Text | Lanzi Ji
Ed Lanzi Ji
In other words, today's Russia must be familiar to all of you.
But what do you know about the turbulent social environment and the intricacies of war and expansion in Russia's history?
Today, I will take the Slavic peoples of 800 BC as a starting point, and through 11 precious historical maps, I will vividly depict the cultural integration and war expansion of Russia at that time......
Slavs up to 800 BC
Tracing back to the origins of the Slavic peoples and their exact origins remains a mystery that has not been fully solved.
However, based on recent research, we know that it may have originated in this part of the Caucasus Mountains.
Around 800 AD, they existed in a variety of forms, such as scattered and solitary tribal aggregates.
From a macro historical perspective, these primitive groups may have had to choose their habitat in the small space between the present-day Vistula River basin and the Don River basin.
Migration of Asians from 800 to 600 BC
In the history of human social development, transportation mode and geographical migration are one of many major events.
Especially in the era of ancient civilization, due to the limited manpower and material resources, people often relied on relatively simple means of transportation to complete long-distance migration.
In the period after 800 B.C., a nomadic people, represented by the Scythians, resorted to "iron horses" and carried out a large-scale migration to the west.
This wave of large-scale migration has had a profound impact on the surrounding areas, thus further accelerating the pace of historical evolution.
To be sure, this behavior of the Scythians can be seen as a brave and adventurous spirit, and even given the image of pioneers and explorers.
They had migrated to the Black River region before the 7th century BC. Subsequently, this powerful force conquered the natives and brought them into their sphere of influence.
In the process, the Scythian tribe also forced other Seleucids and Slavs to move further north.
In this way, the great migration of the Scythians promoted the migration of other races to some extent and shaped the shape of Europe. Since then, a wide variety of cultures have been able to exchange and merge with each other, resulting in a unique European culture.
Scythians, Greeks and Slavs from 600 to 300 BC
In ancient times, Thessaly's natural beauty and magnificence attracted many tourists to explore, but the history of civilization that was born here is also remarkable.
Around 700 B.C., many new settlements in Greece took root here, gradually forming large and unique clusters of towns. This vibrant and vibrant region became one of the most prosperous in the ancient world.
At the same time, on the other side of this land, there are many rural clans with simple lives, collectively known as the Scythian tribe.
Throughout their history, the Scythian tribe has never departed from the atmosphere of tradition, simplicity and freedom, and has always maintained a democratic system of equality and autonomy of all ministries.
They follow the tribal clan system, reverence and follow the authority of the largest tribal leader. However, it is this relatively balanced and stable state that allows them to continue steadily in the vast grassland area.
In ancient times, the influence of the saddle on warfare should not be underestimated.
Because the Scythian tribe was the first to introduce the saddle, the advantage of the cavalry was more obvious, and their strength in the war was greatly enhanced, thus ensuring that the whole tribe had a strong military force, so that for a long time, they successfully resisted the invasion of foreign enemies, and the protection of their homeland had a reason to be proud of other tribes.
Although the Greeks were not mild in their aggressiveness and sense of expansion, they chose to pacify and integrate with the Scythian tribes, who were also highly organized and disciplined.
Greek immigrants established peaceful trading relations with the Scythian tribes, and both sides reaped a great degree of benefits, thus accumulating more resources.
Greek merchants dumped all sorts of goods such as olive oil, wine, and fine textiles into the Scythian tribes, while the Scythian tribes provided the Greeks with animal products, hides, furs, timber, paraffin, honey, and cereals.
The fusion of Greek culture and Scythian culture in that era can be described as a great historical process, revealing the way of coexistence of different national civilizations.
If history is any guide, this coexistence is not achieved through forcible invasion or coercion, but through cultural exchange and full respect for each other's differences.
Romans and Sarmatians from 200 BC - 200 AD
When we go back centuries to the last centuries of history.
The Sarmats, an ancient and mysterious Asian tribe, crossed the vast sea and stepped into the rocky and spectacular southern land of Russia around 200 B.C.
Thanks to their exceptional leadership and military prowess, the Sarmati have been able to sustain this vast land for more than 400 years.
Every minute and every second of this long period has added a strong mark to the annals of European history and left a deep and indelible mark.
However, the Sarmat people's illustrious history is not alone.
At the same time, the large and dynamic Roman Empire was also actively expanding its territory in the Central Plains.
They gained the submission of many Greek immigrant cities on the vast Black Sea, and on this basis, advanced the empire further to the sacred and humid western shores of the Caspian Sea.
200-400 A.D. Gothic victorious conquests
On the eve of 200 AD, a Baroque tribe called the Goths, with their excellent leadership skills and great fighting power, managed to defeat another powerful tribe: the Sarmatians.
This victory expanded the territory of the Goths to the vicinity of the Black Sea, making this tribe of Baltic origin an important role in history.
During the 79-year campaign (known in historical parlance as the "8th century"), the Goths won a number of key battles.
One of the most significant of these was their successful victory over the Roman dictator Decius in the lower reaches of the Daru River, an innocent emperor who was ultimately killed in the battle.
Between 256 and 268 AD, the Goths posed a great threat to the cities of the Roman Empire, and frequent raids forced them to be on constant alert.
Around 300-400 AD, the Goths came to believe in Christianity.
They lived in peace with other tribes, and finally a new social order was formed in the late 400s AD.
In the process, many Slavic tribes accepted the suzerainty of the Goths, thus laying the foundations of the Goths as an integral part of European history.
The Xiongnu Empire in 450 AD
Fast forward to 360 A.D., when the Huns embarked on a long and arduous journey from Central Asia to the vast Caspian Sea Valley.
The Goths were driven to the west, and it was not until 400 AD that they were able to settle down in the vast expanse between the Volga and Rhine rivers.
In about 50 years, the Huns, led by Attila, marched hurricanely into the Baltic coast and the prosperous Rhine Valley.
However, the great leader suffered his first major defeat in 451 AD, when the Franks defeated him at the Battle of Orleans, leaving his army flying back and forth.
Since then, many Slavic tribes have fallen under Hun rule, and the vast land has gradually acquired a more diverse and rich cultural heritage.
The first expansion of the Slavs in 450-550 AD
In the ancient world, the period from 450 to 480 A.D. can be described as a pivotal moment on the stage of history.
During this period, the power of many major peoples underwent astonishing changes under the cruel wheel of fate.
After years of fighting and contesting each other, the strength of the originally powerful Xiongnu ethnic group began to be greatly weakened, and its territorial scope and dominance continued to decline.
In 500 AD, the former steppe lord finally retreated to the lower Don and Volga rivers, and the era of illustrious glory came to an end.
With the decline of the Xiongnu, the remnants of the Goths chose to settle down in the Crimean Peninsula in the heart of the Black Sea and start a new chapter in their lives.
While the ambitious Germanic clans crossed the English Channel and the Rhine to the Isles of Britain and France, the Slavic peoples rapidly expanded to the borders of the Elbe and its tributaries and the Danube Valley.
This fierce cultural collision has undoubtedly added a wonderful stroke to the historical process of Europe;
This map full of stories is not only a brutal portrayal of history, but also a testimony to human wisdom and courage.
The Avar conquest in 560-600 AD
In the 5th and early 6th centuries AD, many influential ancient civilizations gradually emerged in Western Europe. At that time, the nomadic Avars and Turkic people from the eastern steppes embarked on the migration road one after another.
The Avar tribe is known to be one of the nomadic peoples living in the vast steppes of northeastern Asia, whose origins can be traced back to around the third century BC.
From East Asia to Europe, the Avar people crossed vast areas, reaching the Balkan Peninsula after 550 AD, successfully entering the European continent, leaving a shocking footprint for future generations.
On the other hand, the Khazar tribes along the Caspian Sea chose to settle here and became one of the important forces there.
Among them, Justinian the Great of the Byzantine Empire, with the help of the Avars, managed to repel the invasion of the Slavs who attacked the Balkans.
In 562 AD, the Avar army first arrived on the banks of the Elbe River on the Bode Plain, where they established their power for more than forty years. In terms of strength, the Avars were one of the most powerful nomadic peoples in the world at the time.
At the same time, another Asian nation, the Sassanid Empire of the Persian Empire, adopted a similar strategy in its vast territory, using the Turks to suppress dissident forces within its borders.
This kind of nomadic people from the East had deep contacts with the Roman Empire and Greek cities in the West, which triggered a series of major cultural exchange events and played an immeasurable role in promoting the development of human civilization.
600-700 AD The Slavs regained their lost lands
In 605 AD, the Slavs managed to break free from the Avar yoke on the banks of the Elbe.
At the same time as independence was achieved, these brave and fearless people migrated to the Balkans, seeking the opportunity to live further side by side with their sister peoples.
It is true that the Avars once had a vast sphere of influence, but as the tribe gradually declined, the boundaries of their territory were reduced to the middle and lower reaches of the Pedo River.
On the other hand, the Huns, who lived on the north bank of the Don River, lost no time in establishing the vast Bolgar Khanate during this period, and since then, they have been known as the Bolgars.
At this very moment, in eastern Europe, the Eastern Roman Empire struggled to prop up its crumbling rule along the coast of the Crimean Peninsula, in the heart of the Caucasus Mountains, and around the Adriatic Sea, and it was clear that it could not ignore the pressures of internal and external troubles.
This situation clearly stimulates us to think at a deeper level.
1. Why are so many ethnic groups living on the same continent able to develop completely different cultural characteristics in different historical backgrounds?
2. Why is it that none of the many rich and diverse cultural traditions can easily suppress the momentum of other cultures?
It can be said that the year 605 AD was one of the most crucial moments in the history of the Slavic peoples, which witnessed the continuous exploration of various possible ways of existence for the sake of freedom and liberation and the preservation of their own culture.
During this glorious history, different races collided with each other, and sometimes even clashed.
But in the long run, this multicultural integration has made a great contribution to today's global civilization and bodes well for the future of human society.
The Khazar Khanate of 650-750 AD
By the time of 650 AD, the Khazars who were active in our vision had expanded from the traditional Amu Darya River basin to the Dniester River valley.
During this particular period, a khanate of great historical influence appeared in the Moldavian region. Around 750, the monarch decided to devote himself to the revered Jewish faith.
With the passage of time, a powerful new civilization, "Islam", has sprung up in the fertile land of the southern Caspian region, and has rapidly increased its prosperity.
During that time, the Byzantine Empire survived the difficult years on its own, successfully resisting the invasions and attacks of many foreign enemies.
From a historical macro perspective, this prosperous social scene owes to some extent its close ties with the Khazars and the nuanced commercial and trade cooperation.
Migration of Scandinavians from 800-1000 AD
Vikings, known as the Normans in history.
They are known as the conquerors of Scandinavia and were one of the first peoples to extend their tentacles to the Western continent.
According to the archaeologists' research literature, their ancestors were descendants of the Norwegian Hercynian people, the ancestors of the Norwegians and Swedes as we know them.
Around 793 AD, the Vikings first established themselves on the island of Lindisfan, located in present-day Denmark, which was their original home. They then embarked on an expedition to Armenia and accomplished a historic feat.
The reason why the Vikings crossed the ocean was actually very simple: to seek new living space and wealth.
At that time, the European continent was full of strife and conflict between various ethnic groups, and the Vikings took advantage of the opportunity to invade and began to reap the benefits of it. Their battlefields were all over Europe, and wherever they went, they were devastated by war.
From Norway in Northern Europe to the wars in England to the establishment of the Duchy of Normandy in France, etc. It can be said that the entire European continent left the footprints of the Vikings.
However, behind the Viking expansion, there are two deeper meanings.
One: From a spiritual point of view, they showed excellent expansion and pioneering spirit along the maritime trade routes connecting Scandinavia and the Byzantine Empire, through the vast Slavic territory from Novgorod to Kiev.
Second, from the perspective of industrial development, their navigation technology and shipbuilding technology cannot be ignored, which are important conditions for them to be able to cross the sea and go deep into the interior.
To a certain extent, the Vikings, as a brave people, formed their own unique cultural connotation through continuous exploration and adventure, and indeed had a "promoting" role in the historical development of Europe.
epilogue
The map is a realistic version of the time machine, which witnesses the development trajectory of human civilization and carries the evolution process of national history.
Throughout history, the map of Russia has been a living epic.
It not only records the historical prosperity of a modern power in detail, but also leaves a wealth of development experience for the world.
Through the visualization tool of the map, we can clearly observe the changes of the past and the present, and appreciate the beauty of the country's progress.
With copper as a mirror, you can be dressed properly, with the ancient as a mirror, you can know the rise and fall, and with people as a mirror, you can see the gains and losses.
Resources:
(i)SELECTIONS
Baratov, R. B. (and others), Atlas Tadzhikskoi Sovetskoi Sotsialisticheskoi Respubliki（Dushanbe and Moscow，1968）
Bartholomew,John(ed), The Times Atlas of the World , 5 vols (London, 1959)Bazilevich, K. V., Golubstov, I. A. and Zinoviev, M. A.,Atlas Istorii SSSR3 vols (Moscow,1949-54)
Beloglazova,0.A. (ed),Atlas SSSR(Moscow,1954)Czapliński, Wladisław and Ładogórski, Tadeusz, Atlas Historyczny Polish(Warsaw,1968)
Droysens，G.，Historischer Handatlas (Bielefeld and Leipzig，1886)Durov，A.G. (General editor)， Atlas Leningradskoi Oblasti (Moscow，1967)Engel，Joseph，Grosser Historischer Weltatlas (Munich，1962)Grosier，L'Abbe，Atlas Generale de la Chine (Paris，1785)Hudson，G.F.and Rajchman, Marthe, An Atlas of Far Eastern Politics (London，1938)
Kalesnik，S.V. (and others),Peterburg-Leningrad (Leningrad，1957)Kosev，Dimiter (and others)， Atlas Po Bulgarska Istoriya (Sofia, 1963)Kubijovyc， Volodymyr, Atlas of Ukraine and Adjoining Countries (Lovo,1937)