2 M. DOVNAR-ZAPOLSEGY.
The history of the Radimichi, perhaps, indicates precisely that already in ancient times the said tribes had many ethnographic features that helped them merge into one nation, despite fragmentation and foreign influence. This fusion of three tribes into one ethnographic whole was undoubtedly helped by the fact that their geographical location was almost the same, as well as the nature of the country they occupied.
The southern border of Dregovichi with Polyany and Volynany began almost at the mouth of the Pripyat and continued throughout it in a narrow strip along the southern shore, approximately along the present borders of the Volyn lips. with Mineka. Dalfe to the west, from the upper Pripyat along its tributary Pinz, the border passed to the West. Bug, which was crossed by the city center either at Brest-Litovsk, ancient Berestye. From Brest-Litovsk the border, leaving the direction from east to west, went to the northwest along the Bug, the borders of the present-day Grodno province. On this southern border we already see: before the 13th century. slbd. cities: Mozyr, now mountains Minsk province, Turov, now% m%st. Moz. u., Pinek (Pinesk), u. mountains Minsk province, Brest. Litovsk (Berestye), u. mountains Grodno lips, `.
The southwestern border, in Froyatno, did not reach further than Dorogichina, Grodno. lips on the river Zap. Bugf, from where she was heading to Grodno, the current province. mountains The hall, passing into the Vilna province, cut off the south-eastern part of it from the southern mountains. Vilna, capturing the entire upper reaches of the Vichy, and finally moved to the Dvina, into the Vitebsk province. The border crossing the Dvina probably passed not far to the north-west. from Polotsk, approximately along the present border of Polotsk district with Drissnensky and Sebezhsky. Border; Having captured the upper reaches of the Velikaya River, it turned north towards the east and on this route passed along the northern border of the Vitebsk lips. to r. Lovat, below Velikiye Luki - Novgorod city. Thus, the Polotsk region included. the entire lake region of the Sebezh and Nevelsk districts, and then went until 03. Dvinya.
On this long western and northern border we know at this time very few cities, namely: the mentioned Do-
Rogichin and Grodno, Zaslav, Gorodets, Polotsk and Nevel, district towns of Vitebsk province, Usvyat, Yemenets.
In general, the border we have outlined can only indicate approximately the ethnographic border of Dregovichi and Polochan. Beyond these borders lived Lithuanian settlements, whose history dates back to the 13th century. almost covered in the darkness of the unknown. In Russian chronicles we find only vague hints of Lithuanian-Russian relations in this period. Such paucity of information stems from the fact that we do not have the Polotsk chronicle itself, which, perhaps, would give us some explanation. Between now and then, relations between Polotsk and Lithuania were more peaceful. Therefore, Yuevsmya, Volynsyumya and Novgorod chronicles, busy with important events in their regions, do not at all know the relationship of Polotsk to Lithuania.
Meanwhile, some other sources (such as the Latvian chronicles) indicate that the political borders of the Principality of Polotsk were much wider: it belonged to many Lithuanian tribes...
Behind Usvyat, near the lake. Dvinya, the territory of the Polotsk Yorivichs met with the Smolensk Yorivichs. The region of the latter, having captured 03. Zhiozhets and Toropetskoye with the city of Toropets, moved to the upper reaches of the Volga, where they had mountains. Rzhev and from there it turned south to Protv, a tributary of the river. Moscow. The eastern border of the Smolensk Krivichi included the upper reaches of the Protva River, from where it headed south to the middle course of the Ugra; along this river, capturing the upper reaches of the Bolva in the Kaluga province, it occupied the southern part of the Roslavl district and, passing through the southern part of the Mogilev province, from the Bvernze of Chechersk, the ancient Radimich city, it met the Dnieper below the city of Rogachev.
There are many geographical boundaries of Polotsk. Subsequently, we will turn to a more precise definition of their boundaries, and now we will examine the nature of the country occupied by them.
T. Country.