How did our ancestors live - the Slavs? The life of any person strongly depends on his environment, natural conditions, climate. The life of the ancient Slavs was no exception. In general, it was very simple, original. Life went on as usual, measured and at ease. But, on the other hand, I had to survive and look for food for myself and my children every day. So how did our ancestors live - the Slavs? Agriculture They lived near rivers and other bodies of water. The reason for this is the need for a large amount of water, and the lands there are very fertile. The southern Slavs could especially boast of such lands. Therefore, one of their main occupations was agriculture. The main crops grown were millet, buckwheat, and flax. There were special devices for cultivating the land: hoes, harrows, plows and others. The Slavs had several types of agriculture (for example, slash-and-burn). It differed in different regions residence. Most often they burned trees in the forest. The resulting ash was used as fertilizer. After the land "got tired" (usually after three years), they moved to new territories. Dwelling The Slavs tried to settle in such a way that there were steep slopes around. This could save them from enemy attacks. For the same purpose, a palisade was placed around the dwellings. It was made from logs. As is known, in the territory modern Russia and Europe have frosty winters. Therefore, the Slavs insulated their dwellings (huts) with clay for this period. A fire was kindled inside, special holes were provided for smoke. Later, they began to build real huts with a stove. But initially, such a resource as logs was available only to the Slavs living near the forest. As for household items, they were also made from different types of trees (these are dishes, tables, benches, and even children's toys). And clothes were sewn from flax and cotton, which they themselves grew. Way of life In the course of time, the Slavs developed a tribal system, tribal relations. The unit, or cell, was the genus. This is a collection of people united by family ties. Today it can be imagined as if all the children of their parents live together with their families. In general, the life of the Slavs was characterized by cohesion, they did everything together and together. When difficulties or disputes arose, but they gathered at a special meeting (veche), where the elders of the clan solved problems. Nutrition If the Slavs are basically what they have grown and caught themselves. They prepared soups (shchi), cereals (buckwheat, millet and others). From drinks they drank kissel, kvass. From vegetables used cabbage, turnips. Of course, there were no potatoes yet. The Slavs also prepared various pastries. The most popular were pies and pancakes. Berries and mushrooms were brought from the forest. In general, the forest for the Slavs was a source of life. From there they took wood, and animals, and plants. Leisure of the Slavs You also need to be able to relax! How did our ancestors have fun? First, from wood they carved various paintings, then giving them bright color. Secondly, the Slavs also loved music. They had harps, pipes. All musical instruments, of course, also made of wood. Thirdly, women weaved and embroidered. After all, all the clothes of the Slavs have always been decorated with fancy ornaments and patterns. In conclusion, such was the life of the ancient Slavs. Although it was not filled with simple household amenities, but it was. And it was no worse than that of other tribes that developed in parallel with the Slavs and often had Better conditions . The Slavs were able to get comfortable, were able to step over to the next step. It is unlikely that modern man could survive at that time without all his amenities, which he no longer notices. Therefore, let's respect and honor the memory of our ancestors. They did what we could not have done. We owe them what we have today. Special Report - Alone in the past. Our ancestors, the Slavs, came to Europe from Asia in ancient times. The Slavs settled along the lower reaches of the great Danube. Here the climate is good, and the land is fertile. Our ancestors would not have left those places, but other peoples began to push them. Our ancestors were divided into several territories: Part of the Slavs remained to live on the Danube. From them came the beginning of the Serbs and Bulgarians. The other part of the tribe went north. Moravians, Poles and Slovaks found their origin here. Another part of the people went to the tributaries of the Dnieper and gave rise to the Russian people, who are our ancestor. Glades began to be called those Slavs who lived in the fields near the middle reaches of the Dnieper. Drevlyans also appeared, who settled in the forests near the mighty Pripyat River. Other various tribes of Slavs appeared. For example, Rodimichi, Polotsk, northerners. The economy of the Slavs How did our ancestors the Slavs live when they came to different parts of Europe? When the cold came, our ancestors thought about how to make themselves a stronger and warmer shelter. The huts that were built by them, they began to cover with clay. And those tribes that settled near the forests decided to build huts from logs. Among the dwellings, the Slavs made hearths to make a fire. The smoke that came from the fire went into a hole in the roof or in the wall. Tables and various utensils were made of wood. Bad weather and low temperatures forced the Slavs to make warm clothes for themselves. . Occupations of our ancestors What did the Slavs do, how did our ancestors live in order to have food, culture? The Slavs loved agriculture. Our ancestors grew millet, buckwheat, and flax. They cultivated the fertile southern lands. To sow them, the Slavs spent three years cultivating new soil: 1 year: cutting down trees; Year 2: all trees were burned, and the ashes were left to increase the fertility of the land; Year 3: sowing and harvesting. After three years, this land lost its fertility, so new plots were taken for cultivation. The main tools of labor of the Slavs were an ax, a plow, a hoe, chains, and a harrow. There is also a lot of fertile soil in the South. Sowing on each plot lasted about three years, then the plots were changed to new lands. Here the ralo, plow and wooden plow became the tools of the ancestors. Our ancestors Slavs were engaged in cattle breeding. Bred here and pigs, and cows, and horses, and oxen. Fishing and hunting were one of the most important occupations at that time. The Slavs ate rough food, and sometimes completely raw: animal meat; fish; milk. Art of the Slavs Art did not bypass our great ancestors. They knew how to carve on wood various images, color them. Music was one of the most beloved art forms. The Slavs made various musical instruments and learned to play them: psaltery; bagpipes; pipes. Slavic letter What else can you learn about how our distant ancestors lived? They did not know letters, but they had information about chronology and arithmetic. Polysyllabic numeration was not a mystery to the ancestors. The Slavs observed the seasons and gave them 12 names just like the Romans did. The board of the Slavs was popular, and then transformed into "aristocratic". Military leaders were elected as rulers, and then boyars, princes, pans and kings. The language of the Slavs was rather rough in its sound. At eastern ancestors our language was common for a very long time. These Slavs became the progenitors of Russians, Belarusians and Ukrainians. After the influence of various factors, the language began to change. New words were formed from common ones, or old expressions were rethought, and some words were borrowed. Slavic religion How did our ancestors live in religion? Until the end of the tenth century, the Slavs were pagans and worshiped the forces of nature and the souls of deceased ancestors. The main deity of all the Slavs was the god of thunder Perun. He was represented as a tall, black-haired and black-eyed man with a golden beard. IN right hand he held a bow, and in his left a quiver with sharp arrows. According to ancient beliefs, Perun raced across the sky in his chariot and shot fiery arrows. There were many revered gods among the ancestors of our Slavs: Stribog - the god of the wind; Dazhbog - the deity of the sun; Veles is the patron saint of herds; Svarog is the god of heaven and the father of all deities. About how our distant ancestors lived, their belief in the future can also tell. afterlife. The Slavs buried the dead in the ground, but there were cases when they were burned. With a dead person, his utensils, belongings, and weapons were placed in the grave and on the fire. If the Slav was a warrior, then his war horse was also placed nearby. Our ancestors believed that the dead would rise again, and there they would need everything that accompanied their life on earth. After the burial ritual, funeral feasts were organized. Omens for the Slavs also played big role. It was believed that the gods send different signs to let people know the future. From this belief came the custom of divination. People who knew a lot about omen and divination bore the names of sorcerers, sorcerers, witches and magicians.
If you think that our ancestors lived in spacious, hay-smelling houses, slept on a warm Russian stove and lived happily ever after, then you are mistaken. So, as you thought, the peasants began to live a hundred, maybe a hundred and fifty, or at most two hundred years ago.
Before that, the life of a simple Russian peasant was completely different.
Usually a person lived to be 40-45 years old and died already an old man. He was considered an adult man with a family and children at the age of 14-15, and she was even earlier. They did not get married for love, the father went to woo the bride to his son.
There was no time for idle rest. In summer, absolutely all the time was occupied by work in the field, in winter, harvesting firewood and Homework tool making and household utensils, hunting.
Let's look at the Russian village of the 10th century, which, however, is not much different from the village of both the 5th century and the 17th century ...
We got to the historical and cultural complex "Lyubytino" as part of a motor rally dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the Avtomir group of companies. It is not in vain that it is called “One-storied Russia” - it was very interesting and informative to see how our ancestors lived.
In Lyubytino, at the place of residence of the ancient Slavs, among the mounds and burials, a real village of the 10th century was recreated, with all outbuildings and necessary utensils.
Let's start with an ordinary Slavic hut. The hut is cut from logs and covered with birch bark and turf. In some regions, the roofs of the same huts were covered with straw, and somewhere with wood chips. Surprisingly, the service life of such a roof is only slightly less than the service life of the entire house, 25-30 years, and the house itself served 40 years. Considering the lifetime at that time, the house was just enough for a person’s life.
By the way, in front of the entrance to the house there is a covered area - these are the very canopies from the song about "the canopy is new, maple."
The hut is heated in black, that is, the stove does not have a chimney, the smoke comes out through a small window under the roof and through the door. normal windows neither, and the door is only about a meter high. This is done in order not to release heat from the hut.
When the stove is fired, soot settles on the walls and roof. There is one big plus in the “black” firebox - there are no rodents and insects in such a house.
Of course, the house stands on the ground without any foundation, the lower crowns simply rest on several large stones.
This is how the roof was made (but not everywhere the roof was with turf)
And here is the oven. A stone hearth mounted on a pedestal made of logs smeared with clay. The stove was lit from early morning. When the stove is heated, it is impossible to stay in the hut, only the hostess remained there, preparing food, all the rest went outside to do business, in any weather. After the stove was heated, the stones gave off heat until the next morning. Food was cooked in the oven.
This is what the cabin looks like from the inside. They slept on benches placed along the walls, they also sat on them while eating. The children slept on the beds, they are not visible in this photo, they are on top, above the head. In winter, young livestock were taken into the hut so that they would not die from frost. They also washed in the hut. You can imagine what kind of air was there, how warm and comfortable it was there. It immediately becomes clear why life expectancy was so short.
In order not to heat the hut in the summer, when this is not necessary, there was a separate small building in the village - a bread oven. Bread was baked and cooked there.
Grain was stored in a barn - a building raised on poles from the surface of the earth to protect products from rodents.
Barrels were arranged in the barn, remember - “I scratched the bottom of the barrel ...”? These are special board boxes in which grain was poured from above, and taken from below. So the grain was not stale.
Also in the village, a glacier was tripled - a cellar in which ice was laid in the spring, sprinkled with hay and lay there almost until the next winter.
Clothes, skins, not needed in this moment utensils and weapons were kept in a cage. The crate was also used when the husband and wife needed to retire.
Barn - this building served for drying sheaves and threshing grain. Heated stones were piled into the hearth, sheaves were laid on the poles, and the peasant dried them, constantly turning them over. Then the grains were threshed and winnowed.
Cooking in an oven involves a special temperature regime - languishing. So, for example, gray cabbage soup is prepared. They are called gray because of their gray color. How to cook them?
To begin with, green cabbage leaves are taken, those that did not enter the head of cabbage are finely chopped, salted and placed under oppression for a week, for fermentation.
Still needed for cabbage soup pearl barley, meat, onion, carrot. The ingredients are placed in a pot, and it is placed in the oven, where it will spend several hours. By the evening, a very hearty and thick dish will be ready.
Usually Slavic settlements settled in those places where it was possible to engage in agriculture. They chose the banks of the rivers as their favorite places for conducting the main activity and life. In the fields, this people cultivated a variety of cereal crops, grew flax and bred many vegetable crops.
And those peoples that lived in the territories covered with forests could only be engaged in agriculture in a way that was called slash-and-burn. With this option of plowing and pre-treatment of the fertile layer of the earth, in the first year it was necessary to cut down the forest, then wait until it dries well, and then it was necessary to uproot all the stumps and everything that could not be used as firewood was burned to ashes. The ash was carefully collected, as it was a good fertilizer. During sowing operations, which are usually carried out on next season, after clearing the territory from green spaces, it was mixed with the ground. Such a plot could be planted for at least 3-5 years, and then the communities were forced to turn off their parking lot and look for new uninhabited lands and again clear them of vegetation. Naturally, this method of farming required large areas and so the Slavs settled in small groups.
Social relations and the development of agriculture
Relations between people changed as cultivation of fertile lands developed. Due to slash-and-burn cultivation, which required collective labor and frequent change of place of residence, the beginning of the decay tribal settlements. In those centuries, families were very large and mostly close relatives. The male staff was engaged in labor-intensive types of agriculture, and the women led a common subsidiary farm. So it was until the moment when the tribal common economy began to be divided into small private plots, which passed into the hands of individual families or couples. Now, only land plots could be owned by the community, but they were also divided among all those living in this territory. Naturally, the formation of property concentrated in private hands inevitably led to the emergence of a different class of people. Some became richer and some became poorer.
Housing mainly consisted of wooden huts, surrounded by a palisade, or as it was called at that time tyn. And such fortification areas, surrounded by high wooden pointed stakes, were called settlements.
Life and activities of the Slavs living on the warm southern plains
The economy of the Eastern Slavs living in the southern lands was fundamentally different from the cultivation of arable land of their northern relatives, due to the warm climate and a large portion of precipitation. The most advanced method of excavation in these places was fallow. Under this option, land was sown for several years in a row, and when the resources of fertile soil were depleted, they moved to new uninhabited places. To facilitate heavy rural labor, a plow (plow) was used, but this tool was not known to the inhabitants of the northern regions.
But not only the plowing of land and the cultivation of crops were engaged in the Eastern Slavs. Along with the main type of life, they were good at breeding pets. This fact became known during excavations at the settlement sites of this people, where archaeologists managed to find the bones of horses, cows, pigs, sheep, as well as the remains of bird skeletons. Horses were used for heavy sowing work, and their meat, after the animal had outlived its life, was eaten.
Territory of Eastern Europe in the Middle Ages it was covered with dense forests, in which various animals were found in abundance. Rivers, as well as forest plantations, were in most of this region. They had different kinds of fish. Therefore, the enterprising inhabitants of these places often hunted large and medium-sized animals and were engaged in fishing. The hunter's weapons were spears and arrows, but the fishermen took with them nets, nets and hooks. In the course of people who were engaged in fishing, there were special wicker devices.
Also historical facts indicate that the economy of the Eastern Slavs was supplemented by an activity called beekeeping - collecting honey from the hives of wild bees. Our ancestors called a hollow in a tree a board, and it was this name that formed the basis of the type of activity. By the way, both honey and wax in those days sold well and had a good price.
Where did our ancestors live, and how did the division of this people take place
The boundless steppe plains between the Dnieper and the Oder were originally inhabited by the distant ancestors of the Slavs. Later, some of these settlers moved south to the Balkans and left only small group southern relatives (the territory of Bulgaria and Yugoslavia). The rest of the population, as a result of migration to the northwestern lands, constituted a group of Western peoples. Their composition is mostly represented by Poles, Czechs and Slovaks. The remaining small third part advanced to the northeastern territories, and its population was made up of Russians, Belarusians and Ukrainians.
So, gradually year after year in the Middle Ages, the Eastern Slavs settled on the ground and equipped their life and, improving the types of tribal farming, were divided into different communal systems. Moreover, many of them did not live in isolation, but in close contact with their neighbors.
E If you think that our ancestors lived in spacious, hay-smelling houses, slept on a warm Russian stove and lived happily ever after, then you are mistaken. So, as you thought, the peasants began to live a hundred, maybe a hundred and fifty, or at most two hundred years ago.
Before that, the life of a simple Russian peasant was completely different.
Usually a person lived to be 40-45 years old and died already an old man. He was considered an adult man with a family and children at the age of 14-15, and she was even earlier. They did not get married for love, the father went to woo the bride to his son.
There was no time for idle rest. In the summer, absolutely all the time was occupied by work in the field, in winter, logging and homework for the manufacture of tools and household utensils, hunting.
Let's look at the Russian village of the 10th century, which, however, is not much different from the village of both the 5th century and the 17th century...
We got to the Lubytino historical and cultural complex as part of a motor rally dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the Avtomir group of companies. It is not for nothing that it is called "One-storied Russia" - it was very interesting and informative to see how our ancestors lived.
In Lyubytino, at the place of residence of the ancient Slavs, among the mounds and burials, a real village of the 10th century was recreated, with all outbuildings and necessary utensils.
02
Let's start with an ordinary Slavic hut. The hut is cut from logs and covered with birch bark and turf. In some regions, the roofs of the same huts were covered with straw, and somewhere with wood chips. Surprisingly, the service life of such a roof is only slightly less than the service life of the entire house, 25-30 years, and the house itself served 40 years. Considering the lifetime at that time, the house was just enough for a person’s life.
By the way, in front of the entrance to the house there is a covered area - these are the very canopies from the song about "the canopy is new, maple."
03
The hut is heated in black, that is, the stove does not have a chimney, the smoke comes out through a small window under the roof and through the door. There are no normal windows either, and the door is only about a meter high. This is done in order not to release heat from the hut.
When the stove is fired, soot settles on the walls and roof. There is one big plus in the "black" firebox - there are no rodents and insects in such a house.
04
Of course, the house stands on the ground without any foundation, the lower crowns simply rest on several large stones.
05
This is how the roof is made
06
And here is the oven. A stone hearth mounted on a pedestal made of logs smeared with clay. The stove was lit from early morning. When the stove is heated, it is impossible to stay in the hut, only the hostess remained there, preparing food, all the rest went outside to do business, in any weather. After the stove was heated, the stones gave off heat until the next morning. Food was cooked in the oven.
07
This is what the cabin looks like from the inside. They slept on benches placed along the walls, they also sat on them while eating. The children slept on the beds, they are not visible in this photo, they are on top, above the head. In winter, young livestock were taken into the hut so that they would not die from frost. They also washed in the hut. You can imagine what kind of air was there, how warm and comfortable it was there. It immediately becomes clear why life expectancy was so short.
08
In order not to heat the hut in the summer, when this is not necessary, there was a separate small building in the village - a bread oven. Bread was baked and cooked there.
09
Grain was stored in a barn - a building raised on poles from the surface of the earth to protect products from rodents.
10
Barrels were arranged in the barn, remember - "I scratched the bottom of the barn ..."? These are special board boxes in which grain was poured from above, and taken from below. So the grain was not stale.
11
Also, a glacier was tripled in the village - a cellar in which ice was laid in the spring, sprinkled with hay and lay there almost until the next winter.
Clothes, skins, utensils and weapons that were not needed at the moment were stored in a crate. The crate was also used when the husband and wife needed to retire.
12
13
Barn - this building served for drying sheaves and threshing grain. Heated stones were piled into the hearth, sheaves were laid on the poles, and the peasant dried them, constantly turning them over. Then the grains were threshed and winnowed.
14
Cooking in an oven involves a special temperature regime - languor. So, for example, gray cabbage soup is prepared. They are called gray because of their gray color. How to cook them?
To begin with, green cabbage leaves are taken, those that did not enter the head of cabbage are finely chopped, salted and placed under oppression for a week, for fermentation.
Even for cabbage soup you need pearl barley, meat, onions, carrots. The ingredients are placed in a pot, and it is placed in the oven, where it will spend several hours. By the evening, a very hearty and thick dish will be ready.
15
We all know that important role the Slavs played in the formation of the states of Eastern Europe. This group kindred peoples, the largest on the continent, has close languages and similar customs. Its population is approximately three hundred million people.
Eastern Slavs in antiquity: settlement in Europe
Our ancestors were a branch Indo-European family peoples, which during the Great Migration scattered throughout Eurasia. The closest relatives of the Slavs are the Balts, who settled in the territories of modern Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. Their neighbors were the Germans in the south and west, the Scythians and Sarmatians in the east. East Slavs in ancient times passed the Eastern and Central Europe, where the first cities of Ukraine and Poland were founded in the interfluve of the Dnieper and Vistula. Then they overcame the foothills of the Carpathians, settling along the banks of the Danube and on the Balkan Peninsula. The great territorial remoteness of the Proto-Slavs made its own adjustments to their language, customs and culture. Therefore, the group was divided into three branches: western, southern and eastern.
Eastern Slavs in antiquity
This branch of our forefathers occupied a vast territory. From Lake Ladoga and Onega to the Black Sea, from the Oka and Volga to the Carpathian Mountains, they plowed the land, ordered trade, built temples. In total, historians name fifteen tribes of the Eastern Slavs. In the neighborhood with them, the Finno-Ugric tribes coexisted peacefully - our ancestors were not distinguished by excessive militancy, but preferred to support a good relationship with everyone.
Occupations of the Eastern Slavs
Our ancestors were farmers. They skillfully wielded a plow, a sickle, a hoe, a plow with a plowshare. The steppe inhabitants plowed the expanses of virgin lands, in the forest zone, trees were first uprooted, and the ash was used as fertilizer. The gifts of the earth were the basis of the diet of the Slavs. Millet, rye, peas, wheat, barley, buckwheat, oats were used for baking bread and for cooking cereals. Also grown industrial crops- flax and hemp, from the fibers of which threads were spun and fabrics were made. People treated pets with special love, since each family raised cattle, pigs, sheep, horses, poultry. Together with the Slavs, cats and dogs lived in their houses. Hunting, fishing, beekeeping, blacksmithing and pottery were developed at a very high level.
Religion of the Proto-Slavs
Before coming to Slavic lands Christianity was dominated by paganism. Eastern Slavs in ancient times worshiped a whole pantheon of gods who personified the forces of nature. Svarog, Svarozhich, Rod, Stribog, Dazhdbog, Veles, Perun had their own places of worship - temples where idols stood and sacrifices were made. The dead were burned at the stake, and mounds were piled over the ashes placed in a pot. Unfortunately, the Eastern Slavs in antiquity did not leave written evidence of themselves. The famous book of Veles raises doubts among researchers about its authenticity. However, archaeologists find a large number of household items, weapons, remnants of clothing, jewelry, cult items. They can tell about the life of our ancestors no less than chronicles and legends.
