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Slavic tribes and territories of their settlement. Settlement of East Slavic tribes

Old Russian state formed in the 9th century. on the lands Eastern Slavs. The Eastern Slavs are the common ancestors of the Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian peoples. In the VI-IX centuries. Eastern Slavs settled over a large area from Baltic Sea to Black, from the Carpathian Mountains to the upper reaches of the Oka and Volga rivers (see map). The Eastern Slavs were divided into various tribal unions: Polyans, Drevlyans, Krivichi, Vyatichi and others. At the head of each tribe was a prince. The power of the prince was hereditary. The princes created armed units - squads.
The neighbors of the Eastern Slavs were the Finnish tribes - in the north, west and east; Lithuanians and Poles - in the west; nomadic tribes are in the south. For several centuries, the Eastern Slavs fought against the nomads who came from Asia. In the VI century. The Slavs were attacked by the Huns. Then the Avars and Khazars appeared. Important role in history Slavs IX-X centuries played relations with the two countries. These were Scandinavia in the north and Byzantium in the south. People from Scandinavia in Rus' were called Varangians.


By the 9th century. The first cities appeared among the Eastern Slavs. The largest of them were Kyiv, Novgorod, Chernigov, Smolensk, Murom. By the beginning of the 9th century. Slavic tribes who lived along the banks of the Dnieper River united around Kyiv. Novgorod became another center of unification of the Eastern Slavs. Tribes united around Novgorod and settled around Lake Ilmen.
In 862, the residents of Novgorod invited the Varangian, Prince Rurik, to reign in Novgorod (i.e., to rule Novgorod). Rurik laid the foundation for the Rurik dynasty, which ruled Russia until the end of the 16th century.



After the death of Rurik in 879, his relative Oleg began to rule Novgorod. He did not remain in Novgorod for long. In 882
Oleg and his squad sailed along the Dnieper River to Kyiv. At this time, the Varangians Askold and Dir ruled in Kyiv. Oleg killed them and began to reign in Kyiv. He subjugated all the East Slavic and some Finnish tribes, and then united the Novgorod north and the Kiev south under his rule. This is how the Old Russian state was formed, which was called “Kievan Rus”. Oleg became the first ruler of the Old Russian state.
The rulers of the Old Russian state bore the title "Ve-
lyky prince of Kiev." The first princes of Kyiv were:
Svyatoslav (son of Igor and Olga).


Oleg, Igor (son of Rurik), Princess Olga (wife of Prince Igor) and
Igor Olga Svyatoslav


The activities of the Kyiv princes were aimed at:
to unite the Slavic tribes under the rule of Kyiv;
to protect trade routes;
to establish profitable trade relations with other states;
to protect Rus' from external enemies.
The prince was the supreme ruler of Rus'. He issued laws (“charters”), judged the population, and carried out administrative and military functions. However, the prince did not make a single decision without the “princely council.” The princely council included boyars close to the prince. The veche played an important role in the political life of Rus'. That was the name of the people's assembly. The veche could expel a bad prince and invite a new one. The veche also gathered the people's militia.
The main source of income for the prince and his squad was
tribute collected from the local population. Tribute was collected in money or furs. Part of the tribute was sent as goods to Byzantium. Traditional Russian goods would be
whether furs, honey, wax, as well as slaves. Russian monetary units were called "hryvnia" and "kuna". Part of the tribute was sent as goods to Byzantium. Traditional Russian goods were furs, honey, wax and captive slaves. Foreign merchants brought weapons, cloth, silk, and expensive jewelry to Kyiv. The main trade route along the Dnieper River was called the route “from the Varangians to the Greeks.” He led from Scandinavia to Byzantium.
Heyday Kievan Rus falls during the reign of princes Vladimir the Saint and Yaroslav the Wise.



The following is associated with the name of Prince Vladimir important event in Russian history, as the baptism of Rus', i.e. the transformation of Christianity into the dominant religion in Rus'. The exact date of the baptism of Rus' has not been established. It is generally accepted that this happened around 988. At the head of the Russian Orthodox Church a metropolitan was installed, who was appointed from Constantinople. The entire population of Rus' was obliged to pay a tax in favor of the church - tithe.
The Baptism of Rus' appeared important factor in the unification of Russian lands. It contributed to:
strengthening the central government;
consolidation of the ancient Russian people;
the formation of a unified ancient Russian culture;
the spread of writing in Rus';
craft development;
strengthening international relations of Kievan Rus.
Under Yaroslav the Wise, Kyiv became one of the richest and most beautiful cities in Europe. There were about 400 in the city



churches. The Hagia Sophia Cathedrals built in Kyiv and Novgorod became a symbol of the power of Rus'. Under Yaroslav the Wise, the first libraries appeared in Rus'. The name of Yaroslav the Wise is associated with the compilation of "Russian Truth" - the first set of Russian laws. During the reign of Yaroslav the Wise, the international authority of the Kyiv
Rus'. Kyiv conducted extensive trade with Byzantium, Poland, Germany, the states of the Caucasus and the countries of the East. Many European sovereigns sought kinship and friendship with Yaroslav the Wise.
However, after the death of Yaroslav the Wise, the collapse of the Old Russian state began and a new period began in Russian history.


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When starting a conversation about the Eastern Slavs, it is very difficult to be unambiguous. There are practically no surviving sources telling about the Slavs in ancient times. Many historians come to the conclusion that the process of the origin of the Slavs began in the second millennium BC. It is also believed that the Slavs are an isolated part of the Indo-European community.

But the region where the ancestral home of the ancient Slavs was located has not yet been determined. Historians and archaeologists continue to debate where the Slavs came from. Most often it is stated, and this is evidenced by Byzantine sources, that the Eastern Slavs already in the middle of the 5th century BC lived in the territory of Central and Eastern Europe. It is also generally accepted that they were divided into three groups:

Weneds (lived in the Vistula River basin) - Western Slavs.

Sklavins (lived between the upper reaches of the Vistula, Danube and Dniester) - southern Slavs.

Ants (lived between the Dnieper and Dniester) - Eastern Slavs.

All historical sources characterize the ancient Slavs as people with the will and love of freedom, differing in temperament strong character, endurance, courage, unity. They were hospitable to strangers, had pagan polytheism and elaborate rituals. Initially there was no particular fragmentation among the Slavs, since the tribal unions had similar languages, customs and laws.

Territories and tribes of the Eastern Slavs

An important question is how the Slavs developed new territories and their settlement in general. There are two main theories about the appearance of the Eastern Slavs in Eastern Europe.

One of them was put forward by the famous Soviet historian, academician B. A. Rybakov. He believed that the Slavs originally lived on the East European Plain. But the famous historians of the 19th century S. M. Solovyov and V. O. Klyuchevsky believed that the Slavs moved from territories near the Danube.

The final settlement of the Slavic tribes looked like this:

Tribes

Places of resettlement

Cities

The most numerous tribe settled on the banks of the Dnieper and south of Kyiv

Slovenian Ilmenskie

Settlement around Novgorod, Ladoga and Lake Peipsi

Novgorod, Ladoga

North of the Western Dvina and the upper reaches of the Volga

Polotsk, Smolensk

Polotsk residents

South of the Western Dvina

Dregovichi

Between the upper reaches of the Neman and the Dnieper, along the Pripyat River

Drevlyans

South of the Pripyat River

Iskorosten

Volynians

Settled south of the Drevlyans, at the source of the Vistula

White Croats

The westernmost tribe, settled between the Dniester and Vistula rivers

Lived east of the White Croats

The territory between the Prut and the Dniester

Between the Dniester and the Southern Bug

Northerners

Territories along the Desna River

Chernigov

Radimichi

They settled between the Dnieper and Desna. In 885 they joined the Old Russian state

Along the sources of the Oka and Don

Activities of the Eastern Slavs

The main occupation of the Eastern Slavs must include agriculture, which was associated with the characteristics of local soils. Arable farming was common in the steppe regions, and slash-and-burn farming was practiced in forests. The arable land was quickly depleted, and the Slavs moved to new territories. Such farming required a lot of labor; it was difficult to cope with the cultivation of even small plots, and the sharply continental climate did not allow one to count on high yields.

Nevertheless, even in such conditions, the Slavs sowed several varieties of wheat and barley, millet, rye, oats, buckwheat, lentils, peas, hemp, and flax. Turnips, beets, radishes, onions, garlic, and cabbage were grown in the gardens.

The main food product was bread. The ancient Slavs called it “zhito”, which was associated with the Slavic word “to live”.

Slavic farms raised livestock: cows, horses, sheep. The following trades were of great help: hunting, fishing and beekeeping (collecting wild honey). Fur trading became widespread. The fact that the Eastern Slavs settled along the banks of rivers and lakes contributed to the emergence of shipping, trade and various crafts that provided products for exchange. Trade routes also contributed to the emergence major cities, breeding centers.

Social order and tribal unions

Initially, the Eastern Slavs lived in tribal communities, later they united into tribes. The development of production and the use of draft power (horses and oxen) contributed to the fact that even a small family could cultivate its own plot. Family ties began to weaken, families began to settle separately and plow new plots of land on their own.

The community remained, but now it included not only relatives, but also neighbors. Each family had its own plot of land for cultivation, its own production tools and harvested crops. Private property appeared, but it did not extend to forests, meadows, rivers and lakes. The Slavs enjoyed these benefits together.

In the neighboring community, the property status of different families was no longer the same. The best lands began to be concentrated in the hands of elders and military leaders, and they also received most of the spoils from military campaigns.

Rich leaders-princes began to appear at the head of the Slavic tribes. They had their own armed units - squads, and they also collected tribute from the subject population. The collection of tribute was called polyudye.

The 6th century is characterized by the unification of Slavic tribes into unions. The most militarily powerful princes led them. The local nobility gradually strengthened around such princes.

One of these tribal unions, as historians believe, was the unification of the Slavs around the Ros (or Rus) tribe, who lived on the Ros River (a tributary of the Dnieper). Subsequently, according to one of the theories of the origin of the Slavs, this name passed to all Eastern Slavs, who received common name“Rus”, and the entire territory became Russian land, or Russia.

Neighbors of the Eastern Slavs

In the 1st millennium BC, in the Northern Black Sea region, the neighbors of the Slavs were the Cimmerians, but after a few centuries they were supplanted by the Scythians, who founded their own state on these lands - the Scythian kingdom. Subsequently, the Sarmatians came from the east to the Don and the Northern Black Sea region.

During the Great Migration of Peoples, the East German tribes of the Goths passed through these lands, then the Huns. All this movement was accompanied by robbery and destruction, which contributed to the resettlement of the Slavs to the north.

Another factor in the resettlement and formation of Slavic tribes were the Turks. It was they who formed the Turkic Kaganate on a vast territory from Mongolia to the Volga.

The movement of various neighbors in the southern lands contributed to the fact that the Eastern Slavs occupied territories dominated by forest-steppes and swamps. Communities were created here that were more reliably protected from alien attacks.

In the VI-IX centuries, the lands of the Eastern Slavs were located from the Oka to the Carpathians and from the Middle Dnieper to the Neva.

Nomad raids

The movement of nomads created a constant danger for the Eastern Slavs. The nomads seized grain and livestock and burned houses. Men, women, and children were taken into slavery. All this required the Slavs to be in constant readiness to repel raids. Every Slavic man He was also a part-time warrior. Sometimes they plowed the land armed. History shows that the Slavs successfully coped with the constant onslaught of nomadic tribes and defended their independence.

Customs and beliefs of the Eastern Slavs

The Eastern Slavs were pagans who deified the forces of nature. They worshiped the elements, believed in kinship with various animals, and made sacrifices. The Slavs had a clear annual cycle agricultural holidays in honor of the sun and the change of seasons. All rituals were aimed at ensuring high yields, as well as the health of people and livestock. The Eastern Slavs did not have uniform ideas about God.

The ancient Slavs did not have temples. All rituals were carried out at stone idols, in groves, meadows and other places revered by them as sacred. We must not forget that all the heroes of fabulous Russian folklore come from that time. The goblin, the brownie, mermaids, mermen and other characters were well known to the Eastern Slavs.

In the divine pantheon of the Eastern Slavs, the leading places were occupied by the following gods. Dazhbog - the god of the Sun, sunlight and fertility, Svarog - the blacksmith god (according to some sources, the supreme god of the Slavs), Stribog - the god of wind and air, Mokosh - the female goddess, Perun - the god of lightning and war. A special place was given to the god of earth and fertility, Veles.

The main pagan priests of the Eastern Slavs were the Magi. They performed all the rituals in the sanctuaries and turned to the gods with various requests. The Magi made various male and female amulets with different spell symbols.

Paganism was a clear reflection of the activities of the Slavs. It was the admiration for the elements and everything connected with it that determined the attitude of the Slavs to agriculture as the main way of life.

Over time, the myths and meanings of pagan culture began to be forgotten, but much has survived to this day in folk art, customs, traditions.

As are the ages, so are the people.
Russian proverb

Lesson objectives: Understand what qualitative changes occurred in the life of the Slavs in the 6th–7th centuries; be able to determine the territory of the ancient Slavs on a map; be able to characterize the characteristics of classes; relations with neighboring tribes and peoples, the general level of socio-economic development.

Lesson plan:

  1. Slavic tribes.
  2. Settlement of East Slavic tribes.
  3. Classes. Development of the economy of the Eastern Slavs

Basic concepts: tribal unions, tribal community, neighboring community, the path “from the Varangians to the Greeks”

Lesson progress

I. Frontal conversation on the main issues of the topic of the previous lesson

II. Learning new material

Teacher's explanation.

The first mention of the Slavs dates back to the 1st–2nd centuries AD. Tacitus, Pliny, Ptolemy report that the Slavs inhabited the Vistula basin.

So, briefly, the essence of the problem of the origin of the Slavs can be reduced to the following provisions:

  1. Slavs are the indigenous population of Eastern Europe. They have a single root and date back to the earliest stages of the formation of the Indo-European community and are an integral part of it.
  2. The Slavs appeared as a result of a mixture of various ethnic elements at the turn of AD and do not have a single root, that is, the basis of the Slavic community is multi-ethnic.
  3. It would be too bold to say that the Slavs do not have a single ethnic root. However, on the other hand, the presence of such a root does not deny the certain role of other peoples in Slavic ethnogenesis (in the origin of the Slavs).

The Slavs are part of the Indo-European community, they have a single ethnic root and are the indigenous population of Eastern Europe.

Slavic language belongs to Indo-European language system. Having formed around the 5th-4th thousand. BC, this language group in the IV-III millennium BC. experienced a time of collapse associated with the settlement of Indo-European tribes. This settlement occurred during the Neolithic - the New Stone Age. It is no coincidence that historians talk about neolithic revolution, that is, about the transition of man from hunting and gathering to a production economy - agriculture and cattle breeding. Neolithic tribes became more independent of nature and mobile. In search of new habitats, they left their ancestral home and dispersed throughout Asia and Europe. In the course of development, the Eastern (Indians, Iranians, Armenians) and ancient European language groups. The latter served as the basis for the emergence of Western European (German, French, Italian) and Slavic groups.

Our ancestors called themselves Slavs, also Slovenes. What words did the names “Slavs” and “Slovenes” come from? ( Slavs from the word “glory”, meaning the same as praise, and Slovenes meaning “those who understand the word”)

By VII-IX the eastern branch of the Slavs inhabited a significant part of the great Russian Plain, reaching in the north almost to the Gulf of Finland, and in the south to the Black Sea. The placement of the East Slavic tribes is described in detail by the chronicler Nestor ( All historical works Ancient Rus' began with the words “In the summer...”, later they were called chronicles.). Moreover, the settlement of tribes given in the Tale of Bygone Years is confirmed by archaeological material.

Working with the textbook: Students ( work in groups), using a map and a textbook, make a table

Settlement of East Slavic tribes

Name of the tribal union Place of settlement
Glade Middle reaches of the Dnieper (Kyiv)
Drevlyans In the Pripyat River basin, the city of Iskorosten (northwest of Kyiv)
Dregovichi On the territory modern Belarus (left bank of Pripyat)
Polotsk residents The middle course of the Western Dvina at its confluence with the Polot River, main city Polotsk (Western Dvina basin)
Ilmen Slavens (or Slovenians) Around Lake Ilmen. Main city Novgorod
Northerners In the basins of the Desna, Seim and Sulla rivers. Chernigov city (left bank of the Dnieper)
Radimichi Along the Sozh and Seim rivers (between the Dnieper and Sozhzh)
Krivichi The upper reaches of the Western Dvina and Dnieper, the main city of Smolensk (upper reaches of the Volga, Dnieper, Dvina)
Vyatichi In the forest thickets between the Oka, Klyazma and Volga rivers, the cities of Rostov and Suzdal (region of Oka and Moskva rivers)
Volynians (Buzhanians) Along the Bug River (upper reaches of the southern Bug)
Ulichi Lower Dnieper region, Black Sea coast (Dniester)
Tivertsy Between the Dniester and Prut rivers (Dniester)
White Croats Transcarpathia

Conclusion: The zone of settlement of the Eastern Slavs was devoid of natural boundaries, and therefore was “open” to both invasions and cultural influences and influences from neighboring peoples.

We remind you that after the second social division of labor, the clan community is replaced by the neighboring one. (territorial)

Entry in notebooks:

Tribal community - a group of blood relatives who have common property and run the household together.

(Teacher's explanation: One of the reasons for the transition to the neighboring community was the change slashing agriculture arable.

Arable farming is a type of agriculture that did not require labor-intensive work to cultivate the land, since the land had already been cleared by previous generations, but restored fertility. One family could cultivate such a plot)

Entry in notebooks:

Neighborhood Community - a more fragmented association based on the separation of individual small families from the clan.

(Teacher's explanation:In society, the importance of the individual, the individual family is gradually increasing. The right of private ownership, private property was born.)

Entry in notebooks:

Private property - a form of ownership in which the means of production and products of labor belong to private individuals.

Classes. Development of the economy of the Eastern Slavs


The Middle Dnieper region is the most favorable region for economic activity. But at the same time, there were differences in the farming system of the Eastern Slavs living in the south and in the north.

Working with the textbook: Students ( work in groups - south and north, at the end of the lesson they exchange selected data, finally form a table - homework), using the textbook material, make a table

Development of the economy of the Eastern Slavs

Settlements South North
There was a lack of water and constant dangers, people settled in large numbers, crowded into huge villages.
There were many cities in the South that served as centers of trade		 Swampy and wooded area, there were few dry places. Villages with a small population (3-4 households) predominated.
There were few cities
Agriculture In the southern regions there was more fertile land, and free areas were simply sown. When, after a few years, the land was depleted, they moved to a new site. Later, in the 7th-8th centuries, arable farming appeared with two-field and even three-field.
Repost:
They used the land for 2-3 years, and when the soil was depleted, they moved to another place		 Large forest areas prevented agriculture.
Slash and burn system:
1 year: forest was cut down
Year 2: dried trees were burned and grain was sown directly into the ash, using it as fertilizer. After 2-3 years the land was depleted and it was necessary to move to a new site.
agricultural crops agricultural: rye, wheat, barley, millet
garden: turnip, cabbage, beets, carrots, radish, garlic
technical: flax, hemp
Guns Plow, ralo, plow with iron share Axe, hoe, plow, spade
Cattle breeding Livestock breeding was closely related to agriculture. The Slavs bred vines, cows, and small cattle.
Oxen Horses
Trades Gathering and hunting continue to play significant role in the life of the Slavs. Main trades: lykodery, fur hunting, salt making, beekeeping, hunting and fishing The farmers of the north had no incentive to expand ploughing, because the land was poor, it was difficult to plow it, they were far removed from large markets. To make up for the meager income from arable farming, residents turned to trades: lykoderstvo, fur hunting, salt making, beekeeping, hunting and fishing
Trade The main thing on the farm was foreign trade.
Traded bread, wax, honey, fur with Rome and Byzantium		 Too far from coastal markets, foreign trade did not begin driving force national economy
The path “from the Varangians to the Greeks”(late 9th century)
Along the Dnieper → near Smolensk portage to Lovot → in the lake Ilmen → to Volkhov → in the lake Nevo → to Varyazhskoe (Baltic) sea → to Rome → to Constantinople (Constantinople - Byzantium) → Pontic (Russian, Black) sea.
The domestic market was poorly developed; mainly there was an exchange of agricultural products for handicrafts

Working with the map: Show on the map the trade route “from the Varangians to the Greeks.”

Homework

TASK A

  1. Create a table “Development of the economy of the Eastern Slavs”
  2. Read the tables carefully, choose the main thing and learn.

TASK B

Answer questions and complete assignments in writing.

  1. Ancient Russians greeted each other: "Oh you goy..." What did they want in this way?
  2. What was the name of the Baltic Sea in Ancient Rus'?
  3. The Slavic tribes of the Dregovichi lived in the swamp, the glade - in the fields, and in the gley they lived Drevlyans?
  4. Was the territory of the modern Moscow region inhabited by the Drevlyans or the Vyatichi?
  5. Which major chronicler owns the words that are more than eight centuries old: “Our land is great and abundant, but there is no order in it...”?
  6. What did the number mean in old Russian proverbs? "seven"?
  7. Ancient authors used the word “Rus” to refer to the state formation that had developed in the region
    1. Volga
    2. Prykarpattya
    3. Middle Dnieper
  8. The main occupation of the Eastern Slavs in the VI-IX centuries. was
    1. agriculture
    2. weaving
    3. beekeeping
    4. spinning

Settlement, customs and beliefsEastern Slavs in ancient times

The ancient history of the Slavs has not yet been fully elucidated by historians; their origin and ancestral home have not been established. The origins of the historical fate of the Slavs go nowhere. Scientists do not have even a mere crumb of information about those times - the times of hoary antiquity. It is not even known exactly when the Slavs learned writing. Many researchers associate the emergence Slavic writing with the adoption of Christianity. All information about the ancient Slavs of the pre-literate era was extracted by historians from the meager lines of historical and geographical works belonging to ancient Roman and Byzantine authors. Archaeological finds have shed light on some events, but how difficult it can be to correctly interpret each of them! Archaeologists often argue among themselves, determining which of the objects they found belonged to the Slavs and which did not.

Slav Slav

For every drop solid knowledge there is a whole ocean of assumptions and conjectures. Thus, early history of the Slavs is no less mysterious and mysterious than the history of Atlantis.

The ancestral home of the Slavs and their settlement


No exact information has yet been found about where the Slavs came to Europe and from what peoples they come. Some historians associate the origin of the Slavs with Scythians, who lived in the Northern Black Sea region and along the Dnieper during the time of the ancient Greek historian Herodotus (5th century BC).

Scientists believe that in the 1st millennium AD. e. The Slavs occupied a vast territory: from the Balkans to modern Belarus and from the Dnieper to the regions of Central Europe. In those distant times There were no Slavic tribes yet within the modern borders of Russia.

Byzantine historians of the 6th century. called the Slavs antami And Sklavins. The Antes were distinguished by their belligerence.

antes

Initially they were not Slavic people, but, living for a long time side by side with the Slavs, they became Slavic and, in the minds of their neighbors who wrote about them, became the most powerful of the Slavic tribes.

Neighborhood of the Slavs in the V-VII centuries. was a real disaster for Byzantium. For many centuries, the power of the Roman Empire stopped invasions at its borders barbarian peoples. But time passed, and the empire faded away. It split into two halves - western and eastern, each of which was ruled by its own emperors. The Western Empire fell under the onslaught of the wild Germans. The Eastern Empire, which later received the name Byzantium, withstood many enemies, sometimes with armed force, and sometimes through subtle diplomacy, averting the threat of invasion of its territory. But the Slavs appeared on its borders. Their constant raids kept the Byzantines at bay.

The horror instilled by the Slavs in the enemy is comparable to the awe that in other times the Huns, Vikings or Mongol-Tatars forced their enemies to experience. Fury in battle and the ability to endure the harshest conditions of campaigns made the Slavs a serious opponent. Feeling that the defense of the empire’s borders was weak, the Slavs eventually poured into its lands in a wide stream, occupying areas from the Danube to Crete and from the Adriatic coast to Asia Minor. At the same time, streams of Slavic settlers rushed in all directions, including to the Russian Plain.

battle between the Slavs and the Pechenegs

From about the 6th century. From the pan-Slavic unity, three branches begin to emerge: southern, western And Eastern Slavs. The South Slavic peoples (Serbs, Montenegrins, etc.) were subsequently formed from those Slavs who settled within the Byzantine Empire, gradually merging with its population. Only the Bulgarians did not stop fighting the Byzantines, but they also experienced the strongest influence of Byzantine culture. The Western Slavs were those who occupied the lands of modern Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and part of Germany. As for the Eastern Slavs, they inherited a huge territory between three seas: the Black, White and Baltic. Their descendants are modern Belarusians, Ukrainians and Russians.

S. V. Ivanov. "Housing of the Eastern Slavs."

For half a millennium, the Eastern Slavs explored these vast expanses. The territory of Eastern Europe in the 7th-8th centuries. was covered with dense forests. On the border of the forest and steppe, nomadic peoples competed with the Slavs, fighting for territory. But those lands that belonged to the forest belt cannot be called free. Long before the arrival of the Slavs, they were inhabited by Baltic and Finno-Ugric tribes (Ves, Chud, Merya, Muroma, Meshchera, Mordovians, etc.). It would seem that what region of Russia cannot be called anything other than primordially Russian? This is the Russian North. Rostov, Vologda, Arkhangelsk, Beloozero - how much the names of these ancient cities say to the Russian heart! But a thousand years ago, an absolute minority of Slavs lived in these places. Settlements were located here so sparsely that the Slavs at first did not even have to enter into conflicts with the local Baltic and Finno-Ugric population, and the peaceful neighborhood led to the gradual Slavification of a significant part of it. Research by anthropologists shows that the ancestors of Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians are not only the Slavs, but also the ancient Finno-Ugric and Balts.

Slavic village

However, this neighborhood was not always only peaceful. The chronicles contain evidence of armed confrontation between the Slavs and local tribes that broke out from time to time.

East Slavic tribal unions

Initial information about the settlement of the East Slavic tribes was obtained from the Tale of Bygone Years. They are confirmed by archaeological finds.

The Slavs divide slaves and other booty after returning from a long campaign.

From the Slavs “sitting along the Danube”, the Slavic tribes dispersed across different lands and were called by their own names, who sat down where (that is, began to live. - Note ed.) in what place?

Polyans were the name given to the Slavs who settled in the middle reaches of the Dnieper around Kyiv. “There were three brothers,” the chronicler narrates, “Kiy, who sat on the mountain where Borichev now rises, and the second brother Shchek sat on a mountain called Shchekavitsa, and the third brother Khoriv sat on Mount Khorivitsa. And they had a sister named Lybid.” The brothers built a town and named it Kiev after their older brother. There was a “forest and a great forest” around the city, and animals were caught in it.

“And those men were wise and intelligent, and they were called Polyans, from them Polyans to this day in Kyiv.” Elsewhere in the chronicle it is said that they are called glades because “they sit in the field.”

monument to the founders of Kyiv

According to legend, Prince Kiy traveled to Byzantium, to Constantinople (Constantinople), where the emperor gave him great honors. On the way back, Kiy took a fancy to a place on the Danube, cut down a town there called Kievets and wanted to settle there with his family, but was expelled by the surrounding residents. Kiy returned to his city, where he died; both his brothers and sister died here.

To the north of the glades along the Desna and Sula rivers lived northerners, and settled northwest of Kyiv Drevlyans, so named because they lived in dense forests. Their center was the city of Iskorosten. The tribes that settled between Pripyat and Dvina were called Dregovichi; others “sat” along the Dvina in the place where the Polota River flowed into it, and received the name Polotsk They settled in the upper reaches of the Volga, Dnieper and Western Dvina Krivichi, their main city was Smolensk. Radimichi And Vyatichi, according to the chronicle, they descended from the clan of “Poles” (Poles). “After all, the Poles had two brothers - Radim, and the other - Vyatko,” writes the chronicler. - And they came and sat down: Radim on the Sozh (a tributary of the Dnieper. - Note ed.), and from him they were called Radimichi, and Vyatko settled with his family on the Oka, from him the Vyatichi received their name.”

Lived along the Bug buzhans, or duleby, about which the chronicler says that they were “tortured” by nomads obry(avars). This nomadic people fought with Byzantium and the Slavs in the 6th century. According to legend, the Avars, when they were planning to go somewhere, did not allow a horse or an ox to be harnessed to a cart, but harnessed three, four or five Duleb women and forced them to drive themselves. These obrins, according to the chronicle, “were great in body and proud in mind, and God destroyed them, and they all died, and not a single obrin remained.”

Since then, a saying has appeared in Rus': “They disappeared like obra.” The Slavs who settled around Lake Ilmen were called Slovenes of Novgorod, or Ilmensky; their main city was Novgorod.

ancient Novgorod

It is not entirely correct to call the Polyans, Drevlyans or, say, Vyatichi tribes. We are talking not just about tribes, but about political and military alliances that included up to a hundred or more small tribes and were called by the name of one of them, the strongest and most numerous. Each such union had its own princes - leaders from the tribal nobility. However, it is not known whether the princes were elected (for the duration of the campaigns) or inherited their power. Historians believe that the East Slavic tribal unions were an embryonic form of the state, sometimes they are even called proto-states.

For a long time, the Eastern Slavs did not abandon their warlike customs and enriched themselves not only through peaceful trades, but also through military booty. Tribal leaders raided Byzantium or neighboring tribes and obtained slaves and luxury goods there. The Slavic princes distributed part of the military spoils among their fellow tribesmen, which increased their prestige as leaders of campaigns. At the same time, squads were formed around the princes - groups of permanent combat comrades, friends (the word “squad” comes from the word “friend”) of the prince, a kind of professional warriors and advisers.

princely squad

The Slavs lived in communities and clans. Every free man (not a slave) was armed and joined the militia. Byzantine authors emphasized that the Slavic tribes lived in “rule of the people”, without any state power. The selection of squads was an essential stage in the stratification of the Slavic community and the transformation of the prince’s power from tribal to state.

Customs of the Eastern Slavs in ancient times

Each association of East Slavic tribes had its own customs, laws, legends and even its own “character”. The chronicle reports: “The Glades have the custom of their fathers, meek and quiet, being bashful before their daughters-in-law and sisters, mothers and parents; They have great modesty before their mothers-in-law and brothers-in-law; They also have a marriage custom: the son-in-law does not go for the bride, but they bring her the day before, and the next day they offer for her - whatever they give.” And the Drevlyans “live in a bestial manner,” kill each other, eat “everything unclean” and have no marriages, but “kidnap girls near the water.” The Radimichi, Vyatichi and northerners, as the Tale of Bygone Years reports, had a common custom: they lived in the forest, like animals, ate “everything unclean” and cursed themselves in front of their fathers and daughters-in-law. They also did not have marriages, but held games between villages with dances and songs; and here they “kidnapped” their wives in agreement with them; had two and three wives.

If one of them died, they held a funeral feast (a solemn farewell to the deceased in the form of a military competition, game or battle), and then they made a large deck of firewood and laid the dead man on this deck and burned it.

funeral feast

And then, having collected the bones, they put them in a small clay vessel and placed them on poles along the roads.

Economy of the Eastern Slavs


Slavic settlements were usually located along the banks of rivers and lakes in places suitable for agriculture - their main occupation. They cultivated rye, wheat, barley, oats, millet, beans, and peas; They grew flax, hemp, as well as vegetables - turnips (which were as common as potatoes in our time; they ate them steamed), radishes, onions, garlic, cabbage.

For the northern forest regions it was typical slash-and-burn farming system. In the first year, they cut down the forest, then, when it dried up, they uprooted the stumps and set them on fire, then they sowed into the ashes, having previously plowed the ground, but often without doing this. The area, cleared of forest, produced a harvest for three to four years. This forced the Slavs to leave old areas and cut down new ones. This farming system required huge amount land and forced them to settle in relatively small villages. Agriculture in the southern territories of the East Slavic world was more highly developed than in the north. This was facilitated by the blessed natural conditions(warm climate, plenty of rain) and fertile soil. Here the leading method of agriculture was reword The plots were sown for several years, and after the land was depleted, they moved (“shifted”) to another place. They used a plow unknown in the north. All these reasons determined higher and more stable yields in the south than in the north.

Along with agriculture, animal husbandry occupied a large place in the economy of the Eastern Slavs. Animal bones found during excavations indicate that the Slavs bred horses, whose meat was rarely eaten (they were used mainly for riding and as draft power), as well as cows, pigs, goats, sheep and poultry.

In the forests that covered the territory of Eastern Europe, animals were found in abundance, and there was a lot of fish in the rivers. Therefore, the Slavs hunted wild boar, deer, bear, beaver, fox, marten, hare and other animals; They caught pike, carp, pike perch, bream, catfish, sturgeon and other fish in the rivers. They took bows and arrows and spears for hunting.

princely hunt

Fish were caught with hooks, nets, seines and various wicker devices. Beekeeping also played an auxiliary role in the economy - collecting honey from wild bees.

Eastern Slavs in the writings of the Byzantines

Byzantine writer of the 6th century. Procopius of Caesarea described the Slavs as people of very tall stature and enormous power, with white skin and hair.

When entering battle, they went at enemies with shields and darts in their hands, but never put on shells. Some of them wore neither shirts nor cloaks, but only pants, pulled up by a wide belt on the hips, and in this form they went to fight the enemy.

Another Byzantine writer of the 6th century, Mauritius the Strategist, talked about the Sklavins and Antes, who were numerous, hardy, and easily endured thirst, cold, rain, nakedness, and lack of food. They preferred to fight the enemy in places covered with dense forest, in gorges, on cliffs; They suddenly attacked day and night, taking advantage of ambushes and tricks, inventing many ingenious ways to surprise the enemy.

S. V. Ivanov. "Bargaining in the country of the Eastern Slavs."

They easily crossed rivers, courageously enduring their stay in the water: being suddenly overtaken by the enemy, they plunged into the water and held in their mouths specially prepared large reeds, hollowed out inside, reaching the surface of the water, while they themselves lay supine at the bottom of the river and breathed with their help sometimes for many hours. And if it happened that the reeds were visible from the water, inexperienced people mistook them for growing in the water.

Slavic settlements of the VI-VIII centuries. The Slavs return from hunting, accompanied by Byzantine traders.

Each Slavic warrior was armed with two small spears, some also had strong, but difficult to carry shields from place to place. The Slavs used wooden bows and small arrows dipped in a special poison. Having no leader over them and being at enmity with each other, they did not recognize the military system, were unable to fight in a proper battle and never showed themselves in open and level places. If it happened that they dared to go into battle, then they all slowly moved forward together, shouting, and if the enemy could not withstand their shout and onslaught, then they actively advanced; otherwise, they fled, not in a hurry to measure their strength with the enemy in hand-to-hand combat. Using the forests as cover, they rushed towards them, because only among the gorges they knew how to fight well.

Often the Slavs abandoned the captured booty, allegedly under the influence of confusion, and fled into the forests, and then, when the enemies tried to take possession of it, they unexpectedly struck.

The Slavs did not keep captives in slavery for an unlimited time, like other tribes, but after a certain time they offered them a choice: to return home for a ransom or to remain where they were, in the position of free people and friends.

Slavic assault on the Byzantine fortress

Continued on the website: For advanced - Paganism of the Eastern Slavs.