Aim: Does Russia owe its heritage to the Byzantine Empire?

1. Aim: Does Russia owe its heritage to the Byzantine Empire? Do Now: What do you know about Russia? What do you want to know? NY State Standards 2, 3 Common Core Standards RS 6, 9, WS 1

2. Russia Physical Map

3. I Geography of Russia A) Most of Russia is steppe (grassland) between the Carpathian Mountains in Eastern Europe and the Ural Mountains in Asia. Carpathian Mountains in Eastern Europe Ural Mountains in Asia

4. Geography of Russia Continued… B) Russia’s most important river is the Volga. It flows through Moscow, and southward into the Caspian Sea. C) Staple Russian foods include wheat, barley, rye, beets, caviar (sturgeon eggs) and dairy (cattle are herded on the Russian steppes). D) As the Baltic Sea freezes in winter, Russian monarchs have always looked south for a warm water port to allow seafaring year round. Caviar on a Blini… Yummm! Baltic Sea in Winter

5. Geography of Russia Continued… F) Siberia is in northeastern Russia. Temperatures can dip to -50 degrees Celsius!

6. How do Russians deal with the cold? A Russian tradition is to go to the banya (Russian sauna). A beating with oak leaves improves your circulation. After sweating in the banya, you are supposed to take a plunge into an ice cold river or roll in the snow. *While Russians do drink a lot of vodka, alcohol LOWERS your body temperature.

7. II Early Russian Civilization A)During the time of the Roman Empire, Slavssettled by the Baltic and Black Seas. B) By the 800s CE the Norsemen came as well. The Norsemen were farmers and seafarers from Scandinavia (northern Europe). The Vikings were Norsemen who went on raids. SLAVIC WARRIOR Slavic people share a common culture. Descendents of the Slavs live in many eastern European countries such as Croatia and Serbia. As many were forced into slavery in the Middle Ages, the Slavs are the origin for the word “slave”.

8. Early Russian Civilization Continued… C) Kiev, at the heart of Viking trade, became the center of the 1st Russian state. D) Kiev was located between Constantinople and the Baltic Sea. *This allowed for contact with the Byzantine Empire Novgorod, a Russian City Founded by the Norsemen

9. III The Byzantines Brought All This?? A) In the 9thcentury CE the Byzantines brought Eastern Orthodox Christianity, domes and the Greek alphabet (cyrillic) to Russia. B) Russians adapted the Byzantine dome, and developed their “onion domes”. The Cyrillic Alphabet Russian Onion Dome

10. IV Russia Under the Mongols A) Batu, the grandson of Genghis Khan, led the Mongol army from Asia into Russia. The Mongols controlled Russia from 1240-1400s. B) Though Russian princes in Moscow became wealthy by working with the Mongols, Russian infrastructure (roads, buildings, etc) had been destroyed, leaving Russia cut off from Western Europe for centuries! The Mongols were a fierce nomadic tribe from north of China. Under Genghis Khan, they created one of the largest empires in history. This is a photo of a Russian peasant from the 19th century. His life was very similar to Russia peasants during and after the time of the Mongol invasion. Batu, the Grandson of Genghis Khan

12. Summary: How similar was Russia to the Byzantine Empire? How was Russia a unique civilization?

13. Key Vocabulary • Baltic Sea • Batu • Byzantine Empire • Carpathian Mountains • Cyrillic Alphabet • Eastern Orthodox Christianity • Infrastructure • Kiev • Mongols • Moscow • Norsemen • Onion Domes • Siberia • Slavs • Steppe • Ural Mountains • Vikings • Volga River • Warm Water Port