The emergence of Slavic culture in the Middle Ages

The Slavs, belonging to the Indo-European language family, represent one of the branches of the ancient Aryans. Their migration from the region of the formation of the Aryan ethnic group apparently dates back to the 1st millennium BC. Moving across Europe, the Pre-Slavs settled in the Carpathian region, from where, in turn, they began to settle in almost all directions. So there were three branches of the Slavs: western, southern and eastern. Mention of the Slavs can be found in ancient authors, in letters and memoirs of Arab and Jewish merchants and among European chroniclers. All of them called the inhabitants of the East European region in different ways. So, Herodotus spoke of Scythian plowmen. You can also find the names of Ants, Sklavins, Wends.

The origin of the term Slavs is not revealed to the end. Perhaps it goes back to the concept of “word,” that is, the Slavs included all those who spoke in an understandable language, and all non-Slavs were “Germans” - dumb, with whom it was impossible to speak in a generally accessible language. It was also suggested that since the Slavs were the main export goods (slaves in English - a slave, in German - sklave, in French - sklavin, etc.), they were given the name for the primary product which they supplied to the world market.

Eastern Slavs occupied the territory from the Vistula and Oder in the west to the upper Volga in the east; in the north, they advanced almost to the Baltic and White Seas, probably mixed with Finno-Ugric and Baltic ethnic groups, and at the southern borders they were stopped by nomads on the border of the steppe zone. We can name various tribal associations of the Eastern Slavs: Dregovichi, Drevlyans, glade, streets, etc., which included 100-200 separate tribes. In total, there were up to a dozen tribal units (unions). Arab Masudi (X c.) Also mentioned the numerous Slavs, noting that "the Slavs comprise many tribes and numerous clans."

Eastern Slavs were sedentary farmers. Due to the fact that they lived in a forest zone, where there were few or almost no territories ready for arable land, and weather not always favored agriculture, they had to literally conquer every meter of land from the forest. Initially, trees and shrubs were cut down on a pre-marked area, stumps were uprooted, then the fallen tree was allowed to dry, and then burned. Cereals were planted on this area, while ash was used as a good fertilizer. This method of farming is called slash-fire. The plot thus treated yielded a tolerable harvest for 3-5 years, and then it was depleted and it was necessary to switch to a new one.

Due to poor soil, the Slavs were forced to adapt more and more new territories for agriculture. Thus, the Byzantine historian Procopius of Caesarea noted that "they live (Slavs. - M. S.) in miserable huts, at a great distance from each other, and for the most part they change their place of residence." The main crops that were cultivated by the Eastern Slavs include rye, oats, millet. Industrial crops were also grown - flax, hemp, which served for oil extraction, as well as for the production of threads from which the fabric was woven. The Slavs were good gardeners, growing turnips, peas, beans, beets, swede. But they almost did not know gardening. Berries: raspberries, currants, cranberries, blueberries, etc. - were harvested by collecting them in the forests. The appropriating forms of housekeeping include flightfare (picking wild bee honey), hunting and fishing.

The Slavs knew many crafts. So, using deposits of local iron ore, they developed blacksmithing, differentiated into the production of tools, household goods and weapons, as well as jewelry. Known bronze products with multicolor enamel, found north of Kiev. In addition, casting was highly developed: silver horse figurines with gold manes and hooves were found, as well as complex multi-figured silver compositions depicting people, various animals, birds and snakes. The East Slavs knew both the potter’s wheel and the loom.

On the basis of craft villages, embryos of cities began to appear: strongholds and cities. Dwellings became more and more comfortable. Increasingly, they were built from wood, from dugouts and half dugouts in the 1st millennium AD began to go to huts (first in the northern regions, and then in the southern). Under one roof it was accepted to place not only living quarters for people, barns, but also a stable. The huts were drowned “in black”: there were no special chimneys. The windows were puffed up with bullish bubbles, in the houses of nobility they were replaced by pieces of mica. The houses of noble Slavs, as a rule, were decorated with intricate carvings.

The Eastern Slavs in the pre-Christian period, apparently, had polygamy, since references to "grandfather and grandmothers" are frequent. There was a custom in some places to burn widows with a dead husband. But it should be noted that a monogamous family was developing.

The Slavs had a letter in the pre-state period - cuts and traits, perhaps the Slavs adopted and modified the runic letter that the inhabitants of Scandinavia had. In the VII-VIII centuries. there is a need for writing. The Slavic princes, who were in the service of the Byzantine emperors, began to adapt the letters of the Greek alphabet for their needs. In the middle of the 9th century missionary Cyril (Constantine) The philosopher saw in Chersonesus a liturgical book written in Russian letters. But already from the 9th century. the Cyrillic alphabet, created by the missionary brothers Cyril and Methodius, begins to spread.

The Eastern Slavs were pagans, they revered their ancestors and worshiped the forces of nature. The Slavs spiritualized (animism) and personified (fetishism) all nature. In Russian folk beliefs, traces of the cult of the Mother, the damp earth, personified in the image of the female fertility deity, have long been preserved. There was also reverence for stones endowed with supernatural properties. Equally ancient objects of worship were water and fire, which were credited with a cleansing and preserving effect. Revered by the Slavs and animals. Echoes of these ancient cults are found in Pancake week scenes of mummers dressed in animal-like or animal masks: a bear, a horse, chicken, goats, cranes, etc.

Text writer: M.V. Sokolova