Vikings in the East: Essays on Contacts Along the Road to Byzantium (800-1100) (Studia Byzantina Upsaliensia)

The book about Vikings in the East deals with cultural contacts and exchange along the road to Byzantium. Can we trace the Scandinavian presence in Eastern Europe on the basis of written sources and archaeological finds? Who were the Rus? And Varangians? What was the difference between these two groups of Scandinavian origin active in the East? Why did Northmen build large mounds in Rus? and what rituals took place near them? Were they assimilated or simply culturally acclimatized in these areas? What was the Scandinavian contribution in the spread of eastern Christianity? How extensive was the Byzantine influence in the North? Trying to find out answers to all these questions, the author seeks to uncover the most reliable stories in ambiguous written and archaeological sources. Acknowledgements v Introduction 1 Sources, methodology and terminology 2 1. Vikings in the East – A General Outline 11 Vikings in the south-eastern Baltic area: Grobiņa and Wiskiauten 11 Geographical distribution of Scandinavian artefacts in Eastern Europe 16 The River Volchov and Lake Ladoga region 16 Rjurikovo Gorodišče 20 Other Russian towns in north-western Russia 21 The Volga–Oka region 21 The region of the Desna River (Šestovycja and Černihiv) 25 The River Dnieper area (Gnëzdovo and Kiev) 29 Crimea 32 Modern reserach on Scandinavian activity in the East 33 Material culture and identity 38 2. Identifying Northmen in Southern Rus' 45 Rus' as a people and a territory in written sources 45 Rus' identity as manifested in material culture 51 Rus' as a state: some indications in the material culture 57 The origin of Rus' 58 State formation and material culture 60 3. The role of Dereva and Volhynia in contacts between Northmen and Slavs in the 9th–11th centuries 65 Written sources about Iskorosten' 67 The archaeology of Iskorosten' 69 Sources and resources of the land of the Derevlians 73 Territorial structure of the Derevlian principality 74 Owners and governors in the land of the Derevlians 79 4. Byzantium and the Viking World – Archaeological Evidence for Contacts (9th–10th c.) 91 Traces of the first contacts 93 Archaeological evidence for contacts in the 10th century 96 Reliquary crosses 96 Finger rings 97 Buckles 99 Pottery 100 Glass 104 Silk 107 Weapons 108 Lead seals 110 Coins 113 "The route from the Varangians to the Greeks" – archaeological and textual record 117 The dissemination of Byzantine culture into the Viking world – how and why? 125 5. Rituals of Power: Great Mounds and "Mound-Sitting" in Rus' and Scandinavia 131 6. Contacts between Sweden and Southern Rus' (11th–12th c.) 145 The "Scandinavian antiquity" of Ukraine: a general outline 154 Weapons 158 Silver hoards 161 7. Symbols of Faith or Symbols of Status? Christian Objects in Viking Rus' Contexts 169 8. Cemeteries and the Shaping of an Early Christian Urban Landscape in Scandinavia and Rus' 187 Christian cemeteries at Birka and Sigtuna 189 Northmen and the early Christian cemeteries in Kiev 193 Some Final Remarks: Vikings in the East – Cultural Adaptation and Shaping Identities 213 Bibliography 229 Abbreviations 229 Sources 229 Secondary literature 232 List of Illustrations 265 Index 269 Vikings in the East : A General Outline Identifying Northmen in Southern Rus ́ The role of Dereva and Volhynia in contacts between Northmen and Slavs in the 9th01409305–11th centuries Byzantium and the Viking World : Archaeological Evidence for Contacts (9th–10th c.) Rituals of Power : Great Mounds and “Mound-Sitting” in Rus ́ and Scandinavia Contacts between Sweden and Southern Rus ́ (11th–12th c.) Symbols of Faith or Symbols of Status? Christian Objects in Viking Rus ́ Contexts Cemeteries and the Shaping of an Early Christian Urban Landscape in Scandinavia and Rus ́ Some Final Remarks: Vikings in the East : Cultural Adaptation and Shaping Identities.