East Slavs in ancient times they were a united group of nationalities that included thirteen tribes. Each of them had its own characteristics, place of settlement and numbers.
Tribes of the Eastern Slavs
The table below “Eastern Slavs in antiquity” will give general idea about which nationalities were included in this group and how they differed.
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Tribe |
Place of settlement |
Features (if any) |
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Off the banks of the Dnieper, south of modern Kyiv |
The most numerous of all Slavic tribes, they formed the basis of the population ancient Russian state |
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Novgorod, Ladoga, Lake Peipsi |
Arab sources indicate that it was they who formed the first Slavic state, united with the Krivichi |
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In the upper reaches of the Volga and north of the Western Dvina River |
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Polotsk residents |
South of the Western Dvina River |
Minor tribal alliance |
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Dregovichi |
Between the Dnieper and the upper reaches of the Neman |
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Drevlyans |
South of Pripyat |
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Volynians |
At the source of the Vistula, south of the Drevlyans |
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White Croats |
Between Vistula and Dniester |
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To the east of the White Croats |
The weakest Slavic tribe |
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Between the Dniester and the Prut |
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Between the Dniester and the Southern Bug |
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Northerners |
The area adjacent to the Desna |
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Radimichi |
Between the Dnieper and Desna |
Annexed to the Old Russian state in 855 |
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Along the Oka and Don |
The ancestor of this tribe is the legendary Vyatko |
Rice. 1. Map of the settlement of the Slavs.
Main occupations of the Eastern Slavs
They mainly cultivated the land. Depending on the region, this resource was used differently: for example, in the south, with its rich black soil, the land was sown for five years in a row, and then moved to another area, giving it a rest. In the north and center, they first had to cut down and burn the forest, and only then grow useful crops on the freed area. The plot was fertile for no more than three years. They grew mainly grain crops and root crops.
The Slavs were also engaged in fishing, hunting and beekeeping. Stall cattle breeding was quite developed: they kept cows, goats, pigs, and horses.
Trade, which was carried out along the famous route “from the Varangians to the Greeks,” played a very important role in the life of the Slavic tribes. The main “monetary unit” was marten skins.
Social structure of the Eastern Slavs
The social structure was not complex: the smallest unit was the family, headed by the father, families were united into communities under the leadership of an elder, and the communities already constituted a tribe, important questions whose lives were decided on people's assembly- veche.
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Rice. 2. People's Assembly.
Belief system of the Eastern Slavs
It was polytheism or, in other words, paganism. The ancient Slavs had a pantheon of deities that they worshiped. The belief was based on fear or admiration for natural phenomena, which were deified and personified. For example, Perun was the god of thunder, Stribog was the god of wind, and so on.
Rice. 3. Statue of Perun.
The Eastern Slavs performed rituals in nature; they did not build temples. Statues of deities carved from stone were placed in clearings and groves.
The Slavs also believed in spirits such as mermaids, brownies, goblins, etc., which was later reflected in folklore.
What have we learned?
From the article we learned briefly about the Eastern Slavs in ancient times: the tribal division and territories that each tribe occupied, their characteristics and main occupations. They learned that the main among these occupations was agriculture, the types of which differed depending on the area, but others were also important, such as cattle breeding, fishing and beekeeping. They clarified that the Slavs were pagans, that is, they believed in a pantheon of gods, and their social order was based on communities.
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Eastern Slavs 7th-9th century
East Slavs- cultural and linguistic community of Slavs speaking East Slavic languages. The East Slavic tribes, which, according to most scientists, managed to merge into a single Old Russian nation, made up the main population of the medieval Old Russian state. As a result of the subsequent political stratification of the Eastern Slavs, by the 17th century the following were formed (in descending order of numbers): Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian peoples. Also, some sources consider the Carpathian Ruthenians to be a separate East Slavic people.
Lifestyle in the early Middle Ages
Among the Eastern Slavs, fortified cities apparently appeared first among the Polans and Northerners. Their first settlements appeared in the region of Kyiv and Chernigov already by the 7th-8th centuries, which indicates at least a partial abandonment of the previous strategy of scattered and secretive living among forests. This is also evidenced by the fact that in the VIII-IX centuries. in all other East Slavic lands there were no more than two dozen cities, while on the Left Bank of the Dnieper alone there were about a hundred of them. The Ilmen Slovenes had cities no earlier than the 9th century. under the influence of settlers from Scandinavia who founded in the first half of the 8th century. his fortress Staraya Ladoga on the site of a previously existing Slavic settlement. The chronicler dates the founding of the main Slavic city of this region, Novgorod, to 862. In the same era, fortifications also appeared in the territories of other East Slavic tribes (see Old Russian cities). Thus, the northerners who lived on the territory of modern Voronezh, Belgorod and Kursk regions, along with settlements in the 9th-10th centuries. built fortified settlements, mainly at the confluence of large rivers [(see Romensko-Borshchev culture). In the 10th century a fortress appeared not far from the later city of Smolensk (see Gnezdovo mounds).
The early Slavic settlements stand somewhat apart, the creation of which is attributed to the tribal unions of the Dulebs and Ants. Archaeologically they are represented by the Prague-Korchak and Penkov cultures, respectively. Whole line Such settlements of the Prague-Korchak (Zimino, Leznica, Khotomel, Babka, Khilchycy, Tusheml) and Penkovo (Seliste, Pastyrskoe) cultures existed in the 6th-7th centuries. over a vast territory from the borders of modern Poland and Romania to the Dnieper. The Prague-Korchak fortifications were an area surrounded by a wooden wall with one building, which formed part common wall fortifications. They did not have agricultural tools, and the fortifications were apparently built to collect and accommodate a military detachment. The Penkov settlements could have up to two dozen structures inside the walls and were large trade, craft and administrative centers for their time. The center of the territory controlled by the Dulebs (Zimino, Lezhnitsa) was located in the Western Bug basin; The geographical center of the Penkov culture is in the Dnieper region, but the main fortress of the Antes (Seliste) was located in the western part of this area, near the borders of Byzantium (in modern Moldova). Early Slavic fortifications were destroyed by Avars in the 7th century. , after which they were not built until the 10th century.
Religion of the Eastern Slavs
The Eastern Slavs had a patriarchal clan system for a very long time, so they also maintained a family clan cult for a long time in the form of veneration of ancestors associated with the funeral cult. Beliefs concerning the relationship of the dead to the living were very firmly held. All the dead were sharply divided into two categories: “ clean» deceased - those who died a natural death (“parents”); and on " unclean" - those who died a violent or premature death (after the adoption of Christianity, these included children who died unbaptized) and sorcerers. The former were usually revered, and the latter (“the dead” - this is where many superstitions associated with the dead originate) were feared and tried to be neutralized:
Honoring "parents"- This is a family, and formerly (tribal) cult of ancestors.
« Many calendar holidays are associated with it - Maslenitsa, hence parent's Saturday, Radunitsa, Semiki and others. From here, perhaps, the image of Chur (Shchur) appeared; exclamations such as “Chur me”, “Chur this is mine” could mean a spell calling Chur to help. From the cult of ancestors comes the belief in the house-elf (house-elf, domozhil, master, etc.).» Unclean Dead
.
In many ways, these were people who were feared during their lifetime, and who continued to be feared after their death. An interesting ritual is the “neutralization” of such a corpse during a drought, which was often attributed to them. They dug up the grave of a dead man and threw him into a swamp (sometimes filled with water), perhaps this is where the name “naviy” (dead man, deceased) comes from, as well as “navka” - mermaid.
The question of the gods and deities of the Eastern Slavs is more complex. The most ancient were Perun and Velesi Mokosh.
Many researchers agree that Perun then became a princely god, but it is not known whether he was revered by the peasants. It is believed that after the adoption of Christianity in 988, the image of Perun began to be associated with Elijah the Prophet. Veles, the “cattle god,” could be the patron of cattle breeding and agriculture, and Mokosh was the patroness of women’s work, spinning and weaving.
In the 980s, Prince Vladimir carried out a pagan reform with the aim of internally strengthening the state through the eradication of local tribal cults. The prince identified a single pantheon of pagan gods led by Perun Page 4 of 26
Eastern Slavs in the 6th-8th centuries new era Views on the origin of the Slavs. The origin of the Slavs is one of the most controversial issues in historical science, leading their origins from the earliest stages of the formation of the Indo-European community; 2) the Slavs appeared as a result of a mixture of various ethnic elements at the turn of the new era and do not have any single root, that is, the basis of the Slavic community is multiethnic. This question has not been resolved in science to date.
But obviously, 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 enormous role of other peoples in Slavic ethnogenesis.
Eastern Slavs in the VI - VIII centuries. AD Life, customs, religion, political history. The first reliable information from written sources about the Slavs dates back to the beginning of the new era, when Roman historians wrote about the tribes Venedov. In the 6th century AD. Slavic tribes, who inhabited Eastern Europe, begin to make campaigns against Byzantium. From now on we can talk about final formation Slavic ethnicity. Many Slavic tribes moved to the Balkan Peninsula, occupying the lands of the Eastern Roman Empire. Invasion of nomadic Avar tribes in the 6th - 7th centuries. separated these groups from the rest of the Slavic world and marked the beginning of the formation of the South Slavs. The Western and Eastern Slavs were divided in the previous era. The Slavs belong to the Indo-European language family, the place of formation of their ethnic group was, apparently, the region along the middle reaches of the Dnieper and north of the Carpathians, in the southern part of modern Poland. The ethnic basis of the ancient Russian state is Kievan Rus- become East Slavic tribes, which consolidated by the middle of the 1st millennium AD.
The main occupation of the Slavs was agriculture. In the selected area of the forest, the Slavs first cut down trees and bushes. The felled trees had been drying all summer, next year the dry wood was set on fire. A new field was harrowed with a heavy branch, the ash mixed with top layer land, and then they sowed grain. This type of farming was called slash farming or fire farming. When, after several harvests, the land was depleted, a new plot of virgin land was sown, and the old field was abandoned for many years. The Slavs sowed rye, wheat, barley, millet, and raised cows, horses, and sheep. For a long time they used iron - they used an iron ax and plowed with a plow with an iron tip (coulter). It is very important that the Slavs developed arable farming early - this was a huge step in the development of productive forces. It became truly possible only after people mastered the production of iron. In general, the production of iron tools marked a real revolution in the development of productive forces. An iron coulter appeared at the plow, a plow; They used iron axes to clear forests for farming.
Bread was the main food of the Slavs. The ancient Slavic name for bread “zhito” comes from the Slavic word “to live”.
The Slavs were also engaged in fishing and hunting. At that time, there were many animals in the forests along the Dnieper, and there were a lot of fish in the rivers. Bees have been storing honey in the hollows of old trees for years. A hollow for bees cut by a man in a tree was called a boria. The Slavs were engaged in beekeeping and collected honey from wild bees.
The Slavs lived in tribal communities, united into tribes, in small villages, often fortified. The tribes were led by princes, who became especially powerful during the campaigns against Byzantium due to military spoils. By the time the second half of the millennium AD began. The Eastern Slavs, apparently, were at the stage of decomposition of the primitive communal system, experiencing the period of the so-called “ military democracy”, which is characterized by clearly visible social inequality for the first time, as well as increased political activity and constant military conflicts. In the 9th century, we know of a number of Slavic campaigns against Byzantium and the Caspian Sea. Most of the trips were made by water: first they rafted down the rivers, then they went out to sea and plundered the coasts. From the chronicles we know the main Slavic tribes of this time - the Polyans, Drevlyans, Northerners, Radimichi, Vyatichi, Krivichi, Dregovichi, Dulebs, Volynians, White Croats, Ulichs, Tivertsy, Polotsk, Ilmen Slovenes. Modern historians agree that in the “Tale of Bygone Years” - where our information comes from - it is no longer about the tribes themselves, but about a higher type of association -. Such forms of organization are typical for the period of military democracy and are, in fact, a pre-state stage in the development of the political organization of peoples.
The religion of the Slavs was pagan. They worshiped the deified forces of nature: the sun - Yarilo, wind - Stribog, storm - Perun, as well as more abstract concepts: heavenly fire - Svarog, the progenitors of all living things - Rodu and Roda and many other gods. Cults were performed, as a rule, in the open air, in sanctuaries where outsiders were not allowed. The Slavs also had human sacrifices, however, this ritual was carried out only in extreme cases, when all other methods of influencing higher power were exhausted. The religion of the Eastern Slavs bears traces of both beliefs and ideas about the surrounding world common to many peoples of the Indo-European family, as well as specifically Slavic ones, which arose largely under the influence environment. This was especially evident in the belief in such creatures as goblins, mermen, mermaids, kikimoras, brownies, etc.
In general, we can say that by the end of the 9th century the Eastern Slavs were already on the verge of statehood. The question was what kind of state this would be, which tribe or union of tribes would become the center of the East Slavic world and begin to subjugate others. It was also possible that several states could arise on the territory of Eastern Europe, as happened among the Western and Southern Slavs.
| Table of contents |
|---|
| Russian history. |
| COURSE PROGRAM |
| Natural and climatic features of Eastern Europe |
| Eastern Slavs in the VI-VIII centuries AD |
| Formation of the state among the Eastern Slavs |
| Russian lands during the period of feudal fragmentation of the XII - XV centuries. |
| The Moscow state in the 15th - 16th centuries |
| XVII century - a new period of Russian history |
| Reforms of Peter I |
In today's lesson you will get acquainted with the ancient Slavic tribes, the peculiarities of their economy and life, and learn the names of the gods worshiped by the Eastern Slavs and their neighbors.
Topic: Old Russian state
Lesson:Eastern Slavs inVII - IXcenturies
In the 7th - 9th centuries. The Slavs occupied a vast territory of Eastern Europe. They settled in the territory from Lake Ladoga to the middle reaches of the Dnieper River, from the Bug River to the upper reaches of the Dnieper. A peculiarity of the settlement of the Slavs was that the tribal unions of the Eastern Slavs formed in the basins of large rivers, where centers of tribal principalities subsequently arose. The Ilmen Slavs settled in the area of Lake Ilmen and the Dvina River. The Dregovichi and Drevlyans settled in the area of the Pripyat River. In the upper reaches of the Dnieper along the Sozh and Seim rivers lived the Radimichi. In the middle reaches of the Dnieper, glades settled. In the Desna River basin there are northerners. In the northeast, in the Oka River basin, there are Vyatichi.
Rice. 1. Settlement of the Eastern Slavs ()
The main occupations of the Slavs were based on the characteristics of the land. Slash-and-burn agriculture was practiced in the forests. The steppe land was developed through fallow land. But still the yield was low due to the harsh continental climate. Other industries of the Slavs were fishing, hunting, and beekeeping was also common. The Novgorod-Ilmen region was rich in forests, and the fur trade flourished there. In the southern regions, hunting for moose and bears was practiced. The abundance of rivers, lakes, and a well-branched water transport system contributed to the development of shipping, trade, and various crafts that provided products for exchange. At the crossroads of trade routes they were based big cities, breeding centers such as Kyiv and others.
Rice. 2. Slash-and-burn farming ()
On the eve of the formation of statehood, the Eastern Slavs lived as a neighboring community, in which private property took shape. Each family had the right to cleared land - lyadina. In Slavic society, military leaders were identified and a squad was formed. The squad is special group population engaged only in military activities, in particular campaigns. For defense, there was a militia of free community members. The vigilantes not only participated in campaigns of conquest, but also managed the annexed lands. At its head was a prince, to whom the squad and governors were subordinate. Lower in position were smerds or, as they were also called, husbands (heads of patriarchal families who had the right to participate in the army). The servants had an even lower status - these were members of the husbands' families and slaves who did not have the right to participate in the army.
The religion of the Eastern Slavs was complex, varied, with detailed customs. Its origins go back to Indo-European ancient beliefs, to Paleolithic times. The religion that existed in different nations before they adopted Christianity or Islam, it was called paganism (polytheism). The Slavs populated the world with different gods and goddesses. At their head was the great Svarog, the god of the universe. His sons - Svarozhichi - the sun and fire, were carriers of light and warmth. The sun god Dazhdbog was highly revered by the Slavs. The Slavs prayed to the clan and women in labor - the god and goddesses of fertility. This cult was associated with the agricultural activities of the population and therefore was especially popular. God Veles was revered by the Slavs as the patron of cattle breeding, Stribog commanded the winds. As the Slavs merged with some Iranian and Finno-Ugric tribes, their gods migrated to the Slavic pantheon. Thus, in the 8th - 9th centuries, the Slavs revered the Iranian sun god Khoros. With the beginning of military campaigns among the Slavs, the god of thunder and lightning, Perun, borrowed from the Balts, increasingly came to the fore. A special attitude towards dead soldiers appears (funeral pyres, burial mounds, and so on). The Slavs had an annual cycle of agricultural holidays: Kolyada, the day of the vernal equinox, Maslenitsa, May 1-2 celebrated the appearance of the first spring shoots, the holiday of Ivan Kupala, and so on. Many of these holidays have survived to this day. In every house the Slavs had idols of gods; there was also a cult of Shurov, small family idols of houses.
The Slavs did not have friendly relations with all their neighbors. Slavic legends tell about the attack of the Turkic-speaking nomads Avars on the Slavic tribe of Dulebs. In the 8th century, the East Slavic tribes of the Polans, Severians, Vyatichi and Radimichi conquered the Khazars, forcing them to pay tribute.
So, living surrounded by various tribes and peoples, the Eastern Slavs formed a special civilization.
- Mavrodin V.V. Where did the Russian land come from? M., 1986.
- Rybakov B.A. World of history. The initial centuries of Russian history. M., 1984
- WWW.GRANDARS.RU ().
- Academician ().
- TAREFER.RU ().
- When did the Slavs appear on the territory of our country?
- How did nature influence the activities and beliefs of the Eastern Slavs?
- What were the relationships between the Slavs and neighboring tribes and peoples?
EASTERN SLAVS AND THEIR NEIGHBORS.
During the 8th century. the further development of the Eastern Slavs led to the formation of large tribal unions from individual related tribes. The first Russian chronicle, The Tale of Bygone Years, lists the East Slavic tribal unions and tells on what lands they lived. There were more than ten such unions.
In the Middle Dnieper region lived a powerful union of tribes under the common name Polyane. Kyiv has long been the center of the glades. Slovenes were located around Novgorod, Ladoga, and Lake Ilmen. To the northwest of the glades, a tribal union of the Drevlyans, i.e., forest dwellers, was formed, with the center of Iskorosten. Further, in the forest zone between the Dnieper and the upper reaches of the Neman, the Dregovichi lived. In the northeast, in the interfluve of the Oka, Klyazma and Dnieper, lived the Radimichi, and to the north of them, in the upper reaches of the Western Dvina and Dnieper, the Krivichi, whose tribal center was Smolensk. Polotsk residents settled in the Western Dvina basin; Polotsk later became their main city. The tribes that settled along the Desna, Seim, and Sule rivers and lived to the northeast of the glades were called northerners; Chernigov eventually became their main city. To the west of the glades, in the upper reaches of the Bug River, the Volynians settled. Between the Southern Bug and the Danube lived the Ulichi and Tivertsy, bordering the lands of the Bulgarian kingdom. South of the Volynians, in the upper reaches of the Dniester, lived tribes of Croats.
In the north and northeast, tribal unions of the Eastern Slavs subjugated the surrounding tribes of the Balts and Finno-Ugrians to their influence and forced them to pay tribute. There were clashes between the Slavs and these tribes, but in general relations were peaceful, since the Slavs did not force their customs on their neighbors, and they often acted together against external enemies. The Slavs borrowed the names of many rivers, lakes, and villages from the Finno-Ugric tribes. They adopted from the forest dwellers the belief in magicians and magicians. The Slavs of the Northern Black Sea region were influenced by the descendants of the Iranian-speaking Scythian-Sarmatian population. Many Iranian words have become firmly established Old Slavic language and have been preserved in modern Russian.
In the west, the neighbors of the Eastern Slavs were the Western Slavic tribes: Mazovshans, Vislans, Moravians, Slovaks. At the beginning of the 9th century. The Western Slavs had a state - the Great Moravian Empire (collapsed at the beginning of the 10th century).
But the Eastern Slavs did not have friendly relations with all their neighbors. So, in the 7th century. Turkic-speaking Avars, who created the Avar Kaganate on the Danube and Tisa, defeated the Slavic tribal union of the Dulebs. Over time, the devastated Du-Leb lands were occupied by other Slavic tribes. The local region was called Volyn, and the new inhabitants began to be called Volynians. Earlier, at the end of the 6th century, as a result of the invasion of the Avars from the depths of Asia into Europe, the Antes tribal union, related to the Slavs, which was located in the territory from the lower Danube to the Sea of Azov, disintegrated.
In the south, the Eastern Slavs had an uneasy relationship with the Khazars. Part of the Eastern Slavs and Finno-Ugrians found themselves dependent on the Khazar Kaganate. Slavic trade with the rich passed through its territory along the Volga and Don eastern countries. Peaceful relations with the Khazars alternated with frequent wars. The Slavs sought to free themselves from the tribute they paid to the Khazars and wanted to take control of the exits to the main trade routes to the Black and Caspian Seas. Until the second half of the 10th century. The Khazar Khaganate remained the main enemy of the Eastern Slavs.
From the beginning of the 9th century. The Eastern Slavs began to encounter nomadic Turks breaking through the Khazar lands: Bulgars, Torks, Pechenegs. Pechenegs at the end of the 9th century. settled in the lower reaches of the Dnieper and Don, displacing the Magyars (Hungarians) from here. From this time until the beginning of the 11th century. the Slavs will have to repel the predatory raids of the Pechenegs.
In the north, meanwhile, the ferocious Normans (“northern people”) appeared, devastating them from the end of the 8th century. Western Europe. Detachments of Normans (the Slavs called them Varangians) began to attack the lands of the Krivichi, Polotsk and Ilmen Slovenes. In 859, as a result of the Varangians' campaign on the lands of the Eastern Slavs, the Krivichi and Ilmen Slovenes began to pay tribute to the newcomers from the north.