Figure Stone carvings of the Scythian warriors

( slide 41) In the middle of the 7^th century B.C. Greek colonization of Northern seaside of the Black Sea started. Greeks founded here such city-states as Tira, Olvia (near modern Nikolaev), Chersonese (Sevastopol), Panticapaeum (Kerch), and Feodosia. These city states had been existed for about 1 millennium. Spread of Greek culture was facilitated by usage of written language. Literature, theatre, music, painting and sculpture played an important role in cultural life of Greek settlers. Antique sculptures, wall decoration, jewelry, graveside reliefs, and marmoreal carved sarcophaguses exist even nowadays, though after Christianity spread they were destroyed without mercy. From the 1^st century B.C. – 3^rd century A.D. Greek city-states submitted to Rome, that is why the influence of Roman antiquity on Ukrainian culture is traced. Now historical and archaeological Chersonese reserve was listed by UNESCO in a hundred of the world’s most outstanding monuments of culture in 1996.

At this period Slavonic tribes started to form an ethnic community. First written information about them (Veneds or Venets) is mentioned in Roman sources by Pliny the Elder, Tacitus, and Ptolemy. Later, Byzantine historians Jordan, Procopius Caesarean, and Johann Ephesian also mentioned Slavonic tribes.

Tacitus underlined that Veneds were people with high level of culture, they built nice houses, knew military order and discipline, they were well-equipped and brave in the struggle with enemies. Procopii Caesarean told about culture of Antes (tribes that lived between the Bug and the Dniester). He was sure that Sclavines and Antes were the parts of one people.

(slide 42) Pre-Slavonic culture was formed in the period between the 3^rd century B.C. and the 2^nd century A.D. It got the name “Zarubynetska culture” because one of the settlements of that time was found near Zarubyntsi village (Pereyaslav region). It accepted a lot of achievements of Eastern people. Settlements and burial grounds were the main categories of Zarubynetska culture: settlements had no precise plan of building; wooden houses were clayed, sometimes houses were rebuilt; people of this culture were settled peasants and had domestic animals; they were skillful in handicrafts; they knew fusing of iron and blacksmith’s affair; had loom and produced linen and woolen clothes; they made earthenware with the help of potter’s wheel.

(slide 43) In the 2^nd century A.D. Zarubynetska culture stopped to exist. It was changed by a new one, the so called Chernyahivska culture (it received the name from Chernyahiv village near Kyiv). Famous archaeologist Vikentii Hvoika investigated this culture in 1899. It existed up to the 5^th century. Representatives of Chernyahivska culture were also peasants, stock-raising and handicrafts were among their everyday activities. Before the burial ceremony they usually cremated a dead person. Kyivska culture existed at that time as well.

Agricultural character of their economy affected Slavonic way of life, names of months prove it: “sichen’” (January) was connected with the specific activity of cleaning the land from trees and bushes to prepare it for cultivation; “berezen’” (March), a month, when Slavs burnt trees for fertilization of soil, “kviten’” (April), a month, when all fruit trees in blossom; “traven’” (May), a month of grass; “serpen’” (August) – harvesttime. “Serp” means sickle, one of the main farming tools.

(slide 44) In the second half of 1^st millennium in different regions of Ukraine there co-existed such cultures as Volynska (7-8^th centuries), Luka-Raikovetska (8-9^th centuries), Romenska (8-10^th centuries) and others. People here united in tribal unities. According to old chronicle there were such tribes as: Duliby, Volynyany, Drevlyany, Polyany, Dregovychy, Ulychy, Tyvertsi, White Croatians, Siveryany, etc. The name “Rus” was first applied to their territory, people and culture in the 7th century A.D. Among all the tribes Polyany started to play the leading role with their center in Kyiv.

E arly Slavs knew the nature of their region well. Agriculture needed knowledge of flora and fauna, basic elements of meteorology and astronomy. But people could not explain different phenomena, that is why they had a lot of Gods, who “patronized” different sides of their life. Perun (God of thunder and lightning) was the main God of Eastern Slavs, Dazhbog – a solar god, cared of the harvest, Strybog – a god of wind and weather, Svarog – was blackmith’s god, Lado – godess of home fire, Veles – god of animals, Yarylo and Kolyada were also respected by Eastern Slavs. With the help of gods Slavs cognized the world, understood changes of seasons, and relations with nature.

Figure Perun idol http://pravdaua.at.ua/photo/ jazichnictvo/image_1214/18-0-1475

The basis of heathen was worshipping to nature, the Sun was accepted like a source of life, land like wet-nurse of all alive organisms. At that time children had to bow touching the ground – it meant that they wished the person, who they met health, strength and generosity of mother-nature. Slavs cultivated in their children sensitive attitude to the environment. It was forbidden to hit the ground by stick. The ancient Slavs were the people of Vedic culture, therefore, it is more correct to call the ancient religion not paganism, but Vedism. The word "Veda" is corresponding to the modern Russian words "to manage", "to know." It is a peaceful religion of highly cultured people, akin to other religions, having common Vedic roots – those of Ancient India, Iran and Ancient Greece.

The first written monuments were things, which meant some message, and later (approximately in the 9^th century) Rus people enjoyed inscriptions, carved on wood. Texts were squeezed out with a special tool – stylus on the birch bark.

The main forms of folklore included: retellings, bylinas (traditional heroic poems or heroic epic), songs, legends, etc., which proclaimed humanism, justice, and faithfulness to beloved.

Musical arts reached significant development, too. Eastern Slavs in ancient times used a variety of musical instruments, such as horns (гудки), pipes (свирели), gusli (ancient fretted instrument of Rusichi – струнный щипковый инструмент), tambourines (бубны), flutes and the like. Wandering minstrels, the so-called “skomorokhi”, were widely known performers of dance and songs.

Anthropotheocentrism is the main feature of Slavonic outlook. It means that all spheres of human, divine and natural understanding of the world are closely connected and parts of the Universe.

Monumental architecture developed before the Rus’ baptizing. Heathen wooden churches were built. King’s stone palace was built in Kyiv. Archaeologists proved that it was decorated by frescoes, mosaic, and inlays (инкрустациями). Heathen religion formed specific culture and values. Christianity spread slowly, painfully, and violently for the majority of people… May be because of that heathen beliefs were strong and people did not forget them absolutely. For a long time people worshipped to their heathen gods and Christianity here had to be adapted to this situation. Many heathen celebrations left in our culture (Maslyana (end of winter), Ivan Kupala (top of summer), etc.). Actually, it was specific syncretic faith, a kind of Rus’ Christianity.

THEME 4. ANCIENT SLAVONIC CULTURE

Plan

1. Slavonic cultures in the V-VII centuries.

2. Pantheon of gods.

3. World in view of the ancient Slavs.

4. The gods and rituals.

Question one. Slavonic cultures in the V-VII centuries.

Tribal groups of the Eastern Slavs were among the first inhabitants of the land, later called Kyiv Rus. Sources of the 6^th century, including the Byzantine Procopius Caesarea, and author of gothic Jordan, identified Ants with Eastern Slavs – a group of tribes, which occupied area in the south up to the Black Sea, in the west - to the Lower Danube river and in the east – to the Seversky Donets river.

According to the first source on the early history of Russia – The Tale of Bygone Years (compiled at the beginning of XII century by Nestor, the monk of the Kiev-Pechersk Monastery), the ancient Eastern Slavs were more than a dozen tribes that lived on the vast territory spread between the Black Sea in the south to Lake Ladoga in the north of the Danube, and the Carpathian Mountains in the west up to the Volga River in the east. Among these tribes were Polyany, living in the middle stream of the Dnieper, Sloveny living around Lake Ilmen, and Drevlyans, Radzimichy, Vyatichi, Severany, White Croats, Duleby, as well as Krivichy, Tivertsy, Dregovichy and others tribes. Their initial origin is unknown. According to some theories, homeland of the Slavs delineated by the boundaries of the southern Pripyat marshes, the valley of the Vistula River and the northern Carpathians. Slavic tribes have long been engaged in farming, hunting, fishing and cattle breeding. In addition, many settlements of the Slavs, arose in the valleys of the Dnieper, the Donets and the Volkhov, and established primitive crafts, including pottery and weaving. The prevalence of cults of the gods and the natural East Slavonic pagan pantheon indicates the importance of agriculture economy of the early Slavonic tribal society.

The ancient Slavs were the people of Vedic culture, therefore, it is more correct to call the ancient religion not paganism, but Vedism. The word "Veda" is

Figure An extract of the written text of “Veles book”

corresponding to the modern Russian words "to manage", "to know." It is a peaceful religion of highly cultured people, akin to other religions, having common Vedic roots – that of Ancient India, Iran and Ancient Greece.

Veles book. The main monuments of Slavonic ancient history and culture are sacred songs, legends, myths. Although most of the scientists believe that the texts of the Ancient sacred songs, myths were destructed during the Christianization of Rus. Even the little that left – Veles book, “The Book of Veles” was written on tablets of birch in the 9^th century A.D. by magician Jagailo Hahn. This book is precious for Slavonic culture, as it contains stories about the ancestors and gods of the Slavs, describes the events of mythical and ancient history the Slavs, and many other peoples of Eurasia from the age of grandparents to the 9th century B.C.

Until now, there is a debate about the nature of Slavonic gods referred to in chronicles. Nevertheless there is a suggestion that the oldest stratum of Slavic myths is better preserved in ancient Greek and Indian texts, or the Bible. It is explained by a specific path of Slavonic culture development. Mythical stories were distorted even in ancient times when being rewritten and processed. Slavonic folklore is an oral tradition, which undergone a lesser extent of changes under the influence of written culture. Treasures of Slavonic folklore – folksongs, stories, tales, and religious poems – were actively collected and recorded only in the beginning of the 19^th century.

According to Veles book the ancient Slavs worshiped an archaic Trinity, called Triglav (Three Heads): Svarog (or Svarozich) – Heaven god, Perun – God of Thunder, Veles (or Volos) – God Destroyer of the Universe, although various priestly schools of Slavs understood the mystery of the Trinity differently. The ancient cosmogonic Slavonic myth about the creation of our Earth by our Progenitor – Rod (the Spring of the Universe) is associated with the name of Svarog.

Figure Veles or Vles	Figure Svarog

Female ancestors were reverenced and worshiped because of the prevalence of maternal cults. In the era of patriarchy maternal cults transformed into the female incarnation of the gods and got some single function – to protect home, a hearth, fire, territory, a country, an individual, a family, love, presented by housewives, grandmothers and mothers. However, in general, female worship, no matter what modifications it is met, always has one of its two manifestations: it represents the world of love, either heavenly (Slavonic goddess Lele) or terrestrial (Slavonic goddess Mother Crude/Wet Earth).