II. Find the words in the text which describe or mean the following:

1) an aggregate of peoples and territories, often of great extent, under the rule of a single person, oligarchy, or sovereign state (par. 1) –

2) an achievement or the act of achieving; accomplishment (par. 3) –

3) political, financial, social, etc., force or influence (par. 3) –

4) belief or practice conforming to the Christian faith as established by the early Church (par. 4) –

5) something that is oppressive, or difficult to bear (par. 6) –

6) the arrival or entry of many people or things (par. 6) –

7) a slight reference or allusion (par. 7) –

III. Find the nouns that are used in the text with the following verbs (there can be more then one variant):

1) built up

2) establish

3) invest

4) extend

5) decide upon

6) decide against

7) codify

8) make

9) encourage

10) found

11) repel

IV. Complete the sentences using the words from the text in the correct form:

1. The early history of Russia is one of _____ peoples and _____ kingdoms.

2. Early Russia was a _____ of cities that gradually _____ into an empire.

3. Whether Rurik _____ the city by force or _____ to rule there, he certainly invested the city.

4. Oleg’s great-grandson Vladimir I was ruler of a kingdom that _____ to as far south as the Black Sea, the Caucasus Mountains, and the lower _____ of the Volga River.

5. Vladimir decided against Islam partly because of his _____ that his people could not live under a religion that _____ hard liquor.

6. Kiev’s _____ waned, to the benefit of different regions.

V. Discuss the following questions:

1. When did people inhabit the territory of Russia?

2. What does the early history of Russia have in common with the early history of many other countries? How can you characterize the population of Russia in ancient times?

3. Why is Rurik called a semilegandary hero? What other theories of the first state’s foundation do you know?

4. Why was Kiev chosen to become the centre of Russia?

5. What faiths could Vladimir I choose from? Why did he decide upon Greek Orthodoxy and against Islam?

6. How can you characterize the reign of Yaroslav the Wise? Why is he compared with Lear?

7. What caused a massive influx of Slavs to another area?

8. How can you characterize the period that took place within a few decades of Yaroslav’s death?

VI. Comment upon the following facts. What do you know about them?

1. The name “Russia”, together with the Finnish Ruotsi and Estonian Rootsi, are found by some scholars to be related to Roslagen. The etymology of Rus’ and its derivatives are debated, and other schools of thought connect the name with Slavic or Iranic roots.

2. Kievan Russia is important for its introduction of a Slavic variant of the Eastern Orthodox religion, dramatically deepening a synthesis of Byzantine and Slavic cultures that defined Russian culture for the next thousand years.

3. Compared with the languages of European Christendom, the Russian language was little influenced by the Greek and Latin of early Christian writings. This was due to the fact that Church Slavonic was used directly in liturgy instead.