because it`s almost impossible find them during simple search with MD, so that was smth new for me. In our work time we found hundreds parts of pipes. For some of them was possible to tell producing time. All pipes, or correctly would be say- all pipes that was possible to recognize by marks, was from Holand- Gouda . The pipes was a luxury product in the past, because high costs of tobacco. The pipes, special with unique ornament, or hard making ornament, also wasn`t cheap.

Almost in all research objects was founded few or many parts of pipes:



Parts of pipes was different, some of them was simple, without any ornament, some- had simple ornament, but some (in my opinion) was very beautiful, like this one:





Detecting company and year of producing, is possible only for pipes with marks, that usually are located at bottom. here are some marks that was founded by us,


begining of 18th century:


middle of 18th cent.






Huijbert de Jong 1693-1746




some of marks still is undetected, because poor condition or we didn`t find any information about them jet:



some general views:









this pipes was produced later, and I`m not shore when and where...







to be continued...