Life and customs of medieval Russia. Everyday culture of ancient Russia

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 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 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 barrows 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. 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.

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.
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.

Life has always been closely connected with nature and depended on it. Any occupation, whether it was agriculture, cattle breeding or handicrafts, was tied to natural gifts and to natural conditions that provided life. ancient Russian people. To find out what the life of people in Ancient Russia was like, let's take a look at their houses. The dwelling of rich people was called mansions (the same as the tower). It's usually high wooden structure two or three floors, or even more, with several domes on the roof in the form of a barrel, tent, wedge or bell, and even decorated wooden roosters, horses, dogs, suns at the very top. The middle floor of the tower is encircled by a balcony, which was called a grove. From the abyss you can get into any cage (i.e. room) of this floor. Behind the mansions, in the depths of the courtyard, there are other buildings: barns, pantries, cellars, a bathhouse, a well, a stable, and others. The staircase leading to the porch is covered. From the porch we get into the vestibule, and from there the doors go straight, and up, and to the right, and to the left. On the middle floor there is a room - this is the most spacious, front room. And on the lower tier - a kitchen and other utility rooms, and from here there is a separate entrance to the courtyard. And above the upper room there are light rooms, these are individual rooms for the inhabitants of the house and guests. The ceilings in the rooms are low, the windows are small, mica (glass is very expensive) to keep warm.

In the upper room along all the walls there are built-in benches, standing against the door big table, and above it is a goddess (shelf with icons). To the left of the door, in the corner, there is a beautiful stove, which was laid out with multi-colored patterned tiles, on each of which there are various convex drawings. In simple and small huts of the poor people - dusk, they only have two small windows covered with a fish bladder. In the hut to the left of the entrance there is a huge stove. They cooked food in it, slept on it, dried shoes, clothes and firewood. From a different setting: benches along the wall, shelves above them, beds, in the right corner - a goddess and a small table. And in the closet there is a small bast chest, and in it everything family values: a green caftan, a worm-like summer coat, a fur coat and a pair of earrings. If in spring, summer and autumn people were busy with household chores, then in winter it was possible to do crafts.

Gradually, the craft of some people became their main business and source of income. Artisans often lived in cities, closer to the bazaar. The products of the craftsmen were not just necessary household items, they were beautiful things created with inspiration, taste and a sense of beauty. material for folk artist stone, metal, clay, bone, fabrics and wood served - everything that is around in nature. The most accessible material for craftsmen was wood. From it they built dwellings, made tools, vehicles, dishes, furniture, toys. And every thing struck with its thoughtfulness, perfection of forms, expressiveness of the silhouette. Craftsmen turned even the most ordinary wooden objects into a work of art: a ladle turned into a floating swan, a children's cradle was decorated with delicate carvings, and a winter sleigh looked luxurious from bizarre and colorful patterns. Everything made of wood by Russian craftsmen is colored with talent, imagination, joyful attitude, striving for beauty and perfection. Unfortunately, few wooden relics of antiquity have preserved time. After all, this is a short-lived material. The tree quickly decays and burns easily. Frequent fires found their prey in wooden architecture, and in the products of master woodworkers. In addition, wood was cheap, and wooden things were not particularly taken care of. What for? After all, you can make new things, even better, more convenient, more beautiful. Fantasy is inexhaustible, golden hands, the soul asks for beauty. Thus, the life of the ancient Russian people speaks of their original culture, nurtured by talented craftsmen, craftsmen era.

Now there are a large number of opinions and disputes about who the Slavs are. There are many forever lost historical documents that could shed light on the origin of the Slavs. Scholars who in past centuries tried to shed more light on our history were persecuted and their works destroyed. A vivid example of this is Lomonosov, who was persecuted by foreigners who then settled in the Russian Academy of Sciences. And his historical writings were altered beyond recognition by a German historian and published after Lomonosov's death. But, despite this, we still collect bit by bit and protect everything related to the history of our ancestors.

It is generally accepted that the ancient Slavs were barbarians, semi-savage tribes whose history is relatively young. But was it really so? Now excavations of ancient cities and artifacts are underway on the territory of Russia and Ukraine:

• City of Arkaim Southern Urals, which is about 4.5 thousand years old
• Trypillia on Western Ukraine, which is 7.5 thousand years old. Trypillya is older Sumerian civilization for 500 years
• The oldest megaliths, located near the Ural Mountains, are larger and more interesting than Stonehenge. When these civilizations appeared, there were no Egyptian pyramids yet.

Ancient Slavs: life, manners, customs, occupations

Slavic writing

It is believed that the Slavs for a long time were barbarians who did not have their own written language and lived in semi-wild tribes. There are disputes about writing now, because there are suggestions that writing in Ancient Russia was even before Cyril and Methodius. That is, until the 9th-10th centuries, Russia had its own Slavic writing. And the missionaries Cyril and Methodius brought their writing along with Christianity. Historians have yet to painstaking work to collect evidence of its existence. In addition to the evidence, the following fact is not unimportant: how did the Slavs manage without their own written language until the 9th-10th centuries? By this time they had their own statehood, were engaged in foreign trade with other states, concluded all kinds of agreements, conducted politics and wars with neighboring states. And they didn't have writing? Conclusions suggest themselves.

Life and customs of the Eastern Slavs

The ancient Slavs were not barbarians. They have never been distinguished by bloodthirstiness and particular cruelty. What can not be said about the ancient Romans, Greeks and Byzantines. One has only to look into the history of these peoples and be convinced of this. The Slavs were forced to wage numerous wars and conquests in order to maintain statehood, but they were not barbarians, unlike the peoples of Europe at that time.

Cleanliness and water have always played a huge role in the life of the ancient Slavs. At the same time, Europe was drowning in mud and sewage, which was poured into the street. Europeans did not bathe for years, if not all their lives, because they believed that dirt protected their bodies from diseases. Plague mowed down entire cities. Slavs, regardless financial situation, had baths. All families had a tradition to organize bathing days. If a person fell ill, then the first thing they did was to steam him in a bath with the addition of various herbs. To give birth to a child, women went to the bathhouse, where they arranged a special ritual. Many Religious holidays, customs were built on cleansing with water.

The ancient Slavs built their settlements, and later cities, on the banks of the river. The river protected their settlements and cities from enemies. In the river they caught a lot of different fish, which was certainly included in the diet of the Slavs. In the forests that were located on the banks of the rivers, the ancient Slavs hunted various animals and birds. harvested medicinal herbs, plants and berries. The life of the inhabitants of Ancient Russia was closely connected with agriculture. Because farming was the main occupation. Since ancient times, the Slavs have grown in in large numbers wheat, rye, millet, oats. It was very hard work, since the land was cultivated manually with the help of a plow, a hoe, and the land had to be reclaimed from the forest with the help of fire (the ashes served as a kind of fertilizer).

The Slavs developed beekeeping. Honey and wax played an important role in their lives. Honey replaced sugar and intoxicated drinks were prepared from it, but with a very low percentage of alcohol. Despite the erroneous opinion that people always drank a lot in Russia, alcohol was generally banned in Ancient Russia. The life and customs of the ancient Slavs allowed them to drink only intoxicated honey, and then only on major holidays. Women were forbidden to drink alcohol at all, and men first tried intoxicated honey only after the birth of their first child. At the same time in Europe, the use of alcohol was not banned and it is no secret that even the monks abused it, not to mention the rest of the Europeans.

Crafts of the ancient Slavs

In winter, when work in the field ended, the harvest was harvested, and in the long evenings, the ancient Slavs were engaged in the manufacture of various household items, jewelry, and clothing. Over time, various crafts began to develop. For many people, this has become their main occupation. With the advent of large cities, urban areas began to appear in which representatives of only one craft lived. The following crafts were developed in Ancient Russia:

1. Metal processing. Blacksmithing was the most significant among the crafts. Blacksmith products were used everywhere. These are tools for farming and cultivating the land, these are swords, knives, protective chain mail for warriors, as well as various household items and metal jewelry. But Slavic blacksmiths achieved special virtuosity in the manufacture of weapons. We can verify this by seeing their products that have survived to this day. Looking at them, we understand that blacksmithing was carried out in Ancient Russia at a very professional level.
2. Wood processing. It was the second most important craft. Houses were built from wood ordinary people, a tower for wealthy Slavs, all outbuildings. All household utensils were made of wood. Crockery and decorations were also made of wood. Wood products occupied important place in the life of the ancient Slavs. Old Russian household items are works of folk art that still delight us.
3. Jewelry business. Since ancient times, Slavic jewelers have mastered a number of the most complex techniques for that time. Their products are still amazing. Their products made of gold and silver were bought with pleasure by merchants from other countries.
4. Pottery. Clay was used to make various utensils, household items, and jewelry. Pottery was very popular in Ancient Russia. And the pottery itself is still alive, and today clay products are also popular.

Family in Ancient Russia

In Russia, they married very early, this was due to hard work, a lack of labor, children were taught to work early. Guys got married at 16-17 years old, and girls got married at 12-14 years old. From that moment on, the girl was considered a member of her husband's clan. The very concept of gender among the Slavs was in the first place. The Slavs lived in clans. It was the foundation of everything for them. Life and everyday life Ancient Russia were literally subordinated to the concept of the genus. The Slavs even had a god who was responsible for the clan. His name is Rod. Rich princes had several wives and surrounded themselves with a large number of concubines. it historical fact, which is mentioned in The Tale of Bygone Years, an annals that also described the life and economy of the Eastern Slavs.
In ancient Russia great importance devoted to the military education of boys. And it doesn’t matter who he will be in the future, a farmer or an artisan, but future man was obliged to be proficient in weapons and know the basics of military affairs. He could marry only after training in military affairs. Boys were taught early on to ride a horse. And at the age of 9-11, the boy was ordained as a member of the clan. To do this, he was taken to the forest and a special hut and a ritual was performed. Thanks to this, tales about Baba Yaga, who abducted children, appeared. Girls from an early age were taught to manage the household, make yarn, weave fabrics and other household chores that she would need in family life. And here, too, certain rituals were used. For example: when a girl made her first ball, they burned it, and she had to mix the ashes with water and drink.

Results

Facts from the history of the life of Ancient Russia show us how important the family was for the ancient Slavs. They deified the very concept of the genus, naming one of the gods in his honor. The concept of gender formed the basis of their customs and mores. After all, it is not for nothing that in many Russian words there is a root “genus”: relatives, native, relative.

Attention

Life and customs Kievan Rus show how original and unique was the culture of the Ancient Slavs. The Slavs had developed crafts. They made real works of art from metal, wood, clay and precious metals. Until now, people are engaged in folk crafts and are happy to adopt the experience of our ancestors.

Russian life has evolved over many hundreds of years, while undergoing changes and additions from century to century. At the same time, life could be radically different in different social strata, and its development could sometimes go completely differently. Until the 19th century, more than 85% of the population of Russia were rural residents. Therefore, in the minds of people, the phrase "Russian traditional way of life" is closely connected with the way the life of the villagers was arranged.

Life of Russian peasants

The life of the Russian peasantry was based mainly on traditions - unwritten rules that affected almost all aspects of life, including the decoration of the house. The village hut was a whole complex of various household and residential buildings. The main material was wooden logs, the main construction tool was an ax. Such houses are called "chopped". The roof was made of straw, boards or shingles. The hut was surrounded by various outbuildings - poultry houses, cattle pens, sheds, barns. The more prosperous and wealthy a person was, the better his home was.

The traditional hut of a Russian peasant usually consisted of one room. Most of the furniture (benches, shelves) was “built-in” and was a direct part of the structure of the house. The central place in every house was occupied by a Russian stove. It was used for heating the room, cooking. With its help, mushrooms and berries were dried for the winter. Next to the oven was china shop. Each house had a so-called "red corner" - a place where icons and lamps were located. To store dishes and other household utensils in the house there were special shelves, which were called "polovochnik". To store clothes, chests and pegs driven directly into the walls were used. Woodcarving and painting were widely used in the interior decoration of the walls and ceiling.

The main part of the diet of a peasant in Ancient Russia was bakery products from rye or oats: bread, pancakes, pies, rolls. Therefore, it is not surprising that the word "bread" has come to mean something more than just food. He became a real symbol of Russian peasants. Even now, everyone remembers the saying "Bread is the head of everything." Everything that was grown on its own was also used for food: turnips, cabbage, beets, legumes. Meat was consumed mainly on holidays. Fish was eaten much more often, dried, dried and boiled. In the summer, mushrooms and berries were collected in the forests.

In general, the life of the peasantry was closely connected with the beliefs of the ancient Slavs, who clearly defined the time for different kind work, leisure, marriage, etc.

Culture - it is a set of material and spiritual values ​​created by society. In this regard, it is customary to talk about material and spiritual culture. However, this division is conditional, since each work material culture is the result of a conscious human activity, and, at the same time, almost any work of spiritual culture (literary work, icon, painting, architectural structure) is expressed in a specific material form.

Culture is the process of revealing and developing the abilities of the individual in his conscious activity in a certain historical context. The development of ancient Russian culture took place in direct connection with the evolution of society and man, the formation of the state, and the strengthening of ties with other countries. During this period, the culture of Ancient Russia reached a high level, creating the basis for cultural development subsequent epochs.

Ancient Russian culture developed on the basis of the ancient Slavic culture, retaining many of its features. Owing to the fact that

Russia was strongly influenced by Byzantium, its culture was formed as a synthesis of cultures and traditions of the two states. The influence of the culture of the steppes also had an effect. Initially, culture developed under the influence of paganism. With the adoption of Christianity, the situation changed - the new religion sought to change people's ideas about morality, duty, and beauty. Orthodox self-consciousness begins to take shape. However, for a long time in Russia, dual faith persisted, i.e. Christianity coexisted with paganism, which played a significant role in the folding cultural potential reflecting this duality.

The appearance of writing is a qualitative leap in the development of culture. Already the treaties between Russia and Byzantium (the first half of the 10th century) had copies in the Slavic (Old Bulgarian) language. Christianization gave a new impetus to the development of writing. Translations of Greek liturgical books, historical writings, biographies of saints. Church scholars and translators from Byzantium and Bulgaria began to come to Russia. Translations of Greek and Bulgarian books of ecclesiastical and secular content appeared. Schools were opened at churches, literacy began to develop. Shortly after the adoption of Christianity, chronicles appear.

Creation of centers of writing and literacy, the emergence educated people in the princely-boyar and church-monastic environment determined the development ancient Russian literature, which took shape along with the development of chronicle writing, the growth of education in society, the formation of social thought. First famous author literary work became in Russia Metropolitan Hilarion. In the 40s. 11th century he created the “Sermon on Law and Grace”, in which, in a journalistic form, he outlined his understanding of the place of Russia in world history. Chronicles dominated in written culture. Russian chronicles were an original form of literary and historical work.

The original Russia was made of wood. The wooden architecture was distinguished by the multi-tiered structures, crowning them with turrets and towers, and the presence of outbuildings. With the advent of Christianity, Russia adopted from Byzantium the construction of churches on the model of a cross-domed church. The first stone temple was the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin (989-996, destroyed in 1240) In 1037

Yaroslav the Wise founded the stone St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv, which reflected a combination of Slavic and Byzantine traditions. In the XI century. grew up Sofia Cathedrals in other major centers of Russia - Novgorod, Polotsk, Chernigov.

Architecture flourished during the reign of Andrei Bogolyubsky in Vladimir. His name is associated with the construction of the Assumption Cathedral in Vladimir, located on the steep bank of the Klyazma, a white-stone palace in the village of Bogolyubovo, the Golden Gate in Vladimir. Under him, the Church of the Intercession on the Nerl was created. At the same time, temples were built in Novgorod, Smolensk, Chernigov, new fortresses were laid, stone palaces were built.

Old Russian art - painting, sculpture, music - begins to experience changes with the adoption of Christianity. Church art was subordinated to one goal - to sing of God, the exploits of the apostles, saints, church leaders. If in pagan art everything earthly, personifying nature, was affirmed, then church art sang the victory of the spirit over the flesh, affirmed high feats human soul for the moral principles of Christianity. Icons, which appear in the 10th century, were a necessary attribute of temples. They were brought to Russia from Byzantium, and Russian icon painting was influenced by the Byzantine school.

The most revered icon in Russia was the image of the Mother of God with a baby in her arms ( Our Lady of Vladimir), made by an unknown Greek painter on turn XI-XII centuries In the XII century. local icon-painting schools are formed, differing from each other in the manner of execution. The most famous were the Novgorod, Pskov, Yaroslavl and Kyiv schools. Characteristic features iconography, regardless of local traditions, there was a planar image, reverse perspective, symbolism of gestures and colors. The main attention was paid to the image of the face and hands. All this should have contributed to the perception of the icon as a divine image.

Fresco (painting with paints on wet plaster) and mosaics (images made of colored stones) developed. The appearance of written monuments led to the emergence of book miniature. The art of woodcarving was improved, and later on stone. Wooden carved decorations became a characteristic feature of the dwellings of townspeople and peasants, wooden temples. Utensils and dishes were famous for carving. Fine jewelry was created by gold and silver craftsmen.

In Russia, three musical directions: folk music, liturgical singing and secular singing. The feasts of the princes, as a rule, were accompanied by dances, songs, playing the musical instruments. At many princely courts, buffoons appeared - the first professional actors, combining a singer, musician, dancer, storyteller, acrobat. Buffoons played the harp, horns, pipes, bagpipes, tambourines. They participated in commemoration, weddings, seasonal festivities of the peasant calendar. Liturgical singing spread after the adoption of Christianity and immediately became a professional occupation. Orthodox religion does not know how to play musical instruments. At first, Greek and South Slavic singers participated in church services. Gradually, in singing, the distinctive properties inherent in the ancient Russian peoples became more and more pronounced.

An important element of culture was folklore - songs, legends, epics, proverbs, sayings, fairy tales. In wedding, drinking, funeral songs, the features of the life of people of that time were reflected. Special place in oral folk art occupied the epic epic, which expressed public consciousness, reflected moral ideals people.

Thus, having absorbed and creatively processed various artistic influences, ancient Russian culture on the basis of the emerging Orthodox self-consciousness, she put forward a system of values ​​and spiritual attitudes, which largely predetermined the development of the culture of individual lands of Russia during the period of political fragmentation and influenced subsequent cultural development.