Pages: 123-132

This article presents review and analysis of data from basic written sources of the 9th — mid. 10th centuries, which mention different vessels and naval affairs of the people named Rus’. During this period, Rus’ used only simple small rowing vessels with a team of 20—40 people (referred to in Greek sources as “small akations, and in Ancient Russian early chronicle tradition as “lodias”). These akations-lodias were used by Rus’ only for movement on water, Rus’ could not conduct naval combat: with the exception of one disputed case, there is no evidence that Rus’ tried to conduct combat operations on water. Apparently, the level of the tradition of navigation in the water of Rus’ did not differ much from the synchronous development of the Khazars’ watercraft. According to written sources, Rus’ had no northern sea “Viking traditions”. In 930—950-e Rus’ mastered the technology of upgrading its “akations-lodias” with removable masts and tiller’s gears. At the same time, after 911, Rus’, as part of the Byzantine regular army, mastered the skill of sailing and waging war at sea in special “Russian karabias”, which were equipped according to the rules of the regular fleet of the East Roman Empire. Rus’ acquired the skills of naval affairs in the Black and Mediterranean seas directly from the Byzantines. It is not excluded that it was precisely this progress in mastering the technology of maritime shipbuilding that was among the significant, perhaps one of the main factors, that determined the advantage of the “Rurikid’s Empire” with its center in Kiev over other competing polities.

Keywords: Rus’, the 9th — 10th centuries, early medieval vessels, early medieval marine technique, lodia, akation, monoxylon

Information about author:

Aleksei Shchavelev (Moscow, Russian Federation). Candidate of Historical Sciences. Institute of World History, Russian Academy of SciencesLeninskiy Ave., 32a, Moscow, 119334, Russian Federation; International Center of Anthropology of National Research University Higher School of Economics. Staraya Basmannaya St., 21/4, building 3, Moscow, 105066, Russian Federation
E-mail: [email protected]