Byzantium and the early Rus’, with Monica White
A conversation with Monica White about the earliest contacts between Constantinople and the first Rus’-Varangian raiders, traders, and mercenaries to cross the Black Sea. Who were these people, what did they want, and how did contact with East Roman culture change them?
New Medieval Books: The Ruling Families of Rus
A look at the history of Rus, Lithuania, Moscovy and Tver from the 11th through to the 15th century through the members of the Volodimerovich clan. Each chapter focuses on a ruler and their family.
Ukrainian security forces raid medieval monastery
The home of a monastery dating back to the 11th century was raided by Ukrainian security services yesterday. The monks inside were accused of supporting the Russian invasion of the country.
Norse traded walrus ivory in Kyiv, study finds
An archaeological dig in Kyiv in 2007 yielded amazing results.
British authorities seize medieval metalwork smuggled from Ukraine
A collection of medieval metalwork that was smuggled from Ukraine has been seized by the British government. It is now on display at the British Museum and will eventually be sent to the National Museum of History of Ukraine in Kyiv.
Princess Olga: A Medieval Hero for Modern Ukraine
Princess Olga, the tenth-century ruler of Kyiv and all Rus, is a fitting figure to represent the current Ukrainian challenge given her wit, wisdom, and fighting spirit.
Early Icons of Kyivan Rus’
A look at some of the beautiful icons created in Kyivan Rus.
What medieval warfare can teach us about the invasion of Ukraine
Military campaigns that took place in Ukraine and Russia during the Middle Ages offer insights into how environmental factors may place a decisive role in the current war for Ukraine.
Ukraine as Europe: Medieval and Modern
We need to go back further to understand the early history of the region to accurately understand that Ukraine is, and was, part of Europe.
A Key Monument of Medieval Rus’: The Cathedral of Saint Sophia in Kyiv
The people of Ukraine and the local cultural heritage of medieval Rus’ are in the crossfires of Russia’s ongoing attacks. What the world is witnessing is tragic, and the consequences to human life and to the medieval monuments that still stand in the historic cities of Ukraine, are irrecuperable.
How the borders of Russia and Ukraine changed in the Middle Ages
The countries of Russia and Ukraine can trace their history back to the Middle Ages. Here are five videos to explain the development of various medieval states in that region.
Struggle for East-European Empire 1400 – 1700 : The Crimean Khanate, Ottomans and the Rise of the Russian Empire
By the middle of the 15th century, in Eastern Europe instead of one dominant imperial power there were newly rising states which eventually came to compete for supremacy over the whole region
The Crimea on the Map of South Sarmatia by Bernard Wapowski
The purpose of the present article is publication and analysis of the content of the map of the Crimea, practically unknown in Ukraine, which is a part of the map of the South Sarmatia of 1526 by ‘the father of the Polish Cartography’ Bernard Wapowski.
National Identity and History Writing in Ukraine
This article focuses on one aspect of the contestation in history writing between Ukraine and Russia; that of the medieval state of Kyiv Rus.
Nation Building, History Writing and Competition over the Legacy of Kyiv Rus in Ukraine
This article surveys the history of Kyiv Rus within the realm of nation building, identity and historical myths.
The Effects of the Mongol Empire on Russia
This paper looks at the Mongol Empire’s impacts on Russia in terms of religion, art, language, government, and the ultimate rise of Moscow.
A Distant World: Russian Relations with Europe Before Peter the Great
Despite their isolation and poverty, the Slavic plowmen succeeded in settling this unforgiving region, expanding their numbers, and, most importantly, creating the beginnings of a trading network along the many rivers of the region—the western Dvina, the Volkhov, the northern Dvina, and the Dniepr and its tributaries.
Slavic Paganism
Before the advent of Christianity, the European population practiced various forms of paganism. Pagan beliefs were not centralized or codified; they exhibited specific regional characteristics that developed within relatively small territories (Afanas’ev). Slavic cities had differing pantheons comprised of deities whom the inhabitants considered to be most important.
Folk narratives and legends as sources of widespread idioms: Toward a Lexicon of Common Figurative Units
On the one hand, stories (particularly fables) have been de- rived from already existing proverbs, from antiquity up to early modern times. On the other hand, a story in its summarised form can live on in a proverb or an idiom, even if the knowledge of this story has been forgotten for a long time.
A Reconstruction of the Flora and Vegetation in the Central Area of Early Medieval Kyiv, Ukraine, Based on the Results of Palynological Investigations
A Reconstruction of the Flora and Vegetation in the Central Area of Early Medieval Kyiv, Ukraine, Based on the Results of Palynological Investigations…
Women’s Clothing in Kievan Rus
Women’s Clothing in Kievan Rus La Rus, Sofya Kies, Mka Lisa Medieval Textiles, Issue.27 (2001) Abstract Women’s clothing in 10th to 15th century Rus’, as…
The Struggle over control of Kiev in 1235 and 1236
The Struggle over control of Kiev in 1235 and 1236 By Martin Dimnik Canadian Slavonic Papers, Vol.21 (1979) Introduction: The years 1235 and…
The Baptism of Kiev
A thousand years ago, in 988, the Slav principality of Kievan Rus’, or Kievan Russia, came into being as one of a cluster of Christian States in Europe
Standards of Living, Order, and Prestige: Public Facilities in Early Fifteenth-Century Lviv (Lemberg)
Standards of Living, Order, and Prestige: Public Facilities in Early Fifteenth-Century Lviv (Lemberg) By Rostyslav Paranko Medium Aevum Quotidianum n.42 (2000) Introduction: This contribution is…