Memphis, Babylon, Thebes - all of them were once the largest centers, but only the name remains of them. However, there are cities that have existed throughout human history, from the Stone Age to the present day.
Jericho (West Bank)
At the very foot of the Judean Mountains, opposite the confluence of the Jordan into the Dead Sea, is located the most ancient city on earth - Jericho. Traces of settlements dating back to the 10th-9th millennium BC were found here. e. It was a permanent site of the Pre-Pottery Neolithic A culture, whose representatives built the first Wall of Jericho. The Stone Age defensive structure was four meters high and two meters wide. Inside it was a powerful eight-meter tower, which was obviously used for ritual purposes. Its ruins have survived to this day.
The name Jericho (in Hebrew Yericho), according to one version, comes from the word meaning “smell” and “fragrance” - “reach”. According to another, from the word moon - “yareah”, which could have been revered by the founders of the city. We find the first written mention of it in the book of Joshua, which describes the fall of the walls of Jericho and the capture of the city by the Jews in 1550 BC. e. By that time, the city was already a powerful fortified fortress, whose system of seven walls was a real labyrinth. Not without reason - Jericho had something to protect. It was located at the crossroads of three important trade routes in the Middle East, right in the middle of a lush oasis with plenty of fresh water and fertile soil. For the inhabitants of the desert, this is a real promised land.
Jericho was the first city to be captured by the Israelites. It was completely destroyed, and all the inhabitants were killed, with the exception of the harlot Rahab, who had previously sheltered the Jewish scouts, for which she was spared.
Today, Jericho, located in the West Bank of Jordan, is a disputed territory between Palestine and Israel that remains in an area of constant military conflict. Therefore, visiting the most ancient and rich in historical sights of the city is not recommended.
Damascus: “Eye of the Desert” (Syria
Damascus, the current capital of Syria, is fighting for first place with Jericho. The earliest mention of it was found in the list of conquered cities of Pharaoh Thutmose III, who lived in 1479-1425 BC. e. In the first book of the Old Testament, Damascus is mentioned as a large and well-known center of trade.
In the 13th century, the historian Yaqut al-Humawi argued that the city was founded by Adam and Eve themselves, who, after being expelled from Eden, found refuge in the cave of blood (Magarat ad-Damm) on Mount Qasyoun on the outskirts of Damascus. The first murder in history, described in the Old Testament, also happened there - Cain killed his brother. According to legend, the self-name Damascus comes from the ancient Aramaic word “demshak”, which means “brother’s blood”. Another, more plausible version says that the name of the city goes back to the Aramaic word Darmeśeq, translated as “well-watered place.”
It is not known for certain who first founded the settlement near Mount Kasyun. But recent excavations in Tel Ramada, a suburb of Damascus, have shown that people settled the area around 6300 BC. e.
Byblos (Lebanon)
Rounding out the top three ancient cities is Byblos, known today as Jebeil. It is located on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, 32 km from Beirut, the current capital of Lebanon. It was once a large Phoenician city, founded in the 4th millennium BC, although the first settlements in this area date back to the late Stone Age - 7th millennium.
The ancient name of the city is associated with the legend of a certain Byblis, who was madly in love with her brother, Kavnos. She died of grief when her lover fled to escape sin, and her shed tears formed an inexhaustible source of water that watered the city. According to another version, byblos in Greece was the name for papyrus that was exported from the city.
Byblos was one of the largest ports of the ancient era. It was also known for the spread of the cult of Baal there, the formidable Sun god, who “demanded” self-torture and bloody sacrifices from his followers. The written language of ancient Byblos still remains one of the main mysteries of the Ancient World. Proto-Byblos writing, widespread in the second millennium BC, is still indecipherable; it is not similar to any of the known writing systems of the Ancient World.
Plovdiv (Bulgaria)
The oldest city in Europe today is considered to be not Rome or even Athens, but the Bulgarian city of Plovdiv, located in the southern part of the country between the Rhodope and Balkan mountains (the home of the legendary Orpheus) and the Upper Thracian Lowland. The first settlements on its territory date back to the 6th-4th millennia BC. e., although Plovdiv, or rather, then still Eumolpiada, reached its heyday under the peoples of the sea - the Thracians. In 342 BC. it was captured by Philip II of Macedon, the father of the famous Alexander, who named it Philippopolis in his honor. Subsequently, the city managed to be under Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman rule, which made it the second cultural center in Bulgaria after Sofia.
Derbent (Russia)
One of the top five oldest cities in the world is located on the territory of our country. This is Derbent in Dagestan, the southernmost and most ancient city of Russia. The first settlements arose here in the Early Bronze Age (IV millennium BC). It was first mentioned by the famous ancient Greek historian Hecataeus of Miletus in the 6th century BC, who cites the most ancient name of the city: “Caspian Gate”. The city owes such a romantic name to its geographical location - it stretches along the coastline of the Caspian Sea - where the Caucasus Mountains come closest to the Caspian Sea, leaving only a three-kilometer strip of plain.
In world history, Derbent has become an unspoken “blockpost” between Europe and Asia. One of the most important sections of the Great Silk Road lay here. It is not surprising that it has always been a favorite object of conquest for its neighbors. The Roman Empire showed great interest in it - the main goal of the campaigns to the Caucasus of Lucullus and Pompey in 66-65 BC. it was Derbent. In the 5th century AD e. When the city belonged to the Sassanids, powerful fortifications were erected here to protect against nomads, including the Naryn-Kala fortress. From it, located at the foot of the mountain range, two walls descended to the sea, designed to protect the city and the trade route. It is from this time that the history of Derbent as a large city dates back.
It has been noticed that, unfortunately, there is a lot of speculation on the topic of “the capital of Rus'”. For example, in Ukraine, the theory is supported that the main, historical and almost the only legitimate capital of Rus' (meaning both the borders of the ancient Russian state and its modern “heirs”: Russia, Ukraine, Belarus) is exclusively Kyiv. There are various arguments for this, the main ones of which can probably be named:
- Kyiv is the original and original capital of Rus'.
- Kyiv was the capital for a very long time.
Well... Let's check at least elementary on Wikipedia:
Ladoga (862 - 864) - this is 2 years.
Ladoga, which arose in the mid-8th century, is named as the residence of Rurik in the Ipatiev list of the Tale of Bygone Years. According to this version, Rurik sat in Ladoga until 864, and only after that he founded Veliky Novgorod.
Ladoga is not only one of the most ancient cities in Russia, it is also one of the most ancient Slavic outposts, which was constantly exposed to attacks from its northern neighbors. The fortress was burned, destroyed, but again and again rose from the ashes, putting a barrier to the invaders. In the 9th century, the wooden walls of the Ladoga fortress were replaced with stone ones, built from local limestone, and Ladoga became the first stone fortress in Rus'.
Novgorod (862 - 882)- that's 20 years.
According to other chronicles, Veliky Novgorod became the first capital of the Old Russian state.
Veliky Novgorod is one of the most ancient and famous Russian cities, first mentioned in the Novgorod Chronicle in 859 in connection with the name of the legendary Prince Rurik, who began advancing to Rus' from Ladoga.
Already in the first centuries of its existence, Novgorod played an important role in the events that took place on Russian soil, in fact becoming the first capital of Rus'. The location of Novgorod was so advantageous geographically (the city stood at the crossroads of waterways coming from the Baltic from the north and west to the south and east) that by the middle of the 9th century it became a major commercial, political and cultural center of the northwestern lands.
Novgorod did not remain the capital for long. In 882, Prince Oleg made a campaign against Kyiv and moved the capital there. But even after the transfer of the princely residence to Kyiv, Novgorod did not lose its significance. Being located in a zone of busy trade contacts with foreign countries, Novgorod was a kind of “window to Europe”.
Photo: strana.ru Kyiv (882 - 1243) - it's 361 years old.
In 882, Rurik's successor, the Novgorod prince Oleg the Prophet, captured Kyiv, which from that time became the capital of Rus'. With the adoption of Christianity by Russia at the end of the 10th century, Kyiv became the residence of the Russian metropolitan.
The coincidence of the political and church centers, combined with a long period of autocracy of the Kyiv princes, led to the formation of a stable institution of the capital in Rus', which was not typical for most European countries of that time.
In ancient Russian literature, the concept of capital corresponded to the expressions “the oldest table” and the “capital city” and the epithet “first throne”, which have retained their meaning to this day. Kyiv received the name “Mother of Russian Cities,” which was a translation from the Greek word for “metropolis” and likened the city to Constantinople.
Kiev did not have its own princely dynasty; control over it was the subject of constant struggle, which, on the one hand, led to a steady decline in its real role, and on the other, made it an object around which the interests of all Russian lands were intertwined.
Since 1169, when Andrei Bogolyubsky, having recognized seniority, first refused to take the Kiev table, the connection between the possession of Kiev and the status of the most powerful prince became optional. In subsequent times, the senior Suzdal and Volyn princes preferred to transfer Kyiv to their secondary relatives, and the Chernigov and Smolensk princes more often ruled personally. Nevertheless, the title of princes of “all Rus'” continued to be attached to the princes who had ever visited Kyiv during their lives. Both in ancient Russian sources and in the eyes of foreigners, the city continued to be perceived as a capital.
In 1240, Kyiv was destroyed by the Mongols and fell into decay for a long time. The fight for him stopped. The Vladimir Grand Dukes Yaroslav Vsevolodovich (1243) and Alexander Yaroslavich Nevsky (1249) were recognized as the oldest in Rus', and Kyiv was transferred to them. However, they preferred to leave Vladimir as their residence. In the subsequent era, until the conquest of Kyiv by Lithuania (1362), it was ruled by provincial princes who did not claim all-Russian supremacy.
Vladimir (1243 - 1389)- that's 146 years.
Vladimir-on-Klyazma, founded in 1108 by Vladimir Monomakh, became the capital of North-Eastern Rus' in 1157, when Prince Andrei Yuryevich Bogolyubsky moved his residence here from Suzdal.
Recognition of eldership in the princely family, indeed, turned out to be torn off from the Kyiv table, but it was attached to the personality of the prince, and not to his city, and did not always belong to the Vladimir princes.
The time of maximum influence of the principality was the reign of Vsevolod Yuryevich Big Nest. His supremacy was recognized by the princes of all Russian lands, except Chernigov and Polotsk, and from now on the Vladimir princes began to be called “great”.
Panorama of Vladimir - Golden Gate and Trinity Church Photo: bestmaps.ru After the Mongol invasion (1237-1240), all Russian lands found themselves under the supreme authority of the Mongol Empire, subordinate to its western wing - the Ulus of Jochi or the Golden Horde. And it was the Grand Dukes of Vladimir who were nominally recognized in the Horde as the oldest in all of Rus'. In 1299, the metropolitan moved his residence to Vladimir. From the beginning In the 14th century, the Vladimir princes began to bear the title of “Grand Dukes of All Rus'.”
Moscow 1.(1389 - 1712)- that's 323 years
Moscow was first mentioned in chronicles in 1147. In 1263, Moscow was inherited by the youngest son of Alexander Nevsky, Daniil Alexandrovich. Without claiming the great reign of Vladimir, he was able to significantly expand the territory of his principality at the expense of the neighboring Smolensk and Ryazan volosts. This allowed Daniil to attract into his service a large number of service people, who formed the basis of the powerful Moscow boyars. In modern historiography, this factor is considered as the most important in the process of the successful rise of Moscow.
In 1325, the metropolitan moved to Moscow from Vladimir.
In 1547, Ivan IV accepted the royal title, and Moscow until 1712 became the capital of the kingdom - the Russian State.
Measuring the cultural significance of a city is quite difficult. Some cities left their mark in art or architecture, others had an influence on the political situation of their region or the country as a whole. There are cities that are important for all creative types or occupy a special place in the history of literature. In some cases, cities had a huge influence on an entire region at one time, but this influence is no longer felt today.
When all of these factors are taken into account, the following ten cities can be identified as the most important cultural capitals of the ancient world.
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10Cusco, now located in Peru, was once the capital of the Inca Empire, which reached its peak in the 15th century. Using Cuzco as their main base, the Incas conquered territory from Quito to Santiago, making it the largest empire in the world at the time. Only 40 thousand people controlled about ten million of the defeated population, which was clearly beyond their capabilities, which the Spanish conquistadors later took advantage of.
The city of Cusco itself is one of the oldest cities in the Western Hemisphere. The most ancient surviving buildings are located in the Sacsayhuaman fortress. It is built from stones that weigh a total of about 300 tons, and it took 80 years for 20 thousand workers to complete its construction.
Cusco fell into decline even before the first Europeans arrived. This happened due to the epidemic of some European diseases, such as smallpox (65-90% of the population died as a result).
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9Xanadu (Xanadu, Shandu)
"In the blessed land of Xanad
The palace was built by Kubla Khan"
Thus begins Coleridge's immortal lines, written, like many good works, in the midst of an opium sleep. But when we strip Xanadu of that romantic appeal, what are we left with? Shandu, China.
At the end of the 13th century, Kublai Khan, the grandson of Genghis Khan, made Shandu his residence. Coleridge's poem and Marco Polo's long description of the city after visiting it in 1275 made Shanda the personification of wealth. This probably exaggerates the city's true historical importance. Kublai soon moved his residence to Zhongdu, although for some time Shangdu remained the summer capital of the Mongol emperors of China.
Xanadu, as a romantic idea, nevertheless had a significant influence on Western culture.
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8Bukhara
The region around Bukhara, now the site of the modern capital of Uzbekistan, has been inhabited for at least 5,000 years, with the city itself surviving for about half that time. It became famous for its strategic location on the Silk Road, which began to be used by traders about 2,000 years ago.
Bukhara, along with the nearby cities of Samarkand and Tashkent, was the main transit point on this trade route. During the Samanid era, Bukhara became a center of Arab learning, rivaled only by Baghdad. Since 900 AD and then artists, poets and scientists came here en masse. One scholar who witnessed the era called the city "a meeting place for the unique figures of an entire era, a breeding ground for literary stars of international importance, and a forum for the eminent figures of the time."
However, travelers' tastes differed even 1,000 years ago. Another poet of that period called Bukhara “the anus of the world.”
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7
Although its history can be traced back to at least 2000 BC, Babylon did not become a truly important cultural center until the reign of Nebuchadnezzar II (605-561 BC). At this time, Babylon was the largest city in the world.
The heart of the city was Esagila, a temple complex dedicated to the god Marduk, and Etemenanki, a ziggurat that was likely the basis for the biblical story of the Tower of Babel. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World (although some recent research suggests that the gardens were located in the nearby city of Niniveh).
The city lost its influence under Persian rule and experienced a brief revival under Alexander the Great, who made it the educational and commercial center of his short-lived empire.
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6Baghdad
Baghdad did not become a significant city until 762 BC. Abbasid Caliph al-Mansur did not make it his capital. Abbasid controlled a vast empire that stretched from modern-day Morocco in the west to Afghanistan in the east, and Baghdad quickly became the richest city in the world.
Baghdad was also a cultural and scientific center. Here ancient Greek texts were translated into Arabic, the works of Aristotle, Galen, and many others were preserved. Scientists such as Razi and al-Kindi made significant breakthroughs in the fields of medicine, philosophy and astronomy. The observatory created by Caliph Mamun was apparently the world's first large-scale government-funded scientific project.
If there were no Baghdad, it is quite possible that the connection between the ancient world and us would be much less traceable.
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5
Founded by Alexander the Great in 331 BC on the Nile River Delta, Alexandria was at one time considered the largest city in the world.
The huge lighthouse, built on the island of Pharos in Alexandria, was more than 110 meters high and could stand for almost a thousand years. The Museion, which housed the famous library of Alexandria, was often visited by the greatest scholars of the era. Among them were Euclid (father of geometry), Ptolemy (famous geographer), Plotinus (philosopher) and Archimedes, the man famous for his exclamation “Eureka!”
After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, many ancient texts were preserved in Alexandria in their originals until they were translated into Arabic. During this dark period of the decline of Rome and the rise of Islam, Alexandria was an island of sanity in a sea of fanaticism.
By the way, it was in Alexandria that the translation of the Old Testament from Hebrew into Greek was made - the Septuagint.
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4
This list would not be complete without Rome, which was undoubtedly a huge part of Western cultural development. We all know the history of the Republic, its conquest of Europe, and its gradual descent into decadence under the rule of mostly cruel and incompetent emperors.
There is hardly a branch of knowledge that has not been influenced by Roman thinkers. Art, architecture, law, politics, languages - none of this would be the same as it is now if Rome did not exist.
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3Athens
If you were born into an aristocratic Athenian family in 480 BC, you would have spent your teenage years watching the plays of Aeschylus performed by the “Father of Tragedy” himself. In adulthood you would have met two young playwrights, Sophocles and Euripides. The king of comedy, Aristophanes, as well as the historians Herodotus and Thucydides, would be present at your drinking bouts. Socrates would pester you in the market. The entire career of Pericles, a great general who is only 15 years older than you, would have passed before you.
And finally, in your old age, you would see Athens defeated by Sparta and its allies, and Socrates killed by his fellow citizens. In one lifetime you could see the entire golden era of this city and the development of Western civilization.
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2Knossos
Knossos was founded around 2000 BC. the Minoans, who eventually managed to form a unified civilization on the island of Crete. The Minoans were excellent traders and artists, and their achievements in ceramics and architecture soon spread to other regions in the Mediterranean. It was the earliest civilization of its type in Europe, and it can be argued that Knossos is the birthplace of European "high culture".
Knossos is also the birthplace of several important stages in the history of writing. Linear A (writing system) was invented by the Minoans. The Mycenaeans, who subsequently invaded Crete, adapted this mode of writing into Linear B, as evidenced by the earliest documents in ancient Greek.
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1
This city may be a controversial choice for number one on such a list, but who can deny Varanasi's influence on the cultural and religious history of Asia?
One of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world (dating back to at least 2000 BC),
Varanasi is the religious capital of Hinduism. It is also one of the most important places for Buddhists: Gautama Buddha is said to have given his first ever sermon near this city. Varanasi is revered by Jains as a place of pilgrimage and the city also plays an important role in the development of Sikhism.
Varanasi's cultural influence continues to this day. Many Hindus choose to die here, in the hope that this end of life, met on the banks of the Ganges, will free them from a new cycle of rebirth. Varanasi also remains an important center for art and music.
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Conclusion
This was an article 10 Cultural Capitals of the Ancient World. Thank you for your attention!
WHERE IS MOSCOW THE CAPITAL NOW, THE BEAST AND THE BIRD USED TO LIVE
My reader, have you been
On the university tower?
Have you seen from this height
Our capital at dawn?
When there's blue behind the haze,
And in the summer heat - completely purple
The Moscow River is in front of you
Lies like a silver horseshoe.
Everything can be seen from such a height -
Boulevards, squares and parks,
Bridges hung over the river,
Spreading lace arches.
Are you looking for the Kremlin? There's a steep hill over there
Toy Ivan the Great,
On his golden onion
The sun's glare plays...
Let's do some old stuff!
Imagine, my reader,
What is there, where there are so many roofs in the distance,
A huge forest once stood
Mighty oaks grew,
The linden trees rustled in three girths,
Clearings instead of squares,
And instead of streets there are fallow lands,
And flocks of wild swans,
And the roar of a she-bear in her den,
And at dawn at the watering hole,
Where the key freshness splashes,
The moose walked along a narrow path,
Touching branches with horns...
The river flowed in the forests, in the meadows,
The boats slid along the current,
And on the high banks
Villages could be seen here and there.
Slavic people lived in them
From the tenth, perhaps, century,
Those people called Moscow
A deep, big river.
Nature's generous gifts
People already knew how to value.
Beavers care for them
They farmed on a dam.
The bees saved honey for them,
The thick grass raised the birds,
In the depths of Moskvoretsky waters
A school of fish spawned.
They grazed flocks in the meadows,
They plowed the land for wheat,
Sold to merchants in cities
And flax, and wax, and honey, and poultry.
Rich sales year after year
Beaver furs, bear skins.
The path is open by water and land
To Rostov, Vladimir, Suzdal, Murom.
These were all cities
Rus' is wooded and huge.
Kyiv was the capital then
Moscow was a modest village.
Moscow River, praise to you!
Over the centuries you have seen a lot.
Whenever you could speak,
You could tell me a lot.
You should tell us about
How did people start to settle?
Behind the tyn is tyn, behind the house is the house
Grew on your shore
The beginning of the future capital.
You reflected in the surface of the waters
That first Kremlin and the new city,
What did our Russian people build?
Under the first pine wall...
This is the first town
At the crossroads of all roads.
ABOUT CHURCHES, MONASTERIES AND HOW A MONK LIVED
Near Moscow, on the roads,
Among the forests and wastelands,
In the old days there was a lot
Monastery guards.
Monks have always lived in them,
They drank, ate, did not grieve,
The land gave them everything -
Vegetable gardens and fields.
Monastic grounds
Immediately visible from afar -
So full of fertility
From the monastic land.
Monastery wheat
It spikes taller than it grows,
Above the waist - oats,
Knee-deep haymaking.
And he works in the fields
Not a bell ringer and not a monk -
Farmers are plowing the field,
Serf men.
Everything is ready for the monk:
And from the fish catch,
And income from the beekeeper
People are bringing them to the monastery.
Cattle are raised for the monk,
Pines are cut down for the monk.
On peasants' feed
A monk lived as a parasite.
He prayed to God for the peasants,
There is a lot of income from peasants...
Everything that is visible in the distance and in breadth -
The monastery owns everything.
But when they notice in fear
Enemy camp from the walls monks
Or they will flash from afar
Spears of the enemy regiment,
Immediately a monk messenger to the Kremlin
Rushing, standing in stirrups,
Announce that near Moscow
The enemy's army appeared,
To be ready for battle:
Defend the capital city!
Meanwhile the peasants
From the strong monastery walls
The path to the capital was protected,
They hit them accurately and squeaked,
And often near Moscow
A hot battle began.
Many times behind these walls
Women and children took refuge -
When trouble comes,
All the people are running here...
Have survived to this day
Old Russian strongholds.
Come and have a look
Monasteries in Moscow:
Novodevichy, Danilov,
And Androniev and Donskoy.
These walls are the enemy's force
They were pushed back near Moscow.
In a narrow monastery cell,
In four blank walls
About the land about ancient Russian
The story was written down by a monk.
He wrote in winter and summer,
Illuminated by dim light.
He wrote year after year
About our great people.
About Batu's invasion
He wrote at a terrible hour,
And his words are simple
Through the centuries they have reached us.
THE MONGOL HORDE WAS RUGGING THE CITIES
There was a terrible year when all countries
They were afraid more than fire,
Batu - grandson of Genghis Khan,
Cursing my proximity to him.
“Ba-y-yy!” - piercing arrows,
"Batu!" - like a club blow.
I didn’t dare disobey him
Horde of Mongols and Tatars.
There was a terrible century when the Mongols
They went to Rus' like an avalanche,
On an autumn day, across the bare steppe,
Trampling dry feather grass.
Fierce warriors slanted
Batu collected from all over the earth,
Bulls their yurts on wheels
They brought children and wives.
And according to Batu’s orders
The army was followed by herds,
It's like being displaced
The horde moved west.
And the creaking of wheels, and the whistle of a whip,
And the roaring of bulls and the crying of children,
And frightened flocks of birds
From under the horses' hooves...
So it went like a monstrous stream
Mongol horde in Rus'
In one cruel desire
Burn and plunder cities.
It was not the young woman who admired
Playing with a mirror in my hand,
And on a fine day it was reflected
Ryazan is a beauty in the Oka River.
The waters looked like mirrors,
Running merrily down the hill,
Porches, towers, passages -
Princes of Ryazan mansion.
There is a rich cathedral on the square,
Behind it lies the market,
Around the mansion and chamber
Ryazan merchants and boyars.
Behind them are human settlements,
Courtyards, city chapels...
That day is frosty, the day is short,
The greenery slept under the snow,
That day at the ice hole there were pullets
They laughed, clinking buckets;
The kids were skating
On the marked Oka ice,
When on the field, near Ryazan,
Batu brought his horde.
Which was a very beautiful city, had high authority in the world. The beginning of the first state of the Eastern Slavs is considered to be Kievan Rus, and therefore the glorious city of Kyiv is called the first capital. However, the capital city of Prince Kiy was not the only one that bore this title. There were many more of them, we will talk about them and the reasons for their existence in our article.
A little about the state
Before we talk about the capitals of the Slavic medieval state, let's give it a little time and space on the page. Ancient Rus' is a state formation of eastern tribes with centralized princely power, which existed from 862 to 1240 (Mongol invasion). It was distinguished by the highly developed culture, largely borrowed from Byzantium. Architects, book writers, translators, theologians, glassmakers arrived from Constantinople and the lands belonging to it. But many crafts were also familiar to the Slavs (jewelry, forging, pottery, art, woodworking, and so on); they improved their skills, adopting the experience of the world, but retained their originality. In Rus', chronicles were written, monasteries were founded, which became the spiritual centers of the state, coins were minted, and there was its own set of laws. The grand dukes also practiced dynastic marriages, which helped strengthen the reputation of Rus' and favored foreign policy relations with other highly developed countries.
Why several capitals?
If you follow the official version of history, then the first capital of Ancient Rus' is, of course, Kyiv. The mother of Russian cities became the main one in 882, when he landed on the banks of the Dnieper with Igor and, having killed Askold and Dir, seized power. It was he, according to the chronicle, who predicted a great future for the city. Why did a powerful state need another capital? Ancient Rus', as is known, having flourished under Vladimir the Baptist and Yaroslav the Wise, fell into decline. Primarily due to strife and civil strife. Numerous sons and grandsons, brothers and uncles of the great princes received their own inheritance - a city with neighboring villages, in which each of them ruled. Soon there were more rulers than lands, and some of them were dissatisfied with the inheritance assigned to him. So the struggle began between them for the best place in the sun, for the Kiev throne, which gave more profit and influence. But some principalities (districts) were stronger, others weaker, the princes made deals with each other and often went to war against each other.
The gap between the principalities grew, Kyiv gradually lost its importance as a capital. But other settlements also entered the arena, which were the main cities of strong ancient Russian principalities. This is Veliky Novgorod, and Chernigov, and Vladimir, and Suzdal, and Galich, and later Moscow. Therefore, in the state of the Eastern Slavs there was more than one capital: Ancient Rus' had many of them, it was not for nothing that it was called “Gardarika”, that is, the Country of Cities.
The first capital city
So which city did Ancient Rus' consider to be the main one? The number one capital is Kyiv, the majestic city on the Dnieper, the residence of the metropolitan since the tenth century. Founded by the legendary Prince Kiy (or only strengthened by him), it became the main city of the Prophetic Oleg, his successor Igor and his descendants until Vladimir Monomakh. After this, he was considered the main one only formally and was passed on by the Grand Duke only to secondary relatives. And after the invasion of the Mongol-Tatars, it turned into a province, which was then captured first and then by the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Moscow Kingdom.
Ancient Rus', whose capital, as you know, is Kyiv, took care of the development of cities. In the main city, stone churches were erected (after the adoption of Christianity), fortress walls were strengthened, new gates were erected, schools and book depositories operated. Many sights of the state’s golden era can still be seen today in the Ukrainian capital. These are primarily the Golden Gate, St. Sophia Cathedral, Assumption and Golden-Domed St. Michael's Cathedral, Trinity Church,
Ladoga Old
There is another city that deserves the attention of historians - Staraya Ladoga. The ancient capital of Rus' number two arose in the middle of the eighth century, and in 862 - 864 it was the residence of Rurik. According to the chronicles, after this the legendary prince left for Novgorod, a city that in the future received the title “Great”. Today here you can see the Assumption Cathedral and St. George's Church, built in the second half of the twelfth century.
Staraya Ladoga today is a small village, about twelve centuries old. Recent archaeological research suggests that the settlement was founded by people from Northern European countries. It was a parking lot where ships were repaired and new ships were built,
Rurik settlement in Novgorod
The capital of Ancient Rus', Ladoga, lost its title because Rurik left for a new city, located about two kilometers from the central part of the modern city. Now it attracts with unique architectural monuments of princely times, because it was not touched by the Mongol horde, and, therefore, was not plundered and destroyed. These are the St. Nicholas Cathedral, St. Sophia Cathedral, St. George Cathedral, the Anthony Monastery, the Church of the Savior, the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, the Annunciation, Peter and Paul, and Paraskeva-Pyatnitsa.
The heyday of the city occurred during the period of the Novgorod Republic, when all important decisions about the life of the state were made in the evening. It existed from 1136 to 1478, and its territory stretched for hundreds of kilometers - from the Ural Mountains to the Baltic (or Varangian) Sea. Crafts developed there, lively trade was conducted, stone buildings were built, chronicles and books were written.
Today Novgorod (the capital of Ancient Rus' and the Novgorod Republic) can safely be called the tourist Mecca of Russia, since it has retained its identity through the millennium.
Vladimir-on-Klyazma
Another capital of the ancient Russian state is Vladimir, which was the main one in the period 1243 - 1389. The city was founded by Vladimir Monomakh in 1108, and half a century later Andrei Bogolyubsky moved his residence to it. The heyday of the settlement occurred during the reign of Vsevolod the Big Nest, to which all lands except Polotsk and Chernigov were subordinate. The Golden Gate, the Assumption and Demetrius Cathedrals remind of that glorious era in Vladimir.
Conclusion
Unfortunately, Ancient Rus' ceased to exist under the blows of Khan Batu’s nukers. Its capital lost its influence and found itself in ruins for many years; crafts that were unclaimed in the Golden Horde were forgotten. But the country gradually recovered from the heavy blow, new generations of people grew up, who first submitted to the Mongol yoke, and then threw it off. Thus, Rus' was revived again and entered a new time with a new face.