Information about which way from the Varangians to the Greeks, that is, from the lands adjacent to the Baltic Sea, to the Mediterranean countries, was chosen by our ancestors for trade trips, and sometimes military campaigns, keep yellowed pages of ancient chronicles. Having opened them, we will try to feel that era, which has long sunk into oblivion, and to trace the route of fearless merchant travelers.
Waterways - the forerunners of land roads
In those times, the description of which is contained in the Tale of Bygone Years - the oldest annalistic vault, the authorship of which is attributed to the Kiev Saint Venerable Nestor the Chronicler - there were no roads in our understanding of this word. But since the development of trade relations required constant traveling, the alternative routes of communication were the rivers, which Europe is very rich in.
It was precisely on these waterways that merchant boats, filled with goods delivered by them to neighboring countries, moved. Over time, travelers began to give preference to certain, the most convenient routes for themselves, from which certain trade routes were already formed, the movement of which became more intense with every decade.
The longest trade route
The formation of such trade routes had a very favorable effect on the inhabitants of the coastal regions. Their settlements were rich, gradually becoming trade hubs, and some eventually turned into cities. In addition, river and sea communications, combining the economically developed West with the rich countries of the East, contributed to the establishment of international relations, as well as the development of world culture.
One of such highways was the trade route from the Varangians to the Greeks, described in detail by the chronicler Nestor. It is considered the longest of all known to science. Its length only over the territory of ancient Russia was about 2850 kilometers, and it ran not only along rivers and lakes, but also partially on land, where rooks had to be dragged along.
From the harsh Baltic to the shores of sunny Hellas
The way from the Varangians to the Greeks is a trade route linking the economically developed centers of the Baltic Sea coast (the chronicler calls it Varyazhsky) with Central Russia, and later with its many specific principalities. Then he went into the steppes of the Black Sea, which at that time was a refuge of nomads, and, having overcome the Black Sea, reached Byzantium - the eastern territory of the once powerful, but by then disintegrated Roman Empire. Leaving behind the bustling markets of Constantinople, the northern Germans continued on their way to the Mediterranean Sea, where they were waiting for the rich coastal cities. Let us consider in more detail the trade route from the Varangians to the Greeks and dwell on its main stages.
The beginning of a long journey
It is believed that he took his beginning on Lake Mälaren, located on the territory of modern Sweden. On the island located in its center, to this day there is a settlement called Birka, in ancient times it was a large shopping center, where goods were brought from all over Scandinavia, and where there was lively trade. This is evidenced by ancient coins of different states, found during recent archaeological excavations.
From there, the rooks loaded with goods went out to the Baltic (Varyazhskoe) sea and moved to the island of Gotland, which was also a large trading hub, the inhabitants of which were reaping considerable benefits from commercial operations, and therefore welcomed guests. Having made a number of intermediate trade deals there and replenished stocks, merchants, following along the Baltic coast, entered the mouth of the Neva and, rising along it, fell into Lake Ladoga.
From Ladoga open spaces to Novgorod
It should be noted that the way from the Varangians to the Greeks was an extremely difficult and dangerous enterprise. Not only sea sections of the track, but also river and lake sections, were fraught with many dangers. Already at the beginning of the journey, overcoming the Neva thresholds, one had to pull the rooks ashore and drag them a considerable distance with a drag, which required considerable strength and endurance. As for Ladoga, notorious for its sudden storms, it sometimes hid mortal danger for travelers.
Further, describing the detailed route from the Varangians to the Greeks, the chronicler reports that ship caravans rose from the Lake Ladoga along the Volkhov River and, having reached Novgorod, the first major Russian city they met on their way, lingered on for a long time. Some merchants, not wanting to continue the further path and thus try their luck, having sold their goods at the Novgorod markets and having bought a new one, turned back.
On the way to the Dnieper
Those who certainly wanted to enrich themselves on the sunny shores of the Mediterranean continued their journey. After leaving Novgorod, they climbed Volkhov and, reaching Lake Ilmen, followed up the river Lovat, which flowed into it. Then the merchants, who sat in boats among the bales of goods, had the opportunity to stretch their legs: having passed Lovat, they had to pull their ships ashore and, using log rollers, drag them to the shore of the Western Dvina.
On its anciently inhabited shores, trade resumed, and here Slavic merchants joined the Scandinavians in many, also heading to the cities of the Mediterranean in search of profits. New hardships awaited them all, because between the basins of the Western Dvina and the Dnieper, where their path lay, there was a foot passage, coupled with the same dragging dry, even of small, cargo-loaded vessels.
Trade in the cities of Dnieper
Once in the waters of the Dnieper, on the banks of which they were met by such large cities as Smolensk, Chernigov, Lyubich and, finally, the mother of Russian cities - Kiev, travelers received a worthy reward for all the work they suffered. In each of them there was brisk trade, due to which the goods sold were replaced by newly bought ones, and voluminous merchant purses acquired a pleasant roundness.
Here, as in Novgorod, some of the travelers completed their journey and from here they returned home with a new load. Only the most desperate followed, because in those old days the way from the Varangians to the Greeks was, in fact, a challenge to fate, so many unforeseen and unpredictable things could be expected for the daredevils.
Way over the sea
Their further adventures began immediately at the Dnieper rapids, which in those years posed a serious danger to navigation, since the boats had to be dragged along the coast, where they were already awaited by ambushes of nomads who announced the coast by the whistling of their arrows. But even those who managed to safely pass through these black spots and enter the Black Sea could not breathe a sigh of relief - new dangers awaited them ahead.
But then, finally reaching the opposite shore, the mercenaries, preserved by fate, found themselves in the rich and drowning in luxury capital of Byzantium - Constantinople, which the Slavs used to call Constantinople. Here, in noisy and polyphonic markets, imported goods were sold with profit, giving way to new stocks.
Crown of labor and homecoming
The path from the Varangians to the Greeks, the description of which we meet with Nestor the Chronicler, continued further through the waters of the Mediterranean Sea. He brought those who managed to avoid storms, fever, or meeting with pirates who ruled on the expanses of water to the blessed Rome, as well as other rich cities of Italy and Greece. This was the end point of the journey - the result of many months of work. However, it was too early to thank fate for her favor - an equally dangerous return route was ahead.
To return home and enter under their beloved shelter, merchants across the Mediterranean Sea brought their caravans to the Atlantic and, skirting the entire coast of Western Europe, reached the Scandinavian shores. Trying to minimize the risk and moving as close to the shore as possible, they stopped in all the large coastal cities, where they also had their endless purchase and sale. Thus, the path from the Varangians to the Greeks, a brief description of which was the topic of this article, went around Europe and ended at its starting point.
Merchandise Assortment
What traded those who made such a difficult and dangerous journey from the Vikings to the Greeks? The cities located along the shores of the seas and rivers through which their route ran had their individual economic characteristics, and this, of course, affected the assortment of both imported and exported goods. It is well known, for example, that Volyn and Kiev offered in large quantities, and therefore at very reasonable prices, bread, silver, weapons and all kinds of products of local artisans.
The inhabitants of Novgorod generously supplied the market with fur of fur-bearing animals, honey, wax, and most importantly-with forest, cheap and affordable in their parts and extremely scarce in the south. Since the way from the Varangians to the Greeks passed through a large number of cities and even countries with different characteristics of the economy, the range of goods was constantly changing.
The common thing, as a rule, was that the merchants began their journey by thoroughly filling the rooks with the original gifts of the Baltic countries: weapons, amber and forest. And they returned - loaded with spices, overseas wines, books, expensive fabrics and pieces of jewelry.
The impact of the trade route on state development
According to the most respected researchers, the path from the Varangians to the Greeks was the most important factor that influenced the development of international relations of that era. It was thanks to him that Ancient Russia established relations with Byzantium, from where Christianity and various technical innovations came to it, as well as with the states of the Mediterranean.
He influenced the domestic life of the Old Russian state by linking two of its major centers, such as Novgorod and Kiev. In addition, thanks to the well-established route of merchants' caravans, each nearby city was able to freely sell the goods distributed in its parts. This had the most favorable effect on the economy of the country as a whole.
The trade route that has become the road of war
As is known from the annals, and primarily from the "Tale of Bygone Years", many Old Russian commanders in their campaigns used the path from the Varangians to the Greeks. The rivers that served as highways for trade communications in these cases became roads of war.
As an example, we can cite Prince Oleg, nicknamed Prophetic and widely known thanks to the immortal poem by A.S. Pushkin. In 880, using the already known river route, he and his squad managed to reach Kiev and take control of it.
Having subjugated to himself all the cities that he met along the way, the prince thereby united most of the Slavic lands. Thus, the path from the Varangians to the Greeks, briefly described by the chronicler Nestor, played a significant role in the creation of a single Russian state.
Further, in 907, Prince Oleg, using the same waterway, made his historical campaign to Byzantium, took control of Constantinople and, having nailed his own shield on his gates as a sign of victory, concluded a number of profitable trade and political agreements.
On the same route in 941, on a military campaign, his successor, Prince Igor, reached the shores of the Bosphorus. In addition, one can recall the names of Prince Svyatoslav, nicknamed for his military leadership by Old Russian Alexander the Great, Alexander Nevsky and many others who skillfully used the waterway trodden by merchants.