Usually, the history of Eastern Europe, which was inhabited by the Slavs, begins to be studied from the founding of Kievan Rus. According to the official theory, this is the first state in these lands that the world knew about, reckoned with, and respected the rulers. One after another, ancient cities appear in Ancient Russia, and this process stopped only with the invasion of the Mongols. With the invasion of the horde, the state itself, fragmented among the numerous descendants of the princes, goes into oblivion. But we will talk about its heyday, tell you what the ancient cities of Russia were like.
A little about the country
The term "Ancient Russia" usually refers to the state united around Kyiv, which existed from the ninth to the middle of the thirteenth centuries. In fact, it was a union of principalities, the population of which was the Eastern Slavs, who were subordinate to the Grand Duke. This union occupied vast territories, had its own army (team), established rules of law.
When the ancient cities in Ancient Russia adopted Christianity, activeconstruction of stone temples. The new religion further strengthened the power of the Kyiv prince and contributed to foreign policy relations with European states, the development of cultural ties with Byzantium and other highly developed countries.
Gardarika
The emergence of cities in Ancient Russia was stormy. It is not for nothing that in the Western European chronicles it is called Gardarika, that is, the country of cities. From written sources dating back to the 9th-10th centuries, 24 large settlements are known, but it can be assumed that there were many more. The names of these settlements, as a rule, were Slavic. For example, Novgorod, Vyshgorod, Beloozero, Przemysl. By the end of the twelfth century, the role of cities in Ancient Russia was truly invaluable: there were already 238 of them, they were well fortified, they were centers of politics, trade, education and culture.
The structure and characteristics of the settlement in the old days
A city in Ancient Russia is a settlement for which a place was carefully chosen. The territory should be convenient in terms of defense. On the hill, as a rule, in the separation from the river, a fortified part (Kremlin) was built. Dwelling houses were located closer to the river, in the lowland or, as they said, on the hem. Thus, the first cities of Ancient Russia consisted of a central part - a citadel, well protected, and a more convenient, but less safe trade and craft part. A little later, settlements, or foothills, appear in the settlements.
Ancient cities in Ancient Russia were not built of stone, asmost of the settlements in Western Europe of that time were rather made of wood. From here came the verb "cut down" the city, and not build. The fortifications formed a protective ring of wooden log cabins filled with earth. The only way to get inside was through the gate.
It is worth noting that in Ancient Russia not only a settlement was called a city, but also a fence, a fortress wall, a fortress. In addition to the citadel, which housed the main buildings (the cathedral, the square, the treasury, the library), and the trade and craft quarter, there was always a market square and a school.
Mother of Russian cities
This is the epithet that historians awarded the main city of the state. The capital of Ancient Russia was the city of Kyiv - beautiful and very convenient in terms of geographical location. People lived in this area already 15-20 thousand years ago. The legendary prince Kiy, the founder of the settlement, probably lived during the period of the Chernyakhov culture. The Book of Veles claims that he was a native of the Southern B altic and lived around the middle of the second century. But this source dates the foundation of the city itself to the Scythian times, which echoes the message of Herodotus about the chips. Possibly, the Polyana prince did not lay the foundation of the city, but only fortified it and made it a stronghold. Academician Rybakov believes that Kyiv was founded later, in the 5th-6th century, when the Slavs actively settled the territories above the Dnieper and Danube, advancing to the Balkan Peninsula.
The emergence of cities in Ancient Russia after Kyiv was natural, because behind the fortified walls people felt themselves insecurity. But at the dawn of the development of the state, the capital city of glades was part of the Khazar Khaganate. In addition, Kiy met with the Byzantine emperor, presumably with Anastasius. It is not known who ruled the city after the death of its founder. History calls only the names of the last two rulers before the arrival of the Varangians. The prophetic Oleg captured Kyiv without bloodshed, made it his capital, pushed back the nomads, crushed the Khazar Khaganate and went on the offensive against Constantinople.
Golden time of Kyiv
The campaigns of Oleg and his successor Igor, as well as Svyatoslav the Brave did not contribute to the development of the city. Its borders have not expanded since the time of Kiy, but a palace already towered in it, pagan and Christian temples were built. Prince Vladimir already took up the arrangement of the settlement, and after the baptism of Russia, stone shrines grow in it, the mounds of the former gods are compared to the ground. Under Yaroslav, the St. Sophia Cathedral and the Golden Gate were built, and the territory of Kyiv and its population increased several times. Crafts, printing, and education are rapidly developing. There are more and more cities in Ancient Russia, but the city of Kiya still remains the main one. Today, in the central part of the Ukrainian capital, you can see buildings erected during the heyday of the state.
Sights of the Ukrainian capital
Ancient cities in Ancient Russia were very beautiful. And of course, the capital is no exception. Today, architectural monuments of that time provide an opportunity to imagine the magnificence of Kyiv. Most Outstandingattraction - Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, founded by monk Anthony in 1051. The complex includes stone temples decorated with paintings, cells, underground caves, fortress towers. The Golden Gate, built under Yaroslav the Wise, is a unique reminder of defensive architecture. Today, there is a museum inside, and around the building there is a square, in which there is a monument to the prince. It is worth visiting the famous St. Sophia Cathedral (1037), St. Michael's Golden-domed Cathedral of the Vydubitsky Monastery (XI - XII centuries), St. Cyril, Trinity Gate Church, the Church of the Savior-on-Berestovo (all XII centuries).
Veliky Novgorod
Large cities of Ancient Russia are not only capital Kyiv. The most beautiful is Novgorod, which has survived to this day, because it was not touched by the Mongols. Subsequently, to emphasize the important role of the settlement in history, the prefix "Great" was added to the official name of the authorities.
The amazing city, divided by the Volkhov River, was founded in 859. But this is the date when the settlement was first mentioned in written sources. The chronicle mentions that in 859 the Novgorod governor Gostomysl died, and, therefore, Novgorod arose earlier, long before Rurik was called to the principality. Archaeological excavations have shown that people have settled in these lands since the fifth century. In the eastern chronicles of the tenth century, as-Slaviya (Glory, Salau), one of the cultural centers of the Rus, is mentioned. This city refers to Novgorod or its predecessor - the old city of the Ilmenian Slavs. It is also identified with the Scandinavian Holmgard, the capital of Gardariki.
Features of the capital of the Novgorod Republic
Like all major cities of Ancient Russia, Novgorod was divided into parts. It had quarters for crafts and workshops, residential areas without streets, and fortifications. Detinets was formed already in 1044. In addition to it, the shaft and the White (Alekseevskaya) tower have survived to this day. In 1045-1050, St. Sophia Cathedral was built in the city, a little later - Nikolo-Dvorishchensky, St. George's and the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin.
When a veche republic is formed, architecture flourishes in the city (the Novgorod architectural school appears). The princes lost the right to build churches, but the townspeople, merchants and patrons were actively involved in this. The dwellings of people, as a rule, were wooden, and only places of worship were built of stone. It is noteworthy that already at that time a wooden water supply system was functioning in Novgorod, and the streets were paved with paving stones.
Glorious Chernihiv
Studying the major cities of Ancient Russia, one cannot fail to mention Chernigov. In the vicinity of the modern settlement, people lived already in the 4th millennium BC. But as a city, it was first mentioned in written sources in 907. After the Battle of Listven in 1024, Mstislav Vladimirovich, brother of Yaroslav the Wise, makes Chernigov his capital. Since then, it has been actively developing, growing and building up. Ilyinsky and Yelets monasteries are being erected here, which for a long time become the spiritual centers of the principality, the territory of which extended to Murom, Kolomna and Tmutarakan.
The invasion of the Mongol-Tatars stopped the peacefulthe development of the city, which was burned by the troops of Genghisid Mongke in October 1239. From princely times to the present, several architectural masterpieces have come down, from which tourists begin their acquaintance with the city. These are the Cathedral of the Savior (XI century), the Ilinskaya Church, the Borisoglebsky and Assumption Cathedrals, the Yelets Assumption Monastery (all of them are from the 12th century), the Pyatnitskaya Church of St. Paraskeva (XIII century). Noteworthy are the Anthony Caves (XI-XIX centuries) and the mounds of the Black Grave, Gulbishche and Bezymyanny.
Old Ryazan
There was another city that played an exceptional role. There were many cities in Ancient Russia, but not every one of them was the center of a principality. Ryazan, completely destroyed by Khan Batu, has not revived. In 1778, Pereyaslavl-Ryazansky, which is 50 km away from the old princely settlement, was given a new name - Ryazan, but they use it together with the prefix "New". The ruins of the ancient Russian city today are of great interest to historians and archaeologists. Only the remains of the fortifications cover more than sixty hectares. The archaeological reserve also includes the ruins of guard outposts, the Novy Olgov fortress, near which the All-Russian Rodnoverie Sanctuary was sheltered.
Amazing Smolensk
In the upper reaches of the Dnieper there is an ancient and very beautiful city. The toponym Smolensk goes back to the name of the river Smolnya or to the name of the Smolyan tribe. It is also likely that the city was named in honor of the fact that it lay on the way from the Varangians to the Greeks and was the place where travelers pitched boats. First mentionedhe is in the "Tale of Bygone Years" under the year 862 and is called the center of the tribal union of the Krivichi. In the campaign against Tsargrad, Askold and Dir bypassed Smolensk, since it was heavily fortified. In 882, the city was captured by Oleg the Prophet and became part of his state.
In 1127 the city became the inheritance of Rostislav Mstislavich, who in 1146 ordered the construction of the Church of Peter and Paul on Gorodyanka, the Church of St. John the Theologian. Before the Mongol invasion, Smolensk reaches its highest peak. It occupied about 115 hectares, and 40 thousand people permanently lived there in eight thousand houses. The Horde invasion did not touch the city, which allowed it to preserve many architectural monuments. But over time, it lost its significance and fell under the dependence of other principalities.
Other cities
As you can see, the high development of the cities of Ancient Russia allowed them to be not only the political center of the regions, but also to establish external relations with other countries. For example, Smolensk had close relations with Riga, and there are legends about Novgorod's trade relations. What other settlements existed in Russia?
- Polotsk, located on a tributary of the Western Dvina. Today it is located on the territory of Belarus and is loved by tourists. Sophia Cathedral (11th century, destroyed and rebuilt in the 18th century) and the oldest stone building in the country - the Transfiguration Church (12th century) are reminiscent of the princely era.
- Pskov (903).
- Rostov (862).
- Suzdal (862).
- Vladimir (990). The city is included inThe Golden Ring of Russia, famous for the Assumption and Demetrius Cathedral, the Golden Gate.
- Murom (862), burned to the ground during the Mongol invasion, restored in the fourteenth century.
- Yaroslavl is a city on the Volga, founded by Yaroslav the Wise at the beginning of the tenth century.
- Terebovlya (Galicia-Volyn principality), the first mention of the city dates back to 1097.
- Galic (Galicia-Volyn principality), the first written mention of it is dated 1140. However, the epics about Duke Stepanovich say that he was better than Kyiv during the life of Ilya Muromets, and received baptism long before 988.
- Vyshgorod (946). The castle was the lot of Princess Olga and her favorite place. It was here that three hundred concubines of Prince Vladimir lived before his baptism. Not a single building has survived from the Old Russian era.
- Pereyaslavl (modern Pereyaslav-Khmelnitsky). In 907, it was first mentioned in written sources. Today in the city you can see the remains of fortifications of 10-11 centuries.
Instead of afterword
Of course, we have not listed all the cities of that glorious era in the history of the Eastern Slavs. And even more so, they could not describe them in full as they deserve, due to the limited size of our article. But we hope that we have awakened interest in the study of the past.
