A vast military arsenal of spiked helmets and weapons believed to be owned by Ivan Vasilecvich, also known as Ivan the Terrible, has been discovered in the town of Zvenigorod, which is located just west of Moscow, according to the Daily Mail. The items are believed to have been handpicked by the fearsome ruler to be used by his group of Russian soldiers; Vasilecvich was the Grand Prince of Moscow during the period of 1533 to 1547, and Tsar of All the Russias from the year 1547 until 1584 when he met his death.
The arsenal was discovered by the Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences in a storehouse that was intended for use as the basement of a mansion for an aristocratic family. After being forgotten following a fire that burned the house to the ground sometime in the 17th Century, the weapons and helmets were left untouched until their recent discovery.
Archaeologists believe that the inventory was intended for a military expedition and points to the existence of a standing army that was housed by noble families, according to Discovery News.
"This gives us a much better idea how a Russian noble would have prepared for setting out on a military campaign - each nobleman would have had his own arsenal in readiness," said Alexei Alexeyev, the archaeologist who ran the excavation.
He also pointed to the unique storage methods which included leather storage boxes and exquisitely decorated ear pieces.
"This excavation enables us to 'see' for the first time the preparations made by the noblemen who made up the officer corps elite of the Russian army at the time of the flowering of Muscovy as a Russian state," Alexeyev said.
Vasilecvich was feared during his time for his vicious leadership and prompted the execution of thousands of people, including his own son, according to Ancient Origins.
