Ancient cities in Ancient Rus: names, education and development

Usually the history of Eastern Europe, which the Slavs inhabited, is beginning to be studied from the founding of Kievan Rus. According to the official theory, this is the first state in these lands, which was known in the world, it was considered, and the rulers were respected. One after another, there are ancient cities in Ancient Rus, and this process stopped only with the invasion of the Mongols. With the invasion of the horde, the state itself, shattered among the numerous descendants of the princes, also goes into oblivion. But we will talk about its heyday, tell you what the ancient cities of Russia were like.

A bit about the country

The term "Ancient Rus" is usually referred to as the state united around Kiev, which existed from the ninth to the middle of the thirteenth centuries. In fact, it was a union of principalities, whose population was the Eastern Slavs, who submitted to the Grand Duke. This union occupied huge territories, had its own army (squad), established norms of law.

When ancient cities in ancient Russia adopted Christianity, an active construction of stone churches began. The new religion further strengthened the power of the Kiev prince and promoted foreign policy relations with European states, the development of cultural ties with Byzantium and other highly developed countries.

Gardarica

The emergence of cities in ancient Russia bore a stormy character. Not for nothing in the Western European chronicles, it is called Gardarika, that is, a country of cities. From written sources dating from the 9th-10th centuries, there are 24 large settlements 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 Rus was truly invaluable: they already numbered 238, they were well fortified, and were centers of politics, trade, education and culture.

Structure and characteristics of the settlement in the olden days

The city in Ancient Rus is a settlement for which the place was carefully chosen. The territory should be comfortable in terms of defense. On the hill, as a rule, in the separation from the river, a fortified part (the Kremlin) was built. Residential houses were located closer to the river, in the lowlands or, as they say, on the hem. Thus, the first cities of Ancient Rus consisted of the central part - a detinets, well protected, and a more convenient, but less secure trade-craft part. A little later in the settlements there are plantings, or foothills.

Ancient cities in Ancient Rus were not built of stone, like most settlements in Western Europe of that time, but of wood. Hence the verb "cut" the city, and not build. The fortifications formed a barrier ring of wooden log houses filled with earth. It was possible to get inside only through the gate.

It is worth noting that in Ancient Rus, the city was called not only a populated area, but also a fence, a fortress wall, a fortress. In addition to the detinets, which housed the main buildings (cathedral, square, treasury, library), and the trade and craft quarter, there was necessarily a trading area and a school.

Mother of Russian cities

It was this epithet awarded historians the main city of the state. The capital of Ancient Rus was the city of Kiev - beautiful and very convenient in terms of geographical location. People lived in this area for 15-20 thousand years ago. The legendary prince Kiy, the founder of the settlement, probably lived during the Chernyakhov culture. "Velesovaya kniga" claims that he was a native of the Southern Baltic and lived in the middle of the second century. But the foundation of the hail itself, this source dates back to Scythian times, which echoes with the message of Herodotus about the skolotah. Perhaps the Polesky prince did not lay the city, but only strengthened it and made it a supporting one. Academician Rybakov believes that Kyiv was founded later, in the 5th-6th century, when the Slavs actively populated the territories above the Dnieper and the Danube, advancing to the Balkan Peninsula.

The emergence of cities in Ancient Rus after Kiev was logical, as behind the fortified walls people felt safe. But at the dawn of the development of the state the capital city of glades was part of the Khazar Khaganate. In addition, Kii met with the Byzantine emperor, presumably with Anastasia. It is not known who governed the city after the death of its founder. History only names the last two rulers before the arrival of the Varangians. Prophetic Oleg without bloodshed conquered Kiev, made him his capital, pushed back the nomads, crushed the Khazar Khaganate and set out on an attack on Tsargrad.

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 did not expand from the time of Kia, but it already towered the palace, pagan and Christian temples were built. The settlement of the settlement was undertaken already by Prince Vladimir, and after the baptism of Rus in it grow stone shrines, the burial mounds of the former gods are compared with the earth. Under Yaroslav the Sophia Cathedral and the Golden Gate are built, and the territory of Kiev and its population increase several times. Crafts, book printing, and education are developing rapidly. Cities in Ancient Russia is growing, but the city of Kiya still remains the main one. Today in the central part of the Ukrainian capital you can see the buildings erected in the heyday of the state.

Sights of the Ukrainian capital

Ancient cities in Ancient Rus were very beautiful. And of course, the capital is no exception. Today architectural monuments of that time give an opportunity to imagine the splendor of Kiev. The most outstanding sight is the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, founded by the 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 - a unique memorial 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 to visit the famous St. Sophia Cathedral (1037), St. Michael's Golden-domed Cathedral of the Vydubitsky Monastery (XI-XII centuries), the Cyril, the Trinity Gate Church, the Church of Spas-on-Berestove (all XII century).

Velikiy Novgorod

The big cities of Ancient Rus are not only the Kiev's dining room. The most beautiful is Novgorod, which survived until today, because it was not touched by the Mongols. Subsequently, in order to emphasize the important role of the settlement in history, the prefix "Great" was added to the official name of the authorities.

The amazing hail, 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's calling to the principality. Archaeological excavations have shown that in these lands people have settled since the fifth century. In the eastern chronicles of the tenth century, as-Slavia (Slava, Salau) is mentioned, one of the cultural centers of the Rus. This city means Novgorod or its predecessor, the old city of the Ilmen Slavs. He is also identified with the Scandinavian Holmgard, the capital of Gardarica.

Features of the capital of the Novgorod Republic

Like all the major cities of Ancient Rus, Novgorod was divided into parts. It had quarters of craft and shop, residential areas without streets, fortifications. Detinets formed already in 1044 year. In addition to it, until now the shaft and the White Tower (Alekseevskaya) have been preserved. In 1045-1050 in the city is built St. Sophia Cathedral, later - Nikolo-Dvorishchensky, St. George's and the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin.

When the veche republic is formed, architecture blossoms in the city (the Novgorod architectural school). The princes lost the right to build temples, but this was actively engaged in by the townspeople, merchants and patrons of art. The dwellings of people, as a rule, were wooden, and only religious buildings were erected from the stone. It is noteworthy that already at that time in Novgorod there was a functioning wooden plumbing, and the streets were paved with paving stones.

Glorious Chernihiv

Studying the large cities of Ancient Rus, one can not but mention Chernigov. In the vicinity of the modern settlement people lived already in the 4th millennium BC. But as a city for the first time it is mentioned in written sources in 907. After the Battle of Lystven in 1024, Mstislav Vladimirovich, brother of Yaroslav the Wise, makes Chernigov his capital. Since then, it is actively developing, growing and being built. Here Ilyinsky and Yelets monasteries are built, which for a long time become spiritual centers of the principality, the territory of which stretched to Murom, Kolomna and Tmutarakan.

The invasion of the Mongol-Tatars halted the peaceful development of the city, which was burned by the troops of Genghiside 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. This is the Cathedral of the Savior (XI century), the Ilyinsky Church, the Boris and Gleb Cathedral and the Assumption Cathedral, the Yeletsky Uspensky Monastery (all - XII century), Pyatnitskaya St. Paraskeva (XIII century.). Noteworthy Antoniev caves (XI-XIX century.) And burial mounds of the Black Grave, Gulbishche and Nameless.

Old Ryazan

There was another hail, which played an exceptional role. There were many cities in Ancient Rus, but not all of them were the center of the principality. Ryazan, completely destroyed by the Khan Baty, no longer revived. In 1778, Pereyaslavl-Ryazansky, which is distant from the old princely settlement for 50 km, was given a new name - Ryazan, but used 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 fortifications occupy over sixty hectares. The archaeological reserve also includes the ruins of guard outposts, the fortress of Novy Olgov, near which the All-Russian Holy Family Sanctuary was sheltered.

Amazing Smolensk

In the upper reaches of the Dnieper is an ancient and very beautiful city. The toponym of Smolensk goes back to the name Smolnya or to the name of the Smolyan tribe. It is also likely that the city was named after the fact that it lay on the road from the Varangians to the Greeks and was the place where the travelers were pitching boats. For the first time he is mentioned in the "Tale of Bygone Years" under the year 862 and is called the center of the tribal union of Krivichi. In the campaign against Constantinople, Askold and Dir went around Smolensk with a side, since it was strongly fortified. In 882 the city was captured by Oleg Veschy and became part of his power.

In 1127, the city became the lot 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 there were 40,000 permanent residents in eight thousand houses. The Horde invasion did not touch the hail, which allowed him to preserve many monuments of architecture. But from the time he lost his meaning and fell under the dependence of other principalities.

Other cities

As we see, the high development of the cities of Ancient Rus allowed them to be not only a political center of the regions, but also establish external relations with other countries. For example, Smolensk had close relations with Riga, and there are legends about Novgorod's trade relations. And what other settlements existed in Russia?

• Polotsk, located on the tributary of the Western Dvina. Today it is located on the territory of Belarus and is loved by tourists. About the princely era it is reminiscent of St. Sophia Cathedral (11th century, destroyed and restored in the 18th century) and the oldest stone building in the country - the Transfiguration of the Savior (12th century).
• Pskov (903 year).
• Rostov (862 year).
• Suzdal (862 year).
• Vladimir (990). The city is included in the Golden Ring of Russia, famous for the Assumption and Dmitrievsky cathedral, the Golden Gate.
• Murom (862), burnt 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 is dated 1097 year.
• Galich (Galicia-Volyn principality), the first written mention of it is dated 1140 year. However, in the epics about Duke Stepanovich it is said that he was better than Kiev during the life of Ilya of Murom, and was baptized long before 988.
• Vyshgorod (946 year). The castle was a lot of Princess Olga and her favorite place. It was here that three hundred concubines of Prince Vladimir resided before his baptism. From the Old Russian era, not a single building has survived.
• Pereyaslavl (modern Pereyaslav-Khmelnitsky). In 907, the first time was mentioned in written sources. Today in the city you can see the remains of fortifications 10-11 centuries.

Instead of an afterword

Of course, we did not list all the cities of that glorious era in the history of the Eastern Slavs. And the more so they could not describe them in full as they deserve, because of the limited size of our article. But we hope that we woke up interest in studying the past.