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The name
refers to those ethnic complexes, to which further East Slavic
tribes directly traced the origin back. For complete clarity
it is necessary to make two stipulations: that directness
should not be taken for granted, because first, various other
migration movements and assimilation processes might be
involved; and second, that there were other tribes but the
proto-Slavonic, especially in the Black Sea steppes.
In this short
introduction already appeared two words, describing almost
precisely the geographic territory of mentioned processes: the
plain and the steppes. If one adds the water system, it would
be practically all. On vast areas, from northern seas to the
Black Sea, Caucasus and the Caspian Sea, and from Niemen and
Bug as far as to Ural, there are no mountains. There are hills,
ranges, uplands, but in fact low, so they could neither
constitute any frontier, nor obstacle, nor a defence line. On
all the territory of the East Europe there are practically no
heights over 400 metres. Everywhere a monotonous (at least
seemingly) landscape of lower and higher plains,
differentiated however according to a system of water routes,
types of soil and verdure into several zones. The means of
living varied too, and the density of population in individual
zones was different as well. In the northmost tundra zone
could earn their living only hunting tribes, very small and
dispersed, struggling with the most severe climatic conditions,
long time remaining on primitive living basis. The living
conditions were changing to better southbound, through
so-called forest-tundra (the tundra with a limited quantity of
woods) to the zones of coniferous and leafy forests, once
wider than nowadays, stretching as far as to the line
perpendicular to the middle Dnieper. Those were the very
regions where the development of productive forces was the
most intensive. Further to the south the forests were turning
into forest-steppes, and between Dniester and falling into the
Caspian Sea Yaik (thus was called Ural until 1775) spread the
steppes; in lands along Volga steppes reached the most
northern limits.
The steppes on
the Black, Azov and Caspian seas linked south-eastern Europe
with Asia in the most natural and easiest way. A simplified
access seldom leads to a happiness and from the historical
point of view, this is a very truth about that Asian-European
"gate". Hundreds of years lasted the process of crossing of
various and numerous nomadic tribes from Asian interior to
Europe. In such circumstances the already settled tribes could
not protect themselves from losses and ravages, and later, in
the period of the Old Russian state it became a disastrous
plague to its inhabitants, a source of perpetual dangers, a
restraint to natural and necessary development tendencies. The
centuries would go, the Old Russian state would cease, the
difficult times of break up would go too, the great Russian
state would appear, and troubles and misfortunes from the
southern steppes would not cease until the second half of 18th
century brought the solutions as merciless as final.
In a long
development way from the stone ages to the ability to smelt
metals, from the most primitive forms of gaining food to
farming and husbandry, not all the tribes of the Great East
European Plain had adopted the same achievements to the same
degree in the same time. It was already stated, that the most
northern tribes were the most underdeveloped. Ethnically those
were Finno-Ugric and Samoyed tribes. More or less from the
eastern shores of the Gulf of Finland and southern shores of
both great lakes, Ladoga and Onega, began the territories of
proto-Slavonic tribes, which fortunately inhabited the very
forest and forest-steppes zone. Their neighbours were,
starting from the Gulf of Finland - the Ests, Livs, Baltic
tribes (Letts and Lithuanians), then West Slavic tribes and in
the most far south-west the Wallachian ones. To the east were
the settlements of the Finno-Ugric Cheremises (nowadays the
Mari), Mordva and various minor tribes.
The most
favourable conditions enabled faster progress, so in zones of
forests and forest-steppes social relationships also reached a
higher level of development faster. The problem however is in
fact more complicated than it looks; in the middle stripe of
great plains it was easier to improve labour tools, make use
of meadows and pastures, or extend the agricultural areas, but
one nowhere had a comfortable life. Investigating the
relations between the possibilities of existence and
development, and natural conditions, one must not forget a
climate. In the East Europe prevails continental climate, very
severe in the north, of course gentler in the south, but only
in summertime. At least from the middle of the 19th century
Russia's historians had been taking that into consideration in
their researches on utmost times and beginnings of the
statehood, even coming to an exaggeration, after all
inevitable. When investigating the influence of natural,
climatic and topographic factors on social development, one
did not hesitate even to emphasize, that in the west of Europe
the nature was always a loving mother while in the east - a
severe stepmother. May it be so, although one can clearly
notice here either an exaggeration, or contrary - a
simplification. However in both cases the basis itself is
pertinent; in the basin of Dnieper, Desna or Pripet the
existence presented far more troubles than west of Rhine or
south of the Alps and Pyrenees.
On the other
hand the rivers became a real blessing to peoples of the
European east. Their particularly convenient system in the
forest and forest-steppes zones (also in the north) could
also very early become the system of transportation routes
in the whole great space from the Gulf of Finland to the
Black Sea. Due to reasons mentioned earlier the use of
seashores was impeded, and for that in north of the sea
rivers played an important role, they were simply salutary
to inhabitants. They used to settle most willingly along the
rivers and to build there permanent settlements, the process
hardly possible in the woods or even in the steppes. Thanks
to the rivers bigger conglomerations of population were
arising, having easier mutual contacts and exchange; they
also delivered fish, while one had not to worry about their
low quantity. The wide, massive forests were also needed,
although not for settlement purposes. They delivered the
game to hunters, berries and mushrooms to pickers, honey to
bee-keepers, timber to all. The grubbed or burnt forest was
transformed into a plough-land.
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