Figure Stone carvings of the Scythian warriors
(slide 41) In the middle of the 7th century B.C. Greek colonization of Northern seaside of the Black Sea started. Greeks founded here such city-states as Tira, Olvia (near modern Nikolaev), Chersonese (Sevastopol), Panticapaeum (Kerch), and Feodosia. These city states had been existed for about 1 millennium. Spread of Greek culture was facilitated by usage of written language. Literature, theatre, music, painting and sculpture played an important role in cultural life of Greek settlers. Antique sculptures, wall decoration, jewelry, graveside reliefs, and marmoreal carved sarcophaguses exist even nowadays, though after Christianity spread they were destroyed without mercy. From the 1st century B.C. – 3rd century A.D. Greek city-states submitted to Rome, that is why the influence of Roman antiquity on Ukrainian culture is traced. Now historical and archaeological Chersonese reserve was listed by UNESCO in a hundred of the world’s most outstanding monuments of culture in 1996.
At this period Slavonic tribes started to form an ethnic community. First written information about them (Veneds or Venets) is mentioned in Roman sources by Pliny the Elder, Tacitus, and Ptolemy. Later, Byzantine historians Jordan, Procopius Caesarean, and Johann Ephesian also mentioned Slavonic tribes.
Tacitus underlined that Veneds were people with high level of culture, they built nice houses, knew military order and discipline, they were well-equipped and brave in the struggle with enemies. Procopii Caesarean told about culture of Antes (tribes that lived between the Bug and the Dniester). He was sure that Sclavines and Antes were the parts of one people.
(slide 42) Pre-Slavonic culture was formed in the period between the 3rd century B.C. and the 2nd century A.D. It got the name “Zarubynetska culture” because one of the settlements of that time was found near Zarubyntsi village (Pereyaslav region). It accepted a lot of achievements of Eastern people. Settlements and burial grounds were the main categories of Zarubynetska culture: settlements had no precise plan of building; wooden houses were clayed, sometimes houses were rebuilt; people of this culture were settled peasants and had domestic animals; they were skillful in handicrafts; they knew fusing of iron and blacksmith’s affair; had loom and produced linen and woolen clothes; they made earthenware with the help of potter’s wheel.
(slide 43) In the 2nd century A.D. Zarubynetska culture stopped to exist. It was changed by a new one, the so called Chernyahivska culture (it received the name from Chernyahiv village near Kyiv). Famous archaeologist Vikentii Hvoika investigated this culture in 1899. It existed up to the 5th century. Representatives of Chernyahivska culture were also peasants, stock-raising and handicrafts were among their everyday activities. Before the burial ceremony they usually cremated a dead person. Kyivska culture existed at that time as well.
Agricultural character of their economy affected Slavonic way of life, names of months prove it: “sichen’” (January) was connected with the specific activity of cleaning the land from trees and bushes to prepare it for cultivation; “berezen’” (March), a month, when Slavs burnt trees for fertilization of soil, “kviten’” (April), a month, when all fruit trees in blossom; “traven’” (May), a month of grass; “serpen’” (August) – harvesttime. “Serp” means sickle, one of the main farming tools.
(slide 44) In the second half of 1st millennium in different regions of Ukraine there co-existed such cultures as Volynska (7-8th centuries), Luka-Raikovetska (8-9th centuries), Romenska (8-10th centuries) and others. People here united in tribal unities. According to old chronicle there were such tribes as: Duliby, Volynyany, Drevlyany, Polyany, Dregovychy, Ulychy, Tyvertsi, White Croatians, Siveryany, etc. The name “Rus” was first applied to their territory, people and culture in the 7th century A.D. Among all the tribes Polyany started to play the leading role with their center in Kyiv.
Early Slavs knew the nature of their region well. Agriculture needed knowledge of flora and fauna, basic elements of meteorology and astronomy. But people could not explain different phenomena, that is why they had a lot of Gods, who “patronized” different sides of their life. Perun (God of thunder and lightning) was the main God of Eastern Slavs, Dazhbog – a solar god, cared of the harvest, Strybog – a god of wind and weather, Svarog – was blackmith’s god, Lado – godess of home fire, Veles – god of animals, Yarylo and Kolyada were also respected by Eastern Slavs. With the help of gods Slavs cognized the world, understood changes of seasons, and relations with nature.
Figure Perun idol http://pravdaua.at.ua/photo/ jazichnictvo/image_1214/18-0-1475
The basis of heathen was worshipping to nature, the Sun was accepted like a source of life, land like wet-nurse of all alive organisms. At that time children had to bow touching the ground – it meant that they wished the person, who they met health, strength and generosity of mother-nature. Slavs cultivated in their children sensitive attitude to the environment. It was forbidden to hit the ground by stick. The ancient Slavs were the people of Vedic culture, therefore, it is more correct to call the ancient religion not paganism, but Vedism. The word "Veda" is corresponding to the modern Russian words "to manage", "to know." It is a peaceful religion of highly cultured people, akin to other religions, having common Vedic roots – those of Ancient India, Iran and Ancient Greece.
The first written monuments were things, which meant some message, and later (approximately in the 9th century) Rus people enjoyed inscriptions, carved on wood. Texts were squeezed out with a special tool – stylus on the birch bark.
The main forms of folklore included: retellings, bylinas (traditional heroic poems or heroic epic), songs, legends, etc., which proclaimed humanism, justice, and faithfulness to beloved.
Musical arts reached significant development, too. Eastern Slavs in ancient times used a variety of musical instruments, such as horns (гудки), pipes (свирели), gusli (ancient fretted instrument of Rusichi – струнный щипковый инструмент), tambourines (бубны), flutes and the like. Wandering minstrels, the so-called “skomorokhi”, were widely known performers of dance and songs.
Anthropotheocentrism is the main feature of Slavonic outlook. It means that all spheres of human, divine and natural understanding of the world are closely connected and parts of the Universe.
Monumental architecture developed before the Rus’ baptizing. Heathen wooden churches were built. King’s stone palace was built in Kyiv. Archaeologists proved that it was decorated by frescoes, mosaic, and inlays (инкрустациями). Heathen religion formed specific culture and values. Christianity spread slowly, painfully, and violently for the majority of people… May be because of that heathen beliefs were strong and people did not forget them absolutely. For a long time people worshipped to their heathen gods and Christianity here had to be adapted to this situation. Many heathen celebrations left in our culture (Maslyana (end of winter), Ivan Kupala (top of summer), etc.). Actually, it was specific syncretic faith, a kind of Rus’ Christianity.