Pre-state tribal associations. Cheat sheet: Eastern Slavs in the pre-state period

Pre-state period in the history of Russia

The ancestors of the Slavs have long lived in Central and Eastern Europe. According to their language, they belong to the Indo-European peoples who inhabit Europe and part of Asia up to India. Archaeologists believe that the Slavic tribes can be traced according to excavations from the middle of the second millennium BC. The ancestors of the Slavs (in the scientific literature they are called Proto-Slavs) are supposedly found among the tribes that inhabited the basin of the Odra, Vistula and Dnieper; Slavic tribes appeared in the Danube basin and in the Balkans only at the beginning of our era.

It is possible that Herodotus speaks about the ancestors of the Slavs when he describes the agricultural tribes of the middle Dnieper region.

He calls them "chips" or "borisfenites" (Boris-fen is the name of the Dnieper among ancient authors), noting that the Greeks erroneously classify them as Scythians, although the Scythians did not know agriculture at all.

Ancient authors of the 1st-6th centuries AD they call the Slavs Wends, Ants, Sklavins and speak of them as "countless tribes". The estimated maximum territory of the settlement of the ancestors of the Slavs in the west reached the Elbe (Laba), in the north to the Baltic Sea, in the east - to the Seim and Oka, and in the south their border was a wide strip of forest-steppe, which went from the left bank of the Danube to the east in the direction of Kharkov. Several hundred Slavic tribes lived in this territory.

In the VI century. from a single Slavic community, the East Slavic branch stands out (future Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian peoples). Around this time, the emergence of large tribal unions of the Eastern Slavs. The chronicle preserved the legend about the reigning in the Middle Dnieper region of the brothers Kyi, Shchek, Khoriv and their sister Lybid and about the founding of Kyiv. The chronicler noted that the same reigns were in other tribal unions, naming more than a dozen tribal unions of the Eastern Slavs. Such a tribal union included 100-200 separate tribes. Near Kyiv, on the right bank of the Dnieper, there lived a glade, along the upper reaches of the Dnieper and along the Western Dvina - the Krivichi, along the banks of the Pripyat - the Drevlyans, along the Dniester, the Prut, the lower reaches of the Dnieper and along the northern coast of the Black Sea - the streets and Tivertsy, along the Oka - the Vyatichi, in the western regions of modern Ukraine - Volynians, north of Pripyat to the Western Dvina - Dregovichi, along the left bank of the Dnieper and along the Desna - northerners, along the Sozh River, a tributary of the Dnieper - Radimichi, around Lake Ilmen - Ilmen Slavs (Slovenes).

The chronicler noted the uneven development of individual East Slavic associations. He shows the glades as the most developed and cultured. To the north of them was a kind of border, beyond which the tribes lived in a "bestial way." According to the chronicler, the land of the glades also bore the name "Rus". One of the explanations of the origin of the term "Rus", put forward by historians, is associated with the name of the Ros River, a tributary of the Dnieper, which gave the name of the tribe on whose territory the meadow lived.

The data of the chronicler about the location of the Slavic tribal unions are confirmed by archaeological materials. In particular, data on various forms of women's adornments (temporal rings) obtained as a result of archaeological excavations coincide with the indications of the annals on the placement of Slavic tribal unions. The neighbors of the Eastern Slavs in the west were the Baltic peoples, the Western Slavs (Poles, Czechs), in the south - the Pechenegs and Khazars, in the east - the Volga Bulgars and numerous Finno-Ugric tribes (Mordovians, Mari, Muroma).

The main occupation of the Eastern Slavs was agriculture.

The Slavic tribes had two main systems of agriculture. In the north, in the region of dense taiga forests, the dominant system of agriculture was slash-and-burn.

In the southern regions, fallow was the leading system of agriculture. In the presence of a large amount of fertile land, the plots were sown for several years, and after the depletion of the soil, they were transferred ("shifted") to new plots. Ralo was used as the main tools, and later a wooden plow with an iron share. Plow farming was more efficient and produced higher and more consistent yields.

Academician B.A. Rybakov notes that already from the II century. AD there is a sharp rise in the entire economic and social life of that part of the Slavic world, which will later become the core of Kievan Rus - the Middle Dnieper. The growth in the number of hoards of Roman coins and silver found on the lands of the Eastern Slavs testifies to the development of their trade. The export was grain.

An important place in the economy of the Eastern Slavs was played by hunting, fishing and beekeeping (gathering honey from wild bees). Honey, wax, furs were the main items of foreign trade.

Approximately in the VII - VIII centuries. handicraft is finally separated from agriculture. Craftsmen usually concentrated in tribal centers - cities or on settlements - churchyards, which gradually turn from military fortifications into centers of craft and trade - cities. Simultaneously

The most ancient cities arose most often on the most important trade routes. One of these trade routes was the route from the "Varangians to the Greeks". Through the Neva or the Western Dvina and the Volkhov with its tributaries and further through the portage system, the ships reached the Dnieper basin. Along the Dnieper, they reached the Black Sea and further to Byzantium. Finally, this path took shape by the 9th century. Another trade route, one of the oldest in Eastern Europe, was the Volga trade route, which connected Russia with the countries of the East.

Cultivation of the start land is possible by the efforts of one family. The economic independence of individual families made the existence of stable tribal groups superfluous. Natives of the tribal community were no longer doomed to death, because. could develop new lands and become members of a territorial community. The tribal community was also destroyed during the development of new lands (colonization) and the inclusion of slaves in the community.

The collapse of primitive communal relations was facilitated by the military campaigns of the Slavs and, above all, campaigns against Byzantium. The participants in these campaigns received most of the military booty. Particularly significant was the proportion of military leaders - princes and tribal nobility - the best husbands. Gradually, a special organization of professional warriors formed around the prince - a squad, whose members differed from their fellow tribesmen both in economic and social status. The squad was divided into the eldest, from which the princely stewards came out, and the youngest, who lived with the prince and served his court and household.

The most important issues in the life of the community were resolved at public meetings - veche gatherings. In addition to the professional squad, there was also a tribal militia (regiment, thousand).

The Eastern Slavs were pagans. They deified the various forces of nature. At an early stage of their development, they believed in good and evil spirits. Subsequently, a fairly developed pantheon of Slavic gods developed, which included both local and common Slavic gods. The main deities of the Eastern Slavs were: the deity of the Universe - Rod, the deity of the sun Dazhd-god (in some Slavic tribes he was called Yarilo, Horos), the god of cattle and wealth - Whiter, the god of fire - Svarog, the god of thunder and war - Perun, the goddess of the earth and fertility - Mokosh.

The formation of the state among the Eastern Slavs was the logical result of a long process of decomposition of the tribal system and the transition to a class society.

The process of property and social stratification among the community members led to the separation of the most prosperous part from their midst. The tribal nobility and the prosperous part of the community, subjugating the mass of ordinary community members, needs to maintain their dominance in state structures.

The embryonic form of statehood was represented by the East Slavic unions of tribes, which united in superunions, however, fragile ones. One of these associations was, apparently, the union of tribes headed by Prince Kiy (VI century). There is information about a certain Russian prince Bravlin, who fought in the Khazar-Byzantine Crimea in the 8th-9th centuries, passing from Surozh to Korchev ( from Sudak to Kerch). Eastern historians talk about the existence on the eve of the formation of the Old Russian state of three large associations of Slavic tribes: Kuyaba, Slavia and Artania. Kuyaba, or Kuyava, then called the area around Kyiv. Slavia occupied the territory in the area of ​​Lake Ilmen. Its center was Novgorod. The location of Artania - the third major association of Slavs - has not been precisely established.

According to The Tale of Bygone Years, the Russian princely dynasty originates in Novgorod. In 859, the northern Slavic tribes, who then paid tribute to the Varangians, or Normans (according to most historians, immigrants from Scandinavia), drove them across the sea. However, soon after these events, internecine struggle began in Novgorod. To stop the clashes, the Novgorodians decided to invite the Varangian princes as a force standing above the opposing factions. In 862, Prince Rurik and his two brothers were called to Russia by the Novgorodians, laying the foundation for the Russian princely dynasty.

The legend about the calling of the Varangian princes served as the basis for the creation of the so-called Norman theory of the emergence of the Old Russian state. Its authors were invited in the XVIII century. to Russia, German scientists G. Bayer, G. Miller and A. Schlozer. The authors of this theory emphasized the complete absence of prerequisites for the formation of a state among the Eastern Slavs. The scientific inconsistency of the Norman theory is obvious, since the determining factor in the process of state formation is the presence of internal prerequisites, and not the actions of individual, even outstanding, personalities.

If the Varangian legend is not fiction (as most historians believe), the story of the calling of the Varangians only testifies to the Norman origin of the princely dynasty. The version about the foreign origin of power was quite typical for the Middle Ages.

The date of formation of the Old Russian state is conditionally considered to be 882, when Prince Oleg, who seized power in Novgorod after the death of Rurik (some chroniclers call him the governor of Rurik), undertook a campaign against Kyiv. Having killed Askold and Dir, who reigned there, for the first time he united the northern and southern lands as part of a single state. Since the capital was moved from Novgorod to Kyiv, this state is often called Kievan Rus.

After Oleg (879-912), Igor reigned, who is called Igor the Old (912-945) and is considered the son of Rurik. After his death during the collection of tribute in the land of the Drevlyans in 945, his son Svyatoslav remained, who at that time was four years old. Igor's widow, Princess Olga, became regent under him. Chronicles characterize Princess Olga as a wise and energetic ruler.

Around 955, Olga traveled to Constantinople, where she converted to Christianity. This visit was also of great political significance. Returning from Constantinople, Olga officially transferred power to her son Svyatoslav (957-972).

Svyatoslav was primarily a warrior prince who sought to bring Russia closer to the largest powers of the then world. His whole short life was spent in almost continuous campaigns and battles: he defeated the Khazar Khaganate, inflicted a crushing defeat on the Pechenegs near Kyiv, made two trips to the Balkans.

After the death of Svyatoslav, his son Yaropolk (972-980) became the Grand Duke. In 977, Yaropolk quarreled with his brother, the Drevlyansk prince Oleg, and began hostilities against him. The Drevlyansk squads of Prince Oleg were defeated, and he himself died in battle. Drevlyane lands were annexed to Kyiv.

After the death of Oleg, the third son of Svyatoslav Vladimir, who reigned in Novgorod, fled to the Varangians. Yaropolk sent his deputies to Novgorod and thus became the sole ruler of the entire Old Russian state.

Returning two years later to Novgorod, Prince Vladimir expelled the Kyiv governors from the city and entered the war with Yaropolk. The main core of Vladimir's army was a mercenary Varangian squad, which came with him. Violent clash between the troops of Vladimir and

Yaropolk happened in 980 on the Dnieper near the city of Lyubech. The victory was won by the squad of Vladimir, and the Grand Duke Yaropolk was soon killed. Power throughout the state passed into the hands of Grand Duke Vladimir Svyatoslavich (980-1015).

During the reign of Vladimir Svyatoslavich, Cherven cities were annexed to the Old Russian state - East Slavic lands on both sides of the Carpathians, the land of the Vyatichi. The line of fortresses created in the south of the country provided more effective protection of the country from the Pecheneg nomads.

The long and strong ties between Russia and Byzantium eventually led to the fact that in 988 Vladimir adopted Christianity in its Orthodox version. The penetration of Christianity into Russia began long before it was recognized as the official state religion. Princess Olga and Prince Yaropolk were Christians. The adoption of Christianity equalized Kievan Rus with neighboring states. Christianity had a huge impact on the life and customs of Ancient Russia, political and legal relations. Christianity, with its more developed theological and philosophical system compared to paganism, and its more complex and magnificent cult, gave a huge impetus to the development of Russian culture and art.

The time of Yaroslav is the heyday of Kievan Rus, which has become one of the strongest states in Europe. The most powerful sovereigns at that time sought an alliance with Russia.

In preparing this work, materials from the site were used.

Eastern Slavs in the pre-state period

In historical science, it is generally accepted that the history of any nation begins with the formation of a state. More than 100 peoples and nationalities live in the Russian Federation. But the main state-forming people of our country is the Russian people (out of 149 million - 120 million are Russians). The Russian people - one of the largest peoples in the world - for many centuries played a leading role in the political, economic, cultural development of the country. The first state of Russians, as well as Ukrainians and Belarusians, was formed in the 9th century around Kyiv by their common ancestors - the Eastern Slavs.

The first written evidence of the Slavs.

By the middle of the II millennium BC. Slavs stand out from the Indo-European community. By the beginning of the 1st millennium BC. the Slavs became so significant in terms of numbers, influence in the world around them that Greek, Roman, Arabic, Byzantine authors began to report on them (the Roman writer Pliny the Elder), the historian Tacitus - I century AD, the geographer Ptolemy Claudius - II century .n.e. ancient authors call the Slavs "antes", "sklavins", "veneds" and speak of them as "countless tribes").

In the era of the great migration of the peoples of the Slavs, other peoples began to crowd on the Danube. The Slavs began to split up.

Part of the Slavs remained in Europe. Later they will receive the name of the southern Slavs (later Bulgarians, Serbs, Croats, Slovenes, Bosnians, Montenegrins will come from them).

Another part of the Slavs moved to the north - the Western Slavs (Czechs, Poles, Slovaks). Western and southern Slavs were conquered by other peoples.

And the third part of the Slavs, according to scientists, did not want to submit to anyone and moved to the northeast, to the East European Plain. Later they will receive the name of the Eastern Slavs (Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians).

It should be noted that most of the tribes sought to Central Europe, to the ruins of the Roman Empire. The Roman Empire soon fell under the blows of the alien barbarians (476 AD). On this territory, the barbarians will create their own statehood, having absorbed the cultural heritage of ancient Roman culture. The Eastern Slavs, on the other hand, went to the northeast, into the dense forest jungle, where there was no cultural heritage. The Eastern Slavs left in two streams. One part of the Slavs went to Lake Ilmen. Later, the ancient Russian city of Novgorod will rise there. The other part - to the middle and lower reaches of the Dnieper - there will be another ancient city of Kyiv.

In the VI - VIII centuries. Eastern Slavs mostly settled in the East European Plain.

Neighbors of the Eastern Slavs. And other peoples already lived on the East European (Russian) Plain. On the Baltic coast and in the north lived the Baltic (Lithuanians, Latvians) and Finno-Finnish (Finns, Estonians, Ugrians (Hungarians), Komi, Khanty, Mansi, etc.) tribes. The colonization of these places was peaceful, the Slavs got along with the local population.

The situation was different in the east and southeast. There, the Steppe adjoined the Russian Plain. The neighbors of the Eastern Slavs were the steppe nomads - the Turks (the Altai family of peoples, the Turkic group). In those days, peoples leading a different way of life - sedentary and nomadic - were constantly at enmity with each other. The nomads lived by raiding the settled population. And for almost 1000 years, one of the main phenomena in the life of the Eastern Slavs will be the struggle against the nomadic peoples of the Steppe.

The Turks on the eastern and southeastern borders of the settlement of the Eastern Slavs created their own state formations.

In the middle of the VI century. in the lower reaches of the Volga there was a state of the Turks - the Avar Khaganate. In 625, the Avar Khaganate was defeated by Byzantium and ceased to exist.

In the VII - VIII centuries. here appears the state of other Turks - the Bulgar (Bulgarian) kingdom. Then the Bulgar kingdom broke up. Part of the Bulgars went to the middle reaches of the Volga and formed the Volga Bulgaria. Another part of the Bulgars migrated to the Danube, where the Danube Bulgaria was formed (later the newcomer Turks were assimilated by the southern Slavs. A new ethnic group arose, but it took the name of the newcomers - "Bulgarians").

The steppes of southern Russia after the departure of the Bulgars were occupied by new Turks - the Pechenegs.

On the lower Volga and in the steppes between the Caspian and Azov seas, semi-nomadic Turks created the Khazar Khaganate. The Khazars established their dominance over the East Slavic tribes, many of whom paid tribute to them until the 9th century.

In the south, the Byzantine Empire (395 - 1453) with its capital in the city of Constantinople (in Russia it was called Tsargrad) was a neighbor of the Eastern Slavs.

Territory of the Eastern Slavs. In the VI - VIII centuries. The Slavs were not yet one people.

They were divided into tribal unions, which included 120 - 150 separate tribes. By the ninth century There were about 15 tribal unions. Tribal unions were called either by the area in which they lived, or by the name of the leaders. Information about the resettlement of the Eastern Slavs is contained in the chronicle "The Tale of Bygone Years", created by the monk of the Kiev-Pechersk monastery Nestor in the second decade of the 12th century. (The chronicler Nestor is called "the father of Russian history"). According to the chronicle "The Tale of Bygone Years", the Eastern Slavs settled: the meadow - along the banks of the Dnieper, not far from the mouth of the Desna; northerners - in the basin of the Desna and Seim rivers; radimichi - on the upper tributaries of the Dnieper; Drevlyans - along Pripyat; Dregovichi - between Pripyat and the Western Dvina; polochane - along Polota; Ilmen Slovenes - along the rivers Volkhov, Shchelon, Lovat, Msta; Krivichi - in the upper reaches of the Dnieper, Western Dvina and Volga; Vyatichi - in the upper reaches of the Oka; buzhane - along the Western Bug; Tivertsy and streets - from the Dnieper to the Danube; white Croats - the northern part of the western slopes of the Carpathians.

The path "from the Varangians to the Greeks". The Eastern Slavs did not have a sea coast. Rivers became the main trade routes for the Slavs. They "huddled" to the banks of the rivers, especially the greatest river of Russian antiquity - the Dnieper. In the ninth century a great trade route arose - "from the Varangians to the Greeks". It connected Novgorod and Kyiv, Northern and Southern Europe. From the Baltic Sea along the Neva River, the caravans of merchants got to Lake Ladoga, from there along the Volkhov River and further along the Lovat River to the upper reaches of the Dnieper. From Lovat to the Dnieper in the region of Smolensk and on the Dnieper rapids they crossed by "drag routes". Further, the western coast of the Black Sea reached the capital of Byzantium, Constantinople (the Eastern Slavs called it Constantinople). This path became the core, the main trade road, the "red street" of the Eastern Slavs. The whole life of the East Slavic society was concentrated around this trade route.

Occupations of the Eastern Slavs. The main occupation of the Eastern Slavs was agriculture. They cultivated wheat, rye, barley, millet, planted turnips, millet, cabbage, beets, carrots, radishes, garlic and other crops. They were engaged in cattle breeding (bred pigs, cows, horses, small cattle), fishing, beekeeping (gathering honey from wild bees). A significant part of the territory of the Eastern Slavs lay in a harsh climate zone, and agriculture required the exertion of all physical strength. Labor-intensive work had to be completed within a strictly defined time frame. This was only possible for a large team. Therefore, from the very beginning of the appearance of the Slavs on the East European Plain, the collective - the community and the role of leader - began to play the most important role in their life.

Cities. Among the Eastern Slavs in the V - VI centuries. cities arose, which was associated with the long-standing development of trade. The most ancient Russian cities are Kyiv, Novgorod, Smolensk, Suzdal, Murom, Pereyaslavl South. In the ninth century the Eastern Slavs had at least 24 major cities. Cities usually arose at the confluence of rivers, on a high hill. The central part of the city was called the Kremlin, Detinets and was usually surrounded by a rampart. The Kremlin housed the dwellings of princes, the nobility, temples, monasteries. A moat filled with water was erected behind the fortress wall. Bargaining was located behind the moat. A settlement adjoined the Kremlin, where artisans settled. Separate areas of the settlement, inhabited by artisans of the same specialty, were called settlements.

Public relations. Eastern Slavs lived in clans. Each clan had its own foreman - the prince. The prince relied on the tribal elite - "the best husbands." The princes formed a special military organization - a squad, which included warriors and advisers to the prince. The squad was divided into senior and junior. The first included the most noble warriors (advisers). The younger squad lived with the prince and served his court and household. Vigilantes from the conquered tribes collected tribute (taxes). Campaigns for the collection of tribute were called "polyuds". From time immemorial, the Eastern Slavs had a custom - to solve all the most important issues in the life of the family at a secular gathering - a veche.

Beliefs of the Eastern Slavs. The ancient Slavs were pagans. They worshiped the forces of nature and the spirits of their ancestors. In the pantheon of Slavic gods, a special place was occupied by: the god of the sun - Yarilo; Perun is the god of war and lightning, Svarog is the god of fire, Veles is the patron of cattle. The princes themselves acted as high priests, but the Slavs also had special priests - sorcerers and magicians.

Bibliography

The Tale of Bygone Years. - M.; L.; 1990.

Rybakov B.A. The first centuries of Russian history. - M., 1964.

For the preparation of this work, materials from the site http://websites.pfu.edu.ru/IDO/ffec/

The subject and objectives of the course of national history.

History is a Greek word, translated means a story, a story about the past, learned, explored. This is a great process of development of nature and human society. This is a science that studies the past of mankind in its development at different stages. Sources of information can be:

1) material (archaeological excavations)

2) written (chronicles, novels, stories)

3) artistic (engravings, icons, paintings)

4) phonic (musical recordings, sound narration)

The task of the national history course is to know the main stages and directions of the socio-political, economic and socio-cultural development of our state.

The course of national history performs a number of functions:

1) cognitive

2) worldview

3) educational

4) political

The first historian of our country can be considered Nestor (monk-chronicler of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, late 11th - early 12th centuries.), who wrote The Tale of Bygone Years. Among other major historians of our homeland, one can name Tatishchev, Karamzin, Solovyov, Klyuchevsky, who considered the history of the development of our homeland from the point of view of the improvement of the human spirit. The first materialist historian, who based the study of the history of the Motherland on a change in the form of management, was Radishchev (“Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow”). Among modern historians one can name Rybakov, Grekov, Zimin, Tikhomirov.

The main principles of studying history are:

1) historicism (specific historical conditions)

2) objectivity (reliance on specific facts)

3) alternativeness (studying experience, the ability to learn lessons)

The main stages in the development of the Russian state.

To study national history, periodization is necessary, i.e. determination of the period of time during which there have been significant changes in the development of the state. The author of the first periodization was Tatishchev; he based it on autocracy and the power of power. Karamzin based his periodization on the statehood and the change of ruling dynasties. The historian Solovyov believed that the periodization should be based on the struggle between the state and the tribal principle. Klyuchevsky put the territorial growth of the state, the change in life and the state of the people as the basis for periodization.

Modern national history takes into account in its periodization the dominant forms of socio-economic relations, the socio-political system and the specifics of culture.

Stage 1. Eastern Slavs in antiquity - thousands of years ago - IX century.

Stage 2. Old Russian state Kievan Rus - XI-XII centuries.

Stage 3. Feudal fragmentation - the end of the XII - XV centuries.

Stage 4. Formation and development of the Russian centralized state - the end of the XV-XVII centuries.

Stage 5 Russian Empire - XVIII-early XX centuries.

Stage 6 Soviet Russia - the beginning of the XX century. (1917) - the end of the XX century. (1991)

Stage 7. Post-Soviet Russia - the end of the XX-beginning of the XXI centuries.

Factors and specifics of the historical development of Russia.

The course of the historical development of Russia is influenced by various factors:

1) geopolitical situation (Eurasia, more than 160 peoples and nationalities, a multinational and multi-confessional state, periodically gravitating either to Western or to Eastern values)

2) a huge territory and long borders (strong state power, significant bureaucracy, large funds for the maintenance of the army, "besieged fortress")

3) harsh natural and climatic environment (short growing season, development of minerals, difficulties with the development of new lands)

4) the mentality of the people (sobornost, i.e. hope for supreme power, collegiality, non-covetousness)

These factors determine the specifics of our history: an extensive type of economic development, i.e. receipt of products on new areas, weak independence of cities, the long existence of the peasant community, the duration of the autocracy, the people's admiration for the supreme power.

Eastern Slavs in the pre-state period.

The problem of the origin of the Slavic peoples, including the Eastern Slavs, remains debatable. However, the first Slavs appeared in the second millennium BC. e., and at the beginning of the first millennium AD. e. Greek, Arabic, Byzantine sources call the Slavs a great people, warlike and sedentary. In the VI century. AD, during the great migration of peoples, caused by a significant increase in the population and the need to develop new territories, 3 branches of the Slavic peoples were formed:

1) Eastern Slavs (Russians, Belarusians, Ukrainians)

2) South Slavs (Serbs, Croats, Montenegrins)

3) Western Slavs (Poles, Czechs, Slovaks)

In the 7th - 8th centuries. large tribal unions are formed (drevlyans, krivichi, slavens, glade). Some of them united into the largest ethnic groups:

1) Slavia (in the north)

2) Kuyavia (Kyiv)

3) Ortania (Ryazan)

Social relations were determined by the system of military democracy: the elder was at the head of the tribe, all issues were resolved at the people's assembly, the people's militia. Main occupations:

1) agriculture (in the north - slash-and-burn system; in the south - fallow)

2) hunting, fishing, martyrdom (gathering honey from wild bees)

There was a gradual transition from a tribal to a rural territorial community. Religion is paganism. The main gods were considered: Perun (god of war), Svarok (god of sky, fire), etc.

At the beginning of the first millennium of the new era, the territory of the East European Plain was settled by the Eastern Slavs. Starting from the 6th century, the Eastern Slavs occupied the space from the Onega and Ladoga lakes in the north to the lower reaches of the Prut, Dniester, and Southern Bug rivers in the south, and from the Carpathian Mountains in the west to the Oka and Volga in the east. In Eastern Europe, the Slavs met with the Finno-Ugric tribes who lived on its territory before the appearance of the Slavs. The settlement of the Slavs took place peacefully, so the population density of the Finno-Ugric tribes was very low. Gradually, the Finno-Ugric tribes were assimilated by the Slavs.

The natural and climatic conditions of the Russian Plain contributed to the formation of the successful economic activity of the Slavs: full-flowing rivers, fertile soils, dense forests with an abundance of birds and animals, and a temperate even climate. These conditions played a significant role in the development of the economy of the ancient Slavs. On the southern fertile lands, people were engaged in agriculture, in the southeastern steppes - nomadic cattle breeding, in the northern and northwestern regions - hunting, fur extraction of valuable fur-bearing animals, beekeeping (collecting honey and wax from wild bees), and fishing.

Rivers played an important role in the settlement and everyday life of the Slavs. “Remembering,” writes V.O. Klyuchevsky, “how the Tale of the Beginning of the Russian Land places Slavic tribes across our plain, it is easy to see that the mass of the Slavic population occupied its western half. The economic life of the population in this region was directed by one mighty stream, the Dnieper, which cuts through it from north to south.With the then significance of rivers as the most convenient means of communication, the Dnieper was the main economic artery, a pillar trade road for the western strip of the plain: with its upper reaches it comes close to the Western Dvina and the Ilmen-Lake basin, that is, to the two most important roads into the Baltic Sea, and by its mouth connects the central Alaun Upland with the northern coast of the Black Sea; the tributaries of the Dnieper, from afar going to the right and left, like access roads of the main road, bring the Dnieper region closer, on the one hand, to the Carpathian basins of the Dniester and Vistula, on the other hand, to the basins Volga and Don, that is, to the Caspian and Azov Seas.Thus, the Dnieper region covers the entire western the hellish and partly the eastern half of the Russian plain. Thanks to this, a lively trade movement has been going along the Dnieper since time immemorial, the impetus to which was given by the Greeks. "Klyuchevsky V.O. Course of Russian history. M., Thought, 1987. T. 1. p. 137

Archaeological excavations of settlements indicate that the main occupation of the Slavs was agriculture. They widely sowed millet, rye (zhito), wheat, flax and other crops. Ralo was used to cultivate the land - a primitive wooden plow with an iron tip (naralnik), a hoe, a sickle, a rake, a scythe. Later, a plow with an iron share will appear.

Agriculture was carried out in shifting (fallow) or slash-and-burn form. Relog assumed the use of the same plots of land for several years in a row. After the depletion of the land, this area was abandoned for 20-30 years for the natural restoration of fertility, and the farmer himself moved to another area. Such a system existed mainly in the steppe and forest-steppe regions. In forest areas, a slash-and-burn system developed, in which a piece of land for arable land was freed from trees that were cut and burned. The resulting ash served as a natural fertilizer. This system required a lot of physical labor of people united in a tribal community.

People were united in tribal patriarchal families who lived in a separate settlement - a courtyard. In such a family there was collective ownership of land, tools and the results of labor. The size of the land plots depended on how much such a family could cultivate the land.

The ubiquitous distribution of the plow and the transition from maty to plow agriculture markedly increased the culture of agriculture and its productivity, although this increase occurred extensively, due to an increase in the area of ​​cultivated land. Nevertheless, there were also signs of the intensification of agriculture. So, first there was a two-field, and then a three-field, that is, an annual alternation of various sown crops and fallow to restore soil fertility. Soil cultivation was carried out with the help of draft animals: oxen and horses. The development of factors of production and the increase in the product produced led to the decomposition of the consanguineous community and the transition in the 6th-8th centuries to the neighboring community.

This transition meant that the individual family became the basic economic unit. At the same time, the cultivation of the land could be carried out by small groups, which were settled on the principle of neighborhood, and not kinship. The emergence of private ownership of tools and the results of labor meant the complete disintegration of the tribal community. The yard gives way to the village, and the rural community itself began to be called verv (peace).

And although in the neighboring community the main agricultural lands still remained in joint ownership, they were already divided into plots - allotments, which were transferred for limited private use to community members for a certain time. Non-agricultural lands (forests, reservoirs, hayfields, pastures) remained communal. Various types of work were also preserved, the implementation of which required the combined work of all members of the community: laying roads, uprooting forests, and others.

Land plots were cultivated by members of a separate family with their own tools, the crop also belonged to this family. Thus, the individual family no longer had to participate in the forced division of production and the distribution of products equally. This led to property stratification within the neighboring community, the emergence of more successful elders, tribal nobility, and future large landowners - feudal lords.

At the last stage of the transition to feudalism, the Eastern Slavs formed a type of relationship that is characteristic of all peoples in the transition from primitive to class society - military democracy. During this period, the role of the supreme military leader, the prince, who was both the head of the army and the head of the tribe or tribal union, was strengthened. Initially, the prince was elected at the veche as the leader of the squad. All free community members who participated in the people's militia could take part in the work of the veche. In addition to the people's militia, a professional squad also stood out. The squad was fed at the expense of the prince's income, which consisted of booty during military campaigns and donations (taxes) collected from residents for protecting them from enemy raids. Gradually, the prince and his retinue occupied a leading position in the tribe, assimilated the functions of the court, began to extend their rights to the lands as private property, to appropriate power over other community members and their incomes. All this meant the transition from pre-class to class society and a prerequisite for the emergence of the state. "The power of the collective was replaced by hereditary princely power. The princes, relying on their military formations, acquired such weight and influence in society that they turned, in essence, into a special force standing above the masses of the people." Rapov O.M. Russian Church in the 9th - the first third of the 12th century. Acceptance of Christianity. Moscow: Russian panorama, 1998. p. 29

Eastern Slavs in the VI - IX centuries. occupied the territory from the Carpathian Mountains in the west to the Oka and the upper reaches of the Don in the east, from the Neva and Lake Ladoga in the north, to the Middle Dnieper in the south. The Slavs, who developed the East European Plain, came into contact with a few Finno-Ugric and Baltic tribes. There was a process of assimilation of peoples. At this time, the Eastern Slavs united in tribal unions. From the "Initial Chronicle" we know about large East Slavic tribal groups: a glade on the Dnieper near Kyiv; Drevlyans in the forests on the right bank of the Dnieper; Ilmenian Slavs around Lake Ilmen; Dregovichi between Pripyat and Western Dvina; Krivichi near Smolensk; Polotsk people on the banks of the Polota River; street in the interfluve of the Prut and the Dnieper; Tivertsy between the Dnieper and the Southern Bug; Vyatichi along the rivers Moscow and Oka.

The economy of the Eastern Slavs was complex. Their main occupation is agriculture. Agriculture played a leading role. The Slavs, who occupied the fertile forest-steppe regions of Eastern Europe, achieved significant success in it. At the same time, the southern territories somewhat overtook the northern ones. This was facilitated by the best natural conditions and more ancient traditions of agriculture.

The Slavic settlements of the second half of the first millennium AD reflect a sedentary lifestyle. They settled along the banks of rivers and lakes in places where there were plots suitable for agriculture. During the excavations of the settlements of this period, agricultural tools were found: iron spears, coulters, hoes, as well as products of agricultural labor. In the economy of the Slavic tribes of the forest zone of Eastern Europe, a prominent place belonged to slash-and-burn agriculture. However, the area cleared of the forest was soon depleted and ceased to produce crops after 3-4 years. This forced the Slavs to leave the old and develop new areas. Such a system of agriculture required a huge amount of land and forced them to settle in small villages. However, excavations show that the role of slash-and-burn agriculture is somewhat overestimated. Studies of the lower archaeological layers in Novgorod, Izborsk and other places testify to the cultivation in the forest zone of cereals and legumes, as well as fibrous plants, which is possible only in the presence of arable farming. Obviously, undercutting was used mainly for the expansion of arable fields. In the forest-steppe zone there were large areas free from forests, so here, along with the fallow, a crop rotation system arose: two-field and three-field. The Slavs sowed wheat (hard and soft), millet, oats, barley.

Along with agriculture, livestock occupied an important place in the economy. The first place was given to cattle. During archaeological excavations, his bones make up about 50%. Herds of cattle were the measure of wealth. A prominent place in the economy was occupied by hunting and fishing. However, they played an auxiliary role with the dominant importance of agriculture and animal husbandry.

Particularly noteworthy are metalworking and blacksmithing, which are characterized by complex technologies that require special knowledge. For these reasons, metallurgical crafts separated quite early into separate branches of the economy. Swamp ores served as raw materials, and charcoal served as fuel. Traces of iron production date back to the first half of the first millennium AD. Blacksmithing among the Slavs is well traced in archaeological excavations. First of all, agricultural tools, as well as weapons, were made from iron. It should be noted that the processing of iron among the Eastern Slavs on the eve of the formation of the state was at a high level of development.

Ceramics is most widely represented in Slavic settlements and cemeteries. In the VI-VII centuries. molded pottery dominates in most East Slavic settlements. It existed until the 10th century, and on the outskirts - until the 11th century. The place of molded dishes is gradually occupied by ceramics made on a potter's wheel. At the same time, the manufacture of dishes ceases to be the business of each family and is concentrated in the hands of craftsmen.

It should be noted that Slavic blacksmiths, jewelers, and potters intended their products mainly for the rural population. Initially, they worked to order. In the second half of the first millennium, along with work to order, artisans begin to produce products for the market. This contributed to the emergence of specialized settlements where artisans worked and lived. This fact is an indicator of the growing division of labor and sales. Settlements became the focus of domestic and foreign trade. They were fortified. One of such fortified craft centers of the Eastern Slavs was the settlement of Zimno (VI-VII centuries).

The social structure of the Eastern Slavs in the pre-state period can be reconstructed on the basis of reports by Byzantine authors, as well as archaeological materials. Many researchers tried to use the sizes and types of residential and public buildings to determine the level of social relations of the Slavs. Although, to determine the social organization, burial structures serve as a more reliable sign.

In the VI - VII centuries. large patriarchal family groups still remain, for example, in the southern regions. On their existence among the Slavs in the V-VII centuries. indicate the small size of settlements, as well as the singularity of economic complexes. In general, the third quarter of the first millennium is transitional from a family community to a territorial community.

Appearance in the VI - VII centuries. settlements, craft centers shows that the patriarchal family in a number of places begins to disintegrate. Gradually, the rural community becomes the basis of the social organization of the East Slavic society. It unites people not on the basis of family relations, but on a territorial basis. The community members were united not by kinship, but by a common territory and economic life. Each community owned a certain territory on which several families lived. There were two forms of ownership: personal (house, livestock, inventory) and public (arable land, meadows, reservoirs, crafts).

Slavs VI-IX centuries. the social category of the tribal nobility was known. A prince was chosen from the clan, who was approved by the tribal assembly. The word "prince" is a common Slavic, borrowed, according to linguists, from the ancient Germanic language. This word originally meant the head of the family, the elder. Byzantine historians of the 6th-7th centuries. repeatedly report Slavic tribal leaders. With the growth of the population, the tribe, subdivided into several genera, broke up into a number of related tribes, which formed a tribal union. Such tribal unions were the meadows named by Nestor, the Drevlyans, the Dregovichi, and others. At the head of these unions were the leaders who towered over the leaders of the individual tribes that were part of the union. So, in the Bertinsk annals it is reported about the kagan of the people "Ros", and the Gothic historian Jordan calls the ancient Slavic prince Bozh. Thus, in addition to the leaders of the tribes, there were leaders of tribal unions. The princes had various functions: military, foreign policy, religious, judicial. They were assisted by a council of elders, or, as they are called in the annals, "the elders of the city." In the annalistic reports, the elders of the city act as authorized leaders of society, with whom the princes were forced to reckon. Finally, the supreme power belonged to tribal assemblies, veche. The whole population participated in them. Veche acted continuously throughout the 9th-11th centuries, but over time, as the princely power strengthened, their influence fell.

The pagan beliefs of the Eastern Slavs are a complex, multi-layered formation. The sources note that the Slavs worshiped mountains, springs, groves, and plants. This testifies to the preservation of early, primitive religious beliefs. However, the most important attributes of both tribal and settlement sanctuaries were idols-idols. The most widespread wooden statues. The most remarkable monument of Slavic paganism is the Zbruch idol.