Izborsk

Izborsk is mentioned in 862 as the place of reign of one of the legendary companion in arms of Rurik — Prince Truvor. Archaeologists date the foundation of the settlement to the 7th-8th centuries, the researcher V.V.Sedov believed that it was the tribal center of the Slavs-Krivichi.

The population of Stary Izborsk was Slavic, in addition, individual finds indicate that representatives of the Finno-Ugric (Chud’, Estonian) and Baltic tribes (Lithuanians, Latgalians) also lived here. The traces of the Vikings («Varangians of Truvor») are poorly represented, single finds, and do not allow us to conclude that a large Varangian contingent was present in Stary Izborsk.

But there is legendary object in Izborsk which associated with the name of the Varangian Truvor — a stone cross at the local cemetery. The cross dates back to the XIV-XV centuries, therefore it cannot have anything to do with the Rurik’s Truvor. The legend was already known in the 18th century, Empress Catherine II ordered to make a commemorative medal with the inscription: «Truvor died in Izborsk in 864». Thus, Truvor’s connection with Izborsk and the «Varangian trace» in the history of this ancient city is a late myth. Today, we can see the place of Old Izborsk only in the form of natural landscapes, the outlines of the hillfort. There are no buildings and fortifications on the surface, they are all hidden in the ground. From the floor, south side, the remains of the rampart of the Old Russian period have been preserved.

Tags: castles and fortresses, before 13 century, The struggle for the Baltic until the 13th century, By the Vikings' Route, North-West Russia