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THEME 3. The east Slavs

            77  AD            The  first  record  about  the  Venedi  living  in
                              the northern east from the Carpathians was in
                              the work “The Natural History” by the Roman
                              historian Pliny the Elder.
            ~4th cent.        The  division  of  the  Venedi  into  the  Antes
                              and the Sclaveni is connected with the attack
                              of  the  Germanic  tribes  (the  Goths,  the
                              Vandals  and  the  Gepids)  from  the  Lower
                              Vistula.  Later  they  set  up  the  Gothic
                              Kingdom.
            4th-the           The military-political alliance of the Antes as
            beginning     of  the  first  form  of  the  early  Slavic  statehood
            7th cent.         occupied the territory from the Dniester to the
                              Siversky  Donets.    The  basis  of  agriculture
                              was  represented  by  crop-farming.  The
                              military  democracy  was  the  form  of
                              government  of  the  Antes.  The  elders  and
                              princes  had  strong  a  hold  but  the  supreme
                              power was in hands of the popular assembly.
                              All  issues  were  decided  jointly.  But  during
                              the periods of  military raids and  in times of
                              danger the elected the tsar (the  leader). This
                              fact is recorded in the work of the Byzantine
                              author  Procopius  of  Caesarea.  Starting  from
                                   th
                              the  6   century,  the  Antes  together  with  the
                              Sclaveni passed to a wide-front attack against
                              the Balkan domains of the Byzantine Empire.
                              The  last record about the  Antes  in  historical
                              sources  dates  back  to the  year  of  602.  They
                              failed  to  withstand  the  assault  of  Avar
                              Khaganate, long-lasting wars and decayed.



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