Ancient historians were sure that warlike tribes and “people with dog heads” lived on the territory of Ancient Rus'. Much time has passed since then, but many mysteries of the Slavic tribes have not yet been solved.
1. Northerners living in the south
At the beginning of the 8th century, the tribe of northerners inhabited the banks of the Desna, Seim and Seversky Donets, founded Chernigov, Putivl, Novgorod-Seversky and Kursk. The name of the tribe, according to Lev Gumilev, is due to the fact that it assimilated the nomadic Savir tribe, which in ancient times lived in Western Siberia. It is with the Savirs that the origin of the name Siberia is associated.
Archaeologist Valentin Sedov believed that the Savirs were a Scythian-Sarmatian tribe, and the place names of the northerners were of Iranian origin. Thus, the name of the Seym (Seven) river comes from the Iranian śyama or even from the ancient Indian syāma, which means “dark river”. According to the third hypothesis, the northerners (severs) were immigrants from the southern or western lands. On the right bank of the Danube lived a tribe with that name. It could easily have been “moved” by the invading Bulgars.
The northerners were representatives of the Mediterranean type of people: they were distinguished by a narrow face, an elongated skull, were thin-boned and nosed. They brought bread and furs to Byzantium, and back - gold, silver, and luxury goods. They traded with the Bulgarians and Arabs. The northerners paid tribute to the Khazars, and then entered into an alliance of tribes united Novgorod prince Prophetic Oleg. In 907 they took part in the campaign against Constantinople. In the 9th century, the Chernigov and Pereyaslav principalities appeared on their lands.
2. Vyatichi and Radimichi - relatives or different tribes?
The lands of the Vyatichi were located on the territory of the Moscow, Kaluga, Oryol, Ryazan, Smolensk, Tula, Voronezh and Lipetsk regions.
Outwardly, the Vyatichi resembled northerners, but they were not so big-nosed, but they had a high bridge of the nose and brown hair. The Tale of Bygone Years states that the name of the tribe came from the name of the ancestor Vyatko (Vyacheslav), who came “from the Poles.”
Other scientists associate the name with the Indo-European root ven-t (wet), or with the Proto-Slavic vęt (large) and put the name of the tribe on a par with the Wends and Vandals. The Vyatichi were skilled warriors, hunters, and collected wild honey, mushrooms and berries. Cattle breeding and shifting agriculture were widespread. They were not part of Ancient Rus' and more than once fought with the Novgorod and Kyiv princes.
According to legend, Vyatko’s brother Radim became the founder of the Radimichi, who settled between the Dnieper and Desna in the Gomel and Mogilev regions of Belarus and founded Krichev, Gomel, Rogachev and Chechersk.
The Radimichi also rebelled against the princes, but after the battle on Peshchan they submitted. Chronicles mention them in last time in 1169.
3. Are Krivichi Croats or Poles?
The passage of the Krivichi, who from the 6th century lived in the upper reaches of the Western Dvina, Volga and Dnieper and became the founders of Smolensk, Polotsk and Izborsk, is not known for certain. The name of the tribe came from the ancestor Kriv. The Krivichi differed from other tribes in their tall stature. They had a nose with a pronounced hump and a clearly defined chin. Anthropologists classify the Krivichi people as the Valdai type of people.
According to one version, the Krivichi are migrated tribes of white Croats and Serbs, according to another, they are immigrants from the north of Poland.
The Krivichi worked closely with the Varangians and built ships on which they sailed to Constantinople.
The Krivichi became part of Ancient Rus' in the 9th century. The last prince of the Krivichi, Rogvolod, was killed with his sons in 980. The principalities of Smolensk and Polotsk appeared on their lands.
4. Slovenian vandals
The Slovenes (Itelmen Slovenes) were the northernmost tribe. They lived on the shores of Lake Ilmen and on the Mologa River. Origin unknown. According to legend, their ancestors were Sloven and Rus, who founded the cities of Slovensk (Veliky Novgorod) and Staraya Russa before our era.
From Sloven, power passed to Prince Vandal (known in Europe as the Ostrogothic leader Vandalar), who had three sons: Izbor, Vladimir and Stolposvyat, and four brothers: Rudotok, Volkhov, Volkhovets and Bastarn. The wife of Prince Vandal Advinda was from the Varangians.
Slovenes continually fought with the Varangians and their neighbors. It is known that the ruling dynasty descended from the son of Vandal Vladimir. The Slavens were engaged in agriculture, expanded their possessions, influenced other tribes, and traded with the Arabs, Prussia, Gotland and Sweden.
It was here that Rurik began to reign. After the emergence of Novgorod, the Slovenes began to be called Novgorodians and founded the Novgorod Land.
5. Russians. A people without territory
Look at the map of the settlement of the Slavs. Each tribe has its own lands. There are no Russians there. Despite all this, it was the Russians who gave the name to Rus'. There are three theories of the origin of the Russians.
The first theory considers the Rus to be Varangians and is based on the “Tale of Bygone Years” (written from 1110 to 1118), which says: “They drove the Varangians overseas, and did not give them tribute, and began to rule over themselves, and there was no truth among them, and generation after generation rose up, and they had strife, and began to fight each other. And they said to themselves: “Let’s look for a prince who would rule over us and judge us by right.” And they went overseas to the Varangians, to Rus'. Those Varangians were called Rus, just as others are called Swedes, and some Normans and Angles, and still others Gotlanders, so are these.”
The second says that the Rus are a separate tribe that came to Eastern Europe earlier or later than the Slavs.
The third theory says that the Russians are the highest caste East Slavic tribe glades or the tribe itself, which lived on the Dnieper and the Ros. “The glades are now called Rus'” - it was written in the “Laurentian” Chronicle, which followed the “Tale of Bygone Years” and was written in 1377. Here the word “Rus” was used as a toponym and the name Rus was also used as the name of a separate tribe: “Rus, Chud and Slovenes,” - this is how the chronicler listed the peoples who inhabited the country.
Despite research by geneticists, controversy surrounding the Rus continues. For example, the Norwegian researcher Thor Heyerdahl believed that the Varangians themselves were descendants of the Slavs.
Rus is the name of one of the oldest Slavic tribes.
Historical reality
Hypothesis about the existence of Slavic tribe of Rus/Rus” is an unsuccessful attempt to criticize the chronicle version of the origin of Rus' from the Varangians.
The desire to find the Rus/Rus/Rus on the territory of Eastern Europe in the period preceding the legendary “calling of the Varangians” often forced even venerable scientists to interpret information from historical sources in a very original way.
Chronicle formula "Glade ı not the calling Rus' “speaks for itself: the original name “Rus” is not original for the Slavs. Polyana, according to the chronicler, is one of the East European Slavic tribes. But the original Rus' is the alien Varangians, “persons of Scandinavian nationality.” "I went overseas to the Varangians, to Rus'. Sitsa, you call Varangians Rus', as all the Druzii are called Sve, the Druzii are Urmani, Anglians, Ini and Gote, Tako and Si, the chronicler tells us. However, the chronicler most likely did notwas the author politically independent, therefore, in the interests of the Scandinavian dynasty, Rus' could well be “deprived of its Slavic status.” In addition, the author is “confused in his testimony”, because in another passage he states:« But the Slovenian language and the Russian language are the same . « True, the chronicler already clarifies in the next sentence:“From the Varangians it was nicknamed Russia, and first of all Slovenia; Even though I call it a clearing, I don’t speak Slovenian speech.” But these two sentences may simply be talking about different eras.
In the Estonian atlas of 1859 Sweden - ROOTSI (and even now)
However, an independent expert on geopolitics of the 10th century. very clearly separates the Ros and their Slavic tributaries. We are talking about Constantine Porphyrogenitus and his treatise “On the Administration of the Empire”. Moreover, the learned emperor does not leave the slightest chance for doubt about the “non-Slavicness” of the Ros. Its text gives the names of the Dnieper rapids in Russian and Slavic languages, and in Russian one can easily guess the Old Swedish.
However, not everyone liked or likes the “Swedish trace”. Such opponents of the “Scandinavian trace” are called “anti-Normanists”. Unambiguous indications of sources do not confuse them at all, and they deny any significant role of the Scandinavians in the formation of Rus'. The most detailed thesis of the “Russians”- unconditional Slavs" was outlined by academician B.A. Rybakov in a voluminous article in 1953 “Ancient Rus (On the question of the formation of the core of the Old Russian nationality in the light of the works of I.V. Stalin).” B.A. Rybakov built a rather complex historical and archaeological structure, trying to prove that in the VI – VII centuries. there was a certain Slavic tribe “Rus”, which lived between Kiev and the river. Ros (the name of the river, of course, is associated with the name of the people).
The only source from this period that gives even a hint of the Rus/Rus in Eastern Europe is a certain Pseudo-Zechariah - the anonymous author of the Syriac translation of Zechariah the Rhetor's Ecclesiastical History. In the description of the peoples living north of the Caucasus, this author, in the same passage with dog people and Amazons, mentions a certain people “eros” - giants who, due to the size of their limbs, cannot ride horses. B.A. Rybakov accepts A.P.’s hypothesis. Dyakonov that the Syrian “eros” conveys the Greek “ros/rus”. For the indisputable authority of Soviet Slavic and Russian studies, the Slavicity of these Ros/Russians was a priori and undoubted.
This concept by B.A. Rybakova, over the more than half a century that has passed since its publication, has been repeatedly criticized and has been considered by experts for many years as an example of historiography in the style of “if the facts do not confirm the theory, then so much the worse for the facts.” However, in popular literature and the online sphere, the opinion of B.A. Rybakov remains very authoritative, and therefore the mentioned concept is still popular.
SLAVIC TRIBES IN Rus'Slavic tribes
Vyatichi is a union of East Slavic tribes who lived in the second half of the first millennium AD. e. in the upper and middle reaches of the Oka. The name Vyatichi presumably comes from the name of the ancestor of the tribe, Vyatko. However, some associate the origin of this name with the morpheme “ven” and the Veneds (or Venets/Vents) (the name “Vyatichi” was pronounced “Ventici”).
In the middle of the 10th century, Svyatoslav annexed the lands of the Vyatichi to Kievan Rus, but until the end of the 11th century these tribes retained a certain political independence; campaigns against the Vyatichi princes of this time are mentioned.
Since the 12th century, the territory of the Vyatichi became part of the Chernigov, Rostov-Suzdal and Ryazan principalities. Until the end of the 13th century, the Vyatichi preserved many pagan rituals and traditions, in particular, they cremated the dead, erecting small mounds over the burial site. After Christianity took root among the Vyatichi, the ritual of cremation gradually fell out of use.
The Vyatichi retained their tribal name longer than other Slavs. They lived without princes, the social structure was characterized by self-government and democracy. The last time the Vyatichi were mentioned in the chronicle under such a tribal name was in 1197.
Buzhans (Volynians) - tribe Eastern Slavs, which lived in the basin of the upper reaches of the Western Bug (from which they got their name); Since the end of the 11th century, the Buzhans have been called Volynians (from the area of Volyn).
The Volynians are an East Slavic tribe or tribal union mentioned in the Tale of Bygone Years and in the Bavarian chronicles. According to the latter, the Volynians owned seventy fortresses at the end of the 10th century. Some historians believe that the Volynians and Buzhans are descendants of the Dulebs. Their main cities were Volyn and Vladimir-Volynsky. Archaeological research indicates that the Volynians developed agriculture and numerous crafts, including forging, casting and pottery.
In 981, the Volynians were subjugated by the Kyiv prince Vladimir I and became part of Kievan Rus. Later, the Galician-Volyn principality was formed on the territory of the Volynians.
The Drevlyans are one of the tribes of the Russian Slavs, they lived in Pripyat, Goryn, Sluch and Teterev.
The name Drevlyans, according to the chronicler's explanation, was given to them because they lived in forests.
From archaeological excavations in the country of the Drevlians, we can conclude that they had a well-known culture. A well-established burial ritual testifies to the existence of certain religious ideas about the afterlife: the absence of weapons in the graves testifies to the peaceful nature of the tribe; finds of sickles, shards and vessels, iron products, remains of fabrics and leather indicate the existence of arable farming, pottery, blacksmithing, weaving and tanning among the Drevlyans; many bones of domestic animals and spurs indicate cattle breeding and horse breeding; many items made of silver, bronze, glass and carnelian, of foreign origin, indicate the existence of trade, and the absence of coins gives reason to conclude that trade was barter.
The political center of the Drevlyans in the era of their independence was the city of Iskorosten; in later times, this center, apparently, moved to the city of Vruchy (Ovruch)
Dregovichi - an East Slavic tribal union that lived between Pripyat and the Western Dvina.
Most likely the name comes from the Old Russian word dregva or dryagva, which means “swamp”.
Under the name of the Druguvites (Greek δρονγονβίται), the Dregovichi were already known to Constantine the Porphyrogenitus as a tribe subordinate to Rus'. Being away from the “Road from the Varangians to the Greeks,” the Dregovichi did not play a prominent role in the history of Ancient Rus'. The chronicle only mentions that the Dregovichi once had their own reign. The capital of the principality was the city of Turov. The subordination of the Dregovichi to the Kyiv princes probably occurred very early. The Principality of Turov was subsequently formed on the territory of the Dregovichi, and the northwestern lands became part of the Principality of Polotsk.
Duleby (not Duleby) - a union of East Slavic tribes on the territory of Western Volyn in the 6th - early 10th centuries. In the 7th century they were subjected to an Avar invasion (obry). In 907 they took part in Oleg’s campaign against Constantinople. They split into tribes of Volynians and Buzhanians and in the middle of the 10th century they finally lost their independence, becoming part of Kievan Rus.
The Krivichi are a large East Slavic tribe (tribal association), which in the 6th-10th centuries occupied the upper reaches of the Volga, Dnieper and Western Dvina, the southern part of the Lake Peipsi basin and part of the Neman basin. Sometimes the Ilmen Slavs are also considered to be Krivichi.
The Krivichi were probably the first Slavic tribe to move from the Carpathian region to the northeast. Limited in their distribution to the northwest and west, where they met stable Lithuanian and Finnish tribes, the Krivichi spread to the northeast, assimilating with the living Tamfinns.
Having settled on the great waterway from Scandinavia to Byzantium (the route from the Varangians to the Greeks), the Krivichi took part in trade with Greece; Konstantin Porphyrogenitus says that the Krivichi make boats on which the Rus go to Constantinople. Participated in the campaigns of Oleg and Igor against the Greeks as a subordinate tribe to the prince of Kyiv; Oleg's agreement mentions their city of Polotsk.
Already in the era of the formation of the Russian state, the Krivichi had political centers: Izborsk, Polotsk and Smolensk.
It is believed that the last tribal prince of the Krivichs, Rogvolod, together with his sons, was killed in 980 by the Novgorod prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich. In the Ipatiev list, the Krivichi were mentioned for the last time in 1128, and the Polotsk princes were called Krivichi in 1140 and 1162. After this, the Krivichi were no longer mentioned in the East Slavic chronicles. However, the tribal name Krivichi was used in foreign sources for quite a long time (until the end of the 17th century). IN Latvian the word krievs came to designate Russians in general, and the word Krievija to designate Russia.
The southwestern, Polotsk branch of the Krivichi is also called Polotsk. Together with the Dregovichi, Radimichi and some Baltic tribes, this branch of the Krivichi formed the basis of the Belarusian ethnic group.
The northeastern branch of the Krivichi, settled mainly in the territory of modern Tver, Yaroslavl and Kostroma regions, was in close contact with Finno-Ugric tribes.
The border between the settlement territory of the Krivichi and the Novgorod Slovenes is determined archaeologically by the types of burials: long mounds among the Krivichi and hills among the Slovenes.
The Polochans are an East Slavic tribe that inhabited the lands in the middle reaches of the Western Dvina in today's Belarus in the 9th century.
Polotsk residents are mentioned in the Tale of Bygone Years, which explains their name as living near the Polota River, one of the tributaries of the Western Dvina. In addition, the chronicle claims that the Krivichi were descendants of the Polotsk people. The lands of the Polotsk people extended from Svisloch along the Berezina to the lands of the Dregovichi. The Polotsk people were one of the tribes from which the Principality of Polotsk was later formed. They are one of the founders of the modern Belarusian people.
Polyane (Poly) is the name of a Slavic tribe, during the era of the settlement of the Eastern Slavs, who settled along the middle reaches of the Dnieper, on its right bank.
Judging by the chronicles and the latest archaeological research, the territory of the land of the glades before the Christian era was limited by the flow of the Dnieper, Ros and Irpen; in the northeast it was adjacent to the village land, in the west - to the southern settlements of the Dregovichi, in the southwest - to the Tivertsy, in the south - to the streets.
Calling the Slavs who settled here the Polans, the chronicler adds: “Sedyahu was in the field.” The Polyans differed sharply from the neighboring Slavic tribes both in moral properties and in the forms of social life: “The Polans, for their father’s customs, are quiet and meek, and are ashamed of their daughters-in-law and to sisters and to their mothers... I have marriage customs.”
History finds the Polans already at a rather late stage of political development: the social system is composed of two elements - communal and princely-retinue, and the first is greatly suppressed by the latter. With the usual and most ancient occupations of the Slavs - hunting, fishing and beekeeping - cattle breeding, agriculture, "timber farming" and trade were more common among the Polyans than other Slavs. The latter was quite extensive not only with its Slavic neighbors, but also with foreigners in the West and East: from the coin hoards it is clear that trade with the East began in the 8th century, but ceased during the strife of the appanage princes.
At first, around the middle of the 8th century, the glades who paid tribute to the Khazars, thanks to their cultural and economic superiority, soon moved from a defensive position in relation to their neighbors to an offensive one; The Drevlyans, Dregovichs, northerners and others by the end of the 9th century were already subject to the glades. Christianity was established among them earlier than others. The center of the Polish (“Polish”) land was Kyiv; its other settlements are Vyshgorod, Belgorod on the Irpen River (now the village of Belogorodka), Zvenigorod, Trepol (now the village of Tripolye), Vasilyev (now Vasilkov) and others.
Zemlyapolyan with the city of Kiev became the center of the Rurikovich possessions in 882. The name of the polyans was mentioned for the last time in the chronicle in 944, on the occasion of Igor’s campaign against the Greeks, and was replaced, probably already at the end of the 10th century, by the name Rus (Ros) and Kiyane. The chronicler also calls Polyana the Slavic tribe on the Vistula, mentioned for the last time in the Ipatiev Chronicle in 1208.
Radimichi is the name of the population that was part of the union of East Slavic tribes that lived in the area between the upper reaches of the Dnieper and Desna.
Around 885 the Radimichi became part of the Old Russian state, and in the 12th century they mastered most of the Chernigov and southern part of the Smolensk lands. The name comes from the name of the ancestor of the tribe, Radim.
The Northerners (more correctly, the North) are a tribe or tribal union of Eastern Slavs who inhabited the territories east of the middle reaches of the Dnieper, along the Desna and Seimi Sula rivers.
The origin of the name of the north is not fully understood. Most authors associate it with the name of the Savir tribe, which was part of the Hunnic association. According to another version, the name goes back to an obsolete ancient Slavic word meaning “relative”. The explanation from the Slavic siver, north, despite the similarity of sound, is considered extremely controversial, since the north has never been the most northern of the Slavic tribes.
Slovenes (Ilmen Slavs) are an East Slavic tribe that lived in the second half of the first millennium in the basin of Lake Ilmen and the upper reaches of Mologa and made up the bulk of the population of Novgorod land.
Tivertsi are an East Slavic tribe that lived between the Dniester and Danube near the Black Sea coast. They were first mentioned in the Tale of Bygone Years along with other East Slavic tribes of the 9th century. The main occupation of the Tiverts was agriculture. The Tiverts took part in the campaigns of Oleg against Constantinople in 907 and Igor in 944. In the middle of the 10th century, the lands of the Tiverts became part of Kievan Rus.
The descendants of the Tiverts became part of the Ukrainian people, and their western part underwent Romanization.
Ulichi is an East Slavic tribe that inhabited the lands along the lower reaches of the Dnieper, Southern Bug and the Black Sea coast during the 8th-10th centuries.
The capital of the streets was the city of Peresechen. In the first half of the 10th century, the Ulichi fought for independence from Kievan Rus, but were nevertheless forced to recognize its supremacy and become part of it. Later, the Ulichi and neighboring Tivertsy were pushed north by the arriving Pecheneg nomads, where they merged with the Volynians. Last mentioned about the streets dates back to the chronicle of the 970s.
Croats are an East Slavic tribe that lived in the vicinity of the city of Przemysl on the San River. They called themselves White Croats, in contrast to the tribe of the same name who lived in the Balkans. The name of the tribe is derived from the ancient Iranian word “shepherd, guardian of livestock,” which may indicate its main occupation - cattle breeding.
Bodrichi (Obodrity, Rarogi) - Polabian Slavs (lower Elbe) in the 8th-12th centuries. - union of Vagrs, Polabs, Glinyaks, Smolyans. Rarog (from the Danes Rerik) is the main city of the Bodrichis. Mecklenburg State in East Germany.
According to one version, Rurik is a Slav from the Bodrichi tribe, the grandson of Gostomysl, the son of his daughter Umila and the Bodrichi prince Godoslav (Godlav).
The Vistula are a Western Slavic tribe that lived at least since the 7th century in Lesser Poland. In the 9th century, the Vistula formed a tribal state with centers in Krakow, Sandomierz and Stradow. At the end of the century they were conquered by the king of Great Moravia Svyatopolk I and were forced to accept baptism. In the 10th century, the lands of the Vistula were conquered by the Polans and included in Poland.
The Zlicans (Czech Zličane, Polish Zliczanie) are one of the ancient Czech tribes. They inhabited the territory adjacent to the modern city of Kourzhim (Czech Republic). They served as the center of the formation of the Zlican Principality, which covered the beginning of the 10th century. Eastern and Southern Bohemia and the region of the Duleb tribe. The main city of the principality was Libice. The Libice princes Slavniki competed with Prague in the struggle for the unification of the Czech Republic. In 995, Zlicany was subordinated to the Přemyslids.
Lusatians, Lusatian Serbs, Sorbs (German Sorben), Vends are the indigenous Slavic population living in the territory of Lower and Upper Lusatia - regions that are part of modern Germany. The first settlements of Lusatian Serbs in these places were recorded in the 6th century AD. e.
The Lusatian language is divided into Upper Lusatian and Lower Lusatian.
The Brockhaus and Euphron Dictionary gives the definition: “Sorbs are the name of the Wends and the Polabian Slavs in general.” Slavic people inhabiting a number of regions in Germany, in the federal states of Brandenburg and Saxony.
The Russians were not the only people inhabiting Kievan Rus. In the boiler ancient Russian state Other, more ancient tribes also “cooked”: Chud, Merya, Muroma. They left early, but left a deep mark on Russian ethnicity, language and folklore.
Chud
“Whatever you call the boat, that’s how it will float.” The mysterious Chud people fully justify their name. The popular version says that the Slavs christened certain tribes Chudya, because their language seemed strange and unusual to them. In ancient Russian sources and folklore, there are many references to the “chud”, which “the Varangians from overseas imposed tribute on.” They took part in Prince Oleg’s campaign against Smolensk, Yaroslav the Wise fought against them: “and defeated them, and established the city of Yuryev,” legends were made about them, like the white-eyed miracle - ancient people, akin to European “fairies”. They left a huge mark on the toponymy of Russia; Lake Peipus, the Peipus coast, and the villages: “Front Chudi”, “Middle Chudi”, “Back Chudi” are named after them. From the north-west of present-day Russia to the Altai mountains, their mysterious “wonderful” trace can still be traced.
For a long time it was customary to associate them with the Finno-Ugric peoples, since they were mentioned in places where representatives of the Finno-Ugric peoples lived or still live. But the folklore of the latter also preserves legends about the mysterious ancient Chud people, whose representatives left their lands and went somewhere, not wanting to accept Christianity. There is especially a lot of talk about them in the Komi Republic. So they say that the ancient tract Vazhgort “Old Village” in the Udora region was once a Chud settlement. From there they were allegedly driven out by Slavic newcomers.
In the Kama region you can learn a lot about the Chud: local residents describe their appearance (dark-haired and dark-skinned), language, and customs. They say that they lived in dugouts in the middle of the forests, where they buried themselves, refusing to submit to more successful invaders. There is even a legend that “the Chud went underground”: they dug a large hole with an earthen roof on pillars, and then collapsed it, preferring death to captivity. But none popular belief, no chronicle mention can answer the questions: what kind of tribes were they, where did they go and whether their descendants are still alive.
Some ethnographers attribute them to the Mansi peoples, others to representatives of the Komi people who chose to remain pagans. The boldest version, which appeared after the discovery of Arkaim and the “Land of Cities” of Sintashta, claims that the Chud are ancient arias. But for now one thing is clear, the Chud are one of the aborigines of ancient Rus' whom we have lost.
Merya
“Chud made a mistake, but Merya intended gates, roads and mileposts...” - these lines from a poem by Alexander Blok reflect the confusion of scientists of his time about two tribes that once lived next door to the Slavs. But, unlike the first, Mary had a “more transparent story.” This ancient Finno-Ugric tribe once lived in the territories of modern Moscow, Yaroslavl, Ivanovo, Tver, Vladimir and Kostroma regions of Russia. That is, in the very center of our country.
There are many references to them; merins are found in the Gothic historian Jordan, who in the 6th century called them tributaries of the Gothic king Germanaric. Like the Chud, they were in the troops of Prince Oleg when he went on campaigns against Smolensk, Kyiv and Lyubech, as recorded in the Tale of Bygone Years. True, according to some scientists, in particular Valentin Sedov, by that time ethnically they were no longer a Volga-Finnish tribe, but “half Slavs.” Final assimilation apparently occurred by the 16th century.
One of the largest peasant uprisings of Kievan Rus in 1024 is associated with the name of Merya. The reason was the great famine that gripped the Suzdal land. Moreover, according to the chronicles, it was preceded by “immense rains,” drought, premature frosts, and dry winds. For the Marys, most of whose representatives opposed Christianization, this obviously looked like “divine punishment.” The rebellion was led by the priests of the “old faith” - the Magi, who tried to use the chance to return to pre-Christian cults. However, it was unsuccessful. The rebellion was defeated by Yaroslav the Wise, the instigators were executed or sent into exile.
Despite the meager data that we know about the Merya people, scientists managed to restore their ancient language, which in Russian linguistics was called “Meryan”. It was reconstructed on the basis of the dialect of the Yaroslavl-Kostroma Volga region and the Finno-Ugric languages. A number of words were recovered thanks to geographical names. It turned out that the endings “-gda” in Central Russian toponymy: Vologda, Sudogda, Shogda are the heritage of the Meryan people.
Despite the fact that mentions of the Merya completely disappeared in sources back in the pre-Petrine era, today there are people who consider themselves to be their descendants. These are mainly residents of the Upper Volga region. They claim that the Merians did not dissolve over the centuries, but formed the substrate (underlying basis) of the northern Great Russian people, switched to Russian, and their descendants call themselves Russians. However, there is no evidence of this.
Muroma
As the Tale of Bygone Years says: in 862 the Slovenes lived in Novgorod, the Krivichi in Polotsk, the Merya in Rostov, and the Murom in Murom. The chronicle, like the Merians, classifies the latter as non-Slavic peoples. Their name translates as “an elevated place by the water,” which corresponds to the position of the city of Murom, which for a long time was their center. Today, based on archaeological finds discovered in large burial grounds of the tribe (located between the left tributaries of the Oka, the Ushna, the Unzha and the right, the Tesha), it is almost impossible to determine which ethnic group they belonged to.
According to domestic archaeologists, they could be either another Finno-Ugric tribe or part of the Meri, or the Mordovians. Only one thing is known, they were friendly neighbors with a highly developed culture. Their weapons were one of the best in the surrounding areas in terms of workmanship, and jewelry, which were found in abundance in burials, are distinguished by the ingenuity of their forms and the care of their manufacture.
Murom was characterized by arched head decorations woven from horsehair and strips of leather, which were spirally braided with bronze wire. Interestingly, there are no analogues among other Finno-Ugric tribes.
Sources show that the Slavic colonization of Murom was peaceful and occurred mainly through strong and economic trade ties. However, the result of this peaceful coexistence was that the Muroma were one of the very first assimilated tribes to disappear from the pages of history. By the 12th century they were no longer mentioned in chronicles.
Polishchuki
Polesia - a region located today on the territory of four states: Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Poland - has a special role in the history of the Slavs. If you look at the map, Polesie will be right in the center of the Slavic world. Hence the idea of it as the ancestral home of the Slavs, as well as the hypothesis of the “Polesie Lake” - an impassable swampy barrier that separated the Slavs and the Balts, which allegedly violated their original unity.
Today, the idea of Polesie as the place where the Proto-Slavic ethnic group first arose is very popular. At least this may be true of its western regions. Soviet archaeologist Yuri Kukharenko called them a “bridge” along which the ancient migration of the Slavs took place from west to east, from Povislenye to the Dnieper region.
Today, these territories are inhabited by a completely unique East Slavic people, who are neither Russians, nor Ukrainians, nor Belarusians. Western Polishchuks or Tuteishes are a distinctive Slavic ethnic group: they differ from their neighbors not only in language and culture, but also in physical features.
According to researchers, they may be descendants of groups of Duleb tribes, known as "Buzhans" and "Volynians", who lived in this territory in the first millennium AD. Today they are divided conditionally into three groups, depending on the territory they inhabit: forest people living in villages on the outskirts of forests, bolotyuki - the most significant group occupying swamp areas and field workers living on the plains.
Despite the fact that today the number of Western Polishchuks has exceeded three million, no one has yet recognized their official status as a separate ethnic group.
Ancient peoples on the territory of Russia began settling and settling the lands long before the emergence of statehood. That is why the first and most Grand Duke Rus' - Rurik - made a huge amount of effort to create a single state, native to many peoples.
The first attempts to study the ancient Russian people
The main feature of the study of the Slavic population is that there is a continuous dynamics of movement of interethnic connections. What does it mean? When studying the main peoples of Russia, it is important to comprehensively investigate this issue. For example, while focusing on the inhabitants of the Central region, it is necessary to pay attention to the nationalities of Eastern Europe and Siberia.
All studies of the pre-revolutionary system were aimed at studying the united Russian people. At the same time, the influence of other nationalities, if not excluded from science, was indirectly mentioned, but not as a leading issue, but only as a formality. The only officially recognized fact is that Finno-Ugric tribes gradually merged with the indigenous peoples of Russia.
Only at the beginning of the twentieth century did Russia begin to be viewed as a historically multinational state. It is impossible to hide the fact that such conclusions were made under the influence of European scientists. Over time, works began to be published Orthodox authors, telling that the indigenous peoples of Russia are developing under the influence of ancient biblical sources. " Russian population“These are people with divine recognition of ancient Kyiv origin,” this is how one of the church leaders, A. Nechvolodov, interpreted the story. He included the Scythians, Huns and other separately existing peoples among the formation.
It was in the twentieth century that such a direction of historical thought as Eurasian theory appeared.
Folk origins: how did it all happen?
Several centuries before the beginning of our era, a great historical event occurred: instead of bronze, iron began to be actively used. The widespread distribution of iron ore gave not only the ubiquity of the raw materials used, but also the strength of the tools being manufactured.
During this period, a gradual cooling of the climate occurs, accompanied by an increase in the amount of fertile land, areas favorable for livestock farming, the vital activity of microorganisms developing in water conditions changes, which has a positive effect on the composition of rivers, lakes, streams, and so on.
With the advent of iron ore, the ancient peoples in Russia began their active development. The number of tribes using iron as their main material has increased. During this period ancient Russia characterized by the settlement of people, Latvians, Estonians, Lithuanians, northeastern Finno-Ugric tribes, as well as other small communities that inhabited the area Central Russia and Eastern Europe.
The “Iron Revolution” increased the level of agriculture, accelerated the clearing of forests for planting, and eased the hard work of ploughmen. The ancient peoples of Russia, whose names are unknown to history, gradually began to exhibit features that were distinctive from the general mass of the population. The formation of each nation occurs under the influence of sedentism, the development of cattle breeding and agriculture. Moreover, settling in different parts of the world, the Slavic peoples passed on everyday skills to their foreign-language neighbors - Mers, Chuds, Karelians, and so on. This fact explains the large number of words in the Estonian language of Slavic origin related to the topic of agriculture.
The first fortifications
The first prototypes of cities, where the peoples and ancient states of Russia lived and were formed, existed in the first millennium BC. A similar trend can be traced both in Northern Europe and in the Urals - the visual border of the settlement of Slavic peoples.
Isolation by forest expanses contributed to the destruction of the tribal communal way of life. Now the ancient peoples on the territory of Russia lived in cities or firmaments, which significantly weakened the consanguineous ties of the once large and powerful community. Gradually, settlement forced peoples to leave their habitat and slowly move in a southeast direction. Abandoned cities were called fortifications. Thanks to such settlements and buildings, the history of Russia since ancient times has many facts and scientific knowledge. Now scientists can judge the everyday life of people, their upbringing, education and work activities. During the construction of cities, the first signs of the stratification of society appear.
The origins of the Slavs as a separate ethnic group
Many scientists are of the opinion that the Slavs are mostly of Indo-European origin. Thus, Russia initially inhabited not only the territory of the modern state, but also most of Eastern Europe and southern countries all the way to modern India.
The common origin of several peoples gives community modern languages. Despite the different beginnings of development, in the languages of neighboring foreign countries you can find a huge number of words similar in meaning and pronunciation. Today, Celtic, Germanic, Slavic, Romance, Indian, Iranian and other language families are considered related.
Assimilation of the Slavs
Not a single people has been preserved as pristine. During the active period, assimilation took place with neighboring tribes and communities.
The history of the state and peoples of Russia is silent about further facts of the development of nationality. In this regard, over the centuries, scientists have put forward various hypotheses. For example, the first chronicler Nestor believed that the Slavic people originally lived on the border of Central and Eastern Europe, and later this ethnic group occupied the Danube River basin along with the Balkan Peninsula.
Scientists - representatives of the bourgeoisie put forward the erroneous theory that the ancestral home of the Slavs is a small part of the territory of the Carpathians.
Peoples of Russia: briefly about the Slavs of the second millennium BC
The sages of antiquity considered the Slavs the greatest people in the history of the past, present and future. Facts have reached our times that a people of Slavic origin was formed under the influence of the Antes, Venets, Wends, and so on.
The Greeks defined the territory of the Slavs as follows: in the west - to the Elbe; in the north - to the Baltic Sea; in the south - to the Danube River; in the east - to the Seim and Oka. Moreover, ancient Greek travelers, thinkers and scientists were not limited to these data. In their opinion, the Slavic peoples living in Russia could settle far to the southeast, thanks to the vast and fertile forest-steppe zone. It was in the rich forests of the country that active hunting and fishing, collecting herbs and berries served as the reason for the mixing of the Slavs with the Sarmatians.
According to Herodotus, a people known as the Scythians lived in Eastern Europe. It is worth noting that this definition meant not only but also many other ethnic groups.
What is rich in northeastern Europe?
Ancient peoples on the territory of Russia are not limited to mentioning people of Slavic origin. The second place in terms of the number of tribes and settlement within the borders of the state is occupied by Lithuanian-Latvian groups.
These people belonged to the Finno-Ugric tribes language family: Finns, Estonians, Maris, Mordovians and so on. Indirect national peoples The Russians led a lifestyle similar to that of the Slavic tribes. Moreover, related languages contributed to the active strengthening of the above-mentioned ethnic communities.
A distinctive feature of Latvians and Lithuanians was that they devoted most of their time and attention to horse breeding rather than to agriculture. At the same time, the construction of reliable settlements and settlements was carried out. Judging by the stories of travelers, Herodotus called the Lithuanian-Latvian groups Tissagets.
Ancient Rus': Scythians and Sarmatians
One of the few representatives of the Iranian language family who left only a trace in history are the Scythians and Sarmatians. Presumably these peoples occupied the territory of southern Russia up to Altai.
The communities of the Scythians and Sarmatians had many similar features to other tribes, but they never represented a single political principle. As early as the fifth century BC, social stratification occurred in the territory where the tribes settled, and wars of conquest were also waged. Gradually, the Scythians conquered the Black Sea tribes and made many campaigns in Asia and Transcaucasia.
There are amazing legends about the wealth of the Scythians. An incredible amount of gold was placed in the royal graves. In this regard, we can trace a fairly strong stratification of society, as well as the power of the elite class.
An interesting fact is that the Scythians were divided into several tribes. For example, in the valley of the eastern Dnieper lived nomadic variations of nationality, in turn, the western side of the river was inhabited by Scythian farmers. The royal Scythians, who traveled between the Dnieper and the lower Don, stood out as a separate group. Only here can you find the richest mounds and powerfully fortified settlements.
The history of Russia from ancient times also provides for surprisingly dynamic alliances of the Scythian-Sarmatian tribes. Gradually, such mergers gave rise to the statehood of the slave system. The first state of this nationality was formed by the Sindian tribes, the other as a result of the Thracian wars.
The most durable Scythian state was formed in the third century BC, its center was Crimea. On the site of modern Simferopol was located main character of all legends - a city with beautiful name Naples is the capital of the Scythian kingdom. It was a powerful center, fortified stone walls and equipped with huge grain storage facilities.
The Scythians were both engaged in agriculture and paid special attention to cattle breeding. In the first centuries BC, the tribes actively developed. The vibrant and extraordinary culture of the Scythians is still being studied by historians. These people gave an immense amount of ideas for paintings, sculptures and other artistic creations. Today, museums preserve echoes of ancient life.
There is an opinion that the Scythian tribes were not completely destroyed from the face of the earth. The presence of a crisis is obvious, but the likelihood of assimilation with the Slavic tribes is very high. This fact is evidenced by the origin of many words in the modern Russian language. If the Slavs used “dog”, along with this expression the Scythian-Iranian “dog” is used; the common Slavic “good” is equated with the Scythian-Sarmatian “good” and so on.
Black Sea coast: Greek roots
The peoples who existed on the territory of the Black Sea coast were captured by Greek bandits several centuries BC. Over the decades, city-polises with ancient Greek culture developed here. Slave-owning relations developed.
Ancient Rus' learned a huge amount of invaluable experience from Greek life. Especially developed in this part of the state were agriculture, catching and salting fish, winemaking, and processing of wheat brought from the Scythian lands. Ceramic craft became widespread and popular. In addition, the experience of trade with overseas countries was adopted. Valuable Greek jewelry was used by the Scythian kings and was recognized along with local wealth.
The cities formed on the territory of the former Greek city-states adopted high level culture of this people. Countless temples, theaters, sculptures and paintings decorated daily life Greeks Gradually, the cities were filled with barbarian tribes who, oddly enough, revered ancient Greek culture, preserving monuments of art, and also studying the writings of philosophers.
The ancient population of Russia: the peoples of the Bosporan kingdom
The northern Black Sea region began to develop in the fifth century BC. The only large slave state called Bosporus - modern Kerch - was formed here. The large political entity lasted only 9 centuries, after which it was destroyed by the Huns in the fourth century BC.
The peoples of the Northern Black Sea region, assimilated with the Greeks, gradually settled throughout the Kerch Peninsula and the lower reaches of the Don. They also occupied the Taman Peninsula. The active development of peoples was noted in the eastern part of the state; nobility and aristocracy gradually emerged from the union of tribes, who interacted with wealthy representatives of the Greek population.
The first impetus for the destruction of statehood was the slave uprising led by Savmak. During this period, Ancient Rus' was filled with disunity and uprisings. Gradually, the Black Sea region was completely captured by the Getae and Sarmatians, and subsequently almost completely destroyed.
Shaping a rich Russian history modern Russia occurred not only under the influence of the peoples living in the territory of the Central region. Representatives of other nationalities also had a significant impact. Today it is impossible to determine with absolute certainty whether the Slavs were an independently developing people or whether their formation was influenced by someone from the outside. It is this question that modern historical science is called upon to resolve.
