WEAPONS OF EAST BALTIC ORIGIN IN THE TERRITORY OF SOUTHERN RUS’

Abstract

The integrated analysis of 40 items of weaponry and their components that can be potentially associated with the East Baltic region is made in the paper. The material includes 36 samples of bladed weapons, including 20 scabbard chapes, 11 grips, four crossguards, and one single-edged sword. In contrast, only two axes and two spears represent the strike weapons and polearms. Thirty-three findings originate from archaeological sites, and only sixteen of these were discovered in stratified contexts. The artefacts are concentrated in two main zones: the eastern region (primarily Kyiv and Kaniv) and the western one (Galicia and Volhynia), both of which were playing a prominent historical role in the structure of Southern Rus’. The chronological span of the artefacts ranges from the mid-10th to the mid-13th century, with the majority dating to the 12th and early 13th centuries. This is the evidence of a stable and gradually intensifying level of interaction between Southern Rus’ and the East Baltic in the pre-Mongol period. A detailed typological and chronological analysis revealed numerous parallels, especially in western Lithuania and Latvia, particularly within the Curonian and Prussian cultural milieu. A significant part of artefacts, particularly those from the earliest periods, originate from well-studied contexts associated with the nascent stages of state formation in Rus’. For instance, the burial ground at Ostriv is indicative of the presence of East Baltic migrants, who appeared to be the warriors affiliated with princely retinues engaged in frontier defence and territorial consolidation in the 11th century. Similar phenomenae have been recorded in Korosten, Lystvyn and other key locations. The majority of the artefacts have been found in settlements, fortresses and urban centers that fulfilled both military and economic-administrative functions and had access to trade routes. This pattern suggests that trade and communication were vital in the dissemination of foreign goods, including arms. Two primary transmission routes can be hypothesized: the Dnipro — Daugava waterway for the eastern region and the Western Bug — Vistula corridor for the western one, supplemented by overland links through the Neman basin. In addition to trade and migration, military campaigns played a significant role in the influx of East Baltic weaponry. Rus’ princes instigated numerous expeditions into Baltic territories from the late 10th to the mid-13th century, such as the campaigns by Vladimir the Great, Yaroslav the Wise, Iziaslav Yaroslavich, and later by Prince Roman Mstyslavych and King Danylo of Galicia. A significant proportion of these campaigns were directed towards Yatvingians, Prussians and Lithuanians. Consequently a proportion of the Baltic weaponry discovered in Southern Rus’ may constitute war trophies or spoils amassed during these protracted military confrontations. The material analyzed in this paper constitutes a valuable source for the reconstruction of interregional interactions, military practices, and the cultural landscape of Southern Rus’ since the 10th till 13th centuries.