The problem of city formation in ancient Rus'. Ancient cities in Ancient Rus': names, education and development

Cities appeared in ancient times. These were fortified settlements of farmers and cattle breeders. The Russian word “city” comes from the words “fence”, “fence”. The settlement was surrounded by a defensive fence - an earthen rampart, palisade or wall.

In Ancient Rus', a city was any residential place surrounded by such a protective fence. Over time, city residents began to engage in crafts and trade, and markets and fairs appeared everywhere. The trading area was called a trading area. Merchants' shops and public buildings were located here. Guest courtyards were built for visiting merchants. Cities often arose along the banks of seas and rivers or at crossroads: it was easier for merchants to bring goods on ships or horses. The proximity of a crossing - a bridge or a ford - also mattered. Sometimes a city arose next to a portage - a dry route along which shipmen “dragged” ships with goods from one river to another (this is how Volokolamsk appeared). Sometimes a city grew up around a large monastery (like Sergiev Posad).

The city consisted of a fortress (kremlin) and a suburb. The posad was divided into settlements. In each of them lived artisans of one profession - potters, tanners, blacksmiths. The city could appear at the will of a prince or king. Thus, Vladimir-on-Klyazma was founded by Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich. And while preparing a campaign against Kazan, Tsar Ivan the Terrible ordered the construction of the Sviyazhsk fortress on the Sviyaga River, a tributary of the Volga.

The city survived if its district had well-established agriculture. City life had an imprint of village life. Enemies often burned ancient cities to the ground, but the inhabitants rebuilt them from the ashes and ruins. The city could “disappear” if the small principality to which it belonged ceased to exist or the reserves of valuable raw materials in the area for the extraction of which the city was built were depleted. People also left the “restless” cities, tired of the constant raids of the steppe nomads.

There were many artisans among the residents. The townspeople were served by “costume” craftsmen (weavers, tailors, tanners), “food preparation” craftsmen (pancake makers, butchers, fermenters), and “construction” craftsmen (boilermakers, masons, locksmiths). The life of merchants passed at the auction. There were service people in the city, led by a governor, as well as military men - archers, gunners, collars.

What is an ancient Russian city like? The city was made of wood. Temples and rarely chambers were built from stone. Residential buildings were most often one-story. Often, a city surrounded by a wooden (and later stone) wall and moat was additionally protected by an earthen rampart or another wooden wall. People lived between the Kremlin and these fortifications. So, in the center of Moscow there was the Kremlin and Kitay-Gorod. At a distance from them there was another protective wall - the White City. And then came the next fortification - an earthen rampart.

From its very appearance, Rus' was famous for its densely populated and fortified villages. It was so famous that the Varangians, who later began to rule it, called the Slavic lands “Gardariki” - a country of cities. The Scandinavians were amazed by the fortifications of the Slavs, since they themselves spent most of their lives at sea. Now we can figure out what the ancient Russian city is and why it is famous.

Reasons for appearance

It is no secret that man is a social being. For better survival, he needs to gather in groups. And if earlier the tribe became such a “center of life,” then with the disappearance of barbaric customs it was necessary to look for a civilized replacement.

In fact, the emergence of cities in people's lives is so natural that it could hardly be otherwise. They differ from a village or village in one important factor - the fortifications that protected the settlements. In other words, walls. It is from the word “fence” (fortification) that the word “city” comes from.

The formation of ancient Russian cities is associated, first of all, with the need for protection from enemies and the creation of an administrative center for the principality. After all, it was in them that the “blue blood” of Rus' was most often found. A sense of security and comfort was important to these people. All traders and artisans flocked here, turning the settlements into Novgorod, Kiev, Lutsk, bustling with life.

In addition, the newly created settlements became excellent trading centers; merchants from all over the world could flock here, receiving the promise of being under the protection of a military squad. Due to the incredible importance of trade, cities in Rus' were most often built on the banks of rivers (for example, the Volga or Dnieper), since at that time waterways were the safest and fastest way to transport goods. Settlements along the river banks became richer than ever before.

Population

First of all, the city could not exist without a ruler. It was either the prince or his deputy. The building in which he lived was the richest secular housing; it became the center of the settlement. He resolved various legal issues and established procedures.

The second part of the ancient Russian city is the boyars - people close to the prince and capable of influencing him directly with their words. They occupied various official positions and lived in such settlements richer than anyone, except perhaps the merchants, but they did not stay in one place for long. At that time, their life was an endless road.

Next, we need to remember about the various artisans of all possible professions, from icon painters to blacksmiths. As a rule, their living quarters were located inside the city, and their work workshops were outside the walls.

And the last in the social ladder were the peasants; they did not live inside the settlement, but were located on the lands that they cultivated. As a rule, people entered the Old Russian gorodon only for trade or legal matters.

Cathedral

The center of the ancient Russian city is the church. The cathedral, located in front of the main square, was a real symbol. The most monumental, decorated and rich building, the temple was the center of spiritual power.

The larger the city became, the more churches appeared inside it. But none of them had the right to be grander than the main and first temple, which personified the entire settlement. Princely cathedrals, parish and house churches - they all seemed to reach out to the main spiritual center.

Monasteries played a special role, which sometimes became literally cities within cities. Often a fortified settlement could arise precisely around the place of residence of the monks. Then the main temple of the monastery became dominant in the spiritual life of the city.

Cathedrals were actively decorated, and gilded domes appeared for a reason: they were visible for many kilometers, and they were a “guiding star” for travelers and lost souls. The temple, with its splendor, was supposed to remind people that earthly life is nothing, and only God’s beauty, which was the church, can be considered true.

Gates

Gates, of which there were up to four in fortified villages (on the cardinal points), were, oddly enough, given great importance. As the only passage into the ancient Russian city, they represented enormous symbolic meaning: “to open the gates” meant to give the city to the enemy.

They tried to decorate the gates as much as possible, and it would be better to make at least one of them a grand entrance through which the prince and noble people would enter. They were supposed to instantly shock the visitor and testify to the prosperity and happiness of the local residents. No money or effort was spared on the good finishing of the gates; the entire city often repaired them.

It was also customary to consider them a kind of sacred place, which was protected not only by earthly troops, but also by saints. In the rooms above the gate there were often many icons, and right next to them there was a small chapel, the purpose of which was to protect the entrance by the Will of God.

Bargain

A small area, usually near a river (most settlements were founded around them), was a necessary part of economic life. The ancient Russian cities of Russia could hardly have existed without trade, the main ones of which were merchants.

Here, at the auction, they placed and unloaded their goods, and this is where the main transactions took place. Often, spontaneously, a market appeared here. Not the one where peasants traded, but a rich place created for the city elite with a lot of foreign goods and expensive jewelry. It represented not a symbolic, but a true “sign of quality” of the settlement. It was from the bargaining that one could understand how rich the settlement was, because the merchant would not stand idle where there was no profit.

Mansions

The embodiment of secular power was the residence of the prince or governor. It was not only the residence of the ruler, but also an administrative building. Various legal issues were resolved here, trials took place, and troops gathered before campaigns. It was often the most fortified place in the city, with a protected courtyard, where all residents had to run in the event of a military threat.

Around the ruler's chambers there were less wealthy boyar houses. Most often they were made of wood, unlike a prince’s house, which could be afforded. Old Russian cities were architecturally rich precisely thanks to the dwellings of the nobility, who tried to decorate their home as much as possible and show their material wealth.

Ordinary people lived in separate wooden one-story houses or huddled in barracks, which most often stood on the very edge of the city.

Fortifications

As already mentioned, the cities of the ancient Russian state were created, first of all, to protect people. For this purpose, fortifications were organized.

At first the walls were wooden, but over time stone defensive structures appeared more and more often. It is clear that only wealthy princes could afford such a “pleasure”. Fortifications made from heavy logs pointed at the top were called forts. A similar word originally designated every city in the Old Russian language.

In addition to the palisade itself, the settlement was protected by an earthen rampart. In general, most often settlements appeared in advantageous strategic points. In the lowlands, the city would not last long (until the first military conflict), and therefore most often they were based on high points. We can say that we know nothing about poorly fortified settlements, because they instantly disappeared from the face of the earth.

Layout

For modern, very chaotic and confusing settlements, the real example is the ancient Russian city. The fortress, in which most of the population lived, was truly skillfully and precisely planned, as nature itself would dictate.

Essentially, the cities of that time were round in shape. In the middle, as already mentioned, stood two important centers: spiritual and secular. This is the main cathedral and the prince's estate. Around them, twisting in a spiral, were the rich houses of the boyars. Thus, wrapping around, for example, a hill, the city descended lower and lower, to the walls. Inside, it was divided into “streets” and “ends,” which ran like threads through the spirals and went from the gate to the main center.

A little later, with the development of settlements, the workshops, which were initially located outside the main line, were also surrounded by walls, creating secondary fortifications. Gradually, over the centuries, cities grew in exactly this way.

Kyiv

Of course, the modern capital of Ukraine is the most famous ancient Russian city. In it you can find confirmation of all the theses stated above. In addition, it must be considered the first truly large fortified village on the territory of the Slavs.

The main city, surrounded by fortifications, was located on a hill, and Podol was occupied by workshops. There, next to the Dnieper, there was a market. The main entrance to Kyiv, its main entrance, is the famous Golden Gate, which, as was said, had not only practical, but also sacred significance, especially since they were named after the gates of Constantinople.

It became the spiritual center of the city. It was to him that other temples and churches gravitated, which he surpassed in both beauty and grandeur.

Velikiy Novgorod

Old Russian cities in Russia cannot be listed without mentioning. This densely populated center of the principality served a very important purpose: it was an extremely “European” city. It was here that diplomats and traders from the Old World flocked, since Novgorod was located in the middle of the trade routes of Europe and the rest of Rus'.

The main thing that we have now received thanks to Novgorod is an incomparably huge number of different historical monuments. There is a unique opportunity to see them right now by buying a plane ticket because Novgorod was not destroyed and captured during the Mongol yoke, although it paid an exorbitant tribute.

The so-called “Novgorod Kremlin”, or Novgorod Detinets, is widely known. These fortifications served as a reliable fort for the great city for a long time. In addition, one cannot fail to mention Yaroslav's Dvorishche - a huge district of Novgorod on the banks of the Volkhov, where there was a market and many houses of a wide variety of wealthy merchants. In addition, it is assumed that it was there that the prince’s monastery was located, although it has still not been possible to find it in Veliky Novgorod, perhaps due to the absence of an integral princely system as such in the history of the settlement.

Moscow

The history of ancient Russian cities, of course, cannot be described without the presence in the list of such a grandiose settlement as Moscow. It had the opportunity to grow and become the center of modern Russia thanks to its unique location: virtually every major northern trade route passed by it.

Of course, the main historical attraction of the city is the Kremlin. It is with it that the first associations now arise when this word is mentioned, although initially it simply meant “fortress.” Initially, as for all cities, the defense of Moscow was made of wood and much later acquired the familiar appearance.

The Kremlin also houses the main temple of Moscow - the Assumption Cathedral, which has been perfectly preserved to this day. Its appearance literally embodies the architecture of its time.

Bottom line

Many names of ancient Russian cities were not mentioned here, but the goal was not to create a list of them. Three are enough to clearly demonstrate how conservative the Russian people were in establishing settlements. And you can’t say that they had this quality undeservedly; no, the appearance that the cities had was dictated by the very nature of survival. The plan was as practical as possible and, in addition, created a symbol of the real center of the region, which the fortified settlements were. Now such construction of cities is no longer relevant, but it is possible that someday they will talk about our architecture in the same way.

Russian chronicles, Byzantine and other sources tell us about the existence of cities on the territory of Ancient Rus'. The Scandinavians mention the territory of Ancient Rus' as a country of cities and call it Gardaria. It is possible, with a high degree of probability, to list at least 25 large ones that existed in the ancient Russian state already in the 9th-10th centuries. These cities are mentioned in Russian chronicles. Their names sound Slavic roots - Beloozero, Belgorod, Vasilev, Izborsk, Vyshgorod, Vruchey, Iskorosten, Ladoga, Kiev, Lyubich, Novgorod, Murom, Peresechen, Przemysl, Pskov, Polotsk, Pereyaslavl, Smolensk, Rostov, Rodnya, Turov, Cherven , Chernigov. Failure to be mentioned in the chronicles does not mean that the city did not exist. For example, the ancient Russian city of Suzdal was mentioned for the first time in chronicles in the 11th year, although archaeological excavations confirm that the city existed much earlier. The same is with other cities; they appeared much earlier than the chronicles mention them. For example, the Byzantine emperor Constantine Bagryanorodsky left a description of the ancient Russian cities that were located on the way “from the Varangians to the Greeks.” Historians have learned that the ancient Russian city of Vitichev, which is mentioned in the Russian chronicle only in the 11th century, is one or two centuries older.

The existence of cities is confirmation of the existence of a state. Cities arose as centers of administrative control, the development of crafts, and, of course, the perpetual motion machine of civilization - trade. The territory of the ancient Russian state was crossed by two busy military and trade routes - the Volga and “from the Varangians to the Greeks.” The most ancient, the Volga route, connected Scandinavia and the states located on the shores of the Caspian Sea. On its way, cities such as Pereslavl and Chernigov arose and rapidly developed , Rostov. But in the 10th century, the Pechenegs cut off this trade route for many centuries, which also affected the development of cities. The situation was completely different with the cities that arose on the way “from the Varangians to the Greeks.” Lively trade between distant regions had a beneficial effect on the development of cities. From small settlements they grew into military-administrative centers that controlled river systems. Cities became centers of a wide variety of crafts, which were used not only in the cities themselves, but also became items of trade. The very term “city” in the Middle Ages in Rus' had a completely different meaning than it does now. It was a settlement that necessarily had a fortification. It doesn’t matter what it was - in the form of an earthen rampart or a wooden fortress, but it should have been an obstacle to unexpected or unwanted guests. Therefore, the location for the city was chosen taking into account natural barriers - an island in the river, hills or impassable swamps. In addition to the natural barrier, additional fortifications were installed. If there was an opportunity, and there were enough workers, then an artificial earthen obstacle was built around the city - an earthen moat. This made it possible to further strengthen the city with an earthen rampart and made it difficult for opponents to access the settlement. Wooden fortifications in ancient Russian cities were called kremlin or detinets. Actually, the city was everything that was inside the kremlin.

Residents of ancient Russian cities were not much different from peasants. They were engaged in growing vegetable gardens, orchards and keeping domestic animals. Archaeologists find bones not only of horses, but also of cows, pigs, and sheep. The central place is the city square. It was the site of city meetings, when residents elected or drove away the prince, and traded. In the pre-Christian period, all kinds of rituals were held here. After the adoption of the Christian faith, the central place of the city, as a rule, became the temple and the square in front of it. These were the ancient Russian cities during the early feudal period.

Introduction.

The question of when the Slavs appeared on the territory where the Old Russian state later formed has not yet been finally resolved. Some researchers believe that the Slavs are the original population of this territory, others believe that non-Slavic tribes lived here, and the Slavs moved here much later, only in the middle of the 1st millennium AD. In any case, Slavic settlements of the 6th - 7th centuries. on the territory of modern Ukraine are already well known. They are located in the southern part of the forest-steppe, almost on the border of the steppes. Apparently, the situation here at that time was quite calm and there was no need to fear enemy attacks - Slavic settlements were built unfortified. Later, the situation changed dramatically: hostile nomadic tribes appeared in the steppes, and they began to build here near the city.

Apparently, the emergence of cities was a consequence of the successes of the eastern trade of the Slavs, which began in the 8th century, and there was the emergence of the most ancient trading cities in Rus'. The story of the beginning of the Russian land does not remember when these cities arose: Kyiv, Pereslavl. Chernigov, Smolensk, Lyubech, Novgorod, Rostov, Polotsk. At the moment from which she begins her story about Rus', most of these cities, if not all of them, apparently were already significant settlements. A quick glance at the geographical location of these cities is enough to see that they were created by the successes of Russian foreign trade. Most of them stretched out in a long chain along the main river route “from the Varangians to the Greeks,” along the Dnieper-Volkhov line; only a few, Pereslavl on Trubezh, Chernigov on the Desna. Rostov in the Upper Volga region, moved to the east from this, so to speak, operational basis of Russian trade as its eastern outposts, indicating its flank direction to the Azov and Caspian Seas. The emergence of these large trading cities was the completion of a complex economic process that began among the Slavs in their new places of residence. We saw that the Eastern Slavs settled along the Dnieper and its tributaries in solitary fortified courtyards. With the development of trade, prefabricated trading posts, places of industrial exchange, where trappers and beekeepers came together to trade, to visit, as they said in the old days, arose among these one-yard houses. Such collection points were called graveyards. Subsequently, with the adoption of Christianity, in these local rural markets, as usual human gatherings, Christian churches were first of all erected: then the graveyard received the meaning of the place where the rural parish church stands. The dead were buried near churches: this is where the significance of the graveyard as a cemetery came from. Rural administrative divisions coincided with the parishes or were associated with them: this gave the churchyard the meaning of a rural volost. But all these are later meanings of the term: originally this was the name for prefabricated trading and “living” places. Small rural markets were drawn to larger ones that arose along especially busy trade routes. From these large markets, which served as intermediaries between native industrialists and foreign markets, our ancient trading cities grew along the Greek-Varangian trade route. These cities served as trading centers and main storage points for the industrial districts that formed around them. These are two important economic consequences that accompanied the settlement of the Slavs along the Dnieper and its tributaries:

1) the development of the external southern and eastern, Black Sea-Caspian trade of the Slavs and the forestry industries caused by it,

2) the emergence of the most ancient cities in Rus' with commercial and industrial districts stretching towards them. Both of these facts can be attributed to the 8th century.

The word city in the Old Russian language meant a fortified settlement, in contrast to a village or village - an unfortified village. Therefore, any fortified place was called a city, both a city in the socio-economic meaning of the word, and a fortress itself or a feudal castle, a fortified boyar or princely estate. Everything that was surrounded by a fortress wall was considered a city. Moreover, until the 17th century. this word was often used to describe the defensive walls themselves.

In ancient Russian written sources, especially in chronicles, there are a huge number of references to the siege and defense of fortified points and the construction of fortifications - cities.

The fortifications of early Slavic cities were not very strong; their task was only to delay the enemy, to prevent him from suddenly breaking into the village and, in addition, to provide the defenders with cover from where they could hit the enemies with arrows. Yes, the Slavs in the 8th-9th centuries, and partly even in the 10th century, did not yet have the opportunity to build powerful fortifications - after all, at that time the early feudal state was just being formed here. Most of the settlements belonged to free, relatively unpopulated territorial communities; They, of course, could not build powerful fortress walls around the settlement on their own or count on anyone’s help in their construction. Therefore, they tried to build fortifications in such a way that the main part of them consisted of natural barriers.

The most suitable for this purpose were islands in the middle of a river or in a difficult swamp. A wooden fence or palisade was built along the edge of the site and that was all. True, such fortifications also had very significant flaws. First of all, in everyday life the connection between such a settlement and the surrounding area was very inconvenient. In addition, the size of the settlement here depended entirely on the natural size of the island; it was impossible to increase its area. And most importantly, it is not always and not everywhere that you can find such an island with a platform protected by natural barriers on all sides. Therefore, island-type fortifications were used, as a rule, only in swampy areas. Typical examples of such a system are some fortifications of the Smolensk and Polotsk lands.

Where there were few swamps, but there were moraine hillocks in abundance, fortified settlements were built on outlier hills. This technique was widespread in the northwestern regions of Rus'. However, this type of defense system is also associated with certain geographical conditions; Separate hills with steep slopes on all sides are also not found everywhere. Therefore, the cape type of fortified settlement became the most common. For their construction, a cape was chosen, bounded by ravines or at the confluence of two rivers. The settlement turned out to be well protected by water or steep slopes on the sides, but had no natural protection on the floor side. This is where it was necessary to build artificial earthen obstacles - to tear off a ditch. This increased the labor costs for the construction of fortifications, but also provided enormous advantages: in almost any geographical conditions it was very easy to find a convenient place and select in advance the desired size of the territory to be fortified. In addition, the earth obtained by tearing off the ditch was usually poured along the edge of the site, thus creating an artificial earthen rampart, which made it even more difficult for the enemy to gain access to the settlement.

By the beginning of the 9th century. There were about 24 large cities in Rus'. The Varangians (Normans), who walked through this territory along the routes from the Varangians to the Greeks or from the Varangians to the Persians, called Rus' Gardarika - the country of Cities. In the center of the ancient Russian city, fortified naturally and (or) artificially, there was a detinets (krom-kremlin), which was surrounded by the villages of artisans, and on the outskirts there were settlements (settlements).

This is how the Eastern Slavs built their fortifications until the second half of the 10th century, when the ancient Russian early feudal state - Kievan Rus - finally emerged.

The role of cities in the economic, political and spiritual life of Rus'

The formation of the Old Russian state was closely connected with the process of transformation, the development of the world of impenetrable thickets, swamps and endless steppes that surrounded man in Eastern Europe. The core of the new world was the city - a “humanized”, “cultivated” territory reclaimed from nature. Orderly, urbanized space turned into the support of a new social organization.

“In cities,” writes V.P. Darkevich, “the preoccupation of the individual with his family disappears, his status does not dissolve in the status of the group to the same extent as in barbarian society. Already in the early cities of Novgorod-Kievan Rus, society experienced a state of disintegration. But with destruction of the former organic groups in which each individual was included, society is being rebuilt on a new basis. People of the most diverse social status and ethnicity are flocking to the cities, under the shadow of princely power. Solidarity and mutual assistance are an indispensable condition for survival in the extreme conditions of famines, epidemics and enemy invasions. But socio-psychological integration processes take place under completely different conditions."

Cities, undoubtedly, were the centers of economic, political and spiritual life of Ancient Rus'.

“It was the cities that protected Rus' from disastrous isolationism. They played a leading role in the development of political, economic and cultural ties with Byzantium and Danube Bulgaria, the Muslim countries of Western Asia, the Turkic nomads of the Black Sea steppes and the Volga Bulgars, with the Catholic states of Western Europe. In an urban environment, especially in the largest centers, heterogeneous cultural elements were assimilated, fused, processed and comprehended in their own way, which, in combination with local characteristics, gave the ancient Russian civilization a unique originality.”

In the study of the cities of pre-Mongol Rus', domestic historians and archaeologists have achieved serious success.

What is an ancient Russian city?

At the same time, a significant number of problems have accumulated that require resolution. The first question that needs to be answered: what is an ancient Russian city? For all its “obviousness,” the answer to it is not at all as simple as it might seem at first glance. If we proceed from the etymology of the word “city” (related to “pole”), then it should be recognized that this is, first of all, a fenced (fortified) settlement. However, the etymological approach cannot always satisfy the historian. He records only the earliest stage of the history of the word, but cannot say anything about what was actually called the city at a later time. Indeed, a “city” in ancient Russian sources until the 16th century. fenced settlements and fortresses were called, regardless of their economic importance. At a later time, craft and trading settlements and large settlements began to be called this way (despite the vagueness of the definition of “large”), regardless of whether they had fortifications or not. In addition, when it comes to historical research, the term “city” does not mean exactly what (and sometimes not at all) what was meant by this word in Ancient Rus'.

What is the most ancient city in Rus'? This question is very common among scientists, since they still cannot come to a single answer. Moreover, even archaeologists with all the possibilities and prospects also cannot come to a specific solution. There are 3 most common versions that tell us which one is the most ancient in Rus'.

Derbent is the oldest city in Russia

The most common version on the topic of the most ancient cities of Russia comes down to Derbent, which first became known thanks to the chronicles of the 8th century BC. Of course, there is no exact date, but there is one “but” in this version. At the time of the emergence of this city, neither Kievan Rus nor the Russian Empire existed.

Until recently, the settlement in question could not be called a city, and it was not part of Russia until the conquest of the Caucasus. Based on these statements, many doubts arise about whether Derbent is really the most ancient city in Rus'. It is worth noting that there are not so few supporters of this statement in our time.

If we talk about the ancient name of this city, it sounds like the Caspian Gate. Miletus Hecataeus (geographer of Ancient Greece) first remembers this city. During its development, the city was destroyed more than once, subjected to assault, and decline. But despite this, its history still has periods of real prosperity. Nowadays, you can see a large number of museums here. This city is a popular tourist destination.

The oldest Russian city is Veliky Novgorod

The next version is more ambitious, and it comes down to the city of Veliky Novgorod. Almost every native resident of this city is confident in this statement.
The founding date of Veliky Novgorod is 859. This city, which is washed by the Volkhov River, is the ancestor of Christianity in Rus'. A large number of architectural monuments, as well as the Kremlin itself, remember the long-time rulers of the state. Supporters of this version insist that the city of Novgorod was a city of Russia at all stages of its development. Another important factor is the question of calculating the specific age of this city.

Old Ladoga is a contender for the title of the most ancient city in Russia

Most historians who study the most ancient cities of Russia are inclined to the third version: the oldest city is Old Ladoga. Nowadays Ladoga has the status of a city, and the first mentions of it can be dated back to the middle of the 8th century. It is worth noting that on the territory of the city you can even see preserved tombstones, the founding date of which is 921.

Already in the 9th-11th centuries, Ladoga was a port city where various ethnic cultures came into contact (these are Slavs, Finns and Scandinavians). On the site of the modern city, merchant caravans gathered and active trade took place. In the chronicles, Ladoga was first mentioned among the ten most ancient cities in Russia in 862.

It is worth noting that the President of Russia plans to nominate this city for the title of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. To achieve this, the President decided to conduct additional historical research in the vicinity of Ladoga. On the territory of the city, the oldest church has been preserved, where, according to scientists, the baptism of the descendants of Rurik, famous in the history of Rus', took place.

In other words, today the list of ancient cities in Russia is Veliky Novgorod, Stary Ladoga, Derbent. There will be a lot of debate around this issue until scientists find solid evidence in favor of one option or another.

Video: Derbent. The most ancient city in Rus'

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