Krivichi

The name "Krivichi" is explained by different historians in different ways. According to one version, the name comes from the name of the ancestor of the Slavic-Krivichi Kriv (Κριβιτσηνοι in the composition of the Byzantine emperor of the 10th century Konstantin Bagryanorodny ), according to others - from the name of the Baltic high priest Krivé-Kriveit , from the word “blood” (close by blood), “curve "(About a man, hilly terrain) ^[3] .

Krivichi are usually divided into two large groups: Pskov and Polotsk-Smolensk . Krivichi are also mentioned as one of the Slavic tribes (Κρίβησκαν) on the Peloponnese peninsula, in the Greek essay “ Chronicle of Morea ” of the XIV century ^[4] . Also, they were singled out separately by Trubachev in the monograph “ Early Slavic Ethnonyms ” ^[5] .

In the culture of the Polotsk-Smolensk Krivichy, studied relatively better, along with Slavic ornaments there are also elements of the Baltic type.

Polotsk Krivichi

Polochans are part of the Krivichy population that inhabited the territory of the modern Vitebsk region and the north of the Minsk region in Belarus in the 9th century .

Pskov Krivichi

Tver Krivichi

Smolensk Krivichi

Trubachev connected the Smolyans in the Balkans (the main city is Smolen in southwestern Bulgaria) with the branch of the East Slavic Krivichs: Smolensk or Smolyans (the main city is Smolensk, also known as Smolsk, located on the Upper Dnieper) ^[6] .

Peloponnesian Krivichi

Trubachev believed that the toponym Kryvitsani in the Peloponnese in Greece suggests that a group of Krivichi once existed here ^[7] .

Krivichi were one of the largest East Slavic tribal associations , most likely, as they gradually moved east, assimilated a significant part of the Old Baltic , and later some of the Finno-Ugric population. They occupied not only the north of Belarus, but also the neighboring regions of the Podvina and Dnieper , Pskov and Smolensk regions, as well as the western part of the present Tver and Moscow regions.

Origin hypotheses

About the Krivichs as a tribal union, formed as a result of gradual assimilation (Slavization) by the newly arrived Slavs of the local Baltic and West Finnish tribes, evidence from archeology convincingly testifies.

On the question of the origin of the Slavic ancestors of the Krivichy, there are two main points of view. The first connects their ancestral home with the Carpathian region , the second - with the territory of northern Poland . At the same time, it is specified that at first the Krivichi came to the Pskov region ( VI century : Culture of the Pskov long barrows ), moving through the Middle Ponemanie ^[8] ), and later some of them advanced south and settled Smolenshchina and eastern Belarus ) ^[9] . The rather early date of the appearance of Krivichy precisely in the Pskov region is explained by the possible lower density of the local population, in comparison with the southern area of ​​their future distribution.

Carpathians

The first hypothesis is supported by chronicles indicating the origin of the Krivichs, in particular, the Polochanians (along with the Drevlyans , Polyans (Dnieper) and Dregoviches ) from the White Croat , Serb and Horut tribes settled on the territory of Belarus who migrated to the upper Dnieper in the VI - VII centuries ^{[10] [11] [12]} .

Northern Poland

The second hypothesis is based on the work of modern Russian linguists. In particular, a comparative analysis of V. N. Toporov , made according to the results of A. A. Zaliznyak’s research of the language of Novgorod birch bark letters and the ancient Krivichi dialect conducted by S. L. Nikolayev , shows that the Krivichi dialect belongs to the north-western Slavic dialect group ^[13] .

Lyutichi and Neuros

The Czech historian P.J. Shafarik considered the ancestors of the Krivichs to be Lutich and neuros:

Krivich tribal language was dialectically fragmented and contrasted with all other late Slavic dialect formations. Krivichi tribal language was divided into:

1. Pskov dialect, divided into North Pskov, Central Pskov and South Pskov: Onega dialects and many northeastern (Vyatka, Ural, Siberian) Great Russian dialects in the territories of the new settlement are derived from the North Pskov dialect;
2. Old Novgorod dialect (Old Novgorod koyne), formed during the interaction of Pskov and Ilmen-Slovenian (not Krivich) dialects;
3. Smolensk dialect, to which part of the Great Russian and north-eastern Belarusian dialects ascend);
4. Upper Volga dialect, to which part of the Seliger-Torzhkov dialect dates back);
5. the Polotsk dialect, on the basis of which the northern and north-western Belarusian dialects were formed;
6. Western dialect, to which part of the Belarusian dialects of the northern Grodno region ascend).

Ancient Krivichi dialects (mainly South Pskov and Smolensk dialects) took part in the formation of many Great Russian dialects east and west of Moscow (the “Krivichsky belt”) ^[15] . The fact that the East Novgorod dialects have specific common isoglosses with Rostov-Suzdal and other dialects of the Middle Northeast ^[16] speaks in favor of the fact that the initial northeastern dialect continuum was split by a Krivichi “wedge” in the Tver Volga region.

A distinctive feature of the Krivichi burials are long mounds - grounded earthen mounds. All long mounds contain burials according to the rite of burning. The Krivichi Kurgan culture differs from the synchronous Slavic cultures of the Dnieper. Other Krivich artifacts are bronze sickle-shaped temporal rings , glass beads, knives, spearheads, sickles , and ceramics ( spindle -shaped pots and pots made on a potter's wheel ). In the territories of Krivichy resettlement, settlements dominated with pillar houses, with centers deepened into the floor, located in the center of the dwelling ^[17] .

Krivichy was characterized by high growth, dolichokephaly , a narrow face, a protruding wavy nose, and a chin outlined — a type characteristic of the Valdai type (see anthropology of the Russian people ) ^[18] and the Nordic race as a whole. VV Bunak in 1932 came to the conclusion about the similarity of the dolichocephalic Krivichi with the Alemans as representatives of the northern type, and the eastern Krivichi with the sublaponoid population ^[19] .

A Y-chromosome haplogroup N1c was identified in a representative of the culture of Pskov long mounds from a burial mound with a possible burning in the Krivichi ^[20] burial place of the Maiden’s Mountains burial ground near Lake Sennitsa in the Pskov Region, living 1200 ± 100 years ago (VIII – X centuries). mitochondrial haplogroup H2 ^[21] .

It should be noted that the settlement of the territory of Belarus by the Slavs was not a one-time event; it continued for several centuries.

The Slavs lived compactly only in the very south of modern Belarus, in the Pripyat river basin. At the same time, the penetration of the Slavs into the Baltic territory began.

In the VIII-IX centuries, the mass settlement of the Slavs on the Baltic lands begins.

They settled in large groups on the right bank of the Dnieper and Berezina , in the Sozh Basin, and came into close contact with the Baltic population who lived in these regions.

The territory of Belarus was predominantly inhabited by three East Slavic tribes - Krivichi, Dregovichi and Radimichi ^[3] .

The northern Krivichy stood at the origins of the creation of Novgorod Rus , while the Old Pskov dialect is identified with the North Krivich ^[22] . Western Krivichi created Polotsk , and southern Krivichi created Smolensk ( Gnezdovo ), which were included in the Old Russian state already under the successor of Rurik, Prince Oleg . In the Latvian language , to this day, Russians are called as “krevy” ( Latvian. Krievi , lat. Krīvi ), and Russia - “Krevy” ( Latvian. Krievija ).

In all regions, the Krivichi closely interacted with the Varangians . The Byzantine Emperor Konstantin VII Bagryanorodny says that the Krivichi make boats on which the Rus go to Constantinople .

It is believed that the last tribal prince of the Krivichi Rogvolod, together with his sons, was killed in 980 by the prince of Novgorod Vladimir Svyatoslavich . In the Ipatiev list, the Krivichi were mentioned for the last time under 1128 , and the Polotsk princes were called Krivichi under 1140 and 1162 . After this, Krivichi are no longer mentioned in the East Slavic chronicles . However, the tribal name Krivichi was used for quite some time in foreign sources (until the end of the 17th century ).

After the formation of Kievan Rus, the Krivichi (along with the Vyatichi ) took an active part in the colonization of the eastern lands (modern Tver , Vladimir , Kostroma , Ryazan , Yaroslavl and Nizhny Novgorod regions ^[23] , the north of Moscow , as well as the Vologda region ^[24] ) where they assimilated, and perhaps the Finnish tribes of Dyakovo culture were also pushed aside.

The southwestern, Polotsk branch of the Krivichi is also called the Polochan . Together with the Dregovichi , Radimichi and some Baltic tribes, this Krivichi branch formed the basis of the Belarusian ethnos .

• Dermant A. Krivichi (historical and ethnogenetic essay) // Background of Belarusians from ancient times to the XIII century / Compilation, translation, scientific editing A. E. Taras - Minsk: Harvest, 2010. - P. 211-241.
• Zhikh M. I. On the issue of ethnicity of Krivichy // Bulletin of the Lipetsk State Pedagogical University. A series of humanities .. - 2013. - No. 1 (8) . - S. 8-17 .
• Machinsky D.A. Migration of the Slavs in the 1st millennium AD (according to written sources using data from archeology). - M. , 1981. - S. 39-51.
• Sedov V.V. Long barrows of Krivichi / V.V. Sedov. - Moscow, 1974, S. 36-41.
• Sedov V.V. Krivichi // Soviet Archeology. - 1960. - No. 1 .
• Shtykhў G.V. Kryvichy: on materials of the excavation of the Kurgan ў paўnochnai Belarus / G.V. Shtykhў. - Minsk. 1992.
• Shtykhov G.V. Formation of Polotsk Krivichi / G.V. Shtykhov // Iš baltų kultūros istorijos. - Vilnius: Diemedis, 2000 .-- S. 209-218.
• Schmidt E.A. Krivichi of the Smolensk Dnieper and Dnieper (in the light of archaeological data) / Schmidt E.A. - Smolensk, 2012.

• Krivichi. Historical and ethnogenetic essay
• Written and other sources about Krivichi
• Krivichi
• Krivichi
• Krivichi and Slovenia
• Zhikh M. I. On the issue of ethnicity of Krivichi