Life and culture of pre-Mongol Rus (10-13 centuries)

The harmonious development of ancient Russian culture was interrupted by the Mongol invasion in the middle of the 13th century. Therefore, historians and separate the initial period of its evolution (IX-XIII centuries) from all subsequent. An indissoluble part of culture was everyday life - everything that surrounded everyday life of ordinary members and nobles of the East Slavic society.

Architecture

Like the whole culture of pre-Mongol Rus, the architecture of the country has changed greatly since the adoption of Christianity and the overlaying of Byzantine traditions on Old Russian. Residential buildings of the Eastern Slavs for a long time were semi-dugouts and log-houses. In the north in the forest zone there are rich traditions of carpentry.

Stone buildings appeared at the end of the 10th century when Greek architects arrived in the country at the invitation of Prince Vladimir. The most important cultural monuments of pre-Mongol Rus were built in Kiev - "the mother of Russian cities." In 989 the construction of the stone Tithe Church began, which became a cathedral, located next to the prince's court.

Later, the ancient Russian monumental architecture spread throughout all the East Slavic lands. For example, in the XI century, St. Sophia Cathedral was consecrated in Novgorod - today it is the main attraction of the city. This building is also considered to be the oldest church built by the Slavs and preserved on the territory of Russia. His St. Sophia Cathedral was in Kiev. An outstanding monument of architecture is the Church of the Intercession on the Nerl, built in the Vladimir principality in the 12th century.

Fortresses most often represented the city walls, assembled from wooden log cabins (also called city dwellers). Upstairs, there were sites for the garrison and cracks, from which the enemy was firing. Additional fortifications were towers (vezhi). Large cities consisted of external walls, a detinets and an inner fortress. The walls of princes' capitals could be built of stone. Outside their borders, the settlements grew, where artisans and other ordinary people settled.

Painting

Thanks to the influence of Byzantine Orthodoxy, the culture of pre-Mongol Rus was enriched not only by the traditions of building stone churches, but also by new trends in painting. Such genres as fresco, mosaic and icon painting, have become an integral part of the life of the Eastern Slavs. In painting, Greek influence turned out to be more durable than in architecture, where an original Old Russian style was soon formed. This was due to the fact that, for example, in the iconography there was a strict Christian canon, from which the masters did not depart for several centuries.

In addition to religious existed and secular painting. A vivid example of this genre was the wall paintings created in the towers of Kiev Sophia. The drawings depicted the family of the Grand Duke Yaroslav the Wise, scenes from the daily life of the monarch, fantastic birds and beasts. Until now, several icons, created in the Vladimir-Suzdal land in the XII century, have been preserved. These artifacts perfectly demonstrate what the culture of Rus was in the pre-Mongol period. Another unique monument, a medieval fresco, which is the main attraction of the Cathedral of Dmitriev, depicts the Scarlet Court scenes.

The golden age of the culture of pre-Mongol Rus dates back to the 12th century, when feudal fragmentation before a single country became the reason for the emergence of regional "schools" in many spheres of creative activity. This trend and the fine arts have touched. For example, in the Novgorod church of the Savior on Nereditsa , murals were created, imbued with a unique gloomy and harsh spirit. Figures of terrible archangels and figures of saints are not similar to any other sample of Old Russian painting.

Music

Music - this is another kind of art, clearly showing what the history of culture of Ancient Rus was. The pre-Mongol period left behind many evidences of the song preferences of the Eastern Slavs. Music is characterized by the fact that it has always existed inseparably from the everyday life of both the nobility and ordinary people. Family festivities, "merrymaking", were not presented without songs, dances and playing instruments. Folk works were of a very different nature. It was the wedding, the spring game melodies, the weeping for the deceased relatives.

The most gifted performers became musicians-professionals. Singers of solemn epics and story-tellers specialized in an epic genre. In parallel, there was a whole world of wandering troupes consisting of buffoons who performed at city squares and feasts. The culture of pre-Mongol Rus was multifaceted, and music in this sense was not different from other arts. Many buffoons have not only sung, but also tried themselves as acrobats, dancers, jugglers and actors, that is, they became litsedeyami. It is interesting that the princely authorities often fought such amateur activity, as the ancient "demonic" songs bore the stamp of ancient pagan traditions.

Russian folk instruments included balalaikas, tambourines, gusli, ratchets, domras. And the horns and pipes were used not only for singing songs, but also for signaling during hunting or military operations. In the squads there were own similarities of "orchestras". For example, such a collective raised the morale of the troops during the sieges of the towns of the Volga Bulgarians in 1220.

Like the rest of the culture of pre-Mongol Rus, music has its own Orthodox niche. The texts of church hymns were Byzantine (in translation into Slavonic). From the Greeks, Russia borrowed the liturgical ritual. In the same way there were techniques of chanting.

Folklore

Most of all, the ancient Russian culture is known for its folklore, which is distinguished by its outstanding diversity and richness. Songs, epics, incantations, poetry were its integral components. Paganism gave rise to mythological legends, which were preserved even after the adoption of Christianity. Folkloric representations have grown together with Orthodoxy, which is most reflected in calendar holidays and superstitions.

The heroic epic is the peak in the oral folk art. The main characters of such works were heroes. Such heroes as Ilya Muromets, Dobrynya Nikitich and Alyosha Popovich are known to every child in collections of fairy tales. In the bylinas reflected the wealth that represents the culture of Rus pre-Mongol period. The heroes could be both real historical characters and generalized images. In legends about the fearless heroes, a whole medieval epoch with its characteristic features (struggle with the steppe nomads, "dashing people", etc.) was postponed.

Writing

The opposite of oral folklore was written writing. However, such literature could not have appeared without the alphabet. That, in turn, leaked into Russia along with Christianity. Byzantine enlighteners Cyril and Methodius created for the Slavs a special alphabet, which became the foundation for a wide variety of scripts: Russian, Bulgarian, Serbian, Macedonian, etc.

The work of Greek preachers from Thessalonica had the most far-reaching consequences. Without the Cyrillic alphabet, the entire pre-Mongol culture of Ancient Rus would not have developed . This alphabet was used for the full translation of Orthodox texts. The first schools, teaching literacy, were established by Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich.

Unique monuments of Old Russian writing are the Novgorod birch bark letters. Most of them were discovered by archaeologists in the 20th century. Birch bark records indicate that literacy in Russia was not considered to be exclusively the aristocracy. Many ordinary citizens were able to write, which was recorded medieval Novgorod artifacts.

The ancient Cyrillic alphabet was somewhat different from the modern one. It had superscripts and some additional letters. The cardinal reform of the old alphabet took place under Peter I, and he adopted the final present form after the 1917 revolution.

Literature

Together with the writing, Rus took over from Byzantium a book culture. The first independent works were religious teachings or sermons. This can be considered as the "Word of Law and Grace," written by Metropolitan Illarion in the middle of the 11th century.

Where the more common genre was the chronicle. They are not only chronicles of events, but also a source of knowledge about what the culture of Ancient Rus was in the pre-Mongol period. The main chronicler of Kievan Rus is Nestor. At the beginning of the 12th century, he composed the Tale of Bygone Years. In this arch, the main events of Russian history from the emergence of statehood to 1117 were described. Nestor focused his attention on political events: princely disputes, wars and alliances. The Chronicler also left behind him "Reading", in which he dwelt in detail on the biography of two prince martyrs Boris and Gleb.

Prince Vladimir Monomakh was remembered not only as a wise politician and talented commander, but also as an outstanding writer. The ruler of Kiev left his heirs "Instruction" - a political treatise, in which the author explained how an ideal state and effective government should be. In the book, Monomakh reminded future princes that the personal interests of politicians should not harm the unity of the state, which is necessary, including for fighting the nomadic Polovtsians.

"Instruction" was written at the beginning of the XII century. At the end of the same century, the main work of Old Russian literature appeared - The Lay of Igor's Host. It was also devoted to the struggle against the Polovtsians. In the center of the narrative poem is an unsuccessful campaign to the steppe of Prince Igor Svyatoslavich, who ruled in Novgorod-Seversky.

The threat of peaceful life from the nomads greatly influenced the way the culture and way of life of pre-Mongol Rus began. In the "Word" an unidentified author showed no one how destructive the raids of the pagans were. Like Monomakh in his "Instruction", he stressed the importance of the unity of the Russian lands before the common danger.

Applied art

Russian masters for a long time were famous for their unique techniques of making jewelry (enamel, scan, etc.). Similar products were made under the order for the boyar and princely nobility. Foreigners admired Russian niello on silver. This mixture was processed by a variety of products: bracelets, crosses, rings, etc.

Kiev masters preferred gilded and silver figures on a black background. Vladimir artisans often made a pure silver background and gold figures. In Galicia, there was its own school of outline blacks. On these examples, applied art once again demonstrates how varied were the culture and way of life of pre-Mongol Rus.

The crafts of the village were very different from the crafts of the city. In the countryside, masters for a long time used in their ornaments pagan motives of evil spirits. Amulets and amulets were popular. Most of them were made from the most accessible material - wood. If at first the spellcasting elements in applied art had a distinct magical purpose, then gradually they lost this meaning and became simple patterns. The culture of Rus' in the pre-Mongol period, briefly, evolved. With each generation, it gradually changed and became more complicated.

Life and home

Early Slavic semi-zemlyans consisted of a stove, benches and bunks. Each such room became a home for a separate married couple. The prevalence of semi-earths in the southern tribal unions of the Eastern Slavs was noted by Arab geographers. Such dwellings began to disappear in the 10th century. This process was associated with the rupture of the patriarchal ties of the small family and the dying out of the clan vestiges.

For example, in Kiev, in addition to semi-earth, there were log houses and log houses. The tree was a relatively cheap material, it could get it almost every urban or rural resident. Accessibility helped to quickly restore settlements in case of fires. Flames have always led to severe disruptions, which, on the other hand, was a conspicuous lack of wood.

An important part of the princely palaces was Gridnitsa - a spacious room, where the peasants assembled at the feasts. The study of the device of aristocratic dwelling is another interesting way to understand what the culture of pre-Mongol Rus was. Architecture was an indicator of social position, position on the public staircase of the owner of the building. It is interesting that in the XII century, when the state finally disintegrated, the old Grand Princes grids disappeared - their premises were used as prisons.

clothing

Ordinary peasants, or smerds, dressed in belted shirts, slippers, dressed in pants, and high boots. In the winter, inexpensive fur was used. At the same time, bearish fur coats were considered commoners. Belts were narrow and leather, the buckles were made of copper. Women, as a rule, wore decorations (temple rings, necklaces, beads).

A characteristic sign of the squad, boyar and princely clothes was a cloak. If the peasants wore linen coarse shirts, then aristocrats - shirts made of silk. Princely boots were sewn from morocco. An obligatory attribute of the monarch was a hat with a fur band. Ornaments of noble people were made of precious stones and gold. For example, Prince Svyatoslav Igorevich wore a characteristic pearl earring. The life and culture of pre-Mongol Rus (10-13 centuries) surprised many foreigners. The winter clothes of the Russian nobility were made from sable fur, which were the most valuable commodity in all markets of Europe.

Food

Since the basis of the agriculture of Russia was arable farming, the diet of ordinary people consisted mainly of bread itself and various cereals (barley, wheat, rye and millet). Their importance for the life of the Eastern Slavs was principled. From bread so depended that archaeologists found children's toys in the form of bread. The crop failure was considered the greatest calamity, the obligatory consequence of which was the widespread pestilence.

Meat food of the townspeople consisted of poultry meat and livestock. In the village for a long time the ancient tradition was preserved horse meat. An important part of the home table was dairy products, including cottage cheese. The ideological war of the church with paganism also affected the diet. For example, all the same cottage cheese was considered a ritual dish. The priests tried to regulate the ration of their flock with the help of various posts.

Of fish on the table, sturgeons were especially valued (it is known that the Novgorod princes were served by "sturgeon", who collected from the fishing lodges tribute to sturgeons). The key vegetables were turnips and cabbage. The food culture of pre-Mongol Rus, briefly, changed more slowly than all other spheres of Slavic life. Traditional seasonings were cinnamon, vinegar, nuts, anise, mint, pepper. The lack of salt could turn into a real national disaster. This product was a favorite object of traders' speculation.