SocietyEurope
The Kyivan Rus
River roads from the Baltic to Byzantium
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The route "from the Varangians to the Greeks" carried furs, wax and slaves south and silver north; quantities of Arab silver coins turn up in Scandinavian hoards. Choosing Byzantine over Latin Christianity drew a cultural line through Europe still visible in alphabet, church life and politics. Russia and Ukraine dispute the inheritance to this day.
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Norse traders and local Slavic peoples built a realm along the rivers between the Baltic and the Black Sea. In 988 Prince Vladimir chose Orthodox Christianity from Constantinople — a choice that still shapes eastern Europe.
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Part of Terra Saga — the story of Earth on a timeline. terrasaga.org