Rus' (people)

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/rus-people

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the primary economic activities?Long-distance trade (furs, slaves, honey, wax) and tribute collection from subjugated tribes
2. What is the key cultural influences?Norse traditions, Byzantine Christianity and administration, and interactions with local Slavic cultures
3. Who were the Rus' and where did they come from?The Rus' were Norsemen, probably from Sweden, who moved eastward in the 9th century.
4. How did the Rus' travel and trade across Europe?They used longships that could sail on both open seas and shallow rivers, traveling along the Volga and Dnieper to reach rich markets in the Byzantine Empire and the Abbasid Caliphate.

Normanist Controversy: A historical debate concerning the extent of Norse (Varangian) influence on the formation of early East Slavic states.
Kievan Rus': A powerful medieval East Slavic state, centered in Kyiv, established by the Rus' people from the 9th to the 13th centuries.
Varangians: A term used in East Slavic sources to refer to Norsemen, particularly those who traveled and settled in Eastern Europe.