Chorna Mohyla (Black Mound) is the largest barrow in Chernihiv and one of the most famous archaeological sites of the Rus era. The mound, about 11 meters high and 125 meters in circumference, rises right amidst urban development on Kniaz Chiorny Street. Once, the barrow was surrounded by a moat up to 7 meters wide. Today it is a national landmark and part of the Ancient Chernihiv Reserve.
Who is buried here
The barrow was excavated in the 1870s by Chernihiv native and archaeologist Dmytro Samokvasov. It turned out that a noble warrior and a woman, presumably along with a female slave, were cremated here on a funeral pyre. The deceased were placed on the pyre in full combat gear. Nearby lay weapons, tools, tableware, jewelry and coins, an iron vessel with ram bones, and a bronze brazier with charcoal. Two saddled horses were placed at the warrior's feet, and ten sickles at the woman's feet. Twelve buckets stood in a semicircle, of which the iron fittings remained.
Among the finds are gold and silver ingots left from jewelry melted in the fire, a bronze vessel with knucklebone dice, keys, locks, axes, and chisels. The most famous items from the barrow are two large aurochs horns in silver mountings with embossed ornamentation. Rus era finds from Chernihiv barrows can be seen in the Tarnovsky Historical Museum.
Tryzna at the top
When the fire went out, a mound was heaped over it, and at a height of about 7 meters, a tryzna — a memorial feast — was held. There archaeologists found helmets, chain mail, and an iron cauldron with bones. The helmets turned out to be so characteristic that in science this type is called the "Chorna Mohyla type". After the tryzna, the mound was built up further to its current height.
The Legend of Prince Chiorny
Folklore connects the barrow with the legendary Prince Chiorny, from whom the name of Chernihiv supposedly originated. Historians consider the barrow to be the burial site of a 10th-century noble warrior or prince, and the legend to be a later explanation of the name. The street where the barrow stands is named in honor of Prince Chiorny.
How to get there
The barrow is located at 4 Kniaz Chiorny Street, southwest of the Val, about 1 km from the center of Chernihiv. A memorial stele with a description of the site stands nearby. Other barrows in the city — Bezymiannyi (Nameless) and Hulbyshche — can be seen during a walk through Boldyne Hory.
