Old Russian Cities in the Viking Age. New Books on a Long-standing Problem

This material is a review of recently published books on the results of the archaeological study of early city centers of the Viking period in Northern Russia: Ryurikovo Gorodishche, Pskov, Gnyozdovo, Gorodok on Lovat and Usvyat. Lack of detailed publications of many key archaeological sites is a long-standing problem of Russian archeology, which has only gradually improved in recent years. The books considered here add up to a kind of a single collection, united both by a common theme and by a single circle of authors. The most important topics are the development of early urban centers in Northern Russia, the chronology and mechanisms of the formation of medieval Russian culture as primarily the culture of urban centers, the role of Northern Europe and Byzantium in the composition of medieval Russian culture, connections of early cities with their environs and with each other. Some of the proposed points are debatable, while others confirm and develop the existing concepts.