Much of our knowledge of ancient individuals is limited to the elite, people like rulers/generals. Yet occasionally we come across archaeology that reveals a tiny glimpse of the life of a regular person. Meet Onfim! He lived 800 years ago and boy, did he find homework boring.🧵1/
In the town of Novgorod, they sometimes come across preserved birch bark. People used this bark to write on, including Onfim! Archaeologists have found 17 pieces of bark marked with his homework. But what do these inscriptions reveal? A young boy who disliked school! 2/
The theory is that Onfim was about 6-7. We know his name because he tells us! This drawing (Right) shows Onfim as a monster. Onfim wrote ‘I am a wild beast!’. Next to it, he wrote a note to his friend Danilo,‘Greetings from Onfim to Danilo’. Were they passing notes in school? 3/
His drawings show the restless mind of a bored child. This is his most famous piece. At the top right, Onfim started writing his ABCs, promptly got bored, and then drew himself as a warrior on horseback, killing the enemy. Who is the enemy? People guess it’s his teacher. 4/
He probably thought:
"Why do I have to practice writing? Or bible verses [another common Onfim inscription]? I know what I will be one day- a warrior! I should be out practicing with a spear!"
So, as his mind wandered, he drew scene after scene of warriors. 5/
But he also drew other things. Now, much of this is just theory, most aren’t inscribed with names. But archaeologists speculate he drew pictures of his mates, or images of him with his family. 6/
Onfim resonates with so many of us today, myself included! As the father of a 6 year old, I regularly receive drawings like this brought back from school. Roughly 800 years of history separate Onfim and my daughter, but they would instantly recognise each other’s drawings. 7/
Did he grow up? Did he become a warrior? We don’t know. We will almost certainly never know. He lived, and died, his name eventually forgotten. These 17 pieces of bark are all we have of Onfim. This tiny glimpse into the life of a young, bored boy who lived 800 years ago. 8/8
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