The child at school was given an important task: to draw up a family door and paste in photographs of relatives. To be honest, I spent five hours on this task. I drew it myself, pasted in family photos, my daughter couldn’t have done it alone. Well, I spontaneously plunged into history. You will also be interested to know how our ancestors lived.
Look into the past
If you study the history of the family, you can get confused. You need to start with the last name that was given to you at birth. Special companies that have access to archives will decipher the meaning of the surname. They will name the greats and famous people that were in your family. The cost of the service is not cheap and you will have to wait, but the result will surprise you. Modern people It’s not very interesting to know how the nomadic Slavs lived, made rain and loved nature. But you can look into the last century.
USSR and our ancestors
Soviet Union- a bright period in people's lives. When the mighty power reunited, our great-grandparents were young (as we are now). Best years were ahead. But the Soviet regime and repression broke the plans. And then things got worse: famine, war, devastation. All men were required to serve (5 years in the army), and then “defend for their homeland.” Find photographs of your great-grandfather, he will definitely be dressed in military uniform.
In the post-war period, a belief in better life. Actively began to develop agriculture. Collective farms opened. Women worked in the fields no less than men. The work was difficult (from morning until late evening). Girls had no right to take sick leave or maternity leave!
The elite and intelligentsia lived in cities. They were luckier. Our ancestors lived modestly in the villages. There weren’t even amenities in the houses; I’m generally silent about TV.
Another terrifying fact: the villagers had no documents. But they lived together, celebrated holidays in entire streets, shared food and secrets.
Dawn in life
During the period of stagnation, our ancestors began to enjoy the benefits of civilization. They:
- went to the city;
- went to the sea;
- went to the cinema;
- bought cars.
Our ancestors lived one day at a time. We constantly dreamed of good things. It remains for us to bring their plans to life. Remember: we are the pride of our grandfathers and great-grandfathers.
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Recently I was looking at old photographs of my grandparents and great-grandparents. While I was watching, I thought about how our ancestors lived in the 20th century. Of course, everything is different, but some common features can be found. Life in Russia has always been interesting, we still have an important country, and not some kind of Ireland, but on average we live poorer than our European neighbors.
Our ancestors lived in the USSR
About 30 years ago there was such a country with a size of 22 million square meters. km and with a population of almost 300 million people. Even in the USA at that time there was less population and territory. Our parents remember the USSR well. There were a lot of good and strange things there. For example, to the Soviet man It was difficult to travel abroad, so they traveled mainly within their own country and with minimal comfort, which is reflected in the film “Be My Husband.” My ancestors spent their summer vacations in the following places in the 1970s and 1980s:
- Moscow and Leningrad. They served not only as cultural capitals, but also as all-Union shops.
- Baltics. The three republics played the role of internal borders. There were better consumer goods there, and the standard of living was the envy of everyone else.
- Crimea. Popular resort, which is reflected in many films, for example, “Three Plus Two”.
- Georgia and Armenia. People traveled to these republics for the subtropical climate of Adjara and delicious food.
The Soviet period is remembered by almost every family for the processes of urbanization. That is, in the twenties the population was still mostly rural, and in the 1950s–1980s there was a large-scale housing construction. This period is reflected in cinema, for example, in the film “Premium”, as well as in painting - “Wedding on Tomorrow Street”.
Our ancestors lived in the Russian Empire
In my childhood, there were still old people alive who were born before the revolution. However, we remember pre-revolutionary Russia poorly, despite all the flattering words addressed to it after 1991. Alas, the majority of Russians at that time had illiterate or semi-literate ancestors and lived in the countryside. Look at everyday life pre-revolutionary Russia can be seen in the famous photographs of Prokudin-Gorsky. I looked through everything!
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Using the benefits of civilization, such as a washing machine, baby diapers, and a telephone, I sometimes think about how people used to live without all this. It turns out that they lived normally - they just didn’t know that they could live better, so they put up with their fate. Read on for details.
The way of life of our ancestors
Getting to know the life of our ancestors, sometimes you are amazed... All life is a continuous struggle for survival. The main goal was not to die of hunger.
At dawn, the women got up and went to prepare food for the livestock and family, and then went to the fields. The men did the hard work.
Our ancestors had many children in all centuries. Children had easier work - they had to nurse the younger ones, herd geese, and guard the hut.
When you read about the life of ancient people, you become sad because in their lives there was no place for creativity, self-realization, emotions, pleasures and joy. More precisely, all this happened, but not on such a scale as in our time, but meagerly and briefly.
But, however, people then were physically healthier and more resilient, they lived in harmony with nature.
Our ancestors could realize themselves only through their craft. However, it was also routine, according to a pattern. The blacksmith might hate his job, but he didn’t know how to do anything else, so he forged horseshoes until the end of his days.
Some will say that women should have been happy because they had many children. But, alas, in such living conditions as our distant great-grandmothers inherited, there was no time for love and rapture. And often children were perceived as a burden or, on the contrary, a labor force.
How the surnames of our ancestors were formed
In the Middle Ages, many different professions and crafts began to appear. The most popular were:
- blacksmith;
- potter;
- tanner;
- carpenter;
- weaver;
- undertaker.
And due to the fact that our ancestors always lived in large clans, for convenience, each family was named according to the occupation of the owner.
Thus, the Kozhevnikovs, Kravtsovs, Melnikovs, Zemtsovs (in the old days, beekeepers were called zemtsy), Furmanovs (cab drivers were previously called furmans) appeared.
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During the winter holidays, my son and I, while in Omsk, visited the local history museum. The exposition turned out to be quite large, and by the end my child was already tired, but it was still difficult to get him out of there. He was especially interested in the way of life of his distant ancestors, and I was particularly interested in more recent times.
Ancient people on Omsk land
The exhibition highlighted the following stages:
- Stone Age;
- Bronze Age;
- Iron Age.
As we were told on the excursion, people in these parts lived already in the Stone Age. While hunting, they obtained food for themselves with the help of stones and sharpened sticks, dressed in skins, and huts covered with animal skins served as shelter from bad weather.
Siberians two centuries ago
Siberian peasants lived in communities in which great value was given to helping each other and the poor. For example, houses were usually built all together. The family's household consisted of a log hut with a stove, a summer building, a bathhouse, a house for servants, a stable and a cellar with a well. At the same time, part of the outbuildings was under one roof.
The head of the family was the bolshak - the eldest man. He made all decisions himself, distributed work and only in special cases consulted with others. If the family did not like their elder, they turned to the community so that someone else from the relatives could replace him. Among women the big woman ruled.
The family worked hard all year: plowing the land, sowing, mowing, and grazing cattle. Supplies were replenished by picking berries and mushrooms and fishing. Without pharmacies or doctors nearby, women collected herbs, and each housewife had several medicinal tinctures, just in case.
Siberian settlers
Whenever I encountered Siberians, I was always surprised by the diversity of surnames. It is simply impossible to determine their nationality. And after visiting the museum, I realized what was going on.
It turns out that Siberia has experienced more than one resettlement. Sometimes, voluntarily, sometimes involuntarily, people from different regions moved here. People from the same places settled together, so in the region there are still national villages in which they try to preserve their traditions.
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July 16, 2017 in the Moscow historical park Kolomenskoye there will be a festival"Battle of a Thousand Swords", where Russian reenactors and guests from Bulgaria, Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Ireland and other countries will present life medieval Rus' and her neighbors. This will be a military holiday, the main decoration of which will, of course, be the Battle. The holiday will take place on the site of the Dyakovsky settlement, an ancient settlement of the 5th century. On the eve of the festival Agency historical projects"Ratobortsy" prepared several materials specifically for "Morning" about the life of our ancestors.
Photo: agency of historical projects "Ratobortsy"
We now live in a time when, after several decades of wandering around the world, many have begun to return to the question “who are we?” Some people think that the question is rhetorical, and everything is clear - look, read Karamzin. But some people have never cared about this issue, and never will. But if you ask where and when Rus' came from, who the Russians are, then many will immediately begin to get confused. We decided to clarify this issue. As Vovchik Maloy said in the book “Generation P”, so that one could “simply explain to anyone from Harvard: poke-dagger-eight-holes, and there’s no point in looking like that.”
So, let's begin our story about Ancient Rus'. As pundits say, our civilization on Earth is not the first, not the second, and not the last. And peoples settled throughout the planet in different centuries and from different starting points. Ethnic groups mixed, various tribes formed and disappeared. Natural disasters occurred, the climate, flora and fauna changed, even the poles, they say, moved. The ice melted, the ocean level rose, the planet's center of gravity changed, and rolled across the continents. giant wave. The survivors gathered in groups, forming new tribes, and everything began again. All this happened so slowly that it is difficult to imagine. It would probably be more difficult to observe only how coal is formed.
So here it is. There was a time in the history of our civilization that historians call the Age of Migration. In the 4th century AD there was an invasion of the Huns into Europe and from there it went on and on. Everything began to seethe and move. The ancestors of the Slavs, the Wends, described by Herodotus back in the 5th century BC, lived between the Oder and Dnieper rivers. Their settlement occurred in three directions - to Balkan Peninsula, in the area between the Elbe and Oder rivers and on the East European Plain. This is how three branches of the Slavs were formed, which exist to this day: the Eastern, Western and Southern Slavs. We know the names of the tribes preserved in the chronicles - these are the Polyans, Drevlyans, Northerners, Radimichi, Vyatichi, Krivichi, Dregovichi, Dulebs, Volynians, Croats, Ulichs, Tivertsy, Polotsk, Ilmen Slovenes.
Photo: agency of historical projects "Ratobortsy"
By the 6th century AD. The Slavs were at the stage of decomposition of the primitive communal system; its place was gradually taken by the so-called military democracy. The tribes expanded their possessions, and that's it higher value acquired the military strength of each tribe or union of tribes. The squad started playing key position in society, and at its head was the prince. Accordingly, as many squads as there are princes, and if the tribe settled widely and established several cities, there will be several princes there. In the 9th century, we can already talk about the established borders of the principalities, calling this formation Ancient Russia with its center in the city of Kyiv.
It is very easy to find maps of Rus' of the 9th-10th centuries in Internet search engines. On them we will see that the territory of Ancient Rus' was not localized around the capital. It stretched from south to north from the Black Sea to the Baltic and Lake Onega, and from west to east - from the modern Belarusian city Brest to Murom. That is, to the border of the Finno-Ugric tribes, partially including them in its composition (remember that Ilya Muromets came to to the prince of Kyiv from the village of Karacharova).
Photo: agency of historical projects "Ratobortsy"
The territory is huge not only in those times, but also in modern times. Now there is none European country this size did not exist at that time. One problem - all the princes were equal to each other, recognizing the supremacy of the prince who sits in Kyiv. Why in Kyiv? Because since ancient times, the Slavs preferred to settle on the banks of rivers, and when active trade was established, those settlements that stood on trade routes grew rich and attracted the most active and creative people. The Slavs actively traded with the south and east, and the “path from the Varangians to the Greeks” passed right along the Dnieper.
A few words about the squad and the peasantry. The peasant at that time was free and could change his place of residence, fortunately there were plenty of free remote places. Methods of enslaving him had not yet been invented; the social conditions were not the same. The princely warriors were also free people and were in no way dependent on the prince. Their interest was in joint military spoils. The prince, who was more likely just a military leader for the squad, could immediately lose its favor if military success did not accompany him all the time. But over the course of a couple of centuries, this system of relations has changed. The warriors began to receive land plots from the prince, acquired a farm and their own small squads. There was a need to secure the peasants on their land. The squad turned into a local noble army.
Photo: agency of historical projects "Ratobortsy"
Of course, life in the principalities was not idyllic. The princes envied each other, quarreled, went to war against each other, indulging their ambitions. This happened primarily because inheritance rights were not transferred from father to son, but vertically - through brothers. The princes multiplied, placing their sons on thrones in different cities and towns. Thus, large principalities were divided into so-called appanage principalities. Each brother was given his own inheritance, which he ruled, defended, collected tribute from the people and gave part of it to the Grand Duke. So the princes began to compete.
This all continued for a long time, until in the 13th century the reverse process of gathering small principalities into large ones began. This was due to external factors- firstly, the need to repel the external enemy, which the Horde Mongols became for both Europe and Rus'. Secondly, trade and political centers shifted. Trade along the Dnieper was dying out, new trade routes were opening, for example, along the Volga. Ancient Rus' gave birth to such political entities as Kiev, Vladimir-Suzdal and Novgorod Rus. As a result, everything came down to a confrontation between two large state associations - the Grand Duchy of Moscow and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. But that's a completely different story.
All life working people was at work. They sowed and reaped grain, cut down huts. They plowed with roe deer and plows, harrowed with wooden harrows, sowed by hand from a basket, reaped with sickles, threshed with flails, and mowed the grass with pink salmon scythes. Since the land could not feed the peasant, he was forced to look for income on the side. Many peasants left the village every year to go fishing - they walked on foot to get hired at timber mills in Arkhangelsk.
Daily routine of a peasant family
The peasant family was the basis for the transmission of all labor skills, customs, and morals. The husband did men's work - plowed, mowed, transported firewood, hay: the horse was under his complete control. 
The wife - mother led everything women's work. She stung, threshed, spun, weaved, looked after livestock, prepared food, and kept records of supplies. 
Boys were accustomed from the age of 8 to 10 to do men's work, girls - to do women's work. The daily routine in a peasant family has been sanctified for centuries. And he hardly changed. 
Morning of the hostess
In the house, the housewife gets up first. Having washed herself, she begins to fuss around the stove: she opens the damper, throws dry firewood crosswise into the stove - and the flames quickly embrace the entire back half of the stove. 
Just before the fire, she places cast iron with water for brewing feed for the animals: This is an unshakable rule in the household, the cattle always come first, they need to be given food before you sit down at the table.
Women walked with a lighted torch to dress up with livestock. Since they had buckets of swill and water in their hands, they had to carry the splinter in their teeth. In the courtyard it was inserted into a slot in the wall. Having watered and fed the cow, we began milking.
List of used literature:
Bostrom L. Arkhangelsk Museum wooden architecture. Arkhangelsk, 1984. Volkov V. Russian village. “White City” M. 2005.
Gnezdov S.V. The ringing of your bells Russia. 1997
Kostomarov N.I., Home life and the morals of the Great Russian people. M., Economics, 1993
Opolovnikov A.V. Huts in the North // Forest and Man. M. Timber industry. 1980
Plotnikov N. Exhibition dates. /Chronicle of the North. Historical and local history collection. Arkhangelsk 1990
Let's remember how our ancestors lived, what they ate and what they dressed in. If anyone thinks that life was sweet at that time, they are greatly mistaken.
Before this, the life of a simple Russian peasant was completely different.
Usually a person lived to be 40-45 years old and died as an old man. He was considered a grown man with a family and children at the age of 14-15, and she even earlier. They did not marry for love; it was the father who went to marry his son.
People had no time for idle rest at all. In the summer, absolutely all the time was spent working in the fields; in the winter, preparing firewood and Homework for the manufacture of tools and household utensils, hunting.
Let's look at a Russian village of the 10th century, which, however, is not much different from the village of both the 5th century and the 17th century...
We came to the Lyubytino historical and cultural complex as part of a motor rally dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the Avtomir group of companies. It is not for nothing that it is called “One-Storey Russia” - it was very interesting and educational to see how our ancestors lived.
In Lyubytino, at the place where the ancient Slavs lived, among the mounds and burials, a real village of the 10th century was recreated, with all the outbuildings and necessary utensils.
We will start with an ordinary Slavic hut. The hut is made of logs and covered with birch bark and turf. In some regions, the roofs of the same huts were covered with straw, and in some places with wood chips. Surprisingly, the service life of such a roof is only slightly less than the service life of the entire house, 25-30 years, and the house itself lasted about 40 years. Considering the time of life at that time, the house was just enough for a person’s life.
By the way, in front of the entrance to the house there is a covered area - this is the same canopy from the song about the “new, maple canopy.”
The hut is heated black, that is, the stove does not have a chimney; the smoke comes out through a small window under the roof and through the door. There are no normal windows either, and the door is only about a meter high. This is done in order not to release heat from the hut.
When the stove is fired, soot settles on the walls and roof. There is one big plus in a “black” firebox - there are no rodents or insects in such a house.
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There were bottom pits built in the barn, remember - “I scraped the bottom pipes...”? These are special wooden boxes into which grain was poured from above and taken from below. So the grain did not sit stale.
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When defending against the enemy, the main equipment of a warrior was chain mail, a shield, and a helmet. Weapons: spear, hatchet, sword. Chain mail is not to say that it is light, but unlike armor, you can run in it. Well, we ran around a bit.
In wooded areas, along the banks of rivers and lakessat down, settled down, erected their houses and our outbuildingsancestors . "Living near the forest means you won't go hungry." In the forest there are animals and birds, resin and wild honey, berries and mushrooms, closer to them and our ancestors settled. It’s not for nothing that people have put together so many proverbs and sayings about the gifts of the forest, for example, about mushrooms:
- Where there is one mushroom, there is another.
- In wet years, mushrooms grow.
- They are looking for mushrooms - they are scouring the forest.
- There are a lot of mosquitoes - prepare boxes.
- Honey mushrooms have appeared - summer is over.
- Late mushroom - late snow.
They even said about children: “They grow like mushrooms after the rain.”
The forest is nearby, and in it a potion grows for every disease. People have long noticed that valerian root helps with heart pain; They knew that linden blossom relieves fever, plantain and birch sap heal wounds, henbane infusion in small doses calms, and if you drink a lot, it excites. “Have you eaten too much henbane?” - they asked if a person got too excited. Folk wisdom stores a lot useful tips and how to stay healthy:
- Live simply and you will live to be a hundred years old.
- He who chews for a long time lives long.
- Keep your head cold, your stomach hungry, and your feet warm.
Relatives settled nearby and justneighbours(those who are nearby settles). Gradually formedvillage (sit down, take up residence). It didn't take a day or two to build. First it was necessary to develop the site. They prepared the land for arable land, cut down, and uprooted the forest. This is how it arosezaimka(from the word occupy), and the first buildings were calledrepairs(from the word initiative, i.e. start).
Hut, cage, barn, barn, threshing floor, bathhouse - that's what a peasant estate is. They built extensively - because there is a lot of land, building material enough for everyone. As for hard work and diligence, the Russian people have always had plenty of them.
Pine and spruce were most suitable for construction: the trunks were straight, the wood was strong and reliable.
- Not for long from the rotten forest hut.
- You can't support a mansion with straw.
The houses were built large, taking into account the addition to the family; sometimes on two floors, with light. “A family is strong when there is only one roof over it,” - this is what our people believed ancestors. Grandfathers and fathers, grandchildren and great-grandchildren all lived together under one roof:
- One is scared, but the crowd doesn’t care.
- A family in a heap is not a terrible cloud.
Up to twenty people went out to build the estate at a time.
- How more hands, the easier the work.
They invited workers, however, with discretion, since good hut Not everyone could cut it down. Here you need experience, skill, and special talent. Later, carpenter's artels began to go from city to city, from village to village.Axe behind the belt scraper, chisel- that's the whole instrument.SawsThere were also, but they were rarely used.
- The ax is the head of everything.
- You can go all over the world with an axe.
- Without an ax you are not a carpenter, without needles you are not a tailor.
- Without taking up the axe, huts you won't cut it down.
They could cut down the forest with an ax, and they could plan a spoon.