Ancient Estonia
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Ancient Estonia refers to a period covering
The Mesolithic Period
The region has been populated since the end of the last glacial era, about 10,000 BC. The earliest traces of human settlement in Estonia are connected with
The Neolithic Period
The beginning of the
Artifacts identified as belonging to the "
Late Neolithic - Chalcolithic
The beginning of the Late Neolithic Period about 2200 BC is characterized by the appearance of the Corded Ware culture, pottery with corded decoration and well-polished stone axes (s.c. boat-shape axes). Evidence of agriculture is provided by charred grain of wheat on the wall of a corded-ware vessel found in Iru settlement. Osteological analysis show an attempt was made to domesticate the wild boar.[6]
Specific burial customs were characterized by the dead being laid on their sides with their knees pressed against their breast, one hand under the head. Objects placed into the graves were made of bones of domesticated animals.[4]
The Bronze Age
The beginning of the Bronze Age in Estonia is dated to approximately 1800 BC. The development of the borders between the Baltic Finns and the Balts was under way. The first fortified settlements, Asva and Ridala on the island of Saaremaa and Iru in the Northern Estonia began to be built. The development of shipbuilding facilitated the spread of bronze. Changes took place in burial customs, a new type of burial ground spread from Germanic to Estonian areas, stone cist graves and cremation burials became increasingly common aside small number of boat-shaped stone graves.[7]
The Iron Age
The
The
Early Middle Ages
The name of Estonia occurs first in a form of
According to one interpretation,
The extent of Estonian territory in early medieval times is disputed but the nature of their religion is not. They were known to the Scandinavians as experts in wind-magic, as were the Lapps (known at the time as Finns) in the North.[11] The name Estonia is first mentioned by Cassiodorus in his book V. Letters 1–2 dating from the 6th century.[12]
According to
A battle between
About 1008,
. The Oesilians, taken by surprise, had at first agreed to pay the demands made by Olaf, but then gathered an army during the negotiations and attacked the Norwegians. Olaf (who would have been only 13 years old) claimed to have won the battle. Olaf was the subject of several biographies, both hagiographies and sagas, in the Middle Ages, and many of the historical facts concerning his adventures are disputed.The
According to the
In the 1st centuries AD political and administrative subdivisions began to emerge in Estonia. Two larger subdivisions appeared: the parish (kihelkond) and the county (maakond). The parish consisted of several villages. Nearly all parishes had at least one fortress. The defense of the local area was directed by the highest official, the parish elder. The county was composed of several parishes, also headed by an elder. By the 13th century the following major counties had developed in Estonia:
Estonia constitutes one of the richest territories in the Baltic for hoards from the 11th and the 12th centuries. The earliest coin hoards found in Estonia are Arabic Dirhams from the 8th century. The largest Viking Age hoards found in Estonia have been at Maidla and Kose. Out of the 1500 coins published in catalogues, 1000 are Anglo-Saxon.[21]
In the 11th century the Scandinavians are frequently chronicled as combating the Vikings from the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea. With the rise of
Sources
- History of Estonia 2nd Edition. Tõnu Tannberg, Ain Mäesalu, Tõnis Lukas, Mati Laur and Ago Pajur, ISBN 9985-2-0606-1, A/S BIT, Tallinn, 2002;
References
- ISBN 9985-2-0324-0
- ISBN 90-420-0890-3
- ISBN 0-313-30610-9
- ^ ISBN 9985-2-0606-1
- ISBN 0-521-47299-7
- ISBN 90-420-0890-3
- ISBN 90-420-0890-3
- ISBN 90-420-0890-3
- ISBN 0-631-23170-6
- ISBN 0-415-09136-5
- ISBN 0-415-09136-5
- ^ The Letters of Cassiodorus Translated by Thomas Hodgkin
- ^ Pre- and Proto-historic Finns by John Abercromby p.141
- ^ Heimskringla; 36. OF YNGVAR'S FALL
- ^ a b Heimskringla http://mcllibrary.org/Heimskringla/trygvason1.html
- ^ a b Tvauri, Andres (2012). The Migration Period, Pre-Viking Age, and Viking Age in Estonia. pp. 33, 59, 60. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
- ^ Marika Mägi (2016). "The origin of Rus' and the question of Balto-Finnic role in this process". The Earliest States of Eastern Europe. Old Rus' and Medieval Europe: the Origin of States. Dmitriy Pozharskiy University, Moskva, 231-257.
- ^ Mäesalu, Ain (2012). "Could Kedipiv in East-Slavonic Chronicles be Keava hill fort?" (PDF). Estonian Journal of Archaeology. 1: 199. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
- ISBN 0-8179-2852-9
- ^ Through Past Millennia: Archaeological Discoveries in Estonia
- ISBN 0-19-726220-1
- ISBN 0-14-026653-4