Culture and way of life of Ancient Russia

A unique phenomenon is the culture and way of life of Ancient Rus. The art of this state is the fruit of the feat of the Russian people, who defended their faith and independence, their ideals on the edge of the European world. Researchers note such traits in the ancient Russian culture as synthetics and openness. An original spiritual world was created as a result of the interaction of the heritage and traditions of the Eastern Slavs with the Byzantine culture, and, consequently, the traditions of antiquity. The time of formation, as well as the first flowering of the Old Russian culture, falls on the period from the 10th to the first half of the 13th centuries (that is, in the pre-Mongol period).

Folklore

The traditions of ancient paganism are preserved primarily in folklore (oral folk art): in songs, tales, proverbs, incantations, conspiracies, riddles. In the historical memory of the Russian people, a special place was occupied by bylinas. They were heroic tales of brave defenders from the enemies of their native land. The folk tales of Mikula Selyaninovich, Volga, Alyosha Popovich, Ilya Muromets, Dobryni Nikitich and other heroes are sung by folk tales (there are more than 50 different protagonists in the epics).

They turn to them their call to stand up for the fatherland, for the faith. In the epics, interestingly, the motive for the defense of the country is complemented by another - the defense of Christian faith. The most important event in the culture of Ancient Rus was her baptism.

Writing in Russia

With the adoption of Christianity, writing began to develop rapidly. Although she was known even earlier. As evidence, mention can be made of the "features and cuts", referring to the middle of the first millennium, information about the treaties of Rus with Byzantium, which were compiled in Russian, a clay vessel near Smolensk with a Cyrillic inscription (the alphabet created by Cyril and Methodius, the Enlightenment Slavs At the turn of the 10th-11th centuries).

In Russia, Orthodoxy brought a lot of liturgical books, secular and religious literature. Handwritten books have reached us: two "Izbornik" of Prince Svyatoslav, dated 1073 and 1076, "Ostromir Gospel", referring to 1057. It is claimed that in circulation in the 11-13 centuries there were about 130-140 thousand books that had several hundred names . By the standards of the Middle Ages in Ancient Rus, the literacy rate was quite high. There are also other proofs. These are birch bark letters discovered by archaeologists in Veliky Novgorod in the mid-20th century, as well as inscriptions on handicrafts and cathedral walls, the activities of monastic schools, book collections of the St. Sophia Cathedral and Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra and others, which study the culture and way of life of Ancient Rus.

There was an opinion that the ancient Russian culture was "mute", that is, it did not have its own original literature. However, this assumption is incorrect. The literature of Ancient Rus is represented by various genres. These are the lives of saints, and the annals, and teachings, and journalism, and travel notes. Note here the famous "The Lay of Igor's Campaign," which did not belong to any of the genres that existed at the time. Thus, the literature of Ancient Rus is distinguished by a wealth of directions, styles, images.

Spinning and weaving

The Old Russian state differed not only in its original culture, but also in its way of life. The life of Ancient Rus is interesting and peculiar. Residents engaged in various crafts. In women, spinning and weaving were considered the main occupation. The necessary amount of cloth should be woven by Russian women to dress their family, usually large, and also decorate the house with towels and tablecloths. Spinning was not accidentally considered a peasant traditional gift, which was stored with love and passed on from generation to generation.

There was a custom in Russia to give beloved girls a spinning wheel of their own work. The more cleverly carved and painted by her master, what she looked more elegant, the more was his honor. Russian girls gathered in winter evenings for gatherings, took spinning wheels with them to brag about them.

Houses in the cities

Customs, like life, in ancient Russian cities had a slightly different character than in the villages. There were practically no dugouts (see photo).

The life of Ancient Rus in the cities reflected various buildings. Urban residents often built two-story houses, which consisted of several rooms. Houses of vigilantes, priests, princes, boyars had their differences. Required for farmsteads were allocated large land areas, built log buildings for servants and artisans, as well as various farm buildings. The life of Ancient Rus was different for different strata of the population, which reflected the types of dwellings. Boyar and prince's mansions were real palaces. These houses were decorated with expensive carpets and fabrics.

In fairly large cities lived the Russian people. They counted tens of thousands of inhabitants. In villages and villages there could be only a few dozen yards. The life of Ancient Rus, ancient traditions were preserved in them longer than in cities.

Houses in the villages

A higher standard of living was occupied by residential areas, through which various trade routes passed. The peasants lived, as a rule, in small houses. In the south half-dugouts were distributed, the roofs of which were often covered with earth.

In Russia the northern huts were two-story, high, with small windows (there could be more than five of them). Attached to the side of the house were sheds, storerooms and porches. They were all usually under one roof. This type of dwelling was very convenient for northern harsh winters. Many elements of the houses were decorated with geometric ornaments.

Interior of peasant huts

The life of peasants in Ancient Rus was quite simple. The huts in the villages usually did not look good. The interior of the peasant huts was cleaned quite strictly, but elegantly. Before the icons in the front corner was a large table that was intended for all members of this family. Ancient household items in Russia included also wide shops that stood along the walls. They were decorated with carved edges. Most often above them were shelves, which were intended for storing dishes. The objects of everyday life of Ancient Rus included the post-store (the northern locker), which was usually supplemented with elegantly painted paintings depicting flowers, birds, horses, and also pictures depicting allegorically the seasons.

During the holidays, the table was covered with red cloth. Placed on it carved and painted utensils, as well as light for the luncheon. The Ancient Rus was famous for masters of wood. They made different dishes. The most beautiful were ancient Russian buckets of various sizes and shapes. Some of them contained several buckets. Drinking bowls designed for drinking differed often with a navicular form. Their pens were decorated with heads of horses or carved ducks. Also, the buckets were generously complemented with carving and painting.

Bucket-ducks called dippers, shaped like a duck. Reminiscent of the ball chiselled vessels were called bratins. Beautiful saltcellars, reminiscent of the shape of horses or birds, carved woodworkers. Beautiful spoons and bowls were also made. Everything that concerned the life of Ancient Rus was usually made of wood: cradles for children, stupas, bowls, baskets, furniture. Furniture makers who created furniture not only thought about convenience, but also about beauty. These things were bound to please the eye, to turn even the most difficult work of the peasants into a holiday.

Clothes of different layers of the population

By dressing, it was also possible to identify different strata of the population. Peasants and artisans, both men and women, wore shirts that were made of homespun cloths. In addition to shirts, men wore pants, and women - skirts. A common people in winter wore ordinary fur coats.

In shape, the clothes of noblemen often looked like peasants, but in quality, of course, it was completely different. Such clothes were created from expensive fabrics. Often cloaks were made from gold embroidered eastern materials. Only winter fur coats were sewed from valuable fur. Peasants and townspeople also wore different shoes. Only rich people could afford to buy boots or pistons (shoes). The princes also wore boots that were richly decorated with inlays. Peasants could afford to manufacture or purchase only bast shoes, which lived in Russian culture until the 20th century.

Feasts and Hunting in Ancient Russia

The hunting and feasting of the ancient Russian nobility were known all over the world. During such events, the most important state affairs were often resolved. Popularly and magnificently celebrated the inhabitants of Ancient Rus victories in campaigns. Honey and overseas wine flowed by the river. Servants served huge meals with meat and game. These feasts were visited by the posadniks and elders from all the cities, as well as by a huge number of people. The life of the inhabitants of Ancient Rus is difficult to imagine without abundant feasts. The king feasted with boyars and a squad on the high gallery of his palace, and tables for the people were located in the courtyard.

Falcon, dog and hawk hunting were considered fun for the rich. For the common people various games, races, tournaments were staged. The life of Ancient Rus as an integral part, especially in the north, also included a bath.

Other features of Russian life

Children in the boyar-princely environment were not raised independently. The boys were put on horseback in three years, after which they gave them to the caretaker (that is, the tutor). Young princes at the age of 12 went to manage the volosts and cities. Rich families began to teach both girls and boys in the 11th century. Kiev bargaining was a favorite place for simple and noble people. They sold products and products from all over the world, including India and Baghdad. The ancient people of Rus were very fond of bargaining.