Class hour in elementary school. Old Russian cities. What was the ancient Russian city like?

The question about “The most ancient city in Russia” has long been controversial for scientists and historians. The fact is that they single out several settlements at once as the most ancient city in Russia.

Among them is Old Novgorod

Derbent

.

Derbent is located in Dagestan and it was built many years before our era, and accordingly long before the founding of Kievan Rus itself and the Russian Empire in general.

Now Derbent is part of the Russian Federation and on this basis a colossal number of scientists attribute it to the status of “The most ancient city in Russia”. Critics of this theory, no less eminent scientists and historians, point out that this city cannot be considered the most ancient city in Russia, even because it existed when there was no reminder about Russia or Rus'. In addition, this region is significantly different from ancient Rus' and, in general, from the culture of the Russian people, so it is difficult to classify it as a Russian city. Whether this is true or not is up to each individual to decide. All that remains is to say that a true patriot of his country should know at least a little about the history of his homeland.

Adding fuel to the fire, I would like to note that the dispute over the status of the most ancient city in Russia also includes

If Ancient Novgorod was founded in 859, then Murom celebrated its formation in 862,

but this date cannot be considered 100% true, since the only source of its mention is the Tale of Bygone Years.

Research is being carried out in this city, based on the results of which it is already known that even before 862 there were settlements of Finno-Ugric people, who called this city by its current name (Murom). The Finno-Ugric people themselves appeared in these parts back in the 5th century AD, so the city may well lay claim to the title of the oldest in Russia, since it may currently be about 1500 years old

It is also worth mentioning one of the oldest cities in Russia, which is called

Bryansk .

Officially it is believed that it was founded in 985. Over the years of its formation, the city has undergone slight changes in its name, since it was originally called Debryansk. The first mention of the city is in the Ipatiev Chronicle, which dates back to 1146.

As we can see, the issue of the most ancient city in Russia remains controversial to this day. It is extremely difficult to find the true truth, but knowing the facts about the cities of your country is necessary and interesting.

Smolensk

is one of the first cities of Rus'. In the dated part of the Tale of Bygone Years it is first mentioned in 862 as the center of the Krivichi tribal union.

According to the Ustyuzhensky (Arkhangelogorodsky) vault, it is recorded under the year 863, when Askold and Dir, on a campaign from Novgorod to Constantinople, bypassed the city, since the city was heavily fortified and crowded. In 882, the city was captured and annexed to the Old Russian state by Prince Oleg, who handed it over to Prince Igor, from whose youth power in the city was exercised by governors and squads, and general administration was carried out from Kyiv.

Staraya Russa is an ancient provincial town in the Novgorod region. His exact age is not known, since Karamzin had a hand in history, causing confusion in many events of ancient Rus'.

Veliky Novgorod appears on the paper five-ruble banknote, and Staraya Russa on the iron ten-ruble coin.

So judge who is older.

The city of Staraya Russa is mentioned in the Tale of Bygone Years, the fundamental book of the history of Rus'. The city stands on museum values. The area of ​​the ancient settlement is 200 hectares, and excavations were carried out carelessly on one thousandth of this territory. Staraya Russa is an ideal springboard for someone who wants to make a historical discovery.

Temple of the Miraculous Icon of the Old Russian Mother of God

Velikiy Novgorodconsidered the most ancient.

At least that’s what almost every city resident thinks. The chronological date is considered to be 859. The grandiose city, washed by the waters of the Volkhov River, became the progenitor of Christianity in Rus'; the Kremlin and numerous architectural monuments remember the rulers of the early period of our state. This version is also supported by the fact that Novgorod has always been a Russian city and there is a starting age calculation (not something vague, such and such a century...).

Another version, which also has the right to exist, is the one on which most historians insist.

Staraya Ladoga- the most ancient city in Russia. Now Staraya Ladoga has the status of a city and the first mentions of it have come to us since the middle of the 8th century. There are tombstones that date back to 753 . Not long ago, when visiting Staraya Ladoga, V.V. Putin decided to conduct additional research in the surroundings of the city in order to nominate it for the title of a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2014, and this will serve as an impetus for studying its history

In Staraya Ladoga, a church has been preserved in which, according to legends, the descendants of Rurik were baptized.

The debate on this issue will not cease for a long time until irrefutable evidence is found:

Belozersk (Vologda region) - 862

It came from the name of Lake Beloename of the city Belozersk.

The first mention of the city dates back to 862 in the Tale of Bygone Years under the name Beloozero. This date is also the founding date of present-day Belozersk.Initially, the city was located on the northern shore of White Lake; in the 20th century it was moved to the southern shore, where it stood until 1352.

From 1238, the city became the center of the Belozersk Principality and from 1389 it became the Principality of Moscow. The city was devastated by epidemics in 1352 and was revived again, flourished in the 20th century and fell into decline at the end of the 20th century.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the development of the city was facilitated by the Belozersky bypass canal (construction of the Mariinsky water system). The canal transports timber industry materials to St. Petersburg Belozersk. With the opening of the Volga-Baltic waterway, Belozersk established connections with other industrial cities.
The current coat of arms of the city was approved on October 12, 2001 and is: “In a wavy shield crossed with azure and silver at the top there is a widened cross above a silver crescent, at the bottom there are two crosswise silver sterlets with scarlet fins, thinly bordered with azure.” The previous coat of arms was approved under Soviet rule in 1972.

The former and current coat of arms of Belozersk

Architecture of Belozersk - along the embankment of the Belozersk canal, a complex of one-story buildings built in 1846. Its five buildings are located symmetrically
* The Kremlin and the Transfiguration Cathedral - a ring of earthen ramparts surrounded on all sides by a moat. The earthen rampart and ditch amaze with their scale. A three-span stone bridge leads across the moat to the Kremlin territory. In the center of the Kremlin stands the five-domed Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral.
* Church of the All-Merciful Savior (1716-1723) - the five-domed church is one of the first stone churches in the city.
* Church of Elijah the Prophet (1690-1696) - a wooden three-tiered single-domed church in the western part of the city
* Church of the Assumption (1553) is the oldest building in Belozersk. This five-domed temple together with the Church of the Epiphany make up an architectural complex. At the moment these churches are active.
* Belozersky Art and History Museum - the museum is divided into 8 parts, for example
- "Russian Izba Museum"
- "Museum of Regional History"
- "Museum of Nature"
* A monument created for the 1112th anniversary of the city (note the date) a boat, symbolizing that the history of the city is closely connected with waterways.

Rostov (Yaroslavl region) - 862

Smolensk - 862

By systematizing archaeologically studied fortified settlements on a scale of socio-economic characteristics, it was possible to identify monuments whose archaeological characteristics indicate their urban appearance.

By systematizing archaeologically studied fortified settlements on a scale of socio-economic characteristics, it was possible to identify monuments whose archaeological characteristics indicate their urban appearance. The vast majority of these settlements had an area of ​​about 2.5 hectares or more protected by ramparts and ditches. The fortified parts were adjacent to open settlements. The smallest dimensions of the fortified area, characteristic of urban centers, established during the study, probably reflect the minimum degree of concentration of the population necessary for the city to perform all its functions. Smaller settlements, with a few exceptions, turned out to be settlements of other social types: fortified centers of ordinary volosts and churchyards, military guard fortresses, feudal estates-castles. But the cities themselves, as follows from the materials discussed above, despite a certain similarity in their archaeological characteristics, actually presented a rather motley picture. Simultaneously with the largest and comprehensively developed capital centers such as Kyiv and Novgorod, there were small specific or regional towns like Ishchizh, Serepsk or Yaropolch Zalessky.

Firstly, the number of urban-type settlements has been steadily increasing from period to period. Secondly, only at monuments from the mid-12th-13th centuries. “urban” features are expressed quite clearly. The older the settlement, the more “blurred” its archaeological characteristics become. Thirdly, the most stable indicators were economic development, military orientation and property differentiation. Taken together, this indicates a natural strengthening of urban development trends over time and the gradual crystallization of the socio-economic structure of ancient Russian cities.

Let us consider in detail the bottom line of the table. It contains 30 settlements of the 10th - early 11th centuries. possessing a number of “urban” characteristics. Here is a list of them, in which they are located according to the administrative-territorial principle (but belonging to future princely lands). In the list, after the name of the monument and in brackets, the date of its first mention in written sources and the size of the fortified area at a given time are indicated.

Kiev land: Kyiv (until the 9th century, 11 hectares), Vyshgorod (946, about 7 hectares), Belgorod (991, 52 hectares), Vitichev (949, about 10 hectares).

Pereyaslavl land: Pereyaslavl (907, about 80 hectares), Gochevskoye fortification (about 10 hectares), Bolshoye Gornalskoye fortification (about 5 hectares).

Chernigov land: Chernigov (907, about 8 hectares), Lyubech (907, 4.5 hectares), Novgorod Seversky (1078-1079, Zga).

Galicia-Volyn region: Przemysl (981, 3 ha), Chervep (981, 4 ha), Volyn (1018, 0.5 ha+?), Listvin settlement (11 ha), Stupnitsa settlement (14 ha), the fortified settlement of Revnoe I (4.5 ha), the fortified settlement of Revnoe II (about 10 ha), the fortified settlement of Groznitsy (about 6 ha).

Polotsk land: Polotsk (862, 10 hectares), Vitebsk (1021, 4 hectares).

Novgorod land: Novgorod (859, 7 ha), Pskov (903, 2.5 ha), Ladoga (862, 1 ha+?). Rostov-Suzdal land: Suzdal (1024), Beloozero (862,?).

Ryazan land: Ryazan (1096, 4.5 hectares). Belogorsk settlement (4 hectares), Titchikha settlement (7.5 hectares). Among the listed 30 monuments, 14 are mentioned in written sources and connections with events of the 9th-10th centuries, and six - in the 11th century. Ten settlements are not known to the chronicles. We can speak with enough confidence about the urban character of only Kyiv and Novgorod at that time. Here the first fortifications were surrounded by quarters with estate settings, streets and alleys. And the end of the 10th century. in Kyiv the famous Church of the Tithes is being built, and in Novgorod the 12-domed oak St. Sophia Cathedral. Pagan temples preceded us. Finds of cash treasures, individual coins and imported items indicate long-distance trade relations. Indisputable traces of jewelry, blacksmithing, pottery, bone carving and other crafts were discovered. Already in the materials of the second half of the 10th - early 11th centuries. There is a property differentiation among the residents of these cities.

Polotsk at the turn of the 10th and 11th centuries is close to Kyiv and Novgorod. It was then that a detinets was built in a new place with a manor-style street layout, where in the middle of the 11th century. St. Sophia Cathedral is founded. The expansion of the fortified area of ​​ancient Vitebsk can be dated to the same time. In the second half of the 10th century. a stone fortress appears in Ladoga. At the end of the X - beginning of the XI century. The estate-street development of the oldest settlement in Nolnozero is taking shape.

Unfortunately, there is not enough data to judge the nature of the layout and internal features of early Chernigov. Only written information

numerous sources, combined with materials from excavations of a huge burial mound necropolis and the fact of construction here in the first half of the 11th century. Spassky Cathedral indicate the crystallization of urban settlement forms.

There is fragmentary evidence about the early stages of life in Suzdal and Ryazan. Suzdal Detynets was fortified in the 11th century. Finds of the 10th century were encountered during excavations, especially in its northwestern part, where, apparently, the oldest settlement was located. As for Ryazan, A.L. Mongait dates it to the end of the 10th century. the beginning of life on the Northern Settlement needs confirmation.

Archaeological excavations in Vyshgorod, Przemysl, Chervep and Volyn have revealed a variety of materials from the 10th century. But only the size of the settlements, traces of trade and craft activities and property differentiation indirectly speak about the socio-economic appearance of these monuments.

Other fortified settlements known from archaeological excavations have not yet reached the urban level of development, and some of them never became cities.

Thus, the second half of the 10th century. was a time of active city formation in Rus'. This process took place especially intensively in the Middle Dnieper region, in the southwest and northwest of the country. A typical planned structure of an ancient Russian city takes shape: a fortress and a vast unfortified part. The territory protected by fortifications and separated from the rest of the settlement becomes its socio-political and cultural center.

It is symptomatic that among the first cities there are almost all the monuments that appeared on the pages of written sources with the events of the late 9th-10th centuries. It is no less significant that by this time all of them were already or in the near future became the most important socio-political and economic centers of Rus'. At the turn of the 10th-11th centuries, according to the chronicles, the townspeople actively acted as an independent, socially organized military-political and social force. With their participation, issues of choosing a faith are resolved in Kyiv; they are invited guests at the feasts of Prince Vladimir. Residents of Belgorod at the meeting discuss the possibility of further resistance to the Pechenegs. Novgorodians sanction, finance and support Yaroslav and Spyatopolk with their militia. Consequently, special urban communities took shape in Rus', enjoying not only investment self-government, but also the right to vote in solving national affairs.

Sources on the early period of the history of Rus' contain important evidence about the various functions performed by cities even then. Firstly, cities always act as control centers for vast areas. Princes or princely governors sit in them, personifying state power. In general, the organization of power is inextricably linked with the founding of new cities. Having expelled the Varangians, the Slovenes, Krivichi, Merya and Chud, “more often than not, you lay down the cities for yourself” (NPL, p. 106). Having captured Kyiv and uniting the East Slavic lands around it, Oleg and Igor established cities and imposed tribute (NPL, p. 107; PSRL, vol. 1, stb. 23-24).

Secondly, cities are the military stronghold of the state. Armed forces are concentrated in them, they form land militias. The protection of Rus' from the Pechenegs requires the massive construction of cities (NPL, p. 159; PSRL, vol. 1, stb. 121).

Thirdly, cities are ideological and cultural centers. Establishing Christianity, Vladimir builds churches in cities, appoints priests and organizes schools for the children of “deliberate children” (NPL, pp. 157, 159; PSRL, vol. 1, stb. 118).

Finally, the feudalizing nobility is concentrated in the cities. The newly built fortresses, by order of Vladimir, are inhabited by “deliberate men” from all the cities of Slovenia, Krivichi, Chud and Vyatichi (NPL, p. 159; PSRL, vol. 1, stb. 121).

Data from archaeological research allow us to judge the economic life of the first cities. It was here that the process of separation of crafts from agriculture proceeded at the fastest pace. The emergence of specialized pottery production is especially significant. Both in the south (Kyiv) and in the north (Novgorod) in the middle of the 10th century. pottery ceramics many times prevail over stucco ceramics. The opposite picture was true until the end of the 10th century. observed in the large settlements mentioned above that have not yet reached the urban level of development. The growing trade ties of the cities are documented by finds of cash treasures and various imported items (weapons, jewelry, utensils).

Let us now turn to the list of probable cities of the 11th - first half of the 12th century.

Kiev land: Kyiv (81) ha), Vyshgorod, Belgorod, Torchesk (1093, ?), Tumasch (1150, 4 ha), Chuchip (1110, 5 ha), Zarub (1090, approx. 4 hectares), Yuryev (1072, about 2.5 hectares).

Pereyaslavl land: Peremelavl, Osterskin Gorodets (1098, 5.5 hectares), Voin (1055, 4.6 hectares).

Chernigov land: Chernigov (about 55 hectares), Lyubech, Novgorod Seisrsky (about 25 hectares). Putivl (1146, 2.5 hectares).

Turovo-Pinsk land; Turov (980, 2.5 hectares), Pinsk (1097, 6 hectares).

Galich (1138, 18 hectares), Przemysl (8 hectares), Terebovl (1097, 2.8 hectares), Zvenigorod (1087, 3 hectares), Dorogobuzk (1084 city, 3 hectares), Peresopnytsia (1149, 4 hectares), Suteysk (1069, 3 hectares), Belz (1030, 7 hectares), Cherven, Volyn, Listiin settlement, Stuppitsa settlement, No- Vogrudok (1235, 2.5 ha), Grodno (1127, 4 ha).

Polotsk land: Polotsk (28 hectares), Vitebsk (11 hectares), Minsk (1067, 3 hectares), Drutsk (1078, 2.5 hectares). Smolensk land: Smolensk (862, 5 hectares).

Novgorod land: Novgorod, Pskov (3 hectares), Ladoga (1 hectares), Rusa (late 11th century).

Rostov-Suzdal land: Suzdal (14 hectares), Beloozero (?), Yaropolch (late 14th century, 2.8 hectares).

Ryazan land: Ryazan (4.5 hectares).

Compared to a similar list of urban-type settlements of the late 9th - early 11th centuries. this list increased by 14 points, and in fact by more than 20. After all, many of the fortified settlements discussed above by the beginning of the 11th century. or ceased to exist, never reaching

Yurodic level of development, or were classified as cities conditionally, due to the lack of sufficiently complete archaeological data. Thus, among the studied monuments, the number of cities by the middle of the 12th century. increases almost fourfold.

Simultaneously with the emergence of new urban centers, there is a rapid growth of “old” cities. The development of Kyiv is especially indicative. The fortified square of the capital of Rus' already in the middle of the 11th century. increases eightfold. A dozen stone temples and palaces are being rebuilt on the territory of the city and in its immediate surroundings. The chronicler tells of numerous princely and boyar courts located inside defensive fortifications. Archaeologists in Kiev Podol have examined estates of this time that belonged to unprivileged citizens. There is a variety of evidence of the flourishing of Kyiv crafts and active international connections.

The expansion of the fortified territory four times (one roundabout city) and monumental stone construction (Spassky and Borisoglebsky Cathedrals) marked the history of the second most important center of the Russian land - Chernigov in the 11th - Start

XII century It was built up with residential areas throughout the 11th century. the huge fortress of Vladimir Svyatoslavich in Pereyaslavl. Here the princes and bishop erected several stone temples and civil buildings.

It should be noted that the labor-intensive and expensive construction of monumental buildings, as well as the construction of new, significant timber-earth fortifications, is directly related to changes in the socio-political status of each specific center. In Kyiv, the capital of the united Old Russian state, during the period under study, as many or even more different stone buildings were built than in all the cities of the rest of Rus'. The fortifications of the “city of Yaroslav”, colossal in scale, were the most powerful of the ancient Russian defensive structures until the invasion of Batu’s hordes.

Chernigov and Pereyaslavl, becoming in the second half of the 11th century. capitals of independent princely lands, are entering a time of rapid expansion and development. The same trend is demonstrated by Novgorod and Polotsk, and somewhat later by Smolensk and Suzdal. Consequently, the flourishing of ancient Russian cities. including their economy, directly depended on their place and the socio-political system of the state. It is not for nothing that those centers that managed to be the first to achieve independence from Kyiv developed at a faster pace in this era.

These observations are confirmed in the history of Novgorod-Seversky, Przemysl, Tereboplya, Zvenigorod, Grodno and Drutsk. The appearance of their roundabout cities coincides with their expansion into the capitals of appanage principalities.

With the growing independence of individual princely lands and the stabilization of state territories, the process of transforming old and new volost centers into cities is synchronous. In the Kyiv land, first of all, the urban system crystallizes in Belgorod and Vyshgorod, acquiring the status of the most important suburbs of the capital of Rus'. Osshjannms successfully moved along the path of urban development in the middle of the 11th century. Tumasch on Stugpo, Chuchip and Zarub on the Dnieper, Torchesk and Yuryev in Porosye. Of course, the listed points do not exhaust the list of urban centers of Kievshchypa. Probably by the end of the 11th century. Vasilev, Trepol and Kanev reached the urban level of development. However, we still have little archaeological data to make a final judgment on this.

On the left bank of the Dnieper, in the Pereyaslav principality, the following cities became: Voin, founded at the end of the century. as a fortress and rebuilt in the middle of the 11th century; Ostersky Gorodets, built by Motyumakh in 1098 at the mouth of the river. Sharp as a Pereyaslavl outpost in the fight against Chernigov.

In Chernigov land, in addition to Novgorod Severskotko, Lyubech successfully developed, whose child in the second half of the 11th century. turned into a feudal princely castle. Becomes the city of Putivl - the center of the Chernigov Poseimye.

In the south-west of Rus' in the first half of the 12th century, in addition to the specific capitals mentioned above, features of urban life were characteristic of fortified settlements in Galich, Dorogobuzh, Peresopnitsa, Suteisks, Belz. The remains of some cities unknown in the chronicle are, apparently, the settlements in Listvip and Stupnitsa in Volyn. Ponemapye became an urban center at the beginning of the 12th century. Grodno and Novogrudok, and the first - simultaneously with its allocation as an inheritance.

In the Polotsk land by the middle of the 12th century, in addition to the capital of the principality, the specific centers of Minsk and Drutsk, as well as Vitebsk, became cities. In Minsk at the turn of the XI-XII centuries. They began to build a stone temple, and in Drutsk - a roundabout city.

They acquired a completely urban appearance in the 11th century. Pskov and Ladoga are the most important suburbs of Novgorod, administrative and military centers of large districts - volosts within the Novgorod land. Near the salt springs the city of Rusa develops.

In the 11th century The urban system is being strengthened in the old centers of the Northeast: Beloozero and Suzdal, and in the Middle Poochye - in Ryazan, which already existed by the beginning of the 12th century. the second most important settlement of the Murom Principality.

Although today not all urban-type settlements of the 11th - mid-12th centuries have been studied archaeologically, the available data make it possible to outline the main paths of urban development during this period.

This circumstance indicates that they were all volost centers. From similar centers, judging by the chronicle, based on settlements of an earlier time, the cities of Nyshgorod, Zarub, Lyubech, Novgorod Soverskny, Turov, Galich developed. Chernom, Popogrudok, Vitebsk, Suzdal, Beloozero and Ryazan. The core of other cities (Belgorod, Yuryev, Torchesk, Tumascha, Chuchppa, Voinya, Ostersky Gorodets, Suteysk and Belz) were military fortresses founded at the end of the 10th-11th centuries. However, their transformation into genuine cities, as evidenced by the examples of Belgorod, Yuryev, Torchesk, Ostersky Gorodets, Belz, is associated with the acquisition by these settlements, in addition to purely military, economic, administrative, cultural and other functions.

It should be noted that Peresopnitsa, Minsk and Yaropolch-Zalessky had only one, but extensive, fortified part. On the contrary, in Chuchin, Ostersky Gorodets, Suteisk and Belz in the 11th century. two parts are immediately surrounded by fortifications: Detinets and the outlying town. Thus, the complex planned structure of ancient Russian cities was by no means always the result of their gradual development, but often the result of the purposeful plans of the builders. Another interesting fact is that not only densely populated areas were surrounded by new fortifications. This was the case in Kyiv during the construction of the “cities” of Vladimir and Yaroslav, when ramparts protected only the locally populated Mountain, leaving the rather densely built-up Podol unfortified. A similar picture is observed in Novgorod Seversky during the construction of a roundabout city at the beginning of the 12th century. and in Suzdal, when under Vladimir Monomakh the fortifications of the Detinets were erected.

These observations depict the process of city formation in Rus' as more complex than it sometimes seems. Neither craft villages, which have not yet been discovered by archaeologists in their pure form, nor trading rows, unknown to written sources earlier than the 15th century, nor ordinary rural settlements in any reliable case turned out to be the basis for the emergence of any ancient Russian city of the 10th-11th centuries. A fortified settlement always acts as the future urban core, organizing relatively large territories around itself.

At an early stage, these are communal-tribal, or rather, inter-tribal centers. From the second half of the 10th century. and especially in the 11th century. They are joined by the centers of volosts, founded by princes throughout the territory of the Russian state. At the same time, some of the military border fortresses acquired city features.

All of the listed types of settlements could and were the starting points of the genesis of cities at the end of the 9th-11th centuries. However, the impression of multiple ways of becoming a city is only apparent. The very appearance of these settlements (with the exception of tribal centers) was brought to life by the development of feudalism in Rus' and the emergence of statehood. They were, according to B. A. Rybakov, “knots of strength”, with the help of which vast territories were kept subordinate to the princes (Rybakov B. L., 1979, No. 2, p. 48). The presence in these settlements of princely warriors, tiuns and other persons endowed with administrative, economic and military functions did not yet open up an urban development path for each specific settlement. Only the settling of a fairly significant part of the surplus product here (in the form of tribute and labor rent) provided such an opportunity. That is why the capitals of princely lands and the centers of appanage principalities first became cities in Rus'. In this they differed from camps, and from graveyards, and from ordinary volost centers, which served primarily as places for temporary storage of tribute products for their subsequent transfer to capital centers. A similar role was played by the centers of the resulting feudal estates, from where most of the land rent went to the city princely and boyar courts. Thus, two conditions served as the main prerequisites for the transformation of any settlement into a city: the concentration in it of the mass of surplus product and the means of its implementation. The first condition was fulfilled by the feudal lords, the second by the craft and trading population.

Let us now check the observations stated above by analyzing the list of archaeologically studied cities of the mid-12th-13th centuries.

Kiev land: Kyiv (about 300 hectares), Vyshgorod (15 hectares), Belgorod (97.5 hectares), Torchesk (about 90 hectares), Tumasch (8 hectares), Chuchin, Zarub, Yuryev, Rodnya (980, 4 ha), Gorodsk (1257,?).

Pereyaslavl land: Pereyaslavl, Ostersky Gorodets (30 hectares), Voin.

Chernigov land: Chernigov (about 160 hectares), Lyubech, Novgorod Seversky, Putivl (about 25 hectares), Trubchevsk (1185, 4 hectares), Vshchizh (1142, 3.8 hectares), Bryansk (1146, 5 hectares), Serensk (1147, 3 hectares), Slobodka settlement (2.5 hectares).

Turov-Pinsk land: Turov, Pinsk. Galicia-Volyn land: Galich (45 hectares), Zvenigorod (about 25 hectares), Plesnesk (1188, 4 hectares), Terebovl, Vasilev (1230, 1.3 hectares), Lepsitsy settlement (about 20 hectares), Izyaslavl (1241, 3.6 ha), Dorogobuzh, Peresopitsa, Lutsk (1085, 7 ha), Beli, Cheppem, Volyn, Dorogochin (1142, 3 ha), Novogrudok, Slopim (1252, 3 hectares), Volkovysk (1252, 1.5 hectares), Grodno.

Polotsk land: Polotsk (58 hectares), Vitebsk, Ersike (1203, 3.5 hectares), Kukeinos (1205, 4 hectares), Minsk, Drutsk, Klechesk (1128, 4.6 hectares).

Smolensk land: Smolensk (about 100 hectares), Toropets (mid-11th century, 0.6 hectares), Mstislavl (1156, 1.5 hectares), Rostislavl (end of the 12th century. 1.6 hectares).

Novgorod land: Novgorod, Rusa (?), Pskov (3.5 hectares + ?), Ladoga (16 hectares).

Rostov-Suzdal land: Suzdal (49 hectares). Vladimir (1154, about 145 hectares), Pereyaslavl Zalessky (1152, about 40 hectares), Dmitrov (1154, 6 hectares), Yaroslavl (1071, 3 hectares). Beloozero, Semipskov settlement (3 hectares), Yaropolch, Gorodets, 60 hectares). Ryazan land: Ryazan (53 hectares), Pronsk (1185, 7 hectares), Pereyaslavl Ryazan (1300, 30 hectares), Izyaslavl (1237, 4 hectares), Kolomna (1177).

The list includes four additional monuments (Vasilev, Volkovysk, Mstislavl and Rostislavl), the fortified area of ​​which is less than 2.5 hectares, but other signs of the urban nature of the settlements are evident. 71 of the 74 cities mentioned above are mentioned in written sources. Compared to a similar list of proposed cities of the 11th - early 12th century, there is a significant increase in the number of urban centers from 44 to 74, i.e. 0.8%. Of these, 15 were built in the middle of the 12th - 13th centuries. in previously uninhabited areas. During this period, the capitals of the ancient Russian principalities intensively expanded their fortified area. In Kyiv, the territory protected by ramparts increased almost threefold, in Chernigov - threefold, in Galich - (2.5 times, in Polotsk - twice, in Smolensk - more than 10 times, in Novgorod for the first time a vast roundabout city appeared, in Suzdal with the construction The fortified area of ​​the surrounding city tripled, and in Ryazan - almost 10 times. As studies in Suzdal and Ryazan showed, new fortifications were not built around densely populated areas, but areas free from development.

The rapid growth of Ryazan, Vladimir on Klyazma, Smolensk and Galich is very indicative, precisely in the mid-second half of the 12th century. turned into the capitals of large settlements. It is easy to see that with the loss of capital functions, the pace of urban development slows down. This happened in Suzdal and Zvenigorod, when the capitals of the principalities moved to Vladimir and Galich. The territorial expansion of Pereyaslavl slowed down somewhat, from the lands of which the Kursk Poseimye region was transferred to the Chernigov principality, and the Ostersky Gorodets volost was transferred to the Suzdal principality.

The rapid development of the capital's centers is reflected not only by the construction of new defensive fortifications, but also by massive stone construction. In the middle of the XII - middle of the XIII century. from three to five to several dozen stone churches appear in Kyiv, Chernigov, Galich, Polotsk, Smolensk, Novgorod, Vladimir and Ryazan.

Almost simultaneously, Trubchevsk, Bryansk, Lutsk, Ersike, Kukeinos, Toroptse, Pereyaslavl-Zalessky, Moscow, Yaroslavl, Gorodets on the Volga, and Propek acquired a completely urban character and the status of specific centers. The fortified area in Belgorod and Vyshgorod doubles, where “in the second half of the 12th century. princely tables appeared. It is significant that at this time in large specific (Belgorod, Novgorod Severskny, Putivl, Trubchevsk, Vshizh, Grodno. Pskov, Pereyaslavl Zalessky, Yaroslavl) and volost (Zarub, Kapev, Volkovysk, Novogrudok, Rostislavl, Mstislavl, Rusa, Ladoga) centers stone churches are being built.

Thus, the connection established above (for cities of the 11th - early 12th centuries) of the transformation of a toga or other settlement into a city or the acceleration of the development of any center with changes in their socio-political situation in the system of the ancient Russian state can be traced quite clearly. Therefore, the capitals of the ancient Russian principalities were decisively ahead of other centers in their development and growth, and the capitals of the appanage principalities were correspondingly ahead of other settlements in their volosts. It is characteristic that many of those founded in the middle of the 12th century. specific and volost centers (Pereyaslavl Zalessky, Gotyudets on the Volga, Serepsk, Trubchevsk, Mstislavl, Rostislavl, etc.) reach urban levels of development in a very short time. Built by princes, these fortified settlements were purposefully populated (including by immigrants from other lands) and immediately endowed with certain rights (fixed deductions of feudal rent). The tribute products settled (concentrated) in the city were the economic basis for the development of urban crafts and trade; merchants and artisans actively participated in their redistribution and processing.

In the middle of the XII - mid-XIII century. The geography of the town formation process in Rus' has changed. Its centers were the Chernigov Podesenye, the river basin. Oka, Volga region, North-East, Smolensk lands, lower Podvinia, Canadian and south-western territories. What we see are not the regions of Rus' that at that time were subject to intense feudalization and princedom. The beginning of the era of feudal fragmentation coincides with a significant increase in the number of ancient Russian cities. This observation fully confirms the conclusions of B. A. Rybakov about the regularity and progressiveness of this stage in the development of the Russian feudal state (1962). The boyars were primarily interested in the development of cities as centers for managing the surrounding lands, places where they could realize swap income and satisfy their needs. The cities were their collective castles, behind whose walls opp united for joint defense. The boyars were at the same time feudal landowners and representatives of state power, mayors, thousands, judges, swordsmen, tributaries, virniks, etc. For this service they received a certain “food” and, along with the princes, participated in the division of state revenues. The desire of local feudal lords to achieve direct participation in government was one of the driving centrifugal forces of feudal fragmentation. Therefore, initially they “concentrate in the capital’s centers, only temporarily leaving from there to all parts of the Principality to perform administrative functions. However, their ties with specific territories will soon become stronger. Firstly, the boyar estates themselves are multiplying. Secondly, with the streamlining of the “land system” in the newly formed principalities, many “services” acquire a traditional character. Some feudal lords, whose “state” interests are closely intertwined with personal ones, settle in places for a long time. Under favorable conditions, they strive to transform temporary holdings into permanent ones. This is what, for example, the Galician boyars and “Bolkhov princes” do. Among the fortified settlements that belonged to them, at least Plesnesk and Gubin reached the urban level of development. Now it is still difficult to establish whether these cities were taken out of feudal castles or whether their owners turned princely volost centers into family nests.

However, this does not change the essence of the matter: by the beginning of the 13th century. the estates of individual feudal lords of princely origin turned out to be so extensive that they could ensure the development of genuine cities. Other feudal lords, together with appanage princes, are strengthened in appanage centers, sometimes achieving significant independence (for example: Novgorod Severskip in the Chernigov principality, Minsk and Drutsk in Polotsk, Toropets in Smolensk, Pronsk and Rinatkom, etc.).

Thus, in the second half of the 12th century - the beginning of the 13th century in Rus', with the active participation of the zemstvo boyars, new cities were founded and old cities were successfully developed. In the principalities, a hierarchical system of urban centers is emerging, consisting of senior capital cities and junior suburban cities. At the same time, the type of ancient Russian urban settlement crystallized. As a rule, any city included one or more fortified parts and adjacent unfortified settlements. Around there were urban lands: hayfields, pastures, fishing grounds, and forest areas. In addition to the feudal lords and people dependent on them, the city was home to a trade and craft population, clergy, church clergy, etc. The minimum fortified area of ​​most cities was about 2 hectares. Since in a moment of danger the city fortifications, presumably, accommodated all the townspeople, this figure indirectly reflects the initial degree of concentration of the population, quantitatively sufficient for the settlement to perform the functions of the city.

So, princes and boyars contributed greatly to the formation and development of ancient Russian cities. But they could not complete this process without merchants and artisans. The two city-forming forces equally needed each other. It was the feudal lords who were the first consumers of the products of artisans and goods of merchants. Therefore, simultaneously with the feudal lords or soon after them, merchants and artisans appeared in the emerging cities. Until the middle of the 12th century. Most ancient Russian artisans worked to order, often using raw materials from customers: princes, boyars, warriors, and clergy. Only gradually, starting in the largest centers, do they move from working on orders to working on the market. Old Russian urban craft acquires a small-scale commodity character. Specialization and differentiation of handicraft production is increasing, and the range of artisan products is expanding and standardizing. 11there is an archaeologically perceptible movement of products of urban artisans to the village. Only then does the city's artisan population gain a certain economic independence and stability. These shifts occurred in the middle of the 12th century, separating the period of early feudalism in Rus' from its developed stage with another facet. The flourishing of old cities and the emergence of many new ones is convincing evidence of this.

Summarizing observations of the development of ancient Russian cities until the middle of the 13th century, three periods can be distinguished in their history.

The first period - proto-urban, lasted until the beginning - mid-10th century. This is the time when the prerequisites for the formation of genuine cities in Rus' were laid down. Its beginning dates back to the end of the era of the tribal system, the clan aristocracy and military leaders are distinguished, tribal centers appear in inter-tribal centers, where surplus product accumulates in the form of public contributions and military booty. On their basis, proto-urban settlements arise, in whose economy a prominent place belongs to specialized crafts and trade, and among the population there is a military-feudal element. This period ends in an atmosphere of intensive development of feudalism and statehood with the emergence of the first urban centers, but with their socio-economic essence and multifunctionality approaching developed cities.

The second period - early urban, lasted for two centuries - from the middle of the 10th to the middle of the 12th century. During this time, cities crystallize into a special and complex socio-economic type of settlement, the opposite of a village. In the structure of the Old Russian early feudal state, they occupy the place of military-political, administrative, economic, economic, cultural and ideological centers of large districts.

The third period - developed cities, begins in the middle of the 12th century. This is the time of true prosperity of cities in Rus'. With the widespread spread of feudal relations in depth and breadth, there is a rapid territorial and numerical growth of cities. Craft production determines the development of their economy. Old Russian cities acquire the character and appearance characteristic of cities of developed feudalism. Increasingly, they play the role of internal economic markets in their districts. In the principalities, a hierarchical system is formed of senior capital cities and junior suburban cities.

All previously noted patterns of development of ancient Russian cities are clearly confirmed by the materials in the table. Territorially and chronologically, cities arise as the sovereign's loyalty is strengthened, the feudalization and reigning of ancient Russian lands, and the deepening of feudal fragmentation. It is significant that before the unification of Rus' under the rule of the Kyiv princes, early urban formations (with the possible exception of Kyiv) were not found anywhere. In the era of “tribal reigns,” there were only proto-urban centers that had certain tendencies to transform into cities, which were not always realized later.

In this regard, of particular interest is B. A. Rybakov’s study of the institution of “polyudya” of the Kyiv princes, which actively functioned until the middle of the 10th century. Polyudye fell into two stages: the winter - a circular tour of the Rus' squad of subject tribes in order to collect tribute and the summer - the sale of tribute products in the Byzantine or Caspian-Baghdad markets. The processes of the dying out of polyudye and the formation of ancient Russian cities are surprisingly synchronous. One cannot help but come to the conclusion that the heyday of Polyudia falls during the absence of genuine cities in Rus'. The princes, the warriors around them and the feudal tribal nobility were forced to undertake long and dangerous journeys to satisfy their needs for weapons, luxury goods and other “overseas” goods, exchanging products of Slavic tribute for them on international markets. Appearance in the second half of the 10th and early 11th centuries. The own wounds of non-urban centers with skilled artisans and enterprising merchants made summer trips through hostile steppes and seas unnecessary. The feudal lords could realize a significant amount of surplus product (feudal rent) within the country. The function of collecting tribute and transporting part of it established by “lessons”, first to Kyiv, and then to the capitals of the newly formed princely lands, also passes to the cities through the associated system of graveyards and volost centers. State power supported the normal functioning of cities and ensured the safety of trade routes connecting Rus' with the outside world. Polyudye at the end of the X-XI centuries. loses its significance and is preserved in some principalities as an archaic, relict institution, combined with more advanced and sophisticated methods of collecting tribute.

Of the 74 cities included in the list from the mid-12th-13th centuries. 45 (61%) were the capitals of independent and appanage principalities, and for 28 the time of transformation into a city and establishment of the princely table actually coincides. For others, it was the appearance of princely tables that gave a powerful impetus to development. The hierarchical system of cities reflects the hierarchy of their subordinate districts - volosts.

A number of settlements, especially in the 11th-12th centuries, were immediately founded as cavity centers. The impetus for the development of others was given by border military fortresses. Belgorod, Pereyaslavl, Voin, and a little later Boli and Sutenek, after the construction of powerful fortresses on their territory, quickly became large urban centers, acquiring, in addition to military, socio-economic functions. Finally, which is characteristic primarily of the era of developed cities, many settlements were purposefully built by princes with all the features characteristic of genuine cities.

Thus, we can outline several main options for the formation of ancient Russian cities: 1) from tribal or intertribal centers in the process of consolidating several original villages around a fortified core; 2) from a fortified camp, graveyard or center of a volost; 3) from a border fortress; 4) one-time construction of the city.

The first cities appeared in densely populated areas. They concentrate military clans, turning into feudal ones, to know the surrounding territories. Following the feudal lords or together with them, merchants and artisans appeared in developing cities. The growth and importance of ancient Russian cities directly depended on the size and population of their district-volost. The common and main thing for all variants of city formation in Rus' was that cities became, first of all, those settlements where surplus product was concentrated, redistributed and processed in the form of public contributions, tributes, court fees, and military indemnities.

The sum of features proposed above, on the basis of which ancient Russian cities are distinguished from the mass of other settlements, reflects in full the essence of such a complex phenomenon as the real city of the era of feudalism was. Depending on specific historical conditions, its individual characteristics changed and, in general, each specific city had a more vibrant and unique appearance. Social phenomena, unlike our ideas about them, in reality have clear boundaries and sometimes almost imperceptibly transition from one to another. Therefore, a certain convention and schematization are inevitable when studying them.

There is another way to check the validity of the stated conclusions. In the middle of the 13th century. The hordes of Batu fell upon Rus', plundering populous cities and villages, destroying or driving away thousands of people. In cities that took on the terrible blow of enemy hordes, in cultural deposits of the 30-40s of the 13th century. Layers of continuous fires and mass graves of hundreds of victims were discovered. Of the 74 archaeologically studied cities discussed above from the mid-12th-13th centuries. the majority (49) were ruined by Batu and all, without exception, experienced the severe consequences of the Khan's needles. 14 cities did not rise from the ashes at all, and another 15 were never able to restore their importance, gradually turning into rural-type settlements (Tables 20, 21). The fate of the cities of the Middle Podpenrovye, the economically most developed region of Ancient Rus', was especially difficult. Six died here and then five more cities fell into decay and desolation. But it was primarily the economically weakest, sparsely populated cities - the centers of small volosts - that withstood the consequences of the enemy invasion. Of the capitals of the ancient Russian princely lands, only Ryazan eventually gave way to Pereyaslavl.

Thus, most developed cities, with difficulty, overcame both the tragedy of a one-time pogrom and the hardships of long-term foreign domination. This circumstance indicates two points. Firstly, by the middle of the 13th century. The urban system of Ancient Rus' acquires developed and stable socio-economic forms. Secondly, the settlements that had the sum of the above archaeological features were indeed cities, since most of them continued to exist and develop in the 14th-15th centuries, when hundreds of less significant fortified settlements perished irrevocably.

Now we have reason to establish at least approximately the total number of cities in Rus' in different eras. On the territory of the Old Russian state, 1305 fortified settlements of the 10th-13th centuries were taken into account. The cultural and chronological appearance was reliably determined for 802 points. Of these, 74 (8.5%) settlements were cities in the sociological sense of the word, according to archaeological research. In general, in Rus' at the end of the 10th - beginning of the 11th centuries. there were 20-25 urban settlements in the 11th - first half of the 12th centuries. there were about 70 of them, and by the middle of the 13th century. There were already about 150 feudal cities.

Based on materials from the book "Ancient Rus'. City, castle, village." Edited by B.A. Kolchina. "Science", Moscow 1985

Russian Civilization

Over the centuries, as historians note, “there has been a transformation of the main type of settlements: from unprotected settlements located in low places to settlements in high, naturally protected places.” However, experts admit that some of these settlements did not have a permanent population and were in the nature of shelters.

Early urban formations of the 9th-10th centuries were mainly contained within the confines of small fortresses - Detinets. The appearance of urban settlements - settlements of artisans and merchants - occurs no earlier than the end of the 10th century. A number of ancient Russian cities were the main settlements of one or another East Slavic tribe, the so-called tribal centers. There is an almost complete absence of written sources for the 7th-8th centuries. and chronicle evidence for the 9th-10th centuries. do not allow us to establish at least an approximate number of ancient Russian cities of that era. Thus, based on mentions in chronicles, a little more than two dozen cities can be identified, but their list is certainly not complete.

The dates of the founding of early ancient Russian cities are difficult to establish and usually the first mention in chronicles is given. However, it is worth considering that at the time of the chronicle mention, the city was an established settlement, and a more precise date of its foundation is determined by indirect data, for example, based on archaeological cultural layers excavated on the site of the city. In some cases, archaeological data contradicts the chronicles. For example, for Novgorod and Smolensk, which are mentioned in chronicles under the 9th century, archaeologists have not discovered cultural layers older than the 11th century. However, priority in dating is given to written chronicle sources.

At the end of the 10th - first half of the 11th century. Many of the largest trade and craft centers are disappearing or falling into disrepair. However, some continue to exist, but undergo changes, both torographic - settlements are moved over short distances - and functional. If earlier cities were monofunctional, now they begin to combine the functions of trade, craft and princely administrative centers and centers of the local (formerly tribal) district.

From the 11th century A rapid growth in the number of urban population and the number of ancient Russian cities around the existing city centers begins. It is noteworthy that the emergence and growth of cities in the XI-XIII centuries. also occurs to the west - in the territories of modern, and. Many theories have been created about the reasons for the massive emergence of cities. One of the theories belongs to a Russian historian and connects the emergence of ancient Russian cities with the development of trade along the route “from the Varangians to the Greeks.” This theory has its opponents, who point to the emergence and growth of cities not only along this trade route.

Farm

Archaeological excavations in Russian cities of the 9th-12th centuries. confirm the constant connection of city residents with agriculture. Vegetable gardens and orchards were an indispensable part of the townspeople's economy. Animal husbandry was of great importance in the economy - archaeologists discovered the bones of many domestic animals in the cities, including horses, cows, pigs, sheep, etc.

Handicraft production was well developed in ancient Russian cities. In his major research, based on an in-depth study of material monuments, he identifies up to 64 craft specialties and groups them into 11 groups. Tikhomirov, however, prefers a slightly different classification and questions the existence or sufficient prevalence of some of them.

Below is a list of specialties that are the least controversial and recognized by most specialists.

• blacksmiths, including nailsmiths, locksmiths, boilermakers, silversmiths, coppersmiths;
• gunsmiths, although the existence of this specialty is sometimes questioned, the term can be used here to generalize the various artisans associated with the manufacture of weapons;
• jewelers, goldsmiths, silversmiths, enamellers;
• “woodworkers”, the concept of which included architecture, architecture and carpentry itself;
• “gardeners” - builders of city fortifications - gorodniks;
• “shipmen” - builders of ships and boats;
• mason-builders, who were associated with forced labor and servitude;
• “builders”, “stone builders” - architects associated with stone construction;
• bridge workers
• weavers, tailors (shevtsy);
• tanners;
• potters and glass makers;
• icon painters;
• book scribes

Sometimes artisans were engaged in the production of one specific item, designed for constant demand. These were the saddlers, archers, tulniks, and shield warriors. One can assume the existence of butchers and bakers, as, for example, in the cities of Western Europe, but written sources, unfortunately, do not confirm this.

A city market was a mandatory feature of ancient Russian cities. However, retail trade in our sense of the word in the ancient Russian market was very poorly developed.

Population

The population of other cities rarely exceeded 1000 people, which is proven by the small areas occupied by their kremlins, or detinets.

Craftsmen (both free and), tradesmen and day laborers made up the main population of ancient Russian cities. Princes, connected both with the city and with land holdings, played a significant role in the population. Quite early on, merchants emerged as a special social group, constituting the most revered group, which was under the direct protection of the prince.

Ancient cities

According to the chronicles, it is possible to establish the existence in the 9th-10th centuries. more than two dozen Russian cities.

The most famous cities of the pre-Mongol era

The most complete list of ancient Russian cities is contained in.

Below is a short list broken down by land, indicating the date of first mention, or date of foundation.

Kyiv and Pereyaslavl lands

• - the noted cities never grew beyond the boundaries of fortified castles, although they are often mentioned in chronicles. The Kyiv land was characterized by the existence of cities, the prosperity of which lasted for a relatively short time and was replaced by new cities that arose in the neighborhood.

Volyn land

Galician land

Chernigov land

The number of Chernigov cities also includes the distant one on the Taman Peninsula.

Smolensk land

Polotsk land

From its very appearance, Rus' was famous for its densely populated and fortified villages. It was so famous that the Varangians, who later began to rule it, called the Slavic lands “Gardariki” - a country of cities. The Scandinavians were amazed by the fortifications of the Slavs, since they themselves spent most of their lives at sea. Now we can figure out what the ancient Russian city is and why it is famous.

Reasons for appearance

It is no secret that man is a social being. For better survival, he needs to gather in groups. And if earlier the tribe became such a “center of life,” then with the disappearance of barbaric customs it was necessary to look for a civilized replacement.

In fact, the emergence of cities in people's lives is so natural that it could hardly be otherwise. They differ from a village or village in one important factor - the fortifications that protected the settlements. In other words, walls. It is from the word “fence” (fortification) that the word “city” comes from.

The formation of ancient Russian cities is associated, first of all, with the need for protection from enemies and the creation of an administrative center for the principality. After all, it was in them that the “blue blood” of Rus' was most often found. A sense of security and comfort was important to these people. All traders and artisans flocked here, turning the settlements into Novgorod, Kiev, Lutsk, bustling with life.

In addition, the newly created settlements became excellent trading centers; merchants from all over the world could flock here, receiving the promise of being under the protection of a military squad. Due to the incredible importance of trade, cities in Rus' were most often built on the banks of rivers (for example, the Volga or Dnieper), since at that time waterways were the safest and fastest way to transport goods. Settlements along the river banks became richer than ever before.

Population

First of all, the city could not exist without a ruler. It was either the prince or his deputy. The building in which he lived was the richest secular housing; it became the center of the settlement. He resolved various legal issues and established procedures.

The second part of the ancient Russian city is the boyars - people close to the prince and capable of influencing him directly with their words. They occupied various official positions and lived in such settlements richer than anyone, except perhaps the merchants, but they did not stay in one place for a long time. At that time, their life was an endless road.

Next, we need to remember about the various artisans of all possible professions, from icon painters to blacksmiths. As a rule, their living quarters were located inside the city, and their work workshops were outside the walls.

And the last in the social ladder were the peasants; they did not live inside the settlement, but were located on the lands that they cultivated. As a rule, people entered the Old Russian gorodon only for trade or legal matters.

Cathedral

The center of the ancient Russian city is the church. The cathedral, located in front of the main square, was a real symbol. The most monumental, decorated and rich building, the temple was the center of spiritual power.

The larger the city became, the more churches appeared inside it. But none of them had the right to be grander than the main and first temple, which personified the entire settlement. Princely cathedrals, parish and house churches - they all seemed to reach out to the main spiritual center.

Monasteries played a special role, which sometimes became literally cities within cities. Often a fortified settlement could arise precisely around the place of residence of the monks. Then the main temple of the monastery became dominant in the spiritual life of the city.

Cathedrals were actively decorated, and gilded domes appeared for a reason: they were visible for many kilometers, and they were a “guiding star” for travelers and lost souls. The temple, with its splendor, was supposed to remind people that earthly life is nothing, and only God’s beauty, which was the church, can be considered true.

Gates

Gates, of which there were up to four in fortified villages (on the cardinal points), were, oddly enough, given great importance. As the only passage into the ancient Russian city, they represented enormous symbolic meaning: “to open the gates” meant to give the city to the enemy.

They tried to decorate the gates as much as possible, and it would be better to make at least one of them a grand entrance through which the prince and noble people would enter. They were supposed to instantly shock the visitor and testify to the prosperity and happiness of the local residents. No money or effort was spared on the good finishing of the gates; the entire city often repaired them.

It was also customary to consider them a kind of sacred place, which was protected not only by earthly troops, but also by saints. In the rooms above the gate there were often many icons, and right next to them there was a small chapel, the purpose of which was to protect the entrance by the Will of God.

Bargain

A small area, usually near a river (most settlements were founded around them), was a necessary part of economic life. The ancient Russian cities of Russia could hardly have existed without trade, the main ones of which were merchants.

Here, at the auction, they placed and unloaded their goods, and this is where the main transactions took place. Often, spontaneously, a market appeared here. Not the one where peasants traded, but a rich place created for the city’s elite with a lot of foreign goods and expensive jewelry. It represented not a symbolic, but a true “sign of quality” of the settlement. It was from the bargaining that one could understand how rich the settlement was, because the merchant would not stand idle where there was no profit.

Mansions

The embodiment of secular power was the residence of the prince or governor. It was not only the residence of the ruler, but also an administrative building. Various legal issues were resolved here, trials took place, and troops gathered before campaigns. It was often the most fortified place in the city, with a protected courtyard, where all residents had to run in case of a military threat.

Around the ruler's chambers there were less wealthy boyar houses. Most often they were wooden, in contrast to the prince’s house, which could be afforded. Old Russian cities were architecturally rich precisely thanks to the dwellings of the nobility, who tried to decorate their home as much as possible and show their material wealth.

Ordinary people lived in separate wooden one-story houses or huddled in barracks, which most often stood on the very edge of the city.

Fortifications

As already mentioned, the cities of the ancient Russian state were created, first of all, to protect people. For this purpose, fortifications were organized.

At first the walls were wooden, but over time stone defensive structures appeared more and more often. It is clear that only wealthy princes could afford such a “pleasure”. Fortifications made from heavy logs pointed at the top were called forts. A similar word originally designated every city in the Old Russian language.

In addition to the palisade itself, the settlement was protected by an earthen rampart. In general, most often settlements appeared in advantageous strategic points. In the lowlands, the city would not last long (until the first military conflict), and therefore most often they were based on high points. We can say that we know nothing about poorly fortified settlements, because they instantly disappeared from the face of the earth.

Layout

For modern, very chaotic and confusing settlements, the real example is the ancient Russian city. The fortress, in which most of the population lived, was truly skillfully and precisely planned, as nature itself would dictate.

Essentially, the cities of that time were round in shape. In the middle, as already mentioned, stood two important centers: spiritual and secular. This is the main cathedral and the prince's estate. Around them, twisting in a spiral, were the rich houses of the boyars. Thus, wrapping around, for example, a hill, the city descended lower and lower, to the walls. Inside, it was divided into “streets” and “ends,” which ran like threads through the spirals and went from the gate to the main center.

A little later, with the development of settlements, the workshops, which were initially located outside the main line, were also surrounded by walls, creating secondary fortifications. Gradually, over the centuries, cities grew in exactly this way.

Kyiv

Of course, the modern capital of Ukraine is the most famous ancient Russian city. In it you can find confirmation of all the theses stated above. In addition, it must be considered the first truly large fortified village on the territory of the Slavs.

The main city, surrounded by fortifications, was located on a hill, and Podol was occupied by workshops. There, next to the Dnieper, there was a market. The main entrance to Kyiv, its main entrance, is the famous Golden Gate, which, as was said, had not only practical, but also sacred significance, especially since they were named after the gates of Constantinople.

It became the spiritual center of the city. It was to him that other temples and churches gravitated, which he surpassed in both beauty and grandeur.

Velikiy Novgorod

Old Russian cities in Russia cannot be listed without mentioning. This densely populated center of the principality served a very important purpose: it was an extremely “European” city. It was here that diplomats and traders from the Old World flocked, since Novgorod was located in the middle of the trade routes of Europe and the rest of Rus'.

The main thing that we have now received thanks to Novgorod is an incomparably huge number of different historical monuments. There is a unique opportunity to see them right now by buying a plane ticket because Novgorod was not destroyed and captured during the Mongol yoke, although it paid an exorbitant tribute.

The so-called “Novgorod Kremlin”, or Novgorod Detinets, is widely known. These fortifications served as a reliable fort for the great city for a long time. In addition, one cannot fail to mention Yaroslav's Dvorishche - a huge district of Novgorod on the banks of the Volkhov, where there was a trading market and many houses of a wide variety of wealthy merchants. In addition, it is assumed that it was there that the prince’s monastery was located, although it has still not been possible to find it in Veliky Novgorod, perhaps due to the absence in the history of the settlement of an integral princely system as such.

Moscow

The history of ancient Russian cities, of course, cannot be described without the presence in the list of such a grandiose settlement as Moscow. It had the opportunity to grow and become the center of modern Russia thanks to its unique location: virtually every major northern trade route passed by it.

Of course, the main historical attraction of the city is the Kremlin. It is with it that the first associations now arise when this word is mentioned, although initially it simply meant “fortress.” Initially, as for all cities, the defense of Moscow was made of wood and much later acquired the familiar appearance.

The Kremlin also houses the main temple of Moscow - the Assumption Cathedral, which has been perfectly preserved to this day. Its appearance literally embodies the architecture of its time.

Bottom line

Many names of ancient Russian cities were not mentioned here, but the goal was not to create a list of them. Three are enough to clearly demonstrate how conservative the Russian people were in establishing settlements. And you can’t say that they had this quality undeservedly; no, the appearance that the cities had was dictated by the very nature of survival. The plan was as practical as possible and, in addition, created a symbol of the real center of the region, which the fortified settlements were. Now such construction of cities is no longer relevant, but it is possible that someday they will talk about our architecture in the same way.

Today I decided to touch upon such a topic as “ancient Russian cities” and identify what contributed to the development and formation of Russian cities in the 9th-10th centuries.

The chronological framework of this issue falls on the IX-XIII centuries. Before answering the questions I posed above, it is worth tracing the process of development of ancient Russian cities.

This question is interesting not only for the historian of the Russian state, but also for the scientific community and world history. It's easy to follow. The largest cities appeared where they had not previously existed and developed not under anyone’s influence, but independently, developing ancient Russian culture, which is of particular interest for world history. Cities in the Czech Republic and Poland developed similarly.

The coverage of this issue is of great importance for modern society. Here I emphasize the cultural heritage preserved in the form of architecture, painting, writing and the city as a whole, since it is, first of all, the main source of the heritage of society and the state.

Relevant heritage items are passed on from generation to generation, and in order not to interrupt this chain, certain knowledge in this field of activity is required. Moreover, nowadays there is no shortage of information. With the help of a fairly large amount of accumulated material, one can trace the process of education, development, way of life, and culture of ancient Russian cities. And besides, knowledge about the formation of Russian cities and, consequently, about the history of the ancient Russian state speaks about the cultural development of man. And now, in our time, this is very relevant.

Russian cities are mentioned in written sources for the first time in the 9th century. An anonymous Bavarian geographer of the 9th century listed how many cities different Slavic tribes had at that time. In Russian chronicles, the first mentions of cities in Rus' are also dated to the 9th century. In the Old Russian sense, the word “city” meant, first of all, a fortified place, but the chronicler also had in mind some other qualities of fortified settlements, since cities were actually called cities by him. There is no doubt about the reality of the existence of Russian cities of the 9th century. It is hardly possible that any ancient Russian city appeared earlier than the 9th-10th centuries, since only by this time the conditions for the emergence of cities in Rus', the same in the north and south, had developed.

Other foreign sources mention Russian cities from the 10th century. The Byzantine Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus, who left notes “On the Administration of the Empire,” wrote about Russian cities from hearsay. The names of cities are in most cases distorted: Nemogardas-Novgorod, Milinsk-Smolensk, Telyutsy-Lubech, Chernigoga-Chernigov, etc. The absence of any names that can be attributed to names of Scandinavian or Khazar origin is striking. Even Ladoga cannot be considered built by Scandinavian immigrants, since in the Scandinavian sources themselves this city is known under a different name. A study of the names of ancient Russian cities convinces us that the vast majority of them bear Slavic names. These are Belgorod, Belozero, Vasilyev, Izborsk, Novgorod, Polotsk, Pskov, Smolensk, Vyshgorod, etc. It follows from this that the most ancient ancient Russian cities were founded by the Eastern Slavs, and not by any other people.

The most complete information, both written and archaeological, is available on the history of ancient Kyiv. It is believed that Kyiv appeared through the merger of several settlements that existed on its territory. At the same time, they compare the simultaneous existence in Kyiv of settlements on Andreevskaya Gora, on Kiselevka and in Shchekovitsa with the legend about the three brothers - the founders of Kyiv - Kiev, Shchek and Khoriv [D.A. Avdusin, 1980]. The city founded by the brothers was an insignificant settlement. Kyiv acquired the importance of a trade center in later times, and the growth of the city began only in the 9th-10th centuries [M.N. Tikhomirov, 1956, pp. 17-21].

Similar observations can be made over the territory of other ancient Russian cities, primarily Novgorod. The original Novgorod is presented in the form of three different ethnic simultaneous villages, corresponding to the subsequent division into ends. The unification of these villages and enclosure with a single wall marked the emergence of the New City, which thus received its name from the new fortifications [D.A. Avdusin, 1980]. The intensive development of urban life in Novgorod, as in Kyiv, occurs at a certain time - in the 9th-10th centuries.

Archaeological observations made in Pskov give a slightly different picture. Excavations on the territory of Pskov confirmed that Pskov was already a significant urban point in the 9th century. Thus, Pskov arose earlier than Novgorod, and there is nothing incredible about this, since the trade route along the Velikaya River dates back to a very early time.

The concept of a medieval city in Rus', as in other countries, included, first of all, the idea of ​​a fenced place. This was the initial difference between the city and the countryside, to which was later added the idea of ​​the city as a craft and trade center. Therefore, when assessing the economic significance of the ancient Russian city, one should not forget that crafts in Rus' in the 9th-13th centuries were still at the initial stage of separation from agriculture. Archaeological excavations in Russian cities of the 9th-12th centuries confirm the constant connection of townspeople with agriculture. The importance of agriculture for urban residents was not the same in small and large cities. Agriculture dominated in small towns like the Raikovetsky settlement, and was least developed in large centers (Kyiv, Novgorod, etc.), but existed everywhere in one form or another. However, it was not agriculture that determined the economy of Russian cities in the 10th-13th centuries, but crafts and trade. The largest urban centers could no longer exist without constant communication with the nearest agricultural district. They consumed agricultural products to a greater extent than they produced them, being centers of crafts, trade and administration [M.N. Tikhomirov, 1956, p.67-69].

The craft character of Russian cities is well demonstrated by archaeologists. During excavations, the main and most common discovery is the remains of craft workshops. There are blacksmiths, jewelry, shoemakers, tanneries and many other craft workshops. Finds of spindles, weaving shuttles and spindle whorls are common - undoubted traces of home textile production [D.A. Avdusin, 1980].

The existence of a number of foundry molds used to produce handicraft products of the same type has led some researchers to the assumption that these workshops operated for market sales. But the concept of a product itself presupposes the existence of a certain market for sales. Such a market was known as trading, trading, trading. Commodity production undoubtedly already existed to some extent in Ancient Rus', but its importance cannot be exaggerated. The written evidence known to us overwhelmingly speaks of custom-made craft production. Precisely, work to order predominated, although commodity production also took place in Ancient Rus'.

The trade of cities of the 9th-13th centuries developed under conditions of the dominance of a subsistence economy and a weak need for imported goods. Therefore, trade with foreign countries was the lot of mainly large cities; small urban areas were connected only with the nearest agricultural district.

Internal trade was an everyday phenomenon that attracted little attention from writers of that time. Therefore, information about internal exchange in Ancient Rus' is fragmentary. There is no doubt that such connections as trade within the city, between city and countryside and between different cities existed, but they are difficult to grasp due to the unity of ancient Russian culture. It is possible to trace the connection of the city market with the surrounding villages (famine in the city is usually associated with crop failure in the region) and the village’s dependence on urban crafts and trade (the village’s requests for iron objects were satisfied by village and city forges).

Much more is known about foreign, “overseas” trade. Foreign trade mainly served the needs of the feudal lords and the church; Only in years of famine did bread become a commodity delivered by overseas merchants. To an even greater extent, the village was a supplier of export goods: honey, wax, furs, lard, flax, etc. were delivered to the city from the village, which was thus drawn into trade turnover, although these items did not come to the market through direct sale, but as part of quitrent or tribute [M.N. Tikhomirov, 1956, pp. 92-103].