history of the Slavic peoples described in the ancient Russian chronicle - "Tale of Bygone Years".It reports on the glades, who inhabited the Middle Dnieper near Kiev, about drevlyans inhabiting the wooded and swampy Pripyat Polesie.On the northern border of the ancient Eastern Slavic world's population lives along the coast of Lake Ilmen Ilmen Slovenia, between the Western Dvina and Pripyat - Dregovichi that coexisted with Kriviches.The latter is a rather large tribe, which later broke up into three parts.Thus, they formed tribes Pskov, Smolensk and Polotsk Krivichy.From the steppe areas neighboring fields were northerners, and along the banks of the river Sozh lived radzimichy.Oka River basin inhabited vyatichi.The southernmost territory, virtually the Black Sea coast, was occupied Tivertsy and convict.
origin and settlement of the Slavs in the form in which it appears in the record, for a long time caused historians doubt.However, in the early 20th century archeology has confirmed the scheme.
obzhivaya such a vast territory, Slavic tribes clashed with representatives of other nations who are already living in Eastern Europe before they ever came along with them.This naturally formed or that the relations between nations.
neighbors of the Eastern Slavs - the Balts - occupied quite a vast area.According to reports, they lived up to the area of modern Moscow.This is indicated by the results of studies of toponymy (place names).
Finno-Ugric peoples - neighbors of the Eastern Slavs in the north-east.In areas near the southern Iranian-speaking tribes lived, are the descendants of the Sarmatians.
life was in periodic military clashes, is replaced by peaceful relations, have been assimilation.Neighbors of the Eastern Slavs in some degree influenced the development of the tribes in life were different elements of other cultures.The interaction of tradition was the most important phenomenon of the period.
Some neighbors of the Eastern Slavs were able to form a sufficiently strong tribal unions, and some - early-education.With such nations were fairly complex relationship.So, Bulgarians in the middle of the 7th century have created one of these entities.The internal turmoil and external pressures contributed to the fact that part of the Bulgarians migrated to the Danube.There they conquered the local tribes of southern Slavs.The other part of the Bulgarians, having moved to the north-east, has settled at the bottom of the Kama River and the middle reaches of the Volga, forming Bulgaria.For a long time this state is a real threat to the eastern Slavs.
In the second half of the 7th century the Bulgarians began to press Turkic tribes - the Khazars.Since the last settled on the Lower Volga region, the Crimea, the Northern Black Sea, the North Caucasus.Thus was formed the Khazar Khanate.The center of the state was located in the lower reaches of the Volga.True, "ethnic" Khazar Turks were not much larger part of the population were representatives raznoetnicheskih nationalities (including Slavs), the descendants of Saltovo-Mayaki culture.
in Scandinavia lived Normans.They represented to the ancient Slavs considerable danger.In the 9th century the Vikings (so-called Norman) performed a huge number of raids on the territory of Slavic settlements.However, in the fight against the enemies strengthened the military organization of the population.The Slavs were the princes of the military leaders.Like other nations, the Slavs had been circulated centesimal system where each tribe fielded a hundred soldiers.
