The history of the emergence of such a great and powerful people as the Slavs has interested many generations and continues to lose interest even in our time. The origin of the Eastern Slavs has interested many historians, and there is still debate about this. In ancient times, the Slavs were admired by such great minds and scribes as Bishop Otto of Bamber, Byzantine Emperor Mauritius the Strategist, Procopius of Pisaria, Jordan and many others. Read more about who the Slavs are, where they came from and how they formed the first community in our article.

Eastern Slavs in ancient times

A definite theory about where the ancestral home of the ancient Slavs was located has not yet been derived. Historians and archaeologists have been arguing for several decades now, and one of the most important is Byzantine sources, which claim that the Eastern Slavs in antiquity are closer to the 6th century BC. occupied a vast territory of Central and Eastern Europe, and were also divided into three groups:

1. Wends (lived near the Vistula basin);
2. Sklavins (lived between the upper Vistula, the Danube and the Dniester);
3. Ants (lived between the Dnieper and Dniester).

According to historians, these three groups of Slavs subsequently formed the following branches of the Slavs:

• Southern Slavs (Sklavins);
• Western Slavs (Vends);
• Eastern Slavs (Antes).

Historical sources of the 6th century claim that there was no fragmentation between the Slavs at that time, since the tribal unions of the Eastern Slavs had a similar language, customs, and laws. They also had a similar lifestyle, morals and love of freedom. The Slavs generally distinguished themselves with a very great will and love for freedom, and only a prisoner of war acted as a slave, and this was not lifelong slavery, but only for a certain period of time. Later, the prisoner could be ransomed, or he would be released and offered to become part of the community. For a long time, the ancient Slavs lived in democracy (democracy). They differed in their temperament strong character, endurance, courage, unity, were hospitable to strangers, differed from the rest in pagan polytheism and special thoughtful rituals.

Tribes of the Eastern Slavs

The earliest tribes of the Eastern Slavs that chroniclers wrote about were the Polyans and the Drevlyans. They mainly settled in forests and fields. The Drevlyans often lived by raiding their neighbors, which often caused the glades to suffer. It was these two tribes that founded Kyiv. The Drevlyans were located on the territory of modern Ukraine in Polesie (Zhitomir region and the western part of the Kyiv region). The glades inhabited the lands near the middle reaches of the Dnieper and on its right side.

After the Dregovichi came the Krivichi and Polochans. They inhabited the modern territory of the Pskov, Mogilev, Tver, Vitebsk and Smolensk regions of the Russian Federation, as well as the eastern part of Latvia.

After them there were the Novgorod Slavs. Only the indigenous inhabitants of Novgorod and those who lived in neighboring lands called themselves this way. Also, chroniclers wrote that the Novgorod Slavs were the Ilmen Slavs, who came from the Krivichi tribes.

The northerners were also evictions of the Krivichi, and inhabited the modern territory of the Chernigov, Sumy, Kursk and Belgorod regions.



The Radimichi and Vyatichi were deportees of the Poles, and were called so after the names of their ancestors. The Radimichi inhabited the interfluve of the upper part of the Dnieper, as well as the Desna. Their settlements were also located along the entire course of the Sozh and all its tributaries. The Vyatichi inhabited the upper and middle Oka and the Moscow River.

Dulebs and Buzhans are names of the same tribe. They were located on the Western Bug, and since it was written about them in the chronicles that this tribe was located at the same time in one place, they were later called Volynians. Duleb can also be considered as a branch of the Croatian tribe, which settled to this day on the banks of Volhynia and the Bug.

The last tribes that inhabited the South were the Ulichi and Tivertsi. The streets were located along the lower reaches of the Southern Bug, the Dnieper and the Black Sea coast. The Tivertsy were located between the Prut and Dnieper rivers, as well as the Danube and the Budzhak coast of the Black Sea (the modern territory of Moldova and Ukraine). These same tribes resisted the Russian princes for hundreds of years, and they were as well known to Jornados and Procopius as the Antes.

Neighbors of the Eastern Slavs

At the turn of the 2nd-1st millennium BC. The neighbors of the ancient Slavs were the Cimmerians, who inhabited the Northern Black Sea region. But already in the VIII-VII centuries. BC they were driven out of the lands by the warlike tribe of the Scythians, who years later founded their own state on this place, which will be known to everyone as the Scythian kingdom. They were subject to many Scythian tribes who settled in the lower reaches of the Don and Dnieper, as well as in the Black Sea steppes from the Danube to the Crimea and the Don.

In the 3rd century BC. From the east, because of the Don, Sarmatian tribes began to move to the Northern Black Sea region. Most of the Scythian tribes assimilated with the Sarmatians, and the remaining part retained their former name and moved to Crimea, where the Scythian kingdom continued to exist.

During the era of the Great Migration of Peoples, East German tribes – the Goths – moved to the Black Sea region. They significantly influenced the economy and culture of the Northern Black Sea region, the current territory of Ukraine and Russia. After the Goths came the Huns, who destroyed and plundered everything in their path. It was because of their frequent attacks that the great-grandfathers of the Eastern Slavs were forced to move closer to the north in the forest-steppe zone.

The last ones who had a significant influence on the resettlement and formation of the Slavic tribes were the Turks. In the middle of the 6th century, proto-Turkic tribes came from the east and formed the Turkic Khaganate on a vast territory stretching from Mongolia to the Volga.

Thus, with the arrival of more and more new neighbors, the Eastern Slavs settled closer to the current territory of Ukraine, Belarus and Russia, where the forest-steppe zone and swamps mainly prevailed, near which communities were built and which protected the clans from the raids of warlike tribes.

In the VI-IX centuries, the territory of settlement of the Eastern Slavs extended from east to west, starting from the upper reaches of the Don and Middle Oka and to the Carpathians, and from south to north from the Middle Dnieper to the Neva.

Eastern Slavs in the pre-state period



In the pre-state period, the Eastern Slavs mainly formed small communities and clans. At the head of the clan was the “ancestor” - the elder of the community, who made the final decision for his tribe. Tribes often moved from place to place, since the main occupation of the ancient Slavs was agriculture, and they needed new land to plow. They plowed the soil either in the field, or cut down the forest, burned the fallen trees and then sowed everything with seeds. The land was cultivated in winter so that by spring it would be rested and full of strength (ash and manure were well fertilized land plot for sowing, helping her achieve higher yields).

Another reason for the constant movements of the Slavic tribes was attacks from neighbors. In the pre-state period, the Eastern Slavs often suffered from raids by the Scythians and Huns, which is why, as we wrote above, they had to populate lands closer to the north in forested areas.

The main religion of the Eastern Slavs is pagan. All their gods were prototypes natural phenomena(the most important god Perun is the sun god). An interesting fact is that pagan religion The religion of the ancient Slavs dates back to the religion of the ancient Indonesians. Throughout the resettlement, it often underwent changes, as many rituals and images were borrowed from neighboring tribes. Not all images in the ancient Slavic religion were considered gods, since God in their concept is the giver of inheritance, wealth. As in ancient culture, the gods were divided into heavenly, underground and earthly.

Formation of the state among the Eastern Slavs

The formation of the state among the Eastern Slavs occurred at the turn of the 9th-10th centuries, as clans became more open and the tribes more friendly. After their unification into a single territory, a competent and strong leader was required - a prince. While throughout Northern, Eastern and Central Europe tribes were uniting into the Czech, Great Moravian and Old Polish states, the Eastern Slavs invited an overseas prince named Rurik to rule their people, after which Rus' was formed. The center of Rus' was Novgorod, but when Rurik died, and his legal heir, Igor, was still small, Prince Oleg took power into his own hands and, having killed Askold and Dir, annexed Kyiv. This is how Kievan Rus was formed.



To summarize, we can say that our ancestors experienced a lot of troubles, but having withstood all the trials, they founded one of the strongest states, which lives and prospers to this day. The Eastern Slavs are one of the strongest ethnic groups that eventually united and founded Kievan Rus. Their princes conquered more and more territories every year, uniting them into one single great state, which was feared by kingdoms that had existed much longer with more developed economies and politics.

The Slavs were part of an ancient Indo-European unity, which included the ancestors of the Germans, Balts, Slavs and Indo-Iranians. Over time, communities with related language, economy and culture began to emerge from the mass of Indo-European tribes. The Slavs became one of these associations.

From about the 4th century, along with other tribes of Eastern Europe, the Slavs found themselves at the center of large-scale migration processes, known in history as the Great Migration of Peoples. During the 4th-8th centuries. they occupied vast new territories.

Within the Slavic community, tribal unions began to take shape - prototypes of future states.

Subsequently, three branches were distinguished from the pan-Slavic unity: southern, western and eastern Slavs. By this time, the Slavs were mentioned in Byzantine sources as Antes.

The South Slavic peoples (Serbs, Montenegrins, etc.) were formed from the Slavs who settled within the Byzantine Empire.

The Western Slavs include tribes that settled in the territory of modern Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

The Eastern Slavs occupied a huge space between the Black, White and Baltic seas. Their descendants are modern Russians, Belarusians and Ukrainians.

The geography of settlement of East Slavic tribes in the second half of the 1st millennium is described in.

In the 4th-8th centuries. To protect against external attacks, the Eastern Slavs united into 12 territorial tribal unions: Polyans (middle and upper Dnieper), (south of Pripyat), Croats (upper Dniester), Tivertsy (lower Dniester), Ulichs (southern Dniester), Northerners (Desna and Seim), Radimichi (Sozh River), Vyatichi (Upper Oka), Dregovichi (between Pripyat and Dvina), Krivichi (upper reaches of the Dvina, Dnieper and Volga), Dulebs (Volyn), Slovenes (Lake Ilmen).

The Slavic tribes were formed according to the principle of ethnic and social homogeneity. The unification was based on blood, language, territorial and religious-cult kinship. The main religion of belief of the Eastern Slavs until the end of the 10th century. there was paganism.

The Eastern Slavs lived in small villages. Their houses were half-dugouts equipped with stoves. The Slavs settled whenever possible in hard to reach places, surrounding the settlements with an earthen rampart.

The basis of them economic activity- arable farming: in the eastern part - slash-and-burn, in the forest-steppe - fallow farming. The main arable tools were the plow (in the north) and the ralo (in the south), which had iron working parts.

Main agricultural crops: rye, wheat, barley, millet, oats, buckwheat, beans. The most important branches of economic activity were cattle breeding, hunting, fishing, beekeeping (honey collection).

The development of agriculture and cattle breeding led to the emergence of surplus products and, as a result, made it possible for individual families to exist independently. In the 6th-8th centuries. this accelerated the process of disintegration of clan associations.

Economic ties began to play a leading role in the relationships between tribesmen. The neighboring (or territorial) community was called vervi. Within this formation, families owned land, and forests, water lands and hayfields were common.

The professional occupations of the Eastern Slavs were trade and crafts. These occupations began to be cultivated in cities, fortified settlements that arose in tribal centers or along water trade routes (for example, “from the Varangians to the Greeks”).

Gradually, self-government began to emerge in the tribes from a tribal council, military and civil leaders. The resulting alliances led to the emergence of larger communities.

In the second half of the 1st millennium, the Russian nationality was formed, the basis of which was the Eastern Slavs.

Part of the common Slavic people, who settled the territory of the East European Plain in the early Middle Ages, formed a group of East Slavic tribes (they were noticeably different from the southern and western Slavs). This conglomerate was adjacent to many different peoples.

The emergence of the Eastern Slavs

Modern archeology has everything necessary materials in order to illuminate in detail where and how they lived in the East Slavic tribes and their neighbors. How did these early medieval communities form? Back in the Roman era, the Slavs settled the middle reaches of the Vistula, as well as the upper reaches of the Dniester. From here colonization began to the east - into the territory modern Russia and Ukraine.

In the 5th and 7th centuries. The Slavs who settled in the Dnieper region lived next to the Antes. In the 8th century, as a result of a new powerful migration wave, another culture was formed - the Romny culture. Its carriers were northerners. These East Slavic tribes and their neighbors inhabited the basins of the Seima, Desna and Sula rivers. They were distinguished from other “relatives” by their narrow faces. The northerners settled in copses and fields, intersected by forests and swamps.

Colonization of the Volga and Oka

In the 6th century, colonization of the future Russian North and the interfluve of the Volga and Oka began by the Eastern Slavs. Here the settlers encountered two groups of neighbors - the Balts and the Finno-Ugric peoples. The Krivichi were the first to move to the northeast. They settled the upper reaches of the Volga. The Ilmen Slovenes penetrated further north and settled in the White Lake region. Here they encountered the Pomors. The Ilmen people also populated the Mologa basin and the Yaroslavl Volga region. Along with the tribes, rituals also mixed.

East Slavic tribes and their neighbors divided the modern Moscow region and the Ryazan region. Here the colonialists were the Vyatichi, and to a lesser extent, the northerners and Radimichi. The Don Slavs also made their contribution. The Vyatichi reached and settled along the banks Characteristic feature These colonialists were used by archaeologists and determined the area of ​​settlement of the Vyatichi. North-Eastern Rus' attracted settlers with a stable agricultural base and fur resources, which by that time had already been depleted in other regions of Slavic settlement. Locals- Mer (Finno-Ugrians) - were small in number and soon disappeared among the Slavs or were pushed out by them even further to the north.

Eastern neighbors

Having settled the upper reaches of the Volga, the Slavs became neighbors of the Volga Bulgarians. They lived on the territory of modern Tatarstan. The Arabs considered them the most northern people world who professed Islam. The capital of the kingdom of the Volga Bulgarians was the city of Great Bulgar. His fort has survived to this day. Military clashes between the Volga Bulgarians and the Eastern Slavs began already during the period of the existence of a single centralized Rus', when its society ceased to be strictly tribal. Conflicts alternated with periods of peace. At this time profitable trading By great river brought significant income to both parties.

The settlement of East Slavic tribes on their eastern borders also ended up in the territory inhabited by the Khazars. like the Volga Bulgarians, was Turkic. At the same time, the Khazars were Jews, which was quite unusual for Europe at that time. They controlled significant territories from the Don to the Caspian Sea. The heart was located in the lower reaches of the Volga, where the Khazar capital Itil existed not far from modern Astrakhan.

Western neighbors

Volyn is considered the western border of the settlement of the Eastern Slavs. From there to the Dnieper lived the Dulebs - an alliance of several tribes. Archaeologists classify it as a member of the Prague-Korchak culture. The union included the Volynians, Drevlyans, Dregovichi and Polyanians. In the 7th century they survived the Avar invasion.

The East Slavic tribes and their neighbors in this region lived in the steppe zone. To the west began the territory of the Western Slavs, primarily the Poles. Relations with them worsened after the creation of Rus' and Vladimir Svyatoslavich’s adoption of Orthodoxy. The Poles were baptized according to the Catholic rite. Between them and the Eastern Slavs there was a struggle not only for Volyn, but also for Galicia.

Fight against the Pechenegs

During the period of the existence of pagan tribes, the Eastern Slavs were never able to colonize the Black Sea region. Here ended the so-called “Great Steppe” - a steppe belt located in the heart of Eurasia. The Black Sea region attracted a variety of nomads. In the 9th century, the Pechenegs settled there. These hordes lived between Russia, Bulgaria, Hungary and Alania.

Having gained a foothold in the Black Sea region, the Pechenegs destroyed sedentary cultures in the steppes. The Transnistrian Slavs (Tivertsi), as well as the Don Alans, disappeared. In the 10th century, numerous Russian-Pecheneg wars began. The East Slavic tribes and their neighbors could not get along with each other. The Unified State Exam pays a lot of attention to the Pechenegs, which is not surprising. These ferocious nomads lived only by robberies and gave no rest to the people of Kiev and Pereyaslavl. In the 11th century, they were replaced by an even more formidable enemy - the Polovtsians.

Slavs on the Don

The Slavs began to massively explore the Middle Don region at the turn of the 8th - 9th centuries. At this time, monuments of Borshev culture appeared here. Its most important attributes (ceramics, house-building, traces of rituals) show that the colonizers of the Don region originated from the south-west of Eastern Europe. The Don Slavs were neither northerners nor Vyatichi, as researchers assumed until recently. In the 9th century, as a result of the infiltration of the population, the kurgan burial rite, which was identical to the Vyatichi one, spread among them.

In the 10th century, the Russian Slavs and their neighbors in this region survived the predatory raids of the Pechenegs. Many left the Don region and returned to Poochye. That is why we can say that the Ryazan land was populated from two sides - from the southern steppes and from the west. The return of the Slavs to the Don basin occurred only in the 12th century. In this direction in the south, new colonizers reached the basin and completely mastered the Voronezh River basin.

Close to the Balts and Finno-Ugrians

The Radimichi and Vyatichi neighbored the Balts - the inhabitants of modern Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. Their cultures acquired some general features. This is not surprising. The East Slavic tribes and their neighbors, in short, not only traded, but also influenced each other’s ethnogenesis. For example, in the settlements of the Vyatichi, archaeologists found neck torches that were unnatural for other related tribes.

A unique Slavic culture developed around the Balts and Finno-Ugric peoples in the area of ​​Lake Pskov. Long rampart-shaped mounds appeared here, which replaced the ground burial grounds. These were built only by the local East Slavic tribes and their neighbors. The history of the development of funeral rites allows specialists to become more thoroughly acquainted with the past of the pagans. The ancestors of the Pskovites built above-ground log buildings with heaters or adobe stoves (contrary to the southern custom of half-dugouts). They also practiced slash-and-burn agriculture. It should be noted that the Pskov long mounds spread to the Polotsk Podvina and the Smolensk Dnieper region. In their regions, the influence of the Balts was especially strong.

Influence of neighbors on religion and mythology

Like many other Slavs, they lived according to the patriarchal clan system. Because of this, they developed and maintained a cult of family and a cult of funerals. The Slavs were pagans. The most important gods of their pantheon are Perun, Mokosh and Veles. On Slavic mythology influenced by the Celts and Iranians (Sarmatians, Scythians and Alans). These parallels were manifested in the images of the gods. So, Dazhbog is similar to the Celtic deity Dagda, and Mokosh is similar to Maha.

The pagan Slavs and their neighbors had a lot in common in their beliefs. The history of Baltic mythology left the names of the gods Perkunas (Perun) and Velnyas (Veles). The motif of the world tree and the presence of dragons (Snake Gorynych) brings Slavic mythology closer to German-Scandinavian. After a single community was divided into several tribes, beliefs began to acquire regional differences. For example, the inhabitants of the Oka and Volga experienced the unique influence of Finno-Ugric mythology.

Slavery among the Eastern Slavs

According to the official version, slavery was widespread among the Eastern Slavs of the early Middle Ages. Prisoners were taken, as usual, in war. For example, Arab writers of the time claimed that the Eastern Slavs took many slaves in their wars with the Hungarians (and the Hungarians, in turn, took captured Slavs as slaves). These people were in a unique position. Hungarians are Finno-Ugric in origin. They migrated west and occupied territories around the middle reaches of the Danube. Thus, the Hungarians found themselves exactly between the southern, eastern and western Slavs. In this regard, regular wars arose.

The Slavs could sell slaves in Byzantium, Volga Bulgaria or Khazaria. Although most of them consisted of foreigners captured in wars, in the 8th century slaves also appeared among their own relatives. A Slav could fall into slavery due to a crime or violation of moral standards.

Supporters of a different version defend their point of view, according to which slavery as such did not exist in Rus'. On the contrary, slaves sought to these lands because here everyone was considered free, because Slavic paganism did not sanctify unfreedom (dependence, slavery) and social inequality.

Varangians and Novgorod

Prototype ancient Russian state originated in Novgorod. It was founded by the Ilmen Slovenians. Until the 9th century, their history is known rather fragmentarily and poorly. Next to them lived the Varangians, who were called Vikings in Western European chronicles.

The Scandinavian kings periodically conquered the Ilmen Slovenes and forced them to pay tribute. Residents of Novgorod sought protection from foreigners from other neighbors, for which they invited their military leaders to reign in their country. So Rurik came to the banks of the Volkhov. His successor Oleg conquered Kyiv and laid the foundations of the Old Russian state.

Origin and settlement of the Slavs. IN modern science There are several points of view on the origin of the Eastern Slavs. According to the first, the Slavs are the indigenous population of Eastern Europe. They come from the creators of the Zarubinets and Chernyakhov archaeological cultures who lived here in the early Iron Age. According to the second point of view (now more widespread), the Slavs moved to the East European Plain from Central Europe, and more specifically from the upper reaches of the Vistula, Oder, Elbe and Danube. From this territory, which was the ancient ancestral home of the Slavs, they settled throughout Europe. The Eastern Slavs moved from the Danube to the Carpathians, and from there to the Dnieper.

The first written evidence about the Slavs dates back to the 1st-2nd centuries. AD They were reported by Roman, Arab, and Byzantine sources. Ancient authors (Roman writer and statesman Pliny the Elder, historian Tacitus, geographer Ptolemy) mention the Slavs under the name of the Wends.

First information about political history Slavs date back to the 4th century. AD From the Baltic coast, the Germanic tribes of the Goths made their way to the Northern Black Sea region. The Gothic leader Germanarich was defeated by the Slavs. His successor Vinithar deceived 70 Slavic elders led by Bus and crucified them (8 centuries later, unknown author "Tales about Igor's Campaign" mentioned "Busovo time").

Relations with the nomadic peoples of the steppe occupied a special place in the life of the Slavs. At the end of the 4th century. the Gothic tribal union was defeated by the Turkic-speaking tribes of the Huns, who came from Central Asia. In their advance to the west, the Huns also carried away some of the Slavs.

In sources of the 6th century. Slavs for the first time perform under their own name. According to the Gothic historian Jordan and the Byzantine historical writer Procopius of Caesarea, the Wends at that time were divided into two main groups: (eastern) and Slavins (western). It was in the VI century. The Slavs declared themselves as a strong and warlike people. They fought with Byzantium and played a major role in breaking the Danube border of the Byzantine Empire, settling in the VI-VIII centuries. all Balkan Peninsula. During the resettlement, the Slavs mixed with the local population (Baltic, Finno-Ugric, later Sarmatian and other tribes); as a result of assimilation, they developed linguistic and cultural characteristics.

- the ancestors of Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians - occupied the territory from the Carpathian Mountains in the west to the Middle Oka and the upper reaches of the Don in the east, from the Neva and Lake Ladoga in the north to the Middle Dnieper region in the south. In the VI-IX centuries. The Slavs united into communities that had not only a tribal, but also a territorial and political character. Tribal unions are a stage on the path to formation. The chronicle story names one and a half dozen associations of Eastern Slavs (Polyans, Northerners, Drevlyans, Dregovichi, Vyatichi, Krivichi, etc.). These unions included 120-150 separate tribes, whose names have already been lost. Each tribe, in turn, consisted of many clans. The Slavs were forced to unite into alliances by the need to protect themselves from attacks by nomadic tribes and to establish trade relations.

Economic activities of the Eastern Slavs. The main occupation of the Slavs was agriculture. However, it was not arable, but slash-and-burn and fallow.

Slash-and-burn agriculture was widespread in the forest belt. Trees were cut down, they withered on the roots, and they were burned. After this, the stumps were uprooted, the ground was fertilized with ash, loosened (without plowing) and used until exhaustion. The area was fallow for 25-30 years.

Shifting farming was practiced in the forest-steppe zone. The grass was burned, the resulting ash was fertilized, then loosened and used until exhaustion. Since burning grass cover produced less ash than burning forest, the sites had to be changed after 6-8 years.

The Slavs were also engaged in animal husbandry, beekeeping (collecting honey from wild bees), and fishing, which had auxiliary significance. Hunting for squirrel, marten, and sable played an important role; its purpose was the extraction of furs. Furs, honey, wax were exchanged for fabrics and jewelry mainly in Byzantium. Main trade road Ancient Rus' became the path “from the Varangians to the Greeks”: Neva - Lake Ladoga - Volkhov - Ilmen Lake - Lovat - Dnieper - Black Sea.

State of the Eastern Slavs in the 6th-8th century

Social structure of the Eastern Slavs. In the VII-IX centuries. among the Eastern Slavs there was a process of decomposition of the tribal system: a transition from a tribal community to a neighboring one. The community members lived in half-dugouts designed for one family. Private property already existed, but land, forests and livestock remained in common ownership.

At this time, tribal nobility emerged - leaders and elders. They surrounded themselves with squads, i.e. armed force, independent of the will of the people's assembly (veche) and capable of forcing ordinary community members to obey. Each tribe had its own prince. Word "prince" comes from common Slavic "knez", meaning "leader". (V century), reigning among the Polyan tribe. The Russian chronicle “The Tale of Bygone Years” called him the founder of Kyiv. Thus, the first signs of statehood were already appearing in Slavic society.

Artist Vasnetsov. "Prince's Court".

Religion, life and customs of the Eastern Slavs. The ancient Slavs were pagans. They believed in evil and good spirits. A pantheon has emerged Slavic gods, each of which personified various forces of nature or reflected the social relations of the time. The most important gods of the Slavs were Perun - the god of thunder, lightning, war, Svarog - the god of fire, Veles - the patron of cattle breeding, Mokosh - the goddess who protected the female part of the tribe. The sun god was especially revered, who was called differently by different tribes: Dazhd-bog, Yarilo, Khoros, which indicates the absence of stable Slavic inter-tribal unity.

Unknown artist. "The Slavs tell fortunes before the battle."

The Slavs lived in small villages along the banks of rivers. In some places, to protect themselves from the enemy, villages were surrounded by a wall around which a ditch was dug. This place was called a city.

Eastern Slavs in ancient times

The Slavs were hospitable and good-natured. Each wanderer was considered a dear guest. According to Slavic customs, it was possible to have several wives, but only the rich had more than one, because... For each wife, a ransom had to be paid to the bride's parents. Often, when a husband died, the wife, proving her fidelity, killed herself. The custom of burning the dead and erecting large earthen mounds - mounds - over funeral pyres was widespread. The more noble the deceased, the higher the hill was built. After the burial, a “funeral funeral” was celebrated, i.e. they organized feasts, war games and horse races in honor of the deceased.

Birth, wedding, death - all these events in a person’s life were accompanied by spell rituals. The Slavs had an annual cycle of agricultural holidays in honor of the sun and various seasons. The purpose of all rituals was to ensure the harvest and health of people, as well as livestock. In the villages there were idols depicting deities to whom “the whole world” (that is, the whole community) made sacrifices. Groves, rivers, and lakes were considered sacred. Each tribe had a common sanctuary, where members of the tribe gathered for especially solemn holidays and to resolve important matters.

Artist Ivanov S.V. - “Housing of the Eastern Slavs.”

Religion, life and social and economic system of the Eastern Slavs (diagram-table):

Basic East Slavic tribes and places of their settlement on the East European Plain

Chroniclers noted the uneven development of individual tribes of associations of Eastern Slavs. At the center of their story is the land of the glades. The land of glades, as the chroniclers pointed out, also bore the name “Rus”. Historians believe that this was the name of one of the tribes that lived along the Ros River and gave the name to the tribal union, the history of which was inherited by the glades.

For a long time in historiography, there were two points of view on the issue of the origin of the term “Rus”, associated with an orientation towards either its external (Norman) or autochthonous (Slavic) origin. In particular, at present, foreign historians R. Pipes and H. Davidson are of the opinion that legendary Rurik was from the Scandinavian tribe “Rus”, and this determined the name of his new possessions. Although it should be noted that such a tribe has not yet been discovered in Scandinavia.

Some linguists reject the version of the origin of “Rus” from “Rossi”, because, as they argue, in historical development In the Russian language, the inversion of the letter “o” to “u” could not occur. But archaeological data confirm the existence of a Slavic community in the area of ​​the Ros River.

In historical literature one can often find a version, which, in particular, is adhered to by Academician B. Rybakov, that Rus' is the name of one of the Slavic tribes. Unfortunately, it is impossible to confirm or refute any of the versions about the origin of the name “Rus”.

Important factor in the formation of the people and the state are represented by neighboring peoples and tribes, which differ in their language, way of life, way of life, morals, customs, culture, etc. At various times, neighboring peoples subjugated the Slavic tribes, drew them into the sphere of their economic activity, or, conversely, were under the influence of the Slavs.

The neighbors of the Eastern Slavs (late 9th century) were:

1) in the west:

Baltic tribes: Litas, Lithuanians, Yatvingians, etc.;

Western Slavs: Poles (Poles), Slovaks, Czechs, Hungarians (Ugrians);

2) in the northeast:

Ugro-Finnish tribes: Karelians, Mordovians, Mari, Muroma, etc.;

3) on the Lower Volga:

4) in the east:

Volga Bulgarians;

5) in the south in the Black Sea region:

Pechenegs and other Turkic tribes.

As the Eastern Slavs settled, they displaced the backgammon or assimilated them. After settling in new places, the Eastern Slavs created the foundations of their social and economic life.

Preserved literary monuments and archaeological finds indicate that the Slavs, even before their settlement across the East European Plain, were engaged in arable farming, cattle breeding, hunting and beekeeping. While settling in new places, they continued their previous activities and mastered new ones. Among the Slavs of the forest-steppe zone, the arable farming system dominated - fallback, when a piece of land was sown for several years until it was depleted, and then moved on to a new one. Used in the forest area slash-and-burn farming system: they cut down and uprooted a plot of forest, burned the trees, fertilized the land with ash and also used it for two or three years, and then cleared it new site. On cleared lands, rye, wheat, barley, millet, oats were grown, garden crops- turnips, cabbage, beets, carrots, etc., they were also engaged in cattle breeding: they raised horses, cattle, pigs, sheep, goats.

As tools they used an axe, a hoe, a harrow, a spade, a sickle, flails, stone grain grinders and hand millstones. In the southern regions, the main tool of labor was the plow, and later - a wooden plow with an iron tip - a ploughshare.

Oxen were used as draft animals in the south, and horses in the forest zone. The economy was of a subsistence nature: it produced mainly agricultural and livestock products necessary to satisfy basic needs.

Trades played a secondary role in the economy of the Eastern Slavs. This was mainly hunting, fishing and beekeeping.

Craft not yet completely separated from agriculture. Furriers, weavers and carpenters were the same grain growers, who alternated work in the field with occupations and crafts. However, potters and blacksmiths (apparently due to the flammability of their work) lived at some distance from the villages and did not engage in agriculture (Diagram 4).

beekeeping

Scheme 4.

The emergence of surplus products contributed to active exchange, and later to the emergence and development of trade, which went mainly along numerous rivers and their tributaries.

The route from the “Varangians to the Greeks” was actively used by the Scandinavian peoples, whom the Slavs called Varangians(hence the path itself). The Varangians traded with coastal tribes, including the Slavs. They not only traded peacefully, but often also robbed, and sometimes were hired to serve in squads, including Slavic princes.

The Slavs conducted active trade with the Khazars, Bulgarians, Arabs and, of course, the Greeks (Byzantines). IN. Klyuchevsky, citing Arab sources, wrote that Russian merchants transport goods from remote parts of the country to the Black Sea to Greek cities, where the Byzantine emperor takes a trade duty from them - tithe.

The main items of foreign trade were furs, wax, honey, and servants (slaves). Silks, silver and gold items, luxury goods, incense, weapons, and spices came from the east and Byzantium.

The emergence of cities among the Slavs was associated with the development of trade. The Tale of Bygone Years already names the cities of Kyiv, Chernigov, Smolensk, Lyubech, Novgorod, Pskov, Polotsk, Murom, etc. In total, by the 9th century. there were about 24 large cities. The Varangians called the Slavic land Gardarika - the country of cities. The chronicles brought to us the legend about the emergence of Kyiv. Kiy, his brothers Shchek and Khoriv and sister Lybid founded their settlements (courtyards) on three hills on the Dnieper. Then they united into one city, which they named Kiev in honor of Kiy.

The first principalities appeared: Kuyabiya(Cuiaba - around Kyiv), Slavia(in the area of ​​Lake Ilmen with the center in Novgorod). The emergence of such centers testified to the emergence of the Eastern Slavs, who created the preconditions for the emergence of a state among them.

In the VI century. The Eastern Slavs lived in a tribal system according to customs characteristic of all barbarian tribes. The main unit of society was genus- a group of relatives of several dozen or even hundreds of people who jointly owned land, forests, pastures, etc., worked together and equally divided the results of their labor. At the head of the clan were elders, and on the most important issues a council of all relatives gathered; 3-5 genera close in origin were tribe. Tribes formed alliances with leaders at the head.

In the VII-IX centuries. clan relations among the Eastern Slavs began to disintegrate due to the advent of metal tools and the transition from cutting to arable farming, since the joint efforts of all members of the clan were no longer required to manage the economy. The main economic unit became a separate family.

Gradually, the clan community is being replaced by a neighboring, territorial one, the members of which were no longer blood relatives, but simply neighbors. The neighboring community to the south was called " world", in the north - " rope" (V Western Europe – « brand"). In the neighboring community, communal ownership of arable land, forest and hay land, etc. was retained, but the family was already allocated plots of arable land for use - “ allotments" These plots were cultivated by each family with its own tools, which received ownership of the harvest it collected. Over time, the redistribution of arable land ceased, and the plots became the permanent property of individual families.

In the tribal environment of the 7th - early 9th centuries. stood out " deliberate child" - leaders, elders, famous wars. Power and wealth were concentrated in their hands. Many of the " deliberate child“They began to live in separate fortified estates. Private property was born.

The improvement of tools led to the production of not only what was necessary in a subsistence economy, but also a surplus product. There was an accumulation surplus product, and on its basis – exchange development between individual families. This led to differentiation of the community, growing wealth inequality, and accumulation of wealth by elders and other nobility.

The most important governing body among the Slavs continued to be veche- people's government, which jointly decided all the most important issues. But gradually its importance fell.

The Eastern Slavs fought numerous wars with their neighbors, repelling the onslaught of nomadic peoples. At the same time, they made campaigns in the Balkans and Byzantium. Under these conditions, the role of the military leader increased enormously - prince, who, as a rule, was the main person in the management of the tribe. When wars were rare, all the men of the tribe took part in them. In conditions of frequent wars, this became economically unprofitable. The growth of the surplus product made it possible to support the prince and his squad. The military squad nobility declared themselves the owners of lands or a tribal union, taxing their fellow tribesmen tribute (tax). Another way of subjugating neighboring communities was the transformation of the old tribal nobility into boyars - patrimonial lands and the subordination of the community members to them.

By the 7th – 9th centuries. at the head of the East Slavic tribal unions were princes from the tribal nobility and the former clan elite - “deliberate people”, “the best husbands”.

Princes and warriors grew rich from war booty: they turned captured prisoners of war into slaves, forcing them to work on their lands.

In the VI – IX centuries. The slaves of the Eastern Slavs were mainly prisoners captured in the war. At that time the Slavs had customary law, according to which it was forbidden to enslave one’s fellow tribesmen, for example, for debts, etc. Slaves were used mainly in household, in the most difficult jobs. Slavery among the Slavs was of a patriarchal nature, when slaves do not form a class, but are considered junior members of the family.

Thus, the Eastern Slavs experienced a process of differentiation (stratification) of society. The prerequisites for the formation of the state were created.

When addressing their fellow tribesmen, the Eastern Slavs said: “father”, “mother”, “uncle”, “son”, “daughter”, “grandson”, “brother-in-law”, “brother-in-law”, etc. Perhaps personal names were a privilege leaders, elders and outstanding warriors. These names were borrowed from the Western Slavs (Yaroslav, Mstislav) and Varangians (Igor, Oleg, Rurik) or were nicknames such as Nightingale the Robber.

With the adoption of Christianity in 988 (already during Kievan Rus) the Slavs now have two names. “Real” - given at baptism (Jewish or greek names), and worldly - “from the evil eye”: a pagan nickname, a Scandinavian or West Slavic name. Moreover, in life a person was called by a “false” name. And many did not understand that Prince Vladimir the Red Sun was actually Vasily, Yaroslav the Wise was Yuri (Gregory), and Vsevolod the Big Nest was called Dmitry.

The Slavs had their own pagan holidays associated with the seasons and agricultural work. At the end of December caroled- the mummers walked from house to house with songs and jokes, praising the owners, who were supposed to give gifts to the mummers. The big holiday was seeing off winter and welcoming spring - Carnival. On holiday Ivan Kupala rituals with fire and water, fortune-telling, round dances, and songs were sung. In the fall, after the end of the field, they celebrated harvest festival: they baked a large honey loaf.

Much attention was paid wedding And funerary rituals The Slavs believed in the immortality of the soul and afterlife, which will turn out happily if the living correctly guide the deceased into the next world.

According to the Tale of Bygone Years, the Radimichi, Vyatichi, Northerners and Krivichi burned the dead, put the ashes and remains of bones in a vessel and placed them on poles in small log houses near the roads. Vyatichi sometimes buried log-coffins with burnt ashes in the ground. In many places mounds were built over the graves, next to which they held ristania– military competitions in memory of the deceased and funeral feasts – funeral feasts.

In the 9th century. The Slavs began to bury their dead without burning them. Food, tools, weapons, and jewelry were placed next to the deceased.

It is known that the Eastern Slavs still retained blood feud: the relatives of the murdered man took revenge on the murderer by death.

Like all peoples who were at the stage of decomposition of the primitive communal system, the Slavs were pagans. They worshiped natural phenomena, deifying them. Yes, he was the god of the sky Svarog, sun god - Dazhdbog(other names: Dazhbog, Yarilo, Khoros), god of thunder and lightning - Perun, god of the wind - Stribog, goddess of fertility Mokosh. In the 6th century, according to the Byzantine historian Procopius of Caesarea, the Slavs recognized one god as the ruler of the Universe - Perun, god of thunder, lightning, war.

At that time there were no public services, there were no temples, no priests. Usually, images of gods in the form of stone or wooden figures (idols) were placed on certain open places – temples, sacrifices were made to the gods - requirements.

The Slavs honored the spirits: beregins and mermaids who lived in the dark pools of rivers and lakes, guardians of the brownie hearth, goblins who screamed like an owl in the oak forests. An echo of ancient beliefs is the cult of schurov (churov) - ancestors. In a moment of mortal danger, the Slavs shouted: “Beware of me!”, hoping for the help of their ancestor. For the Shchurs, on special parental days, baths were heated and food and drink were provided.

In general, the religion of the Eastern Slavs was polytheistic(polytheism - polytheism).

Topic 3. EDUCATION AND EVOLUTION
EAST SLAVIC ANCIENT STATE.
Feudal fragmentation of Rus'

1. Prerequisites for the formation of the Old Russian state. " Norman theory».