Dmitrii Iakovlevich Samokvasov

Born May 15 (27), 1843, on the estate of Molotech’, Novgorod-Severskii District, Chernigov Province; died Aug. 3 (16), 1911, in Moscow. Russian archaeologist and historian of Russian law.

Samokvasov was a professor of the history of Russian law at the University of Warsaw from 1877, and from 1894 he held the same position at Moscow University. He conducted archaeological excavations in many regions of Russia. His best-known excavations are the burial sites of warriors and druzhina members near Chernigov and the Chernaia Mogila (Black Grave) kurgan. In 1891, Samokvasov donated his archaeological collection to the Historical Museum in Moscow.