Ancient Rus: trade and crafts

Russia-InfoCenter ^ | December 20, 2006 | Olga Pletneva

[eastern]

Ancient Russia (Rus) occupied the territory of Eastern Europe and lay on trade routes running from Christian West to Muslim East and back. So far treasures have been found on the ways where caravans moved along.

Western travelers thought Medieval Rus as a country of vast woods and plains with settlements and villages widely separated, though Vikings took Rus differently: the most popular Volga Trade Route connecting countries lying to the North and the South was called the Trade route from the Varangians to the Greeks. Old Scandinavian sagas mention 12 big towns of Ancient Rus, among them: Novgorod, Kiev, Polotsk, Smolensk, Murom and Rostov.

Town crafts

At that time towns were ruled by warrior princes, whose will, military and economic power determined the fate of a settlement. A town’s economic and cultural value depended greatly on deft craftsmen living there – architects, stone- and metalworkers, icon painters, etc. Wares by Russian town craftsmen were famous far beyond Russian borders. Quaint padlocks along with complicatedly designed keys were very popular in adjacent countries under the name of “Russian” padlocks.

[eastern]

This is just an insight into Russian history of commerce.

[Fraxinus]

GGG Ping?

[RusIvan]

This is just an insight into Russian history of commerce.==

"Rus" is the ancient Viking name it self. "Rus" (later Russia) is the nation founded by Normans (Vikings) on the eastern Europe same times when same Vikings established Norman states on the West.

[struwwelpeter]

[Jimmy Valentine]

Civilization, eastern orthodox christianity and commerce spread to Ukraine at the behest of Prince Vladimir head of the Kievan Rus who sent his emissaries to Byzantium. The Byzantines sent priests and traders from Constantinople to Kiev, baptized the population and built a church in about 1080 A.D.

The first bricks and worked stone in the Western Hemisphere were laid by Byzantine craftsmen in Kiev.

The church of St. Sophia in Kiev, the second church built in 1090 still stands today. It is a model of the Haigha Sophia in Istanbul and is beautiful and very compelling.

All of this while the Muscovites were living in log huts.

[Freelance Warrior]

There are many theories:

"Rus" may be derived from "ruotsi" - oarsmen (Ancient Scandinavian)

"Rusa" - proto-Slavonic for "river"(Chivilikhin).

"Aesir" - the race of Scandinavian gods (Vernadskiy)

"Roxalans" - royal alans - an Iranian nomadic tribe who probably hegemoned over South Eastern Slavs.

[ASOC]

Ah, the Rodina.

Interesting places, people.

[Freelance Warrior]

Civilization, eastern orthodox christianity and commerce spread to Ukraine at the behest of Prince Vladimir head of the Kievan Rus who sent his emissaries to Byzantium.

No really. The Russian Primary Chronicle aka "The Tale of Bygone years" describes the trade before the baptising. The Scandinavian warriors traded furs, honey and slaves in Constantinople. The Chronicle cites three treaties with Byzantium (with princes Oleg, Igor, Svyatoslav) which regulated the Rus-Greek trade.

A Byzantine Emperor, Constantine the Porphyrogenit writes on Rus and its trade in his tractate "On ruling the Empire" in 952 (Rus was baptised in 988).

An Arabian author, Ibn-Fadlan writes on Ruses trade with the Bulgar on Volga and on Kama in "A journey on Volga" (908-932)

There is archeological data that in VIII-IX the area had trade links with Arabian countries (like treasures of Arabian coins)

The excavations in Lagoda ( today a village near the Ilmen' lake in the Leningrad's oblast' (near Lagozhskoe lake, near Estonia) showed that its dwellers made glass and jewellery products in VIII-IX century and traded them with local tribes for fur. They also imported goods from the Northern Europe (also found). The primary population was most probably Scandinavian (before 820AD) while later the place was conquered by Slavs.

The Byzantines ... built a church in about 1080 A.D.

Yes, but that wasn't the first Church. The Russian Primary Chronicle mentiones the Prophet Elijah Church in Kiev built during the reign of Prince Igor (grandfather of Vladimir) and his wife Olga built another Church in a fief of hers (she adopted Christianity). The treaties mentioned above show that some of the warriors were Christians.

The first bricks and worked stone in the Western Hemisphere were laid by Byzantine craftsmen in Kiev.

The term "Western Hemysphere" applies to the Americas... I think the first bricklayers there were either Incas or Maja or something... but definitely not Byzantines ;). As of the North-Eastern Europe the first stone building there is Ladoga's fortress (IX century).

The church of St. Sophia in Kiev, the second church built in 1090 still stands today. It is a model of the Haigha Sophia in Istanbul and is beautiful and very compelling.

Compare the two cathedrals:

St.Sophia of Kiev St.Sophia of Constantinople

All of this while the Muscovites were living in log huts.

"Muscovite" is a word invented by foreign travellers who needed to tell the independent Grand Duchy of Moscow from the other part of Rus, enslaved by Lithuania and, later, Poland.

In fact, at the times you mention, no Moscow was present and the area was inhabited by many Slavic and Finnish tribes, like Vyatichs, Krivichs and Slovens for the Slavic, Vesi, Muroma, Mordva for the Finnish...

The Slavic (and Finnish) tribes in the North lived in log huts with stoves in a corner while those in the South in mudhuts covered thatch roofs and heated by a stone fireplace. Make your choice what you like better.

[RusIvan]

Civilization, eastern orthodox christianity and commerce spread to Ukraine at the behest of Prince Vladimir head of the Kievan Rus who sent his emissaries to Byzantium. The Byzantines sent priests and traders from Constantinople to Kiev, baptized the population and built a church in about 1080 A.D.==

The name "Ukraine" means the aside land of maindland or teh borderland. During reign of Grand Duke Vladimir the state was name "Kiev Rus" and it has few ukraines (borderlands) like Vladimir-Suzdal Rus on the north and Red Rus on the west.

The first bricks and worked stone in the Western Hemisphere were laid by Byzantine craftsmen in Kiev.==

How about Kostantinopol chuches? Was they builded of wooden logs?:)

The church of St. Sophia in Kiev, the second church built in 1090 still stands today. It is a model of the Haigha Sophia in Istanbul and is beautiful and very compelling.==

Did you compare them lately?:)

All of this while the Muscovites were living in log huts.==

"Moscovites" appered lot later in about 13 century. During Kiev Rus existance there were no Moscow nor moscovites but there was Vladimir Suzdal Rus which churches was build from stones too:).

[Freelance Warrior]

The meaning of the word "ukraina" in ancient Rus was equal to German "mark" - a frontier area, like The Mark of Brandenbourg.

In ancient Rus there were Zalesskaya (trans-forest) ukraina" - an area between Oka and Volga rivers, "Chervonnya ukraina" - Galicia.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Fraxinus.

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[blam]

On The Presence Of Non-Chinese At Anyang

[GoLightly]

Yes, but that wasn't the first Church. The Russian Primary Chronicle mentiones the Prophet Elijah Church in Kiev built during the reign of Prince Igor (grandfather of Vladimir) and his wife Olga built another Church in a fief of hers (she adopted Christianity). The treaties mentioned above show that some of the warriors were Christians.

Prince Igor c 875-c 945

son - Prince Svyatoslav I c 942-c 872

Prince Vladimir (Saint) "the Great of Kiev" c 956 - 15 Jul 1015, baptised c 980 Vladimir married 3 times, Rogneda von Polotzk (became a nun), Malfreda of Bohemia (may or may not have been daughter of Boleslaw I "the Brave"), Anna of Byzantium (daughter of Romanus II of Byzantium & Theophano, daughter of a tavern keeper)

Saint Vladimir had a grandson Vladimir through his son Jaroslav I "den Vise" (the Wise) who would have lived in the time frame mentioned by Jimmy Valentine. Duplication of names can create confusion at times.

Oleg, Igor, Svyatoslav

Igor & Svyatoslav I (Suitislaus) would those I noted earlier. I assume Halgu (Oleg) d c 943 would be the other (another) son of Igor, correct?

I show Igor's father to be Ryurik od Novgorod & it is in my notes that he had relapsed to paganism, was expelled from Frisia, Jutland, and became the ruler of the trading town of Novgorod.

[Freelance Warrior]

Prince Igor c 875-c 945

The first year is probably the year of birth, but AFAIK, that wasn't recorded as well as the year of the birth of Svyatoslav.

son - Prince Svyatoslav I c 942-c 872

I can't get what the second year stands for.

Prince Vladimir (Saint) "the Great of Kiev" c 956 - 15 Jul 1015

The year of birth not known.

baptised c 980

No, 988.

Vladimir married 3 times, Rogneda von Polotzk (became a nun), Malfreda of Bohemia (may or may not have been daughter of Boleslaw I "the Brave"), Anna of Byzantium (daughter of Romanus II of Byzantium & Theophano, daughter of a tavern keeper)

There are source he was marries more times link

Saint Vladimir had a grandson Vladimir

No, he was a great-grandson: 1. Vladimir I->Yaroslav I The Wise-> Vsevolod I->Vladimir II Monomakh

I assume Halgu (Oleg) d c 943 would be the other (another) son of Igor, correct?

No, he was a regent for Rurik's son Igor. There are clames he was a brother (or brother-in-law of Rurik).

I show Igor's father to be Ryurik od Novgorod & it is in my notes that he had relapsed to paganism, was expelled from Frisia, Jutland, and became the ruler of the trading town of Novgorod.

Yes, that's the most popular theory. I can add that at last he returned from Eastern Europe to Dania/Friesland, that he was a notorious pirate after having been expelled, so he was nicknamed "scourge for Christianity", and he was a son of a Danish konung and and a Western Slavic princess.

[Freelance Warrior]

Here you can find photos of the fortress in Ladoga I have written about above.

[GoLightly]

Second picture down, the red building in the background looks a lot like the house one of my ancestors build in Norway.

[Freelance Warrior]

That's a modern red brick house. Scandinavian findings are very common during excavations.

There are about 90 chamber burial spots, typical for pagan Scandinavians, and many Scandinavian things are found there: buckles, figurines of gods (like Valkyries), Franlish-made swords with Scandinavian style decorated hilts and many more other artefacts.

[Jimmy Valentine]

Good picture of St. Sophia in Kiev. You have to look past the Baroque domes to the basic church. An interesting point also is the bricks are the older flatter, broader style of brick.

As to East/West, well, you are right, I was trying to differentiate between Eastern Europe (Kiev) and Western Europe France, say.

[SunkenCiv]

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