A copper-alloy pendant dating from the 11th century has been uncovered in Staraya Russa, in north-western Russia. One side shows a possible warrior saint with a spear and shield, and the other a figure surrounded by snakes that resembles Medusa.
Sergey Toropov, of Novgorod State University, suggests that the warrior is Saint Theodore Stratelates, who according to tradition killed a giant serpent. The researcher admits it is unclear whether the other side really depicts Medusa and believes that the combination of the two images, “incompatible” from a strictly dogmatic point of view, may symbolise the victory of light over darkness.
Four similar pendants had already been found in the same area, but they date from the 12th to the 14th centuries. For Toropov, this older piece indicates that Christianity may have influenced the region earlier than previously thought.
