Kiev Easter Egg

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Kiev Easter eggs ( resurrection eggs ) are glazed clay eggs with a multicolored glaze that are hollow and contain rattle balls. The occurrence of eggs in the Rus goes from the end of the 10th to the first half of the 12th century. The ornament consisted of colored spirals on a glazed surface, which were crossed through several times before the fire. So, depending on whether the lines were drawn in the same direction or in opposite directions, bow or feather patterns were created. Simple spirals or irregular line patterns have also been found.

The high level of technological development mediated by Byzantium has led to the assumption that the eggs were originally developed in Kiev and in the Kievan Rus region.

Unglazed clay eggs can be found in the Great Moravian Empire as early as the 9th century . The density of finds in the settlement layers of the 10th and 11th centuries is remarkably high in the Novgorod area , followed by the southern areas of the Kievan Rus. In the west they come as far as Wielkopolska , occasionally even as far as Brandenburg . They can only be found in a few significant places in the Baltic Sea region, such as Gotland , Sigtuna , Lund , Haithabu and Schleswig / Sliasvik . They not only prove long-distance commercial connections, but also testify to the influence of the Byzantine Church on Scandinavian travelers to Eastern Europe because of their ideal value in the sacred symbolism of the Eastern Church. The milieu in which they are found suggests that they were considered valuable objects of prestige. They were especially associated with the resurrection, which is why they are also called resurrection eggs.

The eggs were found not only in settlement layers, but also in graves. They also correspond to the normal hen's eggs, which in Eastern church customs, along with other gifts, are deposited on the graves as a sign of the resurrection with Christ. In Slavic customs they are called pisanki .

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