The harmonious development of Old Russian culture was interrupted by the Mongol invasion in the middle of the XIII century. Therefore, historians separate the initial period of its evolution (IX – XIII centuries) from all subsequent ones. An inextricable part of culture was life - all that surrounded the everyday life of ordinary members and nobles of East Slavic society.
Architecture
Like the whole culture of pre-Mongol Russia, the country's architecture changed dramatically after the adoption of Christianity and the layering of Byzantine traditions on Old Russian. Residential buildings of the Eastern Slavs since ancient times were half-dugouts and log houses. In the north, in the forest zone, a rich tradition of carpentry has developed.
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 Church of the Tithe began, which became a cathedral located next to the princely court.
Subsequently, Old Russian monumental architecture spread throughout all the East Slavic lands. For example, in the 11th century, St. Sophia Cathedral was consecrated in Novgorod - today it is the main attraction of the city. Also, this building is considered the oldest church built by the Slavs and preserved on the territory of Russia. His St. Sophia Cathedral was in Kiev. An outstanding architectural monument is the Church of the Intercession on the Nerl, built in the Principality of Vladimir in the XII century.
The fortifications most often represented the city walls, assembled from wooden log cabins (they were also called city dwellers). Upstairs there were platforms for the garrison and slots, from which firing was conducted on the enemy. Additional fortifications were towers (vezh). Large cities consisted of external walls, detinets and an internal fortress. The walls of the princely capitals could be built of stone. Outside of them there were growing gardens where artisans and other ordinary people settled down.
Painting
Thanks to the influence of Byzantine Orthodoxy, the culture of pre-Mongol Rus was enriched not only by the traditions of the construction of stone temples, but also by new trends in painting. Genres such as murals, mosaics and iconography have become an integral part of the life of the Eastern Slavs. In painting, the Greek influence proved to be more durable than in architecture, where a distinctive old Russian style arose soon. This was due to the fact that, for example, in iconography there was a strict Christian canon, from which the masters did not depart for several centuries.
In addition to religious, there was secular painting. A vivid example of this genre are wall paintings created in the towers of Kiev Sofia. The drawings depicted the family of Grand Duke Yaroslav the Wise, scenes from the everyday life of the monarch, fantastic birds and animals. Several icons survived to our times, created in the Vladimir-Suzdal land in the XII century. These artifacts perfectly demonstrate what the culture of Rus was of the pre-Mongol period. Another unique monument, a medieval fresco, which is the main attraction of Dmitrievsky Cathedral, depicts scenes of the Last Judgment.
The golden age of the culture of pre-Mongol Rus dates back to the 12th century, when feudal fragmentation of a previously united country caused the emergence of regional “schools” in many areas of creative activity. Affected by this trend and art. For example, in the Novgorod Church of the Savior on Nereditsa , murals were created, imbued with a unique gloomy and severe spirit. Drawings of formidable archangels and figures of saints are not similar to any other example of ancient Russian painting.
Music
Music is another form of art that clearly shows what the history of the culture of Ancient Russia was like. The pre-Mongol period left a lot of evidence of the song preferences of the Eastern Slavs. Music is characterized by the fact that at all times it existed inseparably from the life of both the nobility and ordinary people. Family festivities, “games”, could not be imagined without songs, dances and playing the instruments. Folk works were of a very different nature. These were wedding hauls, spring game melodies, crying for deceased relatives.
The most gifted performers became professional musicians. Singers of solemn epics and storytellers specialized in the epic genre. At the same time, there was a whole world of stray troupes consisting of buffoons who performed in city squares and feasts. The culture of pre-Mongol Rus was multifaceted, and music in this sense did not differ from other forms of art. Many buffoons not only sang, but also tried themselves as acrobats, dancers, jugglers and actors, that is, they became hypocrites. It is interesting that princely authorities often struggled with such amateur performances, since the ancient "demonic" songs bore the imprint of old pagan traditions.
Russian folk instruments included balalaika, tambourines, harp, rattles, domra. And horns and pipes were used not only for the performance of songs, but also for a signal during hunting or military operations. The squads had their own likenesses of “orchestras”. For example, such a team raised the morale of the troops during the siege of the cities of the Volga Bulgarians in 1220.
Like the rest of the culture of pre-Mongol Rus, music received its own Orthodox niche. The texts of church hymns were Byzantine (translated into Slavic). From the Greeks, Russia borrowed a liturgical ritual. In the same way, chanting techniques appeared.
Folklore
Old Russian culture is best known for its folklore, distinguished by its outstanding diversity and richness. Songs, epics, spells, poetry were its integral components. Paganism gave rise to mythological legends that survived even after the adoption of Christianity. Folklore performances fused with Orthodoxy, which is most reflected in calendar holidays and superstitions.
Epic heroic epic - the peak in oral folk art. The main characters of such works became heroes. Such heroes as Ilya Muromets, Dobrynya Nikitich and Alyosha Popovich are known to every child from collections of fairy tales. In the epics reflected that wealth, which is the culture of Rus of the pre-Mongol period. The heroes could be either real historical characters or generalized images. In the tales of fearless heroes, a whole medieval era was postponed with its characteristic features (the struggle with the steppe nomads, "dashing people", etc.).
Writing
The opposite of folklore was written creativity. However, such literature could not appear without the ABC. That, in turn, leaked to Russia along with Christianity. Byzantine enlighteners Cyril and Methodius created a special alphabet for the Slavs, which became the foundation for a variety of scripts: Russian, Bulgarian, Serbian, Macedonian, etc.
The work of the Greek preachers from Soluni had the most far-reaching consequences. Without the Cyrillic alphabet, the whole pre-Mongolian culture of Ancient Russia would not have developed . This alphabet was used for the complete translation of Orthodox texts. The first literacy schools were established by Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich.
Unique monuments of Old Russian writing are Novgorod birch bark letters. Most of them were discovered by archaeologists in the XX century. Birch-bark letters indicate that literacy in Russia was not considered the inheritance exclusively of the aristocracy. Many ordinary citizens knew how to write, which was recorded by medieval Novgorod artifacts.
Ancient Cyrillic was somewhat different from modern. It had superscripts and some additional letters. A fundamental reform of the old alphabet occurred under Peter I, and it took on its final appearance after the 1917 revolution.
Literature
Together with writing, Russia adopted a book culture from Byzantium. The first independent works were religious teachings or sermons. Such can be considered the “Word of Law and Grace” written by Metropolitan Hilarion in the middle of the 11th century.
The chronicle has become a much more common genre. They are not only chronicles of events, but also a source of knowledge about what was the culture of Ancient Russia of the pre-Mongol period. The main chronicler of Kievan Rus is Nestor. At the beginning of the XII century he compiled "The Tale of Bygone Years." In this codebook, the main events of Russian history from the emergence of statehood to 1117 were described. Nestor focused on political events: princely disputes, wars and alliances. The chronicler also left behind “Reading”, in which he dwelt in detail on the biography of two martyr princes 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 “Instruction” to his heirs - a political treatise in which the author explained how an ideal state and effective power 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 the fight against nomadic Polovtsy.
The “lecture” was written at the beginning of the 12th century. At the end of the same century, the main work of ancient Russian literature appeared - “The Word about Igor's Regiment”. It was also devoted to the topic of the fight against the Polovtsy. At the center of the narrative of the poem is an unsuccessful trip to the steppe of Prince Igor Svyatoslavich, who ruled in Novgorod-Seversky.
The threat posed by nomads to a peaceful life has largely influenced what the culture and life of pre-Mongol Rus have become. In "The Word", an unidentified author, like no one better, showed how destructive the raids of the Gentiles were. Like Monomakh in his “Instruction”, he emphasized the importance of the unity of the Russian lands before the common danger.
Arts and crafts
For a long time, Russian masters were famous for their unique techniques for making jewelry (enamel, scania, etc.). Similar products were made to order for the boyar and princely nobility. Foreigners admired silver Russian silver. A variety of products were processed with this mixture: bracelets, crosses, rings, etc.
Kiev masters preferred gilded and silver figures on a black background. Vladimir artisans more often made pure silver background and gold figures. In Galicia, there was its own school of contour mobiles. Using these examples, applied art once again demonstrates how diverse the culture and life of pre-Mongol Rus was.
The crafts of the village were very different from the crafts of the city. In rural areas, masters for a long time used pagan motives of evil spirits in their ornaments. Amulets and amulets were popular. Most of them were made of the most accessible material - wood. If at first the spell elements in applied art had a distinct magical purpose, then gradually they lost this meaning and became simple patterns. The culture of Rus of the pre-Mongol period, in short, has evolved. With each generation, it gradually changed and became more complicated.
Life and home
The early Slavic half-dugouts consisted of a furnace, benches and bunks. Each such room became the home for a separate couple. The prevalence of semi-dugouts among the southern tribal unions of the Eastern Slavs was noted by Arab geographers. Such homes began to disappear in the X century. This process was associated with the breaking of patriarchal ties of a small family and the withering away of tribal remnants.
For example, in Kiev, in addition to the semi-dugouts, there were log cabins and log houses. Wood was a relatively cheap material; almost every urban or rural resident could get it. Accessibility helped to quickly rebuild settlements in the event of fires. Fire has always led to severe damage, which, on the other hand, was a noticeable drawback of wood.
An important part of the princely palaces was the Gridnitsa - a spacious room where a squad gathered at feasts. Studying the structure of an aristocratic home is another interesting way to understand what the culture of pre-Mongol Rus was like. Architecture was an indicator of social status, position on the public staircase of the building owner. It is interesting that in the XII century, when the state finally collapsed, the former grand-duchess gridnitsa disappeared - their premises began to be used as prisons.
clothing
Ordinary peasants, or smerds, dressed in belted shirts-shirts, tucked in trousers, and high boots. In winter, inexpensive furs were used. At the same time, fur coats were considered commonplace. Belts were narrow and leather, buckles were made of copper. Women usually wore jewelry (temporal rings, necklaces, beads).
A characteristic feature of retinue, boyar and princely clothes was a cloak. If peasants wore linen coarse shirts, then aristocrats wore silk shirts. Princely boots were sewn of morocco. A mandatory 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. Life and culture of pre-Mongol Rus (10–13 centuries) surprised many foreigners. Winter clothes of the Russian nobility were made from sable furs, which were the most valuable goods in all European markets.
Food
Since farming was the basis of agriculture in Russia, 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 fundamental. So dependent on bread that archaeologists found children's toys in the form of bread. Crop failure was considered the greatest calamity, a mandatory consequence of which was widespread pestilence.
The townspeople's meat consisted of poultry meat and livestock. The village has long preserved the ancient tradition of eating 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. Priests tried to regulate the diet of their flock with all sorts of fasting.
Of the fish on the table, sturgeons were especially appreciated (it is known that the "sturgeons" who collected tax from sturgeon from the fishing princes served as the princes of Novgorod). The key vegetables were turnip and cabbage. The food culture of pre-Mongol Rus, in short, changed more slowly than all other spheres of Slavic life. Traditional spices were cinnamon, vinegar, nuts, anise, mint, pepper. Lack of salt could turn into a real national disaster. This product was a favorite subject of speculation traders.