History of Ukraine/Before Kyivan Rus’

The first people to settle the land north of the Black Sea were Neanderthals around 45000 B.C. Archeological findings of Homo Sapiens in Ukraine date back to the Late Paleolithic Period (30-10 thousand B.C.). They left many us many wall paintings. They used stone to create knives, spearheads, harpoons, as well as bones to create sewing needles and fishing hooks. People in the Mesolithic Period mastered the arts of weapon manufacturing, hunting and fishing. People during the Neolithic Period practiced animal husbandry.

The Cucuteni-Trypillian culture was the most famous culture of Ukraine during the Copper Age (4-3 thousand B.C.) They settled the forest-steppe between the Danube and the Dnipro rivers. They lived well organized lives, and practiced agriculture and cattle breeding, as well as crafts, in particular pottery. Some of their cities had a population of over 15,000 people.

Archeologists have found in Ukraine the remains of many cultures from the Bronze Age. People began to live in tribal groups, as well as create complex mechanisms. During this period pastoralists were separated from plowmen.

The Cimmerians were a nomadic nation of warriors that were driven out of the Pontic steppes by the Scythians during the 8th century B.C.. The Cimmerians were mentioned in the Bible as savage warriors.

The Greeks began founding colonies in Crimea during the 7th and 6th centuries B.C.. Some Greek colonies include Chersonsus (near current Sevastopol), Theodosia (current Feodosiia), Panticapeum (near current Kerch). The most famous colony was Olbia. Archeological evidence suggests that the area of the city was at its peak 120 acres, and it had a population of more than 10,000 people. The city was a democracy, and had a temple to Apollo Delphinios, an acropolis, and stone walls.

The Greeks of Ukraine and the local Scythians traded and intermarried, which have rise to a population which combined Greek and Scythian traditions. The steppes of Souther Ukraine have many burial mounds of Scythian kings with luxury items made of gold.

The oldest book on the history of Ukraine was written by Herodotus, the father of history. He described the founding myth of the Scythians, claimed that according the their account, they are the youngest nation. He divided them to horsemen and agriculturalists. He also considered the land near the Dnipro river the most productive in the world. It is still consider to this day to be among the richest in the world, which is why Ukraine is called the “breadbasket of Europe”. The coast was settled by Greeks and Hellenized Scythians.

The Sarmatians came from the East and replaced the Scythians who controlled the trade route between the agricultural regions and the Greek colonies. They ruled the Pontic steppe until the 4th century AD. The trade between the Ukrainian hinterland and the Greek colonies stopped, and the Scythians formed a new kingdom in Crimea, which they called Scythia Minor.

The security and prosperity of the Greek colonies was undermined by the conflict between the old and new masters of the steppe, and the appearance of trade routes to Greece from the Middle East secured by the conquest of Alexander the Great, and later the Roman Empire.

The Romans gained control of the northern shores of the Black Sea in the 1st century BC, however had hostile relations with barbarian neighbors which caused a lack of security. The region never fully recovered, and due to fear of war, the Greek colonists knew little about their neighbors. Ukraine has once again become the edge of Western civilization. The Eastern border of Ukraine was the Eastern border of Europe, until the maps of Europe were redrawn in the 18th century by the Russian Empire, and the border was moved to the Urals.

During the Sarmatian period, Christianity was first spread in Ukraine. According to tradition, Saint Andrew the Apostle spread the Gospel near the Black Sea and across the Dnipro River. In the 3rd century AD, 2 new positions were established - the Scythian and Bosporus Bishops, as parts of the Patriarchate of Constantinople.

Strabo, the author of “Geographies”, claimed that the Iszugrs and Roxalani were “wagon dwellers”. He complained about the ignorance in regard to the people who lived farther north. Ptolemy wrote about a European Sarmatia and an Asian Sarmatia, which reflects not only the imagined line between Europe and Asia, but also civilizational frontier.

The relationship of the Romans with the peoples of the Ukrainian steppes were defined by a mix of war and trade. The Goths and the Huns who were key in the invasion and fall of the Western Roman Empire lived in or passed through Ukraine. The Huns were replaced by Turkic speaking-tribes in the sixth century.

The Slavs, as opposed to the groups mentioned above, entered the scene in Ukraine and refused to leave. They probably came to Europe somewhere between the seventh and third millennium BC, however during most of their history, they were unknown to Mediterranean authors who were ignorant of inhabitants of the forested areas north of the Pontic steppes.

They showed up in the borders of the Eastern Roman Empire en masse in the early sixth century. Jordanes, a Byzantine author of Gothic ancestry, divided the Slavs to two major groups: Slaveni and Antes. The Sclaveni lived between the Danube and the Dniester, while the Antes lived between the Dniester and the Dnipro. Linguistic evidence suggests the homeland of the Slavs was in Volhynia and Prypiat marshes of Ukraine. By the time of Jordanes, they moved to the steppes and created a serious problem of Emperor Justinian the great.

Justinian, who attempted to restore the entire Roman Empire (East and West), decided to go on the offensive on the Danube front. After multiple victories, he added “Anticus” to his imperial title, which means conqueror of the Antes. After Chilbudius, the commander in charge of the conquest, was killed, Justinian returned to defending the border along the Danube.

The Antes pillaged the Byzantine province of Thrace, and took many slaves. After demonstrating their potential, they became defenders of the Empire in exchange for regular payment. The abandoned Greek city of Turris became their headquarters. However, their plot to become legitimate Roman citizens failed.

Procopius described the Slavs as tall people, and that their hair was neither blond nor dark, who lived hard lives and cared little for bodily comforts. They went to battle half naked on foot with shields and javelins. They were modest when it came to their private parts. Procopius also described the society as a democracy. Archeological evidence agrees with the description given by Procopius.

During the seventh century, Avars invaded the region, and later the Bulgars and the Khazars. The Avars and the Khazars left long lasting bad memories. According to Kyivan Chronicles, the Avars were “large of stature and proud of spirit”, and God destroyed them. They also claimed there was a poverb “They perished like the Avars”.

Very little is know about the Slavs who lived in Ukraine before the 10th century. What we do know came from Byzantine and Gothic sources, as well as from later Kyivan chroniclers who saw them as bearers of pagan superstition.