This artifact is a one of a kind Viking belt found along the shores of Lake Ladoga in Russia.  The location is the historic settlement of Saraia Ladoga which is a famous Russian-Viking village.

This Viking belt is composed of solid bronze and is approximately 9" long.  The belt is comprised of 7 sections between 1-2" in height and 1/8" thick.

This artifact comes with a Certificate of Authenticity from Global Xploration.

Lake Ladoga History

Most people have never heard of Lake Ladoga, but a millennium ago it was rich with Viking civilizations. Lake Ladoga is located in Northwestern Russia just outside of Saint Petersburg and also not far from the border of Finland to the North. To the West lies the Gulf of Finland which allowed sailing access to the region from the Baltic Sea. Lake Ladoga's size should not be overlooked as it is the largest freshwater lake in Europe and the 14th largest in the world. This sizeable freshwater resource would serve as a critical resource. Due to the location having limited access and the lake serving as a source of fresh water it made a great location for ancient Viking communities.  

The first settlers of this area were Norse people that founded the settlement of Aldeigjuborg along the shores of Lake Ladoga in the 7th Century. As the area became more critical for trade between Northern Europe and the rest of the world, Vikings began to move in during the early 8th Century. This new Viking territory became known as Staraia Ladoga and was ruled by Swedish Viking Rurik. This functioned as a large Viking operating base and lasted for about a Century until Rurik decided to move their operations to Novgorod (South of Saint Petersburg and Kiev).  

Many artifacts are still recovered to this day from areas around the lake, several islands within it, and the settlement of Staraia Ladoga.