Buzhan (Volynians) - tribe Eastern Slavs, 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 locality of Volyn).

Volynians -East Slavic tribe or a tribal union, mentioned in the Tale of Bygone Years and in the Bavarian annals. According to the latter, the Volhynians owned seventy fortresses at the end of the 10th century. Some historians believe that the Volhynians 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 subordinated to the Kyiv prince Vladimir I and became part of Kievan Rus. Later, the Galicia-Volyn principality was formed on the territory of the Volynians.

Drevlyans - one of the tribes of Russian Slavs, lived along Pripyat, Goryn, Sluch and Teterev. The name Drevlyane, according to the chronicler, was given to them because they lived in the forests.

From archaeological excavations in the country of the Drevlyans, it can be concluded that they had a well-known culture. A well-established burial rite testifies to the existence of certain religious beliefs 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, remnants of fabrics and leather indicate the existence of arable farming, pottery, blacksmithing, weaving and leather crafts 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 the trade was barter.
The political center of the Drevlyans in the era of their independence was the city of Iskorosten; at a later time, the political center moved to the city Vruchiy (Ovruch).

Dregovichi - East Slavic Tribal Union, 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 Drugovites (Greek δρονγονβίται), the Dregovichi are already known to Konstantin Porfirorodny as a tribe subordinate to Rus'. Being aloof 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 mentions only that the Dregovichi once had their own reign. The capital of the principality was the city of Turov. . The subjugation of the Dregovichi to the Kyiv princes probably happened very early. On the territory of the Dregovichi, subsequently Turov principality, and the northwestern lands became part of the Principality of Polotsk.

Duleby (not dulyoby) - union of East Slavic tribes on the territory of Western Volhynia in the VI-beginning of the X centuries. In the 7th century they were subjected to the Avar invasion (obry). In 907, they participated in the campaign of Prince Oleg against Tsargrad. The Duleb tribal union broke up into tribes Volhynians and Buzhans and in the middle of the X century finally lost their independence, becoming part of Ancient Rus' with a center in Kyiv.

Krivichi - numerous East Slavic tribe (tribal association), which occupied the upper reaches of the Volga, Dnieper and Western Dvina, southern part Lake Peipsi basin and part of the Neman basin. Sometimes the Ilmen Slavs are also classified as Krivichi.

The Krivichi were probably the first Slavic tribe to move from the Carpathians 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 Tamfins.
Having settled on the great waterway from Scandinavia to Byzantium - “The Way from the Varangians to the Greeks” - the Krivichi took part in trade with Greece; Constantine Porphyrogenitus says that Krivichi make boats on which the Rus go to Tsargrad. Participated in the campaigns of Oleg and Igor against the Greeks as a tribe subordinate Kyiv prince; in the contract of Prince Oleg, the city of Krivichi Polotsk is mentioned.

In the era the formation of the Old Russian state among the Krivichi political centers already existed: Izborsk, Polotsk and Smolensk.
It is believed that the last tribal prince of the Krivichi Rogvolod, together with his sons, was killed in Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich. In the Ipatiev List, the Krivichi are mentioned in last time under 1128, and Polotsk princes were called Krivichi (Russians) under 1140 and 1162. After that, the Krivichi are no longer mentioned in the East Slavic chronicles. However tribal name Krivichi for quite a long time it was used in foreign sources, until the end of the 17th century. In modern latvian word krievs means Russians, a word Krievija - Russia.

southwestern, Polotsk branch of the Krivichi also referred to Polochans . Together with Dregovichi, Radimichi and some Baltic tribes this a branch of the Krivichi (Russians) formed the basis of the Belarusian ethnic group.
Northeastern branch of the Krivichi , settled mainly in the territory of modern Tver, Yaroslavl and Kostroma regions, was in close contact with the Finno-Ugric tribes. The border between the territory of settlement Krivichi and Novgorod Slovenes It is determined archaeologically by the types of burials: long barrows among the Krivichi and hills among the Slovenes.

Polochane - East Slavic Tribe, inhabited in the 9th century lands in the middle reaches Western Dvina in today's Belarus.
Polochans 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 Polochans stretched from the Svisloch along the Berezina to the lands of the Dregovichi. The Polochans were one of the tribes from which the Polotsk principality was later formed. Polochane - one of the founders of the modern Belarusian people.

Glade (poly) - the name of the Eastern Slavs who settled along the middle course 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 current Dnieper, Ros and Irpen; in the northeast it was adjacent to the derevskaya land, in the west - to the southern settlements of the Dregovichi, in the southwest - to the Tivertsy, in the south - to the streets.

The East Slavic tribe Polyan chronicler defines how "Outside in the field, gray-haired." The meadows differed sharply from the neighboring Slavic tribes and moral properties, and according to the forms of social life:“Glade for their fathers, the customs are quiet and meek, and shame to their daughters-in-law and to their sisters and to their mothers .... marriage customs having a husband.
History catches the meadows already at a rather late stage political development: the social system is composed of two elements - communal and princely retinue , and the former is strongly suppressed by the latter. With the usual and ancient occupations of the Slavs - hunting, fishing and beekeeping - among the meadows, more than other Slavs, cattle breeding, agriculture, “woodworking” and trade were widespread. There was an extensive tradenot only with Slavic neighbors, but also with foreigners in the West and East: from the coin hoards it is clear that trade with the East began even in the 8th century - It stopped during the strife of the specific princes.
First, about half VIII century, paying tribute to the Khazars glade , thanks to cultural and economic superiority, from a defensive position in relation to neighbors, soon turned into offensivee; the Drevlyans, Dregovichi, northerners and others by the end of the 9th century were already subject to the glades.

Gladebefore other Slavic tribes adopted Christianity. The center of the Polyana ("Polish") land was Kyiv; its other settlements - Vyshgorod, Belgorod on the Irpen River (now the village of Belogorodka), Zvenigorod, Trepol (now the village of Trypillya), Vasilev (now Vasilkov) and others.
The chronicler also calls the Slavic tribe glades on the Vistula , mentioned for the last time in the Ipatiev Chronicle under 1208.

The land of glades with the city of Kiev became the center of the possessions of the Rurikids from 882. The last time in the annals the name of the glades is mentioned under 944, on the occasion of Igor's campaign against the Greeks, and is replaced, probably already in the end of the Χ century, named Rus (Ros) and Kiyane. From every point of view explanation as a derivative of the Old Russian personal name Kyi, Kiy , also known among the rest of the Slavs, especially in more early times, And How name, nickname of a person, and as a common noun "stick", "club", "what they beat with" (Fasmer M. Etymological dictionary of the Russian language, 2nd ed. M., 1986. T. II. S. 230; Nikonov V.A. Brief toponymic dictionary. M., 1966. S. 189 - 190;). The adjective Kyyiv is "belonging to Kyi". since ancient times, it has been perceived as a flattering comparison of a strong male body with a club, with an oak trunk.

Radimichi - the name of the population that was part of the union of East Slavic tribes that lived in the interfluve of the upper reaches Dnieper and Desna.
Around 885, Radimichi became part of the Old Russian state, and in the 12th century they mastered most of Chernigov and the southern part of Smolensk lands. The name comes from the name of the ancestor of the Radima tribe.

northerners (more correctly, the North) - tribal union of Eastern Slavs, inhabiting the territory east of the middle reaches of the Dnieper, along the rivers Desna, Seimi Sula.

The origin of the name of the north is not fully understood. The name goes back to the obsolete Old Slavonic word meaning "relative". The explanation from the Slavic word siver - north, despite the similarity of sound, is recognized as extremely controversial, since the north has never been the most northern of the Slavic tribes.

Slovene (Ilmen Slavs) - East Slavic tribe , who lived in the second half of the first millennium in the basin of Lake Ilmen and the upper reaches and made up the bulk of the population Novgorod land.

Tivertsy - East Slavic tribe that lived between the Dniester and the Danube near the Black Sea coast. They are first mentioned in the Tale of Bygone Years along with other East Slavic tribes of the 9th century. The main occupation of the Tivertsy was agriculture. Tivertsy took part in campaigns of Prince Oleg against Tsargrad in 907, and Prince Igor in 944 . In the middle of the 10th century, the lands of the Tivertsy became part of Ancient Rus' with the center in Kyiv. The descendants of the Tivertsy in the western territories became part of the Ukrainian people, and the southwestern part of the Tivertsky tribes underwent Romanization.

Uchi - East Slavic Tribe, inhabited in the period of the VIII-X centuries the lands along the lower reaches of the Dnieper, the Southern Bug and the Black Sea coast.
The capital of the streets was the city of Pereseken. In the first half of the 10th century, the streets fought for independence from Kievan Rus, but nevertheless they were forced to recognize its supremacy and become part of it. Later, the streets and neighboring Tivertsy were driven north by the arriving Pecheneg nomads, where they merged with the Volhynians. The last mention of the streets dates back to the annals of the 970s.

Croatians - East Slavic tribe I, who lived in the vicinity of the city of Przemysl on the San River. Called themselves white Croats, in contrast to the tribe of the same name with them, who lived in the Balkans. The name of the tribe is derived from the ancient Iranian word - "shepherd, guardian of cattle", which may indicate its main occupation - cattle breeding.

Bodrichi (encouraged, rarogs ) - Polabian Slavs (lower reaches of the Elbe) in the VIII-XII centuries. - the union of the Wagrs, Polabs, Glinyakov, Smolensk. Rarog (among the Danes Rerik) - main city peppy. Mecklenburg in East Germany. Profound ancient differences are evident at all levels.
According to one version, Rurik - a Slav from the Bodrichi tribe , the grandson of Gostomysl, the son of his daughter Umila and the Bodic prince Godoslav (Godlav).

Vistula -a West Slavic tribe that has lived at least since the 7th century in Lesser Poland. In the 9th century, the Wislans formed a tribal state with centers in Krakow, Sandomierz and Straduv. At the end of the century, they were subjugated by the king of Great Moravia Svyatopolk I and were forced to be baptized. In the 10th century, the lands of the Vistulas were conquered by the Polans and incorporated into Poland.

Zlichane (Czech Zličane, Polish Zliczanie) is one of the ancient Czech tribes. Inhabited the territory adjacent to the modern city of Kourzhim (Czech Republic). It served as the center of formation of the Principality of Zlichansk, which embraced at the beginning of the 10th century. East and South Bohemia and the region of the Duleb tribe. The main city of the principality was Libice. The princes of Libice Slavniki competed with Prague in the struggle for the unification of the Czech Republic. In 995, the Zlichans were subordinated to the Přemyslids.

Luzhatians, Luzhatian Serbs, Sorbs (German Sorben), Wends - the indigenous Slavic population living on the territory of the Lower and Upper Puddle - areas that are part of modern Germany. The first settlements of Lusatian Serbs in these places are recorded in 6th century AD e.
The Lusatian language is divided into Upper Lusatian and Lower Lusatian.
The Brockhaus and Euphron Dictionary defines: "Sorbs - the name of the Wends and generally speaking ". Slavic peoples inhabiting a number of areas in Germany, in the federal states Brandenburg and Saxony.
Lusatian Serbs - one of the four officially recognized national minorities in Germany (along with the gypsies, Frisians and Danes). It is believed that Lusatian Serbo roots now have about 60 thousand German citizens, of which 20,000 live in Lower Lusatia (Brandenburg) and 40,000 in Upper puddle(Saxony).

Lyutichi (Wiltzes, Velets) - an alliance of West Slavic tribes that lived in the early Middle Ages on the territory of present-day eastern Germany. The center of the union of the Lyutichs was the sanctuary "Radogost", in which the god Svarozhich was revered. All decisions were made at a large tribal meeting, and there was no central authority.
The Lyutichi led the Slavic uprising of 983 against the German colonization of lands east of the Elbe, as a result of which colonization was suspended for almost two hundred years. Already before this Lutici were ardent opponents of the German king Otto I. About his heir, Henry II, it is known that he did not try to enslave them, but rather lured them with money and gifts to his side in the fight against Poland Boleslav the Brave.
Military and political successes have strengthened in lutiches adherence to paganism and pagan customs, which also applied to related Bodrichs. However, in the 1050s, civil war broke out among the Lutici and changed their situation. The union quickly lost power and influence, and after the central sanctuary was destroyed by the Saxon duke Lothar in 1125, the union finally broke up. Over the following decades, the Saxon dukes gradually expanded their holdings to the east and conquered the lands of the Luticians.

Pomeranians, Pomeranians - West Slavic tribes who lived from the 6th century in the lower reaches of the Odryn coast Baltic Sea. It remains unclear whether there was a residual Germanic population prior to their arrival, which they assimilated. In 900, the Pomeranian border range passed through Odre in the West, Vistula in the east and Notechu on South. Gave the name of the historical area I.
Mieszko I included the Pomeranian lands in the Polish state. IN 11th century Pomeranians revolted and gained independence from Poland. During this period, their territory expanded to the west. from the Odra to the lands of the Luticians. At the initiative of Prince Vartislav I, the Pomeranians adopted Christianity.
From the 1180s, German influence began to grow and German settlers began to arrive on the lands of the Pomeranians. Because of the devastating wars with the Danes, the Pomeranian feudal lords welcomed the settlement of the devastated lands by the Germans. Over time, the process began Germanization of the Slavic population of Pomeranian.

The remnants of the ancient Pomeranians who escaped assimilation today are Kashubian, n numbering 300 thousand people.

the gloomy idea of ​​posthumous retribution was alien. The terms of the pre-Christian pagan cult - saint, faith, God, paradise, spirit, soul, sin, law - were taken over by Christianity. For example, the word God was known back in the Scythian era, that is, a thousand extra years before the baptism of Rus'. The new Christian faith wisely used the fruits of the culture of the Slavic spirit and the Slavic word. From now on, what served the old faith for centuries and even millennia began to serve new faith into Christ. 2018-01-22

The Slavs were not the only people who inhabited Ancient Rus'. In her cauldron "boiled" and other, more ancient tribes: Chud, Merya, Muroma. They left early, but left a deep mark on the Russian ethnos, language and folklore.

Chud

"Whatever you call a boat, that's how it will float." The mysterious people Chud fully justifies its name. The folk version says that the Slavs dubbed some tribes Chud, because their language seemed strange to them, unusual. In ancient Russian sources and folklore, there are many references to the “chud”, which “the Varangians from overseas imposed tribute”. They took part in Prince Oleg's campaign against Smolensk, Yaroslav the Wise fought against them: "and defeated them, and set up the city of Yuryev", legends were made about them, as about white-eyed miracles - an ancient people, akin to European "fairies". They left a huge mark in the toponymy of Russia, their name is Lake Peipus, Peipsi coast, the villages: "Front Chud", "Middle Chud", "Rear Chud". From the north-west of present-day Russia to the Altai mountains, their mysterious “wonderful” trace can be traced to this day.

For a long time, it was customary to associate them with the Finno-Ugric peoples, since they were mentioned where representatives of the Finno-Ugric peoples lived or still live. But the folklore of the latter also preserved legends about the mysterious ancient people of the Chud, whose representatives left their lands and went somewhere, not wanting to accept Christianity. Especially a lot about them is told 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 Chud: local residents describe their appearance (dark-haired and swarthy), language, and customs. They say that they lived in the middle of the forests in dugouts, where they buried themselves, refusing to obey the more successful invaders. There is even a legend that “the miracle went underground”: they dug a large hole with an earthen roof on pillars, and they brought it down, preferring death to captivity. But not a single popular belief or chronicle reference 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 the representatives of the Komi people, who preferred to remain pagans. The most daring version, which appeared after the discovery of Arkaim and the "Country of Cities" of Sintashta, claims that the Chud are ancient arias. But so far one thing is clear, the Chud are one of the natives of ancient Rus', whom we have lost.

Merya

“The Chud did it, but measured the gates, roads and milestones ...” - these lines from Alexander Blok’s poem reflect the confusion of scientists of his time about the 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, merya (merins) is found in the Gothic historian Jordanes, 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 to Smolensk, Kyiv and Lyubech, about which records have been preserved 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." The final assimilation occurred, obviously, by the 16th century.

One of the largest peasant uprisings of Ancient Rus' in 1024 is associated with the name of Merya. The reason was the great famine that engulfed the Suzdal land. Moreover, according to the annals, it was preceded by "immeasurable rains", drought, premature frosts, dry winds. For Mary, most of whose representatives opposed Christianization, this obviously looked like “divine punishment”. At the head of the rebellion were the priests of the "old faith" - the Magi, who tried to use the chance to return to pre-Christian cults. However, unsuccessfully. 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 "Meryansky". 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 restored thanks to geographical names. So it turned out that the endings "-gda" in the Central Russian toponymy: Vologda, Sudogda, Shogda are the heritage of the Meryan people.

Despite the fact that the mention of Merya completely disappeared in the sources back in the pre-Petrine era, today there are people who consider themselves to be their descendants. Basically, these are residents of the Upper Volga region. They argue that the Meryans did not dissolve over the centuries, but formed the substratum (underlying) of the northern Great Russian people, switched to the Russian language, and their descendants call themselves Russians. However, there is no evidence for this.

Murom

As the Tale of Bygone Years says: in 862 Slovenes lived in Novgorod, Krivichi in Polotsk, Merya in Rostov, Murom in Murom. The chronicle, like the Meryans, refers to the non-Slavic peoples. Their name is translated as "an elevated place near the water", which corresponds to the position of the city of Murom, which for a long time was their center.

Today, on the basis of archaeological finds found in large cemeteries of the tribe (located between the tributaries of the Oka, the left Ushna, Unzha and the right Tesha), it is practically impossible to determine to which ethnic group they belonged. According to domestic archaeologists, they could be either another Finno-Ugric tribe or part of the Mary, or Mordovians. Only one thing is known, they were friendly neighbors with a highly developed culture. Their weapons, in terms of workmanship, were among the best in the surrounding areas, and Jewelry, which are found in abundance in burials, are distinguished by the ingenuity of forms and the care taken in their manufacture. Murom was characterized by arched head ornaments 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 Muroma was peaceful and occurred mainly due to strong and economic trade ties. However, the result of this peaceful coexistence was that the Muroma was one of the very first assimilated tribes that disappeared from the pages of history. By the XII century, they are no longer mentioned in the annals.

A thousand years ago, the chroniclers of ancient Kyiv claimed that they, the people of Kiev, are Rus, and that the state of Rus came from Kyiv. The Novgorod chroniclers, in turn, argued that Rus' is they, and that Rus' came from Novgorod. What kind of tribe is Rus, and to what tribes and peoples did it belong.

Traces of these tribes, which left a deep mark on the history of Europe and Asia, can be found in geographical names from the Rhine to the Urals, from Scandinavia to the Middle East. Ancient Greek, Arabic, Roman, Germanic, Gothic historians wrote about them. There was Rus' in Germany in the district of Gera, and only on the orders of Hitler during the war with Russia this name was canceled. There was Russia in the Crimea on the Kerch Peninsula back in the 7th century AD. Only in the Baltics there were four Russ: the island of Rügen, the mouth of the Neman River, the coast of the Gulf of Riga, in Estonia Rotalia-Russia with the islands of Ezel and Dago. In Eastern Europe, in addition to Kievan Rus, there were: Rus in the Carpathians, in the Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bAzov, in the Caspian Sea, at the mouth of the Danube, Purgasov Rus on the lower Oka. In Central Europe in the Danube region: Rugia, Ruthenia, Russia, the Ruthenian brand, Rutonia, Rugiland in the territory of present-day Austria and Yugoslavia. Two principalities "Rus" on the border of Thuringia and Saxony in Germany. The city of Russia in Syria, which arose after the first crusade. Roger Bacon (an English author of the 13th century) mentions the "Great Russiya", which encircles Lithuania on both sides of the Baltic Sea, including the modern Kaliningrad region. In the same century, the Tefton Germans came here, and this territory became German Prussia.

German historians, authors of the Norman theory, declare that Rus' is one of the Germanic tribes. Russian scientists claim the opposite: Rus' is one of the Slavic tribes. But the closest to the truth, after all, is the Arab scientist and historian, a contemporary of Ancient Rus' and a third-party, independent observer Al-Masudi, who wrote: “Ruses are numerous peoples subdivided into various tribes, among them the most powerful is Ludaana.” But the word "ludaana" is clearly explained from the Slavic languages ​​as "people", these are Slavic tribes that lived on the southern shores of the Baltic Sea from East Germany between the Elbe and the Oder to the coast White Sea. The western part of these lands was called Slavia (“Slavic Chronicle” by Helmgold, 1172), and stretched from Greece to the Baltic (Scythian) Sea. Al-Istarkhi “The Book of the Ways of States” speaks about this: “And the most distant of them (Russes) is a group called as-Slavia, and a group of them called al-Arsania, and their king sits in Ars.” Lutici got their name, most likely, from the word "fierce, cruel, merciless." It was they who stood at the forefront of the offensive of the Balkan Slavs to the north and west, forcing the Germans to cross the Rhine and withdraw to Italy and Gaul ( current France). In VIII, the Franks defeated the Russian-Slavic tribe of the Varins, known from Scandinavian and Russian legends as the Varangians-Varangians, and forced some of them to leave for the eastern coast of the Baltic. At the beginning of the 10th century, having gathered all the power of the German Empire, Emperor Henry I declared "Drang nah Osten" (onslaught to the east) against the Slavs, who then lived in the territory of present-day East Germany. Russian-Slavic tribes: Vagrs, Obodrites (Reregs), Polabs, Glinyans, Lyutichs (they are Wiltsi: Khizhans, throughpenyans, ratari, Dolenchans), having fallen under the cruel yoke of the German barons, began to leave Slavia (East Germany) to the east in search of freedom and will. Many of them settled near Novgorod and Pskov, others went further towards the Urals, to the Russian North. Those who remained in place were gradually assimilated by the Teutons, who rushed from Germany to the richest Slavic lands.

In the work of the Byzantine Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus "On the Governance of the State" the names of the Dnieper rapids are listed in Slavonic and Russian. The Russian names of the rapids sound like Scandinavian ones: Essupi “do not sleep”, Ulvorsi “island of the threshold”, Gelandri “noise of the threshold”, Aifor “pelicans”, Varuforos “threshold with a backwater”, Leanti “boiling water”, Strukun “small threshold”. Slavic names: Do not sleep, Ostrovuniprag, Gelandri, Tawny owl, Vulniprag, Verutsi, Naprezi. This suggests that the Russian and Slavic languages ​​are still different, the Russian language of Constantine Porphyrogenitus differs from Slavic, but not so much that it would be classified as a Germanic language. The literature mentions many tribes of the Rus, leading their history from the shores of the Baltic. Rugs, horns, rutuli, rotals, rutens, rosomones, roxalans, roszi, heruli, ruyans, rens, wounds, aorses, ruzzi, gepids, and they spoke different languages: Slavic, Baltic, Celtic.

Still, Al-Masudi is right, who wrote that the Rus are numerous peoples, subdivided into various tribes. The northern peoples belonged to the Rus: Slavs, Scandinavians, northern Celts "flavi rutens", that is, "red rutens", and at the beginning of the 2nd millennium AD, Finno-Ugric peoples (the names of the Rus from Igor's treaty with the Greeks: Kanitsar, Iskusevi, Apubksar) . The name "Rus, Rus" tribes received regardless of nationality. Back in the 10th century, the northern Italian historian Liutprand explained the name of the tribes "Rus" from Greek like "red", "red". And there are numerous confirmations of this. Almost all the names of Russian tribes come from the word "red" or "red" (rotals, rutens, roztsy, ruyans, Rus, etc.), or from the Iranian word "rus", which means light, blond, blond. Many ancient authors who wrote about the Rus characterize them as light-skinned, red-haired, red-haired. For the Greeks, red was the hallmark of supreme power, and only kings and emperors could use it. To emphasize his innate right to power, the Byzantine emperor Constantine added to his name the title Porphyrogenitus, that is, born red or red. Therefore, the Greeks especially distinguished the northern red-haired tribes, calling them Rus, regardless of the language this tribe spoke. At the beginning of our era, it was the Byzantine Greeks who brought the light of civilization to Eastern Europe, giving names to European peoples in their own way. Therefore, on the map of Europe, the name Rus appears precisely in the zone of influence Byzantine Empire.

Such a light-skinned and red-haired type of people could have formed only with a long existence in the north, in a cold climate and, as modern scientists have determined, with a large consumption of fish. The archaeological culture of “kyekkenmedings” or heaps of kitchen waste left at the sites of fishermen and hunters along the shores of the North and Baltic Seas is quite suitable for these conditions. They left behind huge piles of fish bones, shells and bones of marine animals. These are the creators of the so-called "pitted" ceramics. They decorated their pots with one or more rows of small, round pits along the rim and strokes along the walls. Using this ceramics, one can unmistakably trace the paths of the Russian tribes. Most likely, at the beginning they spoke the Baltic language, the middle language between the Germanic and Slavic languages. Their ancient language had many words with Slavic roots. In the work of the Byzantine emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus "On the Russes coming from Russia on one-trees to Constantinople" the names of the seven Dnieper rapids in Slavonic and Russian are mentioned. Of the seven names, two have the same sound, both in Slavic and in Russian: Essupi (do not sleep) and Gelandri (threshold noise). Two more Russian names have a Slavic root and can also be explained in the Slavic language: Varuforos (the Slavic root "var" in the meaning of "water", from which the meaning "cook" is preserved in modern Russian, and Strukun with the meaning "flow, flowing" ). As a result, it turns out that out of seven Russian words, four, and this is 57%, that is, more than half have Slavic roots. But, having taken up science before the Slavs, German scientists, in view of the loud military glory of the Russian tribes, ranked the Baltic languages ​​​​as Germanic and called them "East Germanic". With the same success, the languages ​​\u200b\u200bof the northern Russian tribes, including Scandinavian, can be called "Northern Slavic" languages. It is in our time that the Swedish language has become closer to the Germanic languages, subjected to the strongest influence of German culture, imposed on it from outside. The same thing happened with Norwegian. Even the Gothic historian Jordanes mentions the Norwegians under their original name "Navego". Most likely, this name came from the totem of the patron of the tribe and had a root in the name of the fish (for example, "navaga") or sea ​​animal(for example, "narwhals"). At the turn of the 2nd millennium AD, this Baltic tribe also underwent the strongest Germanization. The name "navego" was rethought in the German manner and began to sound like "Norwegians" from German word“road to the north”, but what does the Norwegian people and the “road to the north” have to do with it?

It is most expedient to separate the ancient Russian-Baltic languages ​​into a separate group of Indo-European languages ​​and give it the name "Baltic", which is completely true.

The abundance of food: fish and sea animals, the climatic optimum on the shores of the Baltic Sea, contributed to the rapid growth of the population, the excess of which, wave after wave, began to go south. In the upper reaches of the Volga and Oka, Russian tribes mixed with the Eastern Slavs, and with a small number of Siberian populations who came from beyond the Urals. From this mixture appeared the Russian-Slavic tribes, the creators of the cultures of "pit-comb" ceramics. Their most ancient sites are found near Moscow (Lyalovskaya site), and throughout the Volga-Oka interfluve from the 4th millennium BC. The distribution of pit-comb ceramics shows the widespread settlement of Russian-Slavic tribes throughout the forest belt of Eastern Europe, including the Scandinavian Peninsula. They spoke the Slavic language, but, unlike the Balkan and Danube Slavs, they had light, blue eyes and light blond or red hair, all signs of Russian tribes. And in terms of culture they were close to the Russian-Baltic tribes. It was about them that Procopius of Caesarea wrote: “They (Antes) are very tall and of great strength. The color of their skin and hair is very white or golden, and not quite black, but they are all dark red.

And here the Jewish prophet Ezekiel says about the people of Ros:
1. “You are a son of man, prophesy against Gog and say: thus says the Lord God: here I am against you, Gog, prince of Rosa, Meshech and Tubal!
2. And I will turn you and lead you, and I will bring you out from the ends of the north and bring you to the mountains of Israel” (Ezekiel, chapter 39).

Under the concept: Russian tribes fell all the peoples of northern Europe who spoke Slavic languages: Rugs, Ruyans, Vagry-Varangians, Obodrites-Bodrichi-Reregs, Wilts, Lutichi, etc. In the Baltic languages: Chud, Goths, Swedes, Navego (future Norwegians), Izhora, etc. In Celtic languages: Aestii, Ruthenians, etc. In Finno-Ugric languages ​​(assimilated Baltic, Celtic and Russian-Slavic tribes). The North Iranian Scythians, who have lived in the north of Eastern Europe since ancient times, also belonged to the Russian tribes. Therefore, such confusion has been created in the literature about Russian tribes that no one can still unravel it. Some Russ burned their dead relatives in a boat, others buried in simple earthen pits, others dug a whole log house into the ground and buried it together with their living wife. Some Russ wore short jackets, others did not wear jackets or caftans, but wore a "kisa" - a long piece of cloth wrapped around the body, third Russ wore wide trousers, each of which was one hundred "cubits" of matter. Of course, the Goths, who came from the southern shores of the Baltic, also belonged to the Russian tribes. In the Lithuanian language, Russians are still referred to by the word "guti", that is, "Goths" (Tatishchev). One of the self-names of the Goths was “gut-tiuda”, but the name “tiuda”, which is recognized by many modern historians, denotes the Baltic tribe “Chud”. This tribe, together with the Slavs and the ancient Finno-Ugric peoples, played a huge role in the development of medieval culture in the territory from the White Sea to Spain. The Chud tribes spoke the Baltic language, close to Russian-Slavic. In the modern Russian language from that time there were the words “wonderful”, “miracle”, “eccentrics”, that is, people who are very close in culture and language, but who have their own wonderful customs. For example, from communication with the ancient, Finno-Ugric tribe Merya, who spoke a foreign, incomprehensible language, the words “vile”, “abomination” remained in the Russian language. From contact with the Finno-Ugric tribe "Mari" in the Russian language, the word "Mara", that is, "death", remained. Meeting with them for the Slavs meant physical or ethnic death, loss of life or loss of their language and culture.

At the beginning of our era, the Chud people (Tiuds) lived along the entire Baltic coast, they included themselves as Goths (Gut-Tiuds) and Swedes (Sweet-Tiuds). The name of the Gothic king Theodoric can be translated as Tiudo-rix, that is, "Chudian king." All the facts indicate that Chud is a very ancient Russian-Baltic tribe, from which both the Goths and the Swedes spun off, stood out.

According to the legends of the Udmurt people, the richest Cheganda (Pyanobor) archaeological culture of the 2nd century BC - 3rd century AD on the territory of Udmurtia was created by the light-eyed Chud, who came from the north. This is also confirmed by archeology: “corded” ceramics with cord impressions disappear, and Baltic “pitted” ceramics are widely distributed. This period of time completely fits into the time when the Goths advanced from the southern coast of the Baltic to the Black Sea region. In the book "Getika" of the Gothic historian Jordanes (VI century AD) it is written that the Goths, when moving south, ousted from their places the kindred tribe of the Ulmerugs, that is, the island rugs. Since then, the Rugs considered the Goths their worst enemies and repeatedly defeated them in battles. Jordan himself did not consider the Rug Germans, they were originally a Russian-Slavic tribe. Breaking through Germany to the west, the Goths in the battles literally flooded their lands with blood, beating the Germanic tribes one by one and all together. Since then, the name of the Baltic tribe is ready for the Germans acquired the meaning of God.

It can be clarified: the richest Cheganda (Pyanobor) archaeological culture (II century BC - V century AD) in the lower reaches of the Kama was created by the Russian-Slavic tribe of the Rugs, ousted in the Black Sea region by the Goths. Probably, several generations of Goths lived in the Kama region, gathering forces to break through to the most fertile lands of the Black Sea region.

Further, Jordan writes that the king is ready Filimer, before attacking the spas, which blocked the Goths from entering the steppe expanses, he sent half of his army to the east. They crossed the river (presumably the Kama, because steppes are already spreading in the lower reaches of the Kama), left and disappeared in endless swamps and bottomless swamps. These lands can only be the vast swamps of Western Siberia. Traces of these Goths in our time are found by archaeologists, in the form of "accidentally got there" Scandinavian products, throughout the forest-steppe part of Western Siberia. They reached Tuva, becoming princes and kings for the local peoples. They passed on their culture and runic writing to the Yenisei Kirghiz, Khakass and ancient Tuvans. The name "runic" is translated from the Gothic language as "secret".

According to the descriptions of Chinese historians, the Mongolian family of Borjigins, to which Genghis Khan belonged, came to Mongolia from the north, from the territory of present-day Tuva and was very different from the local Tatars. They were tall, grey-eyed and fair-haired. It is quite possible that Genghis Khan is a direct descendant of the Rus-Goths, who left the territory of the Kama region to the east in the second century BC. The Mongols wrote, moreover, in Scandinavian runic writing. Probably, remembering their Russian origin, the Borjigins (Chingizids) did not destroy the Russian princes in Rus', as they completely destroyed the Tatar, Bulgarian, Finno-Ugric, Kypchak, Kuman princes, but accepted them practically as equals. The name "Urus Khan" - "Russian Khan", is often mentioned among the supreme rulers of the Mongol Hordes. The son of Batu Khan (Batu), Sartak, considered it an honor to become a twin brother of the Russian prince Alexander Nevsky.

The Goths, torn in the Black Sea region, fell under the blow of the Huns, and went to Western Europe, where, having changed the whole course of European history, they gradually disappeared among the Italians, French and Spaniards.

If we talk about which tribes Rus' belonged to, which created the state of Ancient Rus', then we can say unequivocally - Slavic Rus', which spoke the Slavic language. This conclusion can be reached by analyzing the modern Russian language. The word “work” has the same root as the word “slave”, to work means to perform the function of a slave, to be a slave. But the word "dream" of the same root with the word "sword". Dreaming means thinking how to achieve everything you want with the sword: happiness, fame, wealth and power. Most Russian folk tales are very exciting about how the youngest son found a treasure sword and, having gone to distant lands, got everything for himself: wealth, fame, a bride and a kingdom in addition. This fully corresponds to the characteristics that ancient authors gave when describing the Rus (for example, Ibn-Ruste "Dear values"). When a son is born to them, he (Rus) gives the newborn a naked sword, puts it in front of the child and says: “I do not leave you any property as an inheritance, and you have nothing but what you get with this sword”, “Rus have neither real estate, no villages, no arable land, and feed only on what they get in the land of the Slavs, "" but they have many cities, they are warlike, brave, pugnacious." But the "Rus" themselves ... belong to the Slavs" (Ibn-Khordadbeg, 9th century AD).

One of the names of the Russian-Baltic tribe of the Swedes is "svet-tiudy", that is, "bright Chud". Ibn-Ruste writes that among the Slavs, bordering on the Pechenegs, the king is called "svet-malik", that is, "Swede-amalik" (a Swede from the royal family of Amal), and he eats only mare's milk. Most likely, what happened is that, unlike Slavic Rus', Swedish Rus' came under the strongest influence of the Sarmatians-Finno-Ugrians and Scythians-Iranians. They moved from boats to horses and became typical nomads, widely known from Russian chronicles as "Polovtsy". Polovtsy - from the word "sexual", which, again, means "red", and the nomadic Turks could not be fair-haired in their southern nature. Until the Mongol invasion, the Polovtsy (Swedes - who became nomads) were the masters of the Black Sea steppes. Even after the Mongol invasion, the Polovtsian (Swedish) khans ruled in the Black Sea steppes along with the Mongol khans. Until now, the local population calls the Polovtsian burial mounds in the Black Sea region “Swedish graves”. Yes, and the famous Polovtsian Khan Sharukan, among medieval historians, is mentioned as the leader of the Goths (Swedes). It is quite possible that therefore the Polovtsian khans and Russian princes quickly found a common language and jointly tried to resist the Mongol invasion. Gradually, the Cuman Swedes dissolved among the Slavs and became part of the Ukrainian people.

The Chud and Izhora tribes were Russian-Baltic, they lived from the region of present-day St. Petersburg and Estonia to the upper reaches of the Vyatka and Kama. At the turn of the second millennium, they, having experienced the strongest influence of the Finno-Ugric peoples, partially took their language and became Estonians, Udmurts and Komi, but the majority remained Russian, having mastered the related Slavic-Russian (modern Russian) language, which is closer to them. In Udmurtia, the Russian-Baltic Chud tribes assimilated by the Finno-Ugric peoples make up more than 30% of the Udmurts, and are known as Chudna and Chudza. One of the ancient centers of settlement of the Russian-Baltic tribe Chudza was the area of ​​the city of Izhevsk, and the village of Zavyalovo, whose lands are located around Izhevsk, was called Deri-Chudya.

A large Russian-Slavic tribe "Ves", traces of which can be found on geographical map from the Baltic to the eastern slopes of Altai: rivers whose names have the Indo-European ending "-man" and settlements that start or end with "weight" or "you". It was only partially assimilated by the Finno-Ugric peoples - these are the current Vepsians. The overwhelming majority of villages were originally part of the Russian people. In the ingenious work of the ancient Russian chronicler "The Tale of Igor's Campaign", the word "all" is used in the meaning of "native village". In the famous Words: “How is it now going prophetic Oleg…” the epithet “prophetic” has nothing to do with the word “broadcast” or “predict”. Oleg did not predict anything, it was the Magi who predicted death from his beloved horse. Most likely, the word “prophetic” meant that Prince Oleg was from the Russian-Slavic tribe Ves or was Prince Vesi, and the name Oleg itself comes from the Iranian word Khaleg (creator, creator). Part of the Russian-Slavic tribe Ves, who lived in Siberia, was cut off by advancing from Kazakh steppes, Finno-Ugrians from the bulk of their fellow tribesmen and was called "Cheldons". They were widely known in the Urals and Siberia, and in a small number have survived to this day under the same name. The name "chel-don" consists of two words. The word "chel" - from the self-name of the Slavs - a man, and the ancient Ural word "don" - which means prince. It is quite possible that the Slavs cheldons, before the arrival of the Ugrians, were a princely tribe in Western Siberia and the Urals. After the annexation of Siberia to Russia, the local peoples called the first Russian settlers the word “pajo”, meaning “prince” or “king”, apparently in memory of the ancient Russian-Slavic tribe All that lived in Siberia before the arrival of the Ugrians. The very name "all" comes from the word "message", "broadcast", that is - to speak. From time immemorial, she lived in the whole and on the territory of Udmurtia. They left the ruins of the city - the Vesyakar fortress on the Cheptse River and the legends of the Udmurt people about the hero Vesya.

In Germany, since the Middle Ages, it was believed that the state of Ancient Rus' was created by the Rugs, about which Tacitus wrote (1st - 2nd century AD): distinguishing feature all these tribes - round shields, short swords and obedience to kings. Apparently after coming from the territory of present-day Sweden to South coast The Baltics, the Rugs divided. One half went to the Kama region, the second - to the lands of present-day East Germany. Actively participating in all the wars of the middle of the first millennium of our era, often, as part of both opposing sides, the rugs scattered throughout Europe, and wherever the rugs appeared at the beginning, the name Rus or Ros appeared on the map. For example: Russia in Styria in southern Austria, Russia on the Kerch Peninsula in the Crimea. But where there were rugs, there were always their eternal rivals - the Goths, and it is impossible to say unequivocally who created the next Rus'. This once again confirms the assumption that the Greeks gave the name "Rus" regardless of the tribal affiliation of the creators of the next Rus, and regardless of the language they spoke. In the place where Tacitus places the “Germanic” tribes of Rug and Lemoviev, “suddenly” the Slavic tribes of Lugi (Luzhichane) and Glinyan appear. It can be confidently asserted that the “Germanic” tribes of Rugov and Lemoviev are a Germanic vocalization of the originally Russian-Slavic tribes of Lugov (Luzhichan) and Glinyan (clay in German sounds like “lem” - Lehm, clay - they are Lemovii). Part of the Russian-Slavic tribe of the Rugs (Luzhichans), who created the state of Ancient Rus' (Kiev and Novgorod), still live in their ancient ancestral home - in Slavia, that is, in East Germany.

http://www.mrubenv.ru/article.php?id=4_5.htm

The history of Russian statehood begins from the time when, ten centuries before the beginning of a new era, numerous Slavic tribes began to settle in the northern and central parts of the East European Plain. They were engaged in hunting, fishing and agriculture. Those who lived in the steppe were engaged in animal husbandry.

Who are the Slavs

The term "Slavs" denotes an ethnic group of people who have centuries of cultural continuity and who speak a variety of related languages ​​known as Slavic languages ​​(all belonging to the Indo-European language family). Little is known about the Slavs before their mention in Byzantine records of the 6th century AD. e., while most of what we know about them until that time, scientists have received through archaeological and linguistic research.

Main places of residence

Slavic tribes began to develop new territories in the 6th-8th centuries. The tribes diverged along three main lines:

• southern - the Balkan Peninsula,
• western - between the Oder and the Elbe,
• to the east and northeast of Europe.

Eastern Slavs are the ancestors of such modern peoples as Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians. The ancient Slavs were pagans. They had their own deities, they believed that there were evil and good spirits that personified various natural forces: Yarilo - the Sun, Perun - thunder and lightning, etc.

When they mastered the East European Plain, there were changes in their social structure - tribal unions appeared, which later became the basis of future statehood.

Ancient peoples on the territory of Russia

The oldest of the far north were the Neolithic hunters of the wild reindeer. Archaeological evidence of their existence dates back to the 5th millennium BC. It is believed that small-scale reindeer husbandry developed as early as 2,000 years ago.

In the 9th-10th centuries, the Varangians (Vikings) controlled the central part and the main rivers of the eastern territory of modern Russia. East Slavic tribes occupied the northwestern region. The Khazars, a Turkic people, controlled the south-central region.

As far back as 2000 BC. e., both in the north and in the territory of modern Moscow, and in the east, in the Ural region, there lived tribes who grew raw grain. Around the same time, the tribes in the territory of modern Ukraine were also engaged in agriculture.

Distribution of ancient Russian tribes

Many peoples gradually migrated to what is now the eastern part of Russia. The Eastern Slavs remained in this territory and gradually became dominant. The early Slavic tribes of Ancient Rus' were farmers and beekeepers, as well as hunters, fishermen, shepherds and hunters. By 600 the Slavs had become the dominant ethnic group in the East European Plain.

Slavic statehood

The Slavs withstood the invasions of the Goths from Germany and Sweden and the Huns from Central Asia in the 3rd and 4th centuries. By the 7th century they had established villages along all the major rivers in what is now eastern Russia. In the early Middle Ages, the Slavs lived between the Viking kingdoms in Scandinavia, the Holy Roman Empire in Germany, the Byzantines in Turkey, and the Mongol and Turkish tribes in Central Asia.

Kievan Rus arose in the 9th century. This state had a difficult and often unstable politic system. The state prospered until the 13th century, before its territory was sharply reduced. Among the special achievements of Kievan Rus is the introduction of Orthodoxy and the synthesis of Byzantine and Slavic cultures. The disintegration of Kievan Rus played a decisive role in the evolution of the Eastern Slavs into the Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian peoples.

Slavic tribes

Slavs are divided into three main groups:

• Western Slavs (mainly Poles, Czechs and Slovaks);
• southern Slavs (mostly tribes from Bulgaria and former Yugoslavia);
• East Slavic tribes (primarily Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians).

The eastern branch of the Slavs included numerous tribes. The list of tribal names of Ancient Rus' includes:

• Vyatichi;
• Buzhan (Volhynians);
• Drevlyans;
• Dregovichi;
• dulebov;
• Krivichi;
• Polochan;
• glade;
• radimichi;
• Slovenian;
• Tivertsy;
• streets;
• Croats;
• cheerful;
• Wislan;
• zlichan;
• Lusatian;
• buttercups;
• Pomeranian

Origin of the Slavs

Little is known about the origin of the Slavs. They inhabited areas of eastern central Europe in prehistoric times and gradually reached their present limits. The pagan Slavic tribes of Old Rus' migrated from what is now Russia to the southern Balkans over 1,000 years ago and took over the Christian communities founded by Roman colonists.

Philologists and archaeologists claim that the Slavs settled in the Carpathians and in the region of modern Belarus a very long time ago. By 600, as a result of linguistic division, the southern, western and eastern branches appeared. Eastern Slavs settled on the Dnieper River in what is now Ukraine. Then they spread north to the northern Volga valley, to the east of modern Moscow, and to the west - to the basins of the northern Dniester and the Western Bug, to the territory of modern Moldova and to the south of Ukraine.

Later, the Slavs adopted Christianity. These tribes were scattered over a large territory and suffered from the invasions of nomadic tribes: the Huns, Mongols and Turks. The first major Slavic states were the Western Bulgarian state (680-1018) and Moravia (beginning of the 9th century). In the 9th century, the Kievan state was formed.

Old Russian mythology

Very few mythological materials have survived: until the 9th-10th centuries. n. e. writing was not yet widespread among the Slavic tribes.

One of the main gods of the Slavic tribes was Perun, who is associated with the god of the Balts Perkuno, as well as with the Norse god Thor. Like these deities, Perun is the god of thunder, the supreme deity of the ancient Russian tribes. The god of youth and spring, Yarilo, and the goddess of love, Lada, also occupied an important place among the deities. Both of them were gods who died and were resurrected every year, which was associated with the motives of fertility. The Slavs also had the goddess of winter and death - Morena, the goddess of spring - Lelya, the goddess of summer - Zhiva, the gods of love - Lel and Polel, the first was the god of early love, the second was the god of mature love and family.

The culture of the tribes of Ancient Rus'

In the early Middle Ages, the Slavs occupied a large territory, which contributed to the emergence of several independent Slavic states. From the tenth century BC. e. there was a process of gradual cultural divergence that gave rise to many closely related but mutually exclusive languages ​​classified as part of the Slavic branch of the Indo-European language family.

Currently, there are a large number of Slavic languages, in particular, Bulgarian, Czech, Croatian, Polish, Serbian, Slovak, Russian and many others. They are distributed from the central and of Eastern Europe to Russia.

Information about the culture of the East Slavic tribes of Ancient Rus' in the VI-IX centuries. there are very few. Basically, they were preserved in the later recorded works of folklore, represented by proverbs and sayings, riddles and fairy tales, labor songs and legends, legends.

These tribes of Ancient Rus' possessed some knowledge about nature. For example, thanks to the slash-and-burn farming system, the East Slavic agricultural calendar appeared, divided on the basis of agricultural cycles into lunar months. Also, the Slavic tribes on the territory of Ancient Rus' possessed knowledge about animals, metals, and actively developed applied art.

East Slavic tribes are more than a dozen different tribes that can be united under the concept of Eastern Slavs. Their tribal alliances eventually merged...

By Masterweb

East Slavic tribes are more than a dozen different tribes that can be united under the concept of Eastern Slavs. Their tribal unions eventually merged into a single nationality, forming the basis of the Old Russian state. Over time, there was a political stratification of the Eastern Slavs, which allowed the formation of three main peoples by the 17th century - Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian.

Early history

ABOUT early history Very few East Slavic tribes are known. Largely due to the fact that they did not have a written language. Only around 863 did the Glagolitic script, created specially by Byzantine linguists, appear.

Some information about the early history of the East Slavic tribes can be found in Arabic, Byzantine and Persian sources. The first original East Slavic documents date back to the 11th century. But very few of them have survived. Chronicles are considered the most reliable and complete sources. They began to be actively compiled after the adoption of Christianity, following the model of Byzantine chronicles.

The most complete of those that have survived to this day is The Tale of Bygone Years, which was written at the turn of the 11th-12th centuries. At the same time, the author is primarily interested in the Old Russian state, therefore Special attention is given to the Polans and Novgorod Slovenes, while information about the other tribes is extremely scarce.

The resettlement of the Eastern Slavs

The resettlement of the East Slavic tribes began actively in the 7th-8th centuries. Initially, glades lived along the Dnieper River, northerners settled in the north, mainly in the Desna region, and the Drevlyans occupied the northwestern regions.

Dregovichi settled between the Dvina and Pripyat, and the Polotsk people lived along the Polota River. The Krivichi received lands in the region of the Dnieper, Volga and Dvina.

On the Western and Southern Bug there were also territories of East Slavic tribes. Dulebs or Buzhans lived there, some of them eventually moved to the west, mixing with the Western Slavs.

The dominant role in which East Slavic tribes, where they lived, played customs and language, special ways of doing business. Agriculture (growing barley, wheat, millet) remained the key occupation for several centuries, some cultivated rye and oats. mass bred poultry and cattle.

Anty

If we go deeper into ancient history, then we learn that the Antes are one of the early Slavic tribes, from which many tribes of the Eastern Slavs originated. Nowadays, it has been possible to restore ideas about their life and economy as fully as possible.

Now it can be argued that the Antes lived in rural settlements, which were sometimes fortified. Mostly they were engaged in agriculture, arable business. The processing of metals was widespread, archaeologists have repeatedly found bronze and iron workshops of the Ants. The East Slavic tribes and their neighbors not only fought with each other, but in peaceful periods they actively exchanged and traded. First of all, we are talking about the Goths, Scythians, Sarmatians, Roman provinces.

Already at that time, the very first forms of social organization were being created, unions and associations were being formed.

Krivichi

One of the most famous East Slavic tribes is the Krivichi. They were mainly engaged in agriculture, handicrafts and cattle breeding. Their key cities included Smolensk, Izborsk, Polotsk. In a broad sense, it was a union of East Slavic tribes, which was finally formed in the VIII-X centuries. According to the most common hypothesis, the Krivichi became part of the Old Russian people. They belong to the East Slavic tribes along with others. ancient tribes that time.

By the 11th century, the Polotsk and Smolensk principalities and part of the Novgorod possessions were located on the territory of the Krivichi. We can get basic information about them from the "Tale of Bygone Years", which states that they originate from Polotsk.

Where did the Krivichi live?

The Krivichi settled most of modern Belarus over several centuries. Dregovichi and radimichi neighbored with them. From ancient times, the Krivichi closely interacted with the Varangians, and the Byzantine emperor Constantine VII recalled them that they made boats that could go to Constantinople itself.

According to the most common version, in 980 the last prince of the Krivichi, whose name was Rogvolod, was killed. This was done by the Novgorod prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich.

After the formation of Kievan Rus, the Krivichi took part in the colonization of the eastern lands, partially assimilated there.

Vyatichi

Another important East Slavic tribe is the Vyatichi. They settled in the Oka basin in the VIII-XIII centuries. From the "Tale of Bygone Years" we can learn that in the 9th century the Vyatichi began to live under the Khazars, who were paid tribute. Management, as in most other neighboring tribes, was carried out by the prince and veche. Judging by the archaeological finds, the Vyatichi actively participated in international trade.

The power of the prince among the East Slavic tribes was very limited by a powerful veche, that is, a popular assembly. Moreover, it was it that was the initial governing body in the tribes, because it was precisely such an "organization" that invited Rurik to reign.

Presumably, it included adult men. All those who were in the meeting were united not by family ties, but by social social functions. Most likely, it was a highly militarized community.

In the second half of the 10th century, the Vyatichi were subordinated to Kievan Rus after the campaigns of Prince Svyatoslav.

Drevlyans

The names of the East Slavic tribes are largely determined by their place of residence. One of them, which deserves special mention, is the Drevlyans. Mostly they lived in the Ukrainian Polissya (forest, tree strip).

Until they were subjugated by Kievan Rus, they had a highly developed state organization. The political center of the tribe was based in the city of Iskorosten, eventually moved to Ovruch.

The Radimichi tribe is also known. They lived in the upper reaches of the Dniester and Dnieper. On the territory of modern Gomel and Mogilev regions of present-day Belarus. The first written evidence that confirms their existence dates back to the end of the 9th century.

As a result of archaeological excavations, a large number of graves of the Radimichi were discovered, which were carried out according to the rite of cremation. They are characterized by funeral pyres with oval outlines, while in such burial mounds the dead were laid on a fire in the direction from west to east. The structure of the funeral bonfires, which resembled the so-called domino-towers, is also noteworthy.

Most burial mounds do not contain the personal belongings of the deceased. Most likely, they burned to the ground on funeral pyres. By the way, the burial traditions were similar among other East Slavic tribes. For example, the Gnezdovsky burial mounds are known in the places where the Krivichi lived.

Kievan Rus

The ancient East Slavic tribes should include not only the Krivichi, Drevlyans and Vyatichi, but also the Polochans, Polyans, Pskov Krivichi, Zveryans, Bolokhovtsy, Buzhans, Narevyans, Severyans, Tivertsy, Radimichi.

Over time, they began to unite. The state, which included all the East Slavic tribes, is Kievan Rus.

It arose in the 9th century thanks to the dynasty of the princes of Rurik, who united the East Slavic and Finno-Ugric tribes.

At its peak, Kievan Rus occupied the territory from the Dniester in the west, the Taman Peninsula in the south, the Northern Dvina in the north, and the tributaries of the Volga in the east.

By the 12th century, feudal wars within the state began, in which about a dozen Russian principalities participated, led by representatives of different branches of the Rurik dynasty.

Kyiv lost its former grandeur and significance, the principality itself was in the collective possession of the princes, but Rus' also existed later as an ethno-cultural region, which played a decisive role in the unification of the Slavic lands.

East Slavic unity

The unification of the East Slavic tribes dates back to the end of the 9th century. It was then that the Novgorod prince Oleg, who, most likely, was a Varangian by origin, decided to unite power over Novgorod and Kiev in his hands. In the annals, this event dates back to 882.

As a result, a class of the early feudal Old Russian state is formed, from which Kievan Rus appeared. This moment was a turning point in the history of the Eastern Slavs. But not everything went smoothly. In some lands, the princes from Kyiv met fierce resistance from local feudal lords, which was suppressed only with the help of weapons.

Drevlyane resistance

The Drevlyans turned out to be one of the most stubborn, the longest struggle was waged with them. When, during the next campaign, Prince Igor decided to collect a double tribute from the Drevlyans, they defeated his squad and took his own life.

Instead of Igor, his wife Olga became the ruler, who finally, using harsh measures, subordinated the Drevlyans directly to Kyiv. Their capital, which was in the city of Iskorosten, was completely destroyed.

At the same time, the centers of the East Slavic tribes were formed, which, ultimately, were subject to Kyiv. So, under Vladimir Svyatoslavich, the lands of the Vyatichi and the modern North Caucasus became part of Kievan Rus. When the early feudal state was finally formed, more favorable conditions were created for economic growth and maintaining security.

Soon, more favorable conditions began to form for economic growth and the maintenance of the country's security. But these processes were associated with restrictions on the freedoms of the peasants, as evidenced by numerous sources.

Neighbors of the Slavs

East Slavic tribes and their neighbors often cooperated with each other. In this article, we have already named several tribes with which the Slavs most often had to intersect.

Now let's look at this issue in more detail. In the west, the main neighbors of the Eastern Slavs were Germanic and Celtic tribes. Finno-Ugric peoples and Balts lived in the east, among them there were Sarmatians and Scythians, some of whom are considered the ancestors of modern Iranians. Over time, the Khazars and Bulgars began to oust them more and more actively.

From the south, the Greeks, Romans, Illyrians, and ancient Macedonians traditionally coexisted with the Slavs.

In the Byzantine chronicles, it was repeatedly emphasized that the proximity to the Slavic tribes turned into a real disaster. The neighborhood and numerous Germanic peoples were also hard pressed, as daring raids were regularly made, as a result of which the most fertile lands were seized, residential buildings and outbuildings were destroyed.

The situation somewhat changed in the 6th century, when Turkic tribes arose in neighboring territories. They began to wage a fierce struggle with the Slavs for the lands located in the Danube and Dniester regions. Moreover, some Slavic tribes eventually went over to the side of the Turks, who set as their ultimate goal the capture of the Byzantine Empire. As a result of a long war, the Byzantines completely enslaved the Western Slavs, but the southern ones were able to defend their independence.

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