The history of Ancient Russia is the subject of numerous disputes, since this is a great era, and our knowledge about it, alas, is very scarce. Despite the fact that the time distance separating us from this time is increasing, there are still more opportunities for research by modern historians and archaeologists. Thanks to scientific developments and technical means, the excavated remains and artifacts are examined more carefully. Thus, scientists get more information. For example, quite recently, historians began to study the foreign policy of Kievan Rus, as well as what role the ancient nomads played in it. The facts that were revealed turned out to be very interesting.
Polovtsy and Ancient Russia
What we know from the school curriculum about representatives of nomadic peoples does not quite correspond to reality. A nomad is not only a representative of a semi-savage tribe who sought to rob and kill. For example, the Polovtsians are a nomadic tribe that received itsname from the yellow hair of their representatives - they were engaged in cattle breeding, as well as trade.
But they were also excellent warriors and managed for several centuries to cause a lot of inconvenience to local princes, now and then carrying out raids on the lands of Kievan Rus. A few centuries later, the Polovtsy began to lead a more sedentary lifestyle. Perhaps this influenced their skill at war. As a result, later the tribes became part of the Golden Horde and lost their identity. Very few exhibits belonging to the Polovtsy can be seen by visiting the museum of nomadic culture or looking into private collections.
Pechenegs
There is a hypothesis that the Pechenegs arose as a union of the ancient Turks and Sarmatians. This unification took place in the steppes of the Trans-Volga region. A Pecheneg nomad is a representative of a nationality that lived in a tribal system. The tribes were divided into two branches, each of which had 8 tribes, that is, approximately 40 genera. They were mainly engaged in cattle breeding and trade, at first wandering between the Urals and the Volga.
An interesting feature of this tribe is the practice of leaving captives to live as part of their clans, giving them the same rights that the natives had. A lot of evidence has been found for this, which we can see if we visit the Museum of Nomadic Culture.
It was the countless raids of the Pechenegs on Kievan Rus that forced its rulers to begin large-scale construction of defensive structures. When Prince Yaroslav the Wise inflicted a crushing defeat on the Pechenegs in 1036, thetheir decay period. This was facilitated by interaction with other nomadic tribes. Historians claim that the Pechenegs finally settled on the territory of modern Hungary, mixing with local tribes.
Khazars
In today's South Russia, many centuries ago, people lived, about the origin of which scientists are still scratching their heads. These are the Khazars. An excellent rider, a skilled tracker and a fearless nomad warrior. All this is said about him, the Khazar. In the entire history of the nomadic peoples who lived in the era of Ancient Russia, they possessed the largest territories. Their Khaganate stretched from the land of the northerners to the northern part of the Caucasus. Further expansion of the Khazars was prevented by the strengthening of Kievan Rus.
Ulichi, Vyatichi and others
Among the diversity of the tribal peoples of Ancient Russia, not so much has been studied and recognized by official science. Unfortunately, most of the evidence is not available to us. Some tribes did not try to seize lands from Kievan Rus, but on the contrary, they sought to get rid of its influence. For their independence, for example, fought the streets that inhabited the banks of the Dnieper near the coast of the Black Sea. The Tale of Bygone Years also mentions such tribes as the Vyatichi, Drevlyans and Volynians. The last two tribes are part of the Drevlyane group and lived in the Pripyat River basin.
Useful Nomad Neighbors
A nomad is not always a dangerous neighbor who, at every opportunity, strives to chop off a piece of territory or plunder a city,it is also a trading partner. As nomadic tribes moved to vast territories, they encountered new goods and customs more and only then carried this to the inhabitants of settled areas. But the huge nomadic empires could significantly influence the course of life in Kievan Rus and other states.
Ancient Russia and nomads are close trade ties, exchange of cultural traditions. Nomadic tribes also significantly influenced the beliefs of the ancient Slavs of the pre-Christian period. Their influence on the settled areas was truly enormous, but one fact remains indisputable, indicating that the only empire that withstood the onslaught of nomadic tribes was Kievan Rus. She not only survived, but also swallowed up many tribes. But thanks to this absorption, they themselves were able to maintain their identity for a long time.
