History & Heritage
An old bread shovel with a game on its back
On October 15, 2026, Novgorod State University said its archaeologists found an 11th-century bread shovel with a game board.
Novgorod State University in Russia shared happy news on October 15, 2026. Its archaeologists dug in the town of Staraya Russa. There, they found part of a wooden shovel. It is from the 11th century, about 1,000 years ago.
The team says it was most likely a bread shovel. People used shovels like this to put bread into an oven. The wood looks like oak. The flat part is about 30 by 40 centimeters.
Word in this story
carveverb
To cut a shape or a pattern into wood or stone with a sharp tool.
Long ago, someone carved three squares there, one inside another.