These drawings were made by Onfim, a 7-year-old boy in the 13th century

Bark of the birch tree

In the 1950s archeologists made a big discovery near the city of Novgorod, Russia: hundreds of manuscripts written on birch bark. Most of them were letters or notes, but among them was a series of unusual sketches. The sketches, remarkably well-preserved due to the anaerobic (low-oxygen) conditions of the soil, have a distinctive charm and childish fantasy.

The drawings belong to Onfim — we know this because one of the drawings features the name written next to a knight on a horse, stabbing someone on the ground with a lance. Researchers believe Onfim must have been six or seven by the way he was writing and drawing.

Onfim’s illustrations include pictures of knights, horses, arrows, and foes. In particular, one image of “himself, disguised as a fantastic animal” features an imaginary creature with a long neck, curly tail, and pointy ears. There’s a text box saying “I am a wild beast” (the text in the box says “Greetings from Onfim to Danilo”, likely a friend or classmate of Onfim). Curiously, the fingers on the characters he draws vary, suggesting that the boy hadn’t yet learned how to count.

However, the significance of Onfim’s drawings extends beyond their immediate charm. They are invaluable to historians and archaeologists because they offer a rare, personal glimpse into the life of a medieval child. Unlike other historical records, which often focus on adults and significant events, these doodles provide a bottom-up perspective of history. They highlight the universality of childhood and the timeless nature of imagination and learning.

Novgorod (pink area at top) and other countries around the year 1250

The boy lived in Novgorod, now known as Veliky Novgorod, which at the time was the capital of the Novgorod Republic. Novgorod in the 13th century was a thriving center of trade, culture, and learning. It was part of the Hanseatic League, a commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns. It also had an unusually high level of literacy. The educational system applied to both sexes and different classes, which was remarkable for the time.

So, Onfim was taking part in this educational system and was practicing his alphabet, repeating syllables, and writing texts that would be familiar to him (oftentimes, these texts would be religious psalms, which were commonly studied at the time).

To continue reading, click on this link:  https://www.zmescience.com/science/archaeology/drawings-onfim-novgorod/