Gersicke. We will return later to the colonization issue, and now we note that the border of the Polotsk dominions from the upper reaches of the N%man tributaries indicated by us went to the upper reaches of the Velikaya in Sebezhsekoye bridle of Vitebsk province; It’s difficult to determine where it ended, but on Velikaya we see the city of Pekovsyu Ostrov. This border could change in accordance with the colonizing movements of the Krivichi. The extreme line went from the upper reaches of the Velikaya to the upper reaches of the Lovat. In this story, Polotsui is the border town of Yemenei and Velime Luki, Novgorod city.
Let us now turn to the evil towns of the Principality of Polotsk.
The main city of the land of Isholtesk, Polotsk, mentioned already on the first pages of the chronicle 100) among the oldest and most significant cities of Rus'. It is located at the confluence of the Polota River and the Dvina on an elevated cape formed by the named rivers 101), which makes the location of the city very beautiful. Its central location is in the land of the Polotsk Vrivichs, connected by two rivers, of which the Dvina brings it closer, through the land of the Smolensk Krivichis, on the one hand with the Volga region and the extensive trade activity carried out in ancient times in this region, on the other hand with Klevshchina, and through it with the Byzantine Empire; The Dvina also connected Polotsk with Novgorod and the Baltic Sea. We have already seen that direct routes to Novgorod through Polota and to Vievshchina through the Berezina passed through Polotsk. Finally, we must also remember that Polotsk was the closest significant city to Lithuania, and therefore, naturally, Russian and German trade with the latter went through exactly that. The fame of his wealth spread in ancient times far beyond the borders of Rus'; he is well known to the Scandinavians and in their sagas under the name of the RašNāez-Ka]a 102). Unfortunately, our sources are too poor in indicating the internal location of the city at this time. From
10) Mention. IP. years: 11, 18, 50, 83, 102, 121, 129, 150, 211, 212, 220, 239, 340, 349, 350, 355, 360, 361, 369, 412, etc.
101; Balinsvy, "5bagoy. Cutting", Sh, r. 594.
[fragment illegible in the scan of the first edition]
We know the words about Igorev's Regiment about the church of St. that existed in it. Sophie 103). And from the life of St. Euphrosyne about the monastery of St. Savior, later rebuilt into a stone one from wood, in a suburban episcopal village called Selye 19%); ‘this area was located two miles from the city; to the monastery of St. The famous cross of its founder is located in the city of the Savior, in the very city of Zhenxu the monastery into which St. entered. Efrosivya 195). The photograph indicates that in Polotsk there was an old church of St. Mother of God in 1159 106}, therefore, there was a new one. There was a brotherhood at this church already at that distant time 107), In the Tver photo-recording under 1001, information was recorded about the transfer of the remains of princes Izyaslav and Vseslav “to the Holy Mother of God,” which; apparently, and refers to the above-mentioned “old” church of St. Mother of God 108). Not far from the city there was the village of Balchichi, in which the princes of Polotsey lived. This is all that the sources have preserved for us about the topography of ancient Polotsk 19).
[fragment illegible in the scan of the first edition]
Besvyatz—nowadays. Velizh district Vit. lips In the current time, it was already mentioned - in 1021: Yaroslav gave this city and Vitebek to Bryachislav of Polotsk I"). Thus, both cities belonged to 1021, probably temporarily
193) 0b of this church, see Sapunov “Polotsui Sofsyu cathedral”, Sementovsky “Bfhor. Antiquities”, no. |, r. 105.
101) Euerezt, “Oma evil a pa potopse Roeosmet”, T, 68; Sapunov "Polotsey Spas-Eerosin. Virgin Monastery"; Sementovsky "Blorus. Ancient", 1, 105; Sapunov “Vitebsk Star.”, U, 8-13; “Vilna calendar”, 1889 art. “It! St. Erosini”, as well as in Batyushkov’s edition “Belarus and Lithuania”, (.-P6b., 1889 - We do not give descriptions of these churches, as well as the cross of St. Erosini, since they are generally known and those who wish can find drawings of them in the mass of heterogeneous publications that treat Polotsk.
110) General outline of the history of Polotsk, si. at Sementoveky "Vitebsk and Uzdn. city. Vitebsk province", r. 106 et seq., Bylyaev, "Very East. Northwestern-Western Territory. East. Polotsk."