The Eastern Slavs, also known as the East Slavs, are considered the majority ethnic group that gave rise to the modern Russian state that we know today; like Ukraine and Belarus. The primitive Eastern Slavs did not handle a written language, for that reason, little is known about them in their origins and what is mostly known is from IX century ADIt is known that the Slavs, although far from the main cultural centers of the time, played a very important role in the commercial area. They had skills for hunting, fishing and livestock, which allowed them to become a dominant ethnic group from the sixth century AD They settled in several areas, mainly north of present-day Moscow and their geographical location allowed them to control the trade route between Scandinavia, the Baltic Sea and the Greek colonies; establishing relationships with Vikings and Varangians.
The Drevlians were an East Slavic people who existed between the 6th and 10th centuries.
The legacy of Rus of Kiev
Kievan Rus was an ethnic group of East Slavs considered in Russia as the origin of their cultural legacy, was present from the late ninth century until the middle of the thirteenth century, lived during the reign of the Rurika dynasty.
Prince Vladimir the Great was the most influential cultural power in Kiev who achieved the Christianization of Kievan Rus after his visit to Constantinople. Byzantine art influenced the architecture of Kievan Rus as can be seen in:
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The Assumption Cathedral of the city of Vladimir
This cathedral was raised to pay homage to the Virgin Mary, considered the patron saint of Vladimir; being the main church of medieval Russia.
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The St. Sophia Cathedral in Veliky Novgorod
Built by Vladimir of Novgorod, considered the oldest Russian cathedral built between 1045 and 1052, declared by Unesco as a World Heritage Site in 1992. It has been restored several times as a result of fire and damage during the war.
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The Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kiev
First Ukrainian heritage, an architectural monument of Kievan Rus inspired by the Hagia Sophia Cathedral in Constantinople dedicated to the sacred wisdom of God. In its origins it was the place where the rulers of Rus de Kiev were buried. Today it functions as a museum of Ukrainian Christianity; In the 2007 was considered as one of the 7 wonders of Ukraine.
Eastern Slavs have meant an important cultural legacy for Russia. To know its origins is to get closer to our modern Russia.
