"Non ho mai visto corpi più perfetti dei loro. Sono alti come una palma e hanno capelli biondi con riflessi rossi. (...) Ognuno di loro porta con sé un'ascia, una spada e un coltello e non se ne separa mai. (...) Ogni uomo è tatuato dal collo alle dita dei piedi con colori verde scuro. (...) Le donne portano sul seno spille rotonde in ferro, argento, rame o oro, a seconda della ricchezza e dello status sociale dei loro mariti (...). Intorno al collo invece collane dorate e argentate.”
Sono soprattutto i reperti archeologici a fornirci informazioni sulle attività vichinghe nell’Europa orientale. I corredi funebri sottolineano gli ampi contatti e scambi culturali che coinvolsero non solamente i viaggiatori, ma anche le popolazioni con cui si imbattevano e con cui intessevano rapporti durante i loro viaggi. L'artigianato e la moda scandinava erano molto apprezzati negli insediamenti commerciali dell’est Europa. Allo stesso tempo, i reperti archeologici ritrovati rivelano anche altre influenze: le tradizioni pagane infatti, erano presenti tanto quanto il giudaismo, il cristianesimo e l'islam.
Intorno ai luoghi centrali della Gardarike ("regno dei castelli"), come gli scandinavi chiamavano questa regione, si formò un regno. In questo processo giocò un ruolo fondamentale l’Impero bizantino. Sotto la dinastia dei Rurikidi si sviluppò il dominio multietnico della Rus'.
In Eastern Europe, unlike in Western Europe, the influence of the Scandinavians can be traced especially through trading and settlement activities from the 8th century onwards. In order to understand the activities and the living environment of the Scandinavians in the area of the Kievan Rus’, archaeology is of central importance. Grave goods, finds from old settlements and hoards play a major role. They show the high degree of interconnectedness and the multi-ethnic composition of the population in Rus’. Through the finds we also learn a lot about fashions, techniques, trade goods and living conditions.
The settlements of early Rus’
The Treasure of Gnezdovo
Reasons for depositions of hoards or treasures:
Graves
In Kievan Rus’, tumuli or burial mounds were common, as they were in Scandinavia. In Gnezdovo, for example, several thousand burial mounds were counted. They were often furnished with grave goods that show Scandinavian influence.
Did you know?
Amber was an extremely important and sought-after trade good in the Baltic Sea region and exported to the east. Can you find the little amber cat hiding on this wall?
Note: The objects and graves on this wall have been assembled for the purpose of this presentation and do not represent actual graves.
Tjulenino, 10th–11th c.
Iron
Berlin, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Museum für Vor- und Frühgeschichte, Inv. PM Pr 7437
From the Viking Age, axes are mainly known as weapons. However, they were also used as multifunctional tools, for example to chop and work wood. Because of its shape, this axe can be identified as a battle-axe. It was found in the grave of a wealthy person.
Sigtuna, 11th c.
Copper alloy
Sigtuna, Sigtuna Museum & Art, Inv. 13883
Axe heads of this size were used as amulets and are common as grave finds in the area of the Kievan Rus’. They probably symbolised/were associated with a warrior ideal. Objects of this type were also found in large numbers in Sigtuna.
Region of Kaliningrad, 800–1100
Iron
Berlin, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Museum für Vor- und Frühgeschichte, Inv. PM Pr 7430
Weapons were deformed or destroyed mainly in a ritual context: e.g. at a or after the victory over an enemy whose weapons were then broken. This custom is mainly known from Scandinavia. However, during the Viking Age it also spread to the Western Baltic area. The rolled sword shown here is of Scandinavian origin and has a decorated pommel.
Production: eichfelder artworks
Length part 1: 05:39 min
Length part 2: 04:56 min
Listen to the travelogue of Ibn Fadlãn, an emissary of the Caliph of Baghdad, who undertook a long journey into the territory of the Volgabulgars. On his way, he met people he called Rus’ (Rūsiyyah) and gives a detailed account of their appearance and their (in his eyes) strange customs.
Attention:
The text contains descriptions of sexualised violence (Part 2).