Mysterious Slavic tribes (6 photos). Settlement of the Eastern Slavs

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Territory of settlement of the Eastern Slavs

Representatives of official historical science claim that the settlement of the East European Plain by tribes that can be classified as Slavic groups occurred in waves. Thus, the colonization of these territories occurred both in the form of one-time resettlement of tribal groups, and through the gradual resettlement of individual families and clans.

At the same time, in contrast to the western and southern directions of colonization of the Slavic tribes, the development of territories (mostly forest areas) by the Eastern Slavs, according to the research of modern historians, took place quite peacefully, without typical military conflicts with the Baltic population and local residents. It is worth noting that the main enemy in these places was not an aggressive human enemy, but dense, deserted forests. Thus, the forest part of the future Slavic territories had to be settled by the tribes, and not conquered.

But in the southern lands, forest-steppe regions, the Slavic tribes encountered not the people living there, but aggressive nomadic hordes.

The author of one of the most significant and popular chronicles in the world, “The Tale of Bygone Years,” in his story about the beginning of Rus', notes several East Slavic tribes that settled in the second half of the first millennium in the territories located between the Black and Baltic seas. Among these tribes, Nestor distinguishes: Drevlyans, Polyans, as well as Tivertsy, Glichs, Northerners, White Croats, Buzhans or Volynians (remains of the Duleb tribes), Slovenes, Krivichi, Vyatichi, Radimichi, Dregovich, Drevlyans.

Most of the tribes listed are known to many medieval authors under their own names. For example, Konstantin Porphyrogenitus describes the life of the Drevlyans, Lendzians (here, most likely, immigrants from the area of modern Lodz are meant), Slovenians, as well as Krivichi and.

Researchers note that the bulk of the East Slavic tribes, which settled throughout the territory of the future Old Slavic state, belonged to the “Sklavenskaya” branch of the Slavs. The only exceptions were, perhaps, the northerners, Tivertsy and Uglich.

Also, it is worth noting that those Slavic tribes that at one time colonized Western European territories and the Balkans sometimes participated in the settlement of Russian territories. This is confirmed by numerous objects that were found as a result of archaeological excavations in the forest zone of Eastern Europe. First of all, historians include lunar temple rings among such objects, the origin of which is closely connected with the Middle Danube lands, where these objects acted as popular decorations of local Slavic tribes - Croats, Smolensk, Northerners and Droguvites.

The actual advancement of the bearers of the described lunar rings is most often associated with the popularity in folklore, during that historical period, of the “Danube theme,” which was transmitted in the form of epics.

The Danube River and the surrounding territories, in which the Slavic tribes realized their identity and ethnic independence, are forever imprinted in the popular Slavic memory as the cradle of a single people.

Thus, some modern scientists propose to consider the text about the settlement of the Slavs from the banks of the Danube across European territories, not as a literary or scientific version, but as a pre-chronicle folk tradition, established in people’s memory for many years.

Map of the settlement of the Eastern Slavs

Having studied the map of the settlement of the Eastern Slavs, one can notice that the Slavic tribes were especially attracted to rivers, and mention of the inhabitants of these territories as “river” people is found among Byzantine writers of the sixth century. This is evidenced by the “Tale of Bygone Years” we examined.

In fact, the general contours of the settlement of this ethnic group, as a rule, completely correspond to the lines of river channels. According to the same chronicle of Nestor, the Polyan tribe settled on the lands of the middle Dnieper, the Drevlyans settled along the banks of the Pripyat River, the Dregovich tribe neighbored the Drevlyans in the north, the Buzhans lived to the west of the glades, the northerners lived to the east of the Polyan tribe, whose neighbors in the north were rodimichi. The author moves furthest away from the Vyatichi, who settled in the upper reaches of the Oka. The Krivichi settled along the Western Dvina, Volga and Dnieper, and the so-called Ilmen Slavs settled near Lake Ilmen.

Procopius of Caesarea and various Arab sources report the settlement of the Eastern Slavs even further - into the Don basin. At the same time, apparently, they were not able to gain a foothold there for long. So, in the eleventh – twelfth centuries, during the creation of the “Tale of Bygone Years,” they were under the rule of nomadic tribes, and the memory that the Slavs once lived there was lost.

Table on the topic: Settlement of the Eastern Slavs

March 24th, 2014

I wanted to do without the introduction, but it was painful. So, over the past few weeks I have heard so many new things about the history of Russia, Ukraine and neighboring states that I decided to collect classical views on this issue in one place. Classic in the sense that they are included in textbooks and reference books. Nobody claims that this is exactly what happened. History is a living science; discoveries are made, if not every day, then at least with enviable frequency. I’m not even talking about the fiery debates going on in the professional historical community on questions so clear to anyone who has read a school textbook or Wikipedia, such as “The Beginning of Rus'”, “The Emergence of the Centralized Moscow State”, etc. However, in any case, at this stage of development of historical science, a certain information “basis” was developed, which can be argued in detail, but, nevertheless, it represents a certain scientific consensus.

By the way, the differences between historians, be they Belarusians, Ukrainians or Russians, are much smaller than it usually seems. Firstly, scientific works are still usually based on facts, which, of course, can often be interpreted in different ways, but still within the framework of a certain scientific field. Secondly, it is considered inappropriate to fill these very works with ideology. Professionals, regardless of nationality, do not write about “proto-Ukrainians” or “the homeland of elephants.” Yes, the author is a human being, there’s no getting around it, his personal position will, no, no, be “enlightened” somewhere, but it will be “enlightened”, and will not be scorched on the first page. The anti-Russian/Ukrainian/Belarusian position is usually betrayed to them by subsequent interpreters who are not very familiar with the “classical version” of history.

I’ll give just a couple of examples: yesterday I read a “revealing” article that Ukrainian historians claim that the definition of “Russian” in chronicles refers to Ukraine. It’s terrible, there’s only one problem: Russian historians think about the same thing. The definition of “Russian” in the chronicles refers either to the entire Russian land, or to the southern principalities, located primarily on the territory of modern Ukraine. The texts of the chronicles are all available on the Internet. And ideology has nothing to do with it. Or here’s another thing: a friend from Lithuania (Russian by nationality) is indignant: they teach absolutely perverted history in schools. Allegedly, Lithuania was large and strong and competed with Moscow for “gathering Russian lands.” Outrageous. And most importantly, in the children's encyclopedia Avanta+ (published in Moscow, by the way), the same thing is written.

Why am I writing all this? In addition, it may be interesting for someone to “overlook” the classic version of the history of the territories included in modern Ukraine, so that when someone posts on Facebook about “the lands cut off from Ukraine in 1954 and annexed to the Smolensk region” (for reference : The Smolensk region does not border Ukraine) or about the fact that the power of Ukraine extended over the territory of modern Russia (for reference: if we put an equal sign between Ukraine and the Hetmanate, it really did), know what the author publishes: a little-known but recognized fact or his newest theory. Then I finish my fiery speech and move on to the essence of the issue.

Part 1. From the Settlement of the Eastern Slavs to Daniil of Galicia.

1. Settlement of the Eastern Slavs.
The issue of the ancestral homeland of the Slavs remains extremely controversial, so I will not touch upon it. I'll start with the fact that in the V-VII centuries. The Slavs spread widely in Europe. Their numerous tribes were divided into southern, western and eastern. The Eastern Slavs, in turn, also divided into two streams. One group of tribes settled in the Dnieper basin in the territory of modern Ukraine. It then spread north to the upper reaches of the Volga, east of modern Moscow, and west to the valleys of the northern Dniester and Southern Bug through the territories of modern Moldova and southern Ukraine. Another group of Eastern Slavs moved to the northeast, where they encountered the Varangians. The same group of Slavs subsequently inhabited the territories of the modern Tver region and Beloozero, reaching the habitat of the Merya people.

East Slavic tribes in the 7th-9th centuries.

2. The beginning of statehood.
In the middle of the 9th century, the “northern branch” of the East Slavic tribes, as well as the tribal unions of the Krivichi, Chud and Meri, paid tribute to the Varangians. In 862, these tribes expelled the Varangians, and after that strife began between them. To end internal conflicts, representatives of the Slavic and Finnish tribes decided to invite the prince from the outside. Rurik became this prince.

The "southern branch" of the Slavic tribes, meanwhile, paid tribute to the Khazars. They were spared from this tribute by Askold and Dir, who, according to various versions, were either Rurik’s warriors or were not connected with him in any way. In any case, they were Varangians. Thus, in the second half of the 9th century, two relatively independent centers of East Slavic statehood were formed: one in Kyiv, the other in Ladoga.

Ancient Rus' in 862-912.

3. Unification of the Old Russian state.
In 882, according to the chronicle chronology (which is considered very arbitrary), the Prophetic Oleg, according to various versions, either the “regent” under the young Igor (son of Rurik), or the governor under the adult Igor, begins to expand the Novgorod state. He captures Smolensk and Lyubech, and then descends the Dniester and, having killed Askold and Dir, occupies Kyiv. There he moves the capital of the state.

Old Russian state in 882.

4. Campaigns of Svyatoslav.
The next significant expansion of the borders of the Old Russian state is associated with the reign of Svyatoslav Igorevich. His first action was the subjugation of the Vyatichi (964), who were the last of all the East Slavic tribes to continue to pay tribute to the Khazars. Then Svyatoslav defeated Volga Bulgaria. In 965 (according to other sources also in 968/969) Svyatoslav made a campaign against the Khazar Kaganate, taking by storm the main cities of the Khazars: the fortress city of Sarkel, Semender and the capital Itil. The establishment of Rus' in the Black Sea region and the North Caucasus is also connected with this campaign, where Svyatoslav defeated the Yases (Alans) and Kasogs (Circassians) and where Tmutarakan, located on the Taman Peninsula, became the center of Russian possessions.

In 968, under the influence of Byzantine diplomacy, Svyatoslav went to war against Bulgaria. In a short time, the Bulgarian troops were defeated, Russian squads occupied up to 80 Bulgarian cities. Svyatoslav chose Pereyaslavets, a city in the lower reaches of the Danube, as his headquarters. Svyatoslav captured almost all of Bulgaria, occupied its capital Preslav and invaded Byzantium. However, Byzantium quickly put an end to the prince's claims to world domination - in 971 his army was defeated, and a year later he died.

5. Vladimir Krasnoe Solnyshko and Yaroslav the Wise
After the death of Svyatoslav, civil strife broke out between his sons, ending with the reign of Vladimir the Red Sun (reigned 980-1015) in Kyiv. Under him, the formation of the state territory of Ancient Rus' was completed, the Cherven cities and Carpathian Rus', which were disputed by Poland, were annexed. After Vladimir's victory, his son Svyatopolk married the daughter of the Polish king Boleslav the Brave and peaceful relations were established between the two states. Vladimir finally annexed the Vyatichi and Radimichi to Rus'.

Having become the prince of Kyiv, Vladimir faced an increased Pecheneg threat. To protect against nomads, he builds lines of fortresses on the border, the garrisons of which he recruited from the “best men” - later they will become heroes, the main heroes of epics. Tribal boundaries began to blur, and the state border became important.

After the death of Vladimir, a new civil strife occurred in Rus', as a result of which Yaroslav the Wise (reigned 1019-1054) became prince. Yaroslav strengthens the presence of Rus' in the northwest. The campaigns of the 30s against the Estonian Chud led to the construction of Yuryev’s stronghold, outlining the borders of the state in the north. The first campaigns against Lithuania took place in the 1940s.

Old Russian state in the 11th century.

7. Feudal fragmentation
In the second quarter of the 12th century, the Old Russian state broke up into independent principalities. Kyiv, unlike most other principalities, did not become the property of any one dynasty, but served as a constant bone of contention for all powerful princes. Nominally, the Kiev prince still dominated all Russian lands, so this title became the object of struggle between various dynastic and territorial associations of the Rurikovichs.

Ancient Rus' in the 12th century.

8. Tatar-Mongol invasion.
In 1237, the Tatar-Mongols appeared on the southern borders of the Ryazan principality. After fierce resistance, Ryazan was taken. It was followed by Moscow, Vladimir, Suzdal, Pereyaslavl-Zalessky, Yuryev-Polsky, Starodub-on-Klyazma, Tver, Gorodets, Kostroma, Galich-Mersky, Rostov, Yaroslavl, Uglich, Kashin, Ksnyatin, Dmitrov, as well as the Novgorod suburbs of Vologda and Volok Lamsky. For unknown reasons, the Tatar-Mongol army did not go to Novgorod, but instead turned around and returned to the steppes.

The Tatar-Mongols returned in 1239. Then the lands were plundered, apparently not damaged during the winter campaign of 1237-1238: Murom, Gorodets, Nizhny Novgorod and Gorokhovets. But the main blow was directed at the southern cities. On March 3, 1239, one of the Mongol detachments ravaged Pereyaslavl South. After the siege, Chernigov was captured. After the fall of Chernigov, the Mongols began plundering and destroying along the Desna and Seim. Gomiy, Putivl, Glukhov, Vyr and Rylsk were destroyed and devastated.

The next target of the Mongols was the Russian lands on the right bank of the Dnieper. By 1240, most of them (Galician, Volyn, Kiev, and also, presumably, the Turov-Pinsk principalities) were united under the rule of the sons of the Volyn prince Roman Mstislavovich: Daniil and Vasilko. The Mongols began their offensive with the conquest of Porosye, the region of the Black Klobuki, dependent on the Kyiv princes. After Porosye, Mongol troops besieged Kyiv. Not considering himself able to resist the Mongols on his own, on the eve of the invasion (that is, around the fall of 1240), Daniel went to Hungary, probably trying to persuade King Bela IV to help him. This enterprise was not crowned with success. Kyiv was ruined.

The fall of Kyiv became a landmark event - panic began among the ruling circles of Galich and Volyn. Mikhail Vsevolodovich, who was imprisoned in Lutsk, fled with his son to Poland. The wife of Prince Daniil and his brother Vasilko fled there. The rulers of the Bolokhov land expressed their submission to the conquerors. Ladyzhin, Kamenets, and Vladimir Volynsky were taken. Daniel and his brother returned to Rus' only after the Mongols left their lands.

Tatar-Mongol invasion of Rus'.

9. Daniil Galitsky.
Almost all Russian princes recognized their dependence on the Golden Horde, including Alexander Nevsky, who reigned in Novgorod, which was never taken by the Tatar-Mongols. Among them was Daniel, under whose rule the Galician-Volyn principality united in 1245. However, if the princes took approximately the same position in relation to the Horde, their attitude towards the West was fundamentally different. The Vladimir princes chose to refuse cooperation with the Pope and accept Horde vassalage for the sake of preserving their faith; Daniel, on the contrary, turned to the West. He accepted the offer of Pope Innocent IV: a royal crown and assistance against the Horde in exchange for the Catholicization of Russian lands.

In January 1254, Daniel was crowned. Already in 1253, Innocent IV declared a crusade against the Horde, calling first on the Christians of Bohemia, Moravia, Serbia and Pomerania, and then on the Catholics of the Baltic states, to participate in it. However, both the call for a crusade and the reunification of churches remained only a declaration. At the same time, it is from this moment that we can talk about the divergence of the historical paths of the Great Russian and Little Russian lands.

Galicia-Volyn principality in the middle of the 13th century.

Disclaimer: the overlay of maps turned out to be crooked, in addition, the control of the Black Sea territories by the Galician-Volyn principality is quite doubtful - nomads dominated there.

To be continued...

The habitat of the East Slavic union of the Vyatichi tribes was the basin of the Oka - upper and middle and the coast of the Moscow River.
The Vyatichi settled, leaving the territory of the Dnieper left bank or the upper reaches of the Dniester. The Vyatichi substratum was represented by the local Baltic population. The Vyatichi managed to preserve pagan beliefs longer than other Slavic tribes, resisting the influence of the Kyiv princes. And the calling card of the Vyatichi tribe was disobedience and belligerence.

Map of the settlement of Slavic tribes

The Krivichi were a tribal union of the Slavs of the East that existed in the 6th-11th centuries. Their place of residence was the territory of modern regions, such as Vitebsk, Mogilev, Pskov, Bryansk and Smolensk. This list also includes eastern Latvia. The basis for the formation of the Tushemlinskaya culture was the past of Slavic and Baltic society. The ethnogenesis of the Krivichi took place with the participation of the remnants of the Finno-Ugric and local Baltic - Estonians, Livs, Latgalians - tribes, mixed with the large newcomer Slavic population. Krivichi are divided into two huge groups: the Pskov and Polotsk-Smolensk groups.
In Slovenia, the Ilmen are considered a tribal union organized by the Eastern Slavs in some of the region of Novgorod territory, including the territory near Lake Ilmen, adjacent to the Krivichi. As the Tale of Bygone Years says, together with the Krivichi, the Ilmen Slovenians took part in the calling of the Varangians, related to the Slovenes, who were considered refugees from the Baltic Pomerania. According to a number of historians, the ancestral home of the Slovenians was the Dnieper region, others derive the ancestors of the Ilmen Slovenes from the Baltic Pomerania, since according to legends, faith and traditions, the type of housing, the Novgorodians and the Polabian Slavs are very close. Subsequently, the Vyatichi, Krivichi and Ilmen Slovenians were formed into the Great Russians.

Territories of settlement of Slavic tribes.

The Dulebs act as a tribal union of the Slavs of the East. They inhabited the area of the river basin called the Bug, as well as the right tributaries of the Pripyat. The association of Dulebs fell apart with the onset of the tenth century, and their regions were part of Kievan Rus.
The East Slavic union of the Volyn tribes lived in the territory, the location of which was the two coasts of the Western Bug and the source of the river. Pripyat. The Volynians were first mentioned in Russian chronicles in 907. The 10th century became the period of formation of the Vladimir-Volyn principality on the lands of the Volynians.
The Drevlyans represent the East Slavic tribal union, which they were occupied with in the 6th-10th centuries. zones of Polesie, Right Bank Dnieper, places along the Teterev River, Uzh. They acquired their name according to their place of residence - they lived in the forests.

residence - they lived in the forests.
Tribal union of Dregovichi. The exact boundaries of the habitat of the Eastern Slavs belonging to this union have not been established. But according to some researchers, in the 6th-9th centuries the Dregovichi occupied the territory in the part located in the middle of the Pripyat River basin; later the southern border of settlement passed south of Pripyat, and the western border - in the upper reaches of the Neman. When Belarus was settled, the Dregovichi moved north to the same Neman River, and this indicates the southern origin of the Dregovichi tribal union.
The Slavic tribe of Polochans is considered a component of the tribal union of Krivichi living on the coast of the Dvina River and tributaries of the Polot. Hence the name of the tribe. The center of Polotsk land is the city of Polotsk.
The habitat of the Polans, the tribal union of the Slavs of the East, became the Dnieper, approximately the area of modern Kyiv. The origin of the glades remains unclear, since the location of their territory of residence became the border between several cultures in the area of arechaeology.
Radimichi acts as a union of the tribes of the Slavs of the East, who lived in the east of the Upper Dnieper region, along the Sozh River in the 9th century. The lands of the Radimichi became the site of routes along the rivers connecting them with Kiev. The Radimichi and Vyatichi carried out burials in a similar way - the ashes were hidden in a log house. According to archaeologists and linguists, the material culture of the Radimichi was created with the participation of the Balt tribes who lived in the upper reaches of the Dnieper.

The East Slavic union of northern tribes lived around the 10th century on the coast of the Desna, Seim, and Sula rivers. The name northerners comes from the Scythian-Sarmatian direction, and is traced back to the word “black”, which is confirmed by the name of the city of northerners - Chernigov. The northerners were mainly engaged in agriculture.
Tivertsy represent an East Slavic tribe that was settled in the 9th century in the area between the Dniester, Prut, and Danube rivers, off the Budzhak coast on the Black Sea.

Ulichi act as an East Slavic tribal union that existed around the 10th century. The place where the streets lived became the territory located in the lower reaches of the Dnieper, Bug, and on the coast of the Black Sea. The role of the center of the tribal union was performed by the city of Peresechen. For a long time, the streets managed to successfully resist the actions of the princes who wanted to subordinate the union of the tribe to their power.

Comment: It is better to do the work step by step, sequentially completing tasks for the contour maps. To enlarge the map, simply click on it.

TASKS

1. Indicate in different colors the territories of settlement of the Eastern, Western and Southern Slavs.

Eastern Slavs - in green

Western Slavs - yellow

Southern Slavs - in pink

2. Write the names of the rivers along which the Eastern Slavs settled.

Volga, Desna, Seim, Southern Bug, Dnest, Prut, Pripyat, Bug, Dnieper, Western Dvina, Lovat, Neva, Volkhov

3. Write the names of the tribal unions of the Eastern Slavs, about which the chronicler wrote:

1. “These Slavs came and sat down along the Dnieper... [in the fields]” - clearing

2. “And others sat down in the forests” - Drevlyans

3. “And others sat down between Pripyat and Dvina [in the swamps]” - Dregovichi

4. “Some sat down along the Dvina, along a river that flows into the Dvina and is called Polota” - Polotsk residents

5. “The same Slavs who settled around Lake Ilmen were called by their own name” - Slovenian Ilmenskie

6. “And others sat along the Desna, and the Seim, and the Sula” - northerners

7. “And they sit in the upper reaches of the Volga, and in the upper reaches of the Dvina, and in the upper reaches of the Dnieper” - Krivichi

8. “After all, the Poles had two brothers - Radim, and the other - Vyatko; and they came and sat down: Radim on the Sozh, and Vyatko sat down with his family along the Oka" - Radimichi and Vyatichi

9. “There were many of them: they sat along the Dniester and near the Danube all the way to the sea” - Tivertsy

Write the names of the cities that became the centers of these unions.

Kyiv, Iskorosten, Smolensk, Polotsk, Chernigov, Izborsk, Pskov, Novgorod, Ladoga, Rostov

4. Write the names of non-Slavic tribes neighboring the Eastern Slavs.

Merya, Murom, Meshchera, Mordovians, Hungarians (Magyars), Yases (Alans), Wallachians, Avars, Golyad, Yatvingians, Lithuania, Semigallians, Latgallians, Chud (Ests), Vod, Korela, all.

5. Circle the borders of the three largest states at the beginning of the 9th century. and sign their names.

Byzantine Empire

Khazar Khaganate

Bulgarian kingdom

The Eastern Slavs are a large group of related peoples, which today numbers more than 300 million people. The history of the formation of these nationalities, their traditions, faith, relations with other states are important moments in history, since they answer the question of how our ancestors appeared in ancient times.

Origin

The question of the origin of the Eastern Slavs is interesting. This is our history and our ancestors, the first mentions of which date back to the beginning of our era. If we talk about archaeological excavations, scientists find artifacts indicating that the nation began to form before our era.

All Slavic languages belong to a single Indo-European group. Its representatives emerged as a nationality around the 8th millennium BC. The ancestors of the Eastern Slavs (and many other peoples) lived along the shores of the Caspian Sea. Around the 2nd millennium BC, the Indo-European group split into three nationalities:

Pro-Germans (Germans, Celts, Romans). Filled Western and Southern Europe.
Baltoslavs. They settled between the Vistula and the Dnieper.
Iranian and Indian peoples. They settled throughout Asia.

Around the 5th century BC, the Balotoslavs are divided into Balts and Slavs; already in the 5th century AD, the Slavs, in short, are divided into eastern (eastern Europe), western (central Europe) and southern (Balkan Peninsula).

Today, the Eastern Slavs include: Russians, Belarusians and Ukrainians.

The invasion of the Huns tribes into the Black Sea region in the 4th century destroyed the Greek and Scythian states. Many historians call this fact the root cause of the future creation of the ancient state by the Eastern Slavs.
Historical reference

Settlement

An important question is how the Slavs developed new territories, and how their settlement occurred in general. There are 2 main theories of the appearance of the Eastern Slavs in Eastern Europe:

Autochthonous. It suggests that the Slavic ethnos was originally formed on the East European Plain. The theory was put forward by historian B. Rybakov. There are no significant arguments in its favor.
Migration. Suggests that the Slavs migrated from other regions. Soloviev and Klyuchevsky argued that the migration was from the territory of the Danube. Lomonosov spoke about migration from the Baltic territory. There is also a theory of migration from the regions of Eastern Europe.

Around the 6th-7th centuries, the Eastern Slavs settled in Eastern Europe. They settled in the territory from Ladoga and Lake Ladoga in the North to the Black Sea coast in the south, from the Carpathian Mountains in the West to the Volga territories in the East.

13 tribes lived in this territory. Some sources talk about 15 tribes, but this data does not find historical confirmation. The Eastern Slavs in ancient times consisted of 13 tribes: Vyatichi, Radimichi, Polyan, Polotsk, Volynians, Ilmen, Dregovichi, Drevlyans, Ulichs, Tivertsy, Northerners, Krivichi, Dulebs.

Specifics of the settlement of the Eastern Slavs on the East European Plain:

Geographical. There are no natural barriers, which makes movement easier.
Ethnic. A large number of people with different ethnic composition lived and migrated in the territory.
Communication skills. The Slavs settled near captivity and alliances, which could influence the ancient state, but on the other hand they could share their culture.

Map of the settlement of the Eastern Slavs in ancient times

Tribes

The main tribes of the Eastern Slavs in ancient times are presented below.

Glade. The most numerous tribe, strong on the banks of the Dnieper, south of Kyiv. It was the glades that became the drain for the formation of the ancient Russian state. According to the chronicle, in 944 they stopped calling themselves Polyans, and began to use the name Rus.

Slovenian Ilmenskie. The northernmost tribe that settled around Novgorod, Ladoga and Lake Peipsi. According to Arab sources, it was the Ilmen, together with the Krivichi, who formed the first state - Slavia.

Krivichi. They settled north of the Western Dvina and in the upper reaches of the Volga. The main cities are Polotsk and Smolensk.

Polotsk residents. They settled south of the Western Dvina. A minor tribal union that did not play an important role in the Eastern Slavs forming a state.

Dregovichi. They lived between the upper reaches of the Neman and the Dnieper. They mostly settled along the Pripyat River. All that is known about this tribe is that they had their own principality, the main city of which was Turov.

Drevlyans. They settled south of the Pripyat River. The main city of this tribe was Iskorosten.

Volynians. They settled more densely than the Drevlyans at the sources of the Vistula.

White Croats. The westernmost tribe, which was located between the Dniester and Vistula rivers.

Duleby. They were located east of the white Croats. One of the weakest tribes that did not last long. They voluntarily became part of the Russian state, having previously split into Buzhans and Volynians.

Tivertsy. They occupied the territory between the Prut and the Dniester.

Uglichi. They settled between the Dniester and the Southern Bug.

Northerners. They mainly occupied the territory adjacent to the Desna River. The center of the tribe was the city of Chernigov. Subsequently, several cities were formed on this territory that are still known today, for example, Bryansk.

Radimichi. They settled between the Dnieper and Desna. In 885 they were annexed to the Old Russian state.

Vyatichi. They were located along the sources of the Oka and Don. According to the chronicle, the ancestor of this tribe was the legendary Vyatko. Moreover, already in the 14th century there are no mentions of the Vyatichi in the chronicles.

Tribal alliances

The Eastern Slavs had 3 strong tribal unions: Slavia, Kuyavia and Artania.

In relations with other tribes and countries, the Eastern Slavs attempted to capture raids (mutual) and trade. Mainly connections were with:

Byzantine Empire (Slav raids and mutual trade)
Varangians (Varangian raids and mutual trade).
Avars, Bulgars and Khazars (raids on the Slavs and mutual trade). Often these tribes are called Turkic or Türks.
Fino-Ugrians (the Slavs tried to seize their territory).

What did you do

The Eastern Slavs were mainly engaged in agriculture. The specifics of their settlement determined the methods of cultivating the land. In the southern regions, as well as in the Dnieper region, chernozem soil dominated. Here the land was used for up to 5 years, after which it was depleted. Then people moved to another site, and the depleted one took 25-30 years to recover. This farming method is called folded .

The northern and central region of the East European Plain was characterized by a large number of forests. Therefore, the ancient Slavs first cut down the forest, burned it, fertilized the soil with ashes, and only then began field work. Such a plot was fertile for 2-3 years, after which it was abandoned and moved on to the next one. This method of farming is called slash-and-burn .

If we try to briefly characterize the main activities of the Eastern Slavs, the list will be as follows: agriculture, hunting, fishing, beekeeping (honey collection).

The main agricultural crop of the Eastern Slavs in ancient times was millet. Marten skins were primarily used by the Eastern Slavs as money. Much attention was paid to the development of crafts.

Beliefs

The beliefs of the ancient Slavs are called paganism because they worshiped many gods. Mainly deities were associated with natural phenomena. Almost every phenomenon or important component of life that the Eastern Slavs professed had a corresponding god. For example:

Perun - god of lightning
Yarilo - sun god
Stribog - god of the wind
Volos (Veles) – patron saint of cattle breeders
Mokosh (Makosh) – goddess of fertility
And so on

The ancient Slavs did not build temples. They built rituals in groves, meadows, stone idols and other places. Noteworthy is the fact that almost all fairy-tale folklore in terms of mysticism belongs specifically to the era under study. In particular, the Eastern Slavs believed in the goblin, brownie, mermaids, merman and others.

How were the activities of the Slavs reflected in paganism? It was paganism, which was based on worship of the elements and elements influencing fertility, that shaped the Slavs’ attitude to agriculture as the main way of life.