Rebuttal to propaganda – the exhibition opened in Vilnius is dedicated to the history of Kyiv Rus | Culture

Historical truth against propaganda lies

As his chief advisor Dr. Jolanta Karpavičienė told the guests gathered at the opening of the exhibition, who delivered the speech of the President Gitanas Nausėdas, who patronizes this exhibition, history must resist manipulation: “This international exhibition, which has brought together scientists, museum and cultural heritage specialists from Lithuania, Ukraine, Poland for meaningful work , Latvia, Estonia, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, is an excellent example of cooperation.”

Minister of Culture Simonas Kairys seconded that this exhibition is a solid counter to lies: “Nowhere in the world should the narrative of lies created by the enemy prevail. Nowhere does the voice of evil have to sound alone. We must be louder than that voice of lies, more visible and more resistant than him.”

The director of the National History Museum of Ukraine, Fediras Androščiuk, also gave a speech of thanks, briefly discussing the history of Kyivan Rus and emphasizing the significance of this exhibition: “On behalf of my Ukrainian colleagues, I want to thank the National Museum of Lithuania for this great initiative, which is very important for Ukraine at war.”

When LNM archaeologist Eglė Zaveckienė was asked what influence the current war situation in Ukraine has on the curation and perception of this exhibition, the scientist did not hide that the goal of the exhibition was to present objective information based on historical facts that would refute the Russian propaganda narratives circulating in the public space: “Russia is spreading that Kyiv Rus’ the heritage belongs to her alone. With this exhibition, we wanted to answer who and how much it actually belongs to. The more people know, we hope they will be more resistant to propaganda manipulations.”

At the opening of the exhibition, LNM General Director Rūta Kačkutė also emphasized that Russia has been trying to appropriate the cultural heritage of Ukraine and other countries since the time of Peter I: “We constantly hear claims about the so-called Slavic world and the right of one state to other Slavic lands. Therefore, now more than ever, it is important to get a new look at the history of this region.”

The LNM archeologist also explained why this particular way of writing Kyiv was chosen for the exhibition: “Kyiv is a form of the current Ukrainian language, and the Ukrainian language was formed a little later than this state existed. This state used two languages ​​- Old Russian and Church Slavonic. It is written as Kyiv in various annals and writings, so we did not want to erase that long history of Kyiv.”

Photo by S.Samson/LNM/Eglė Zaveckienė

What is Kievan Rus?

Probably the first question that arose after hearing the name of the exhibition is “What is Kievan Rus and how is it related to Russia and Ukraine?” The curator of the exhibition E. Zaveckienė explained that it is a state established in the 9th century, which existed until the middle of the 13th century.

“The reason for its establishment was the Scandinavians’ desire for silver and the long trade journeys to Byzantium and the Arab Caliphate, along the rivers from North to South. “Commercial settlements were established along those trade routes, which later grew into cities – in the North, Ladoga, Naugard, Kiev down the Dnieper River, and in the South, by the Desna River – Chernigov,” said the curator.

According to E. Zaveckienė, there were two important centers in Kievan Rus – Naugard and Kiev, around which the history of this state revolved. It could be said that the main power was concentrated in Kiev, and around the 11th century, after the death of Grand Duke Yaroslav of Kiev, the division of the lands gradually began.

“Yaroslav the Wise divided the controlled areas and lands among his descendants. He hoped that everyone would rule equally, justly, there would be no fratricidal fights, but the opposite happened – the descendants kept increasing, everyone wanted to sit on the throne of Kiev, so hostile nomadic tribes took advantage of the princes’ quarrels and inability to unite against common enemies”, said E. Zaveckienė .

Photo by Pauliaus Peleckis/BNS/International exhibition “Kiev Russia. Home” opening

13th century a new threat emerging from the steppe, the Mongols, attacked Kievan Rus in several waves before finally subduing it.

As the LNM archaeologist stated, although a long history followed, Belarus, Russia, and, of course, Ukraine could claim the heritage of Kievan Rus at the moment. Ukraine, it is true, can claim it the most, because in the territory of the current Ukraine there are a number of lands that previously belonged to Kievan Rus, and one of the former main centers, Kiev, is also the capital of the current Ukraine: “Well, Russia originates from the Grand Duchy of Moscow, which was created already after the attacks of the Golden Horde, after the collapse of Kievan Rus.”

E. Zaveckienė emphasized that although it would also be possible to derive Russia from Kievan Rus, a huge difference is felt due to the forms of governance. The curator of the exhibition presented the clearest example that reflects today.

“In the land of Vladimir-Suzdal, Andrei Bogolyubsky became the prince, who wanted to rule alone, without anyone’s advice or control. Therefore, he expelled the veche (a free assembly of people who decided important matters), got rid of all his relatives, boyars, and appointed new boyars who were completely subordinate to him. We can see that since the 12th century, the tradition of the rule of a single leader who concentrated all the power in his hands took hold in those lands, so it has remained so until now,” said E. Zaveckienė.

Photo by Pauliaus Peleckis/BNS/International exhibition “Kiev Russia. Home” opening

From board games to guns

The long and confusing history of Kievan Rus’ is revealed in the exhibition by exhibits brought from almost twenty museums. The exhibition space exudes luxury – gold and silver items, various coins attract the eye. Not only that, 1900 is also exhibited. part of a jewelry treasure found near the village of Sachnivka (Cherkasy region). Because of the treasure’s great value and luxury, historians attribute these jewels to the duke’s entourage.

One of the main highlights of the treasure display was an exceptional necklace – it is decorated with four medallions depicting the Saviour, the Mother of God, Archangel Michael and St. John the Baptist. Religious motifs can also be found on other exhibits – medallions, pendants, brooches. According to the curator of the exhibition, we also want to tell about the baptism of Kievan Rus – the first Christian princess Olga, who was baptized even before the official baptism of Kievan Rus, the Grand Duke of Kiev Vladimir Sviatoslavich, who became a Christian from a pagan.

Rita from Vilnius, who was met at the opening of the exhibition, said that she was seduced by the concept of the exhibition: “I am a history teacher myself, so it is not surprising that the idea of ​​such an exhibition is close to me. In the current context of the war, I think it’s worth bringing even students here, because it’s about the historical roots of Ukraine and the fact that Kyiv is obviously a city that remembers Ukrainian culture.”

At the exhibition, it was also possible to get acquainted with the surviving Scandinavian items used in everyday life – locks, keys, combs, belts, sharpeners and other similar items. The visitors were also surprised by the old leisure time exhibits. Gabija, a student we met here, said that it was difficult for her to understand all of this: “After reading the descriptions of the exhibits, you understand that everything happened a long, long time ago. It feels like such things should not have existed then. For example, board games. There are a lot of board game pieces here, and it’s hard to believe that people spent their time like this hundreds of years ago.”

Photo by Pauliaus Peleckis/BNS/International exhibition “Kiev Russia. Home” opening

Weapons and means of defense were also an inevitable part of the daily life of the inhabitants, because those times were characterized by violence and conflicts. This is an important part of depicting the past. One of the exhibits that was not missed by anyone who came to the exhibition is a 10th century sword found in Kyiv. According to the curators of the exhibition, some parts of the handles of this product are inlaid with Scandinavian-style copper and silver wire, and the handle itself is ornamented with a silver plate made by the ancestors of today’s Hungarians. Visitors also viewed the spears, axes, knives, fishing equipment, handcuffs, collars, scales, and weights displayed in several halls.

Photo by Pauliaus Peleckis/BNS/International exhibition “Kiev Russia. Home” opening

As Mindaugas, a visitor to the exhibition, said, the weapons appeared to him to be the most relevant and interesting part of the exhibits: “For me, as a man, all these swords, knives, daggers are really the most interesting, because although some of them may not look impressive, you can see how everything has changed since viking era, all ammunition. Overall, it’s impressive that things that were used so many centuries ago are still preserved and can be seen with more modern eyes.”

The curator of the exhibition E. Zaveckienė testified that the brick with the personal sign of Vladimir Sviatoslavičius and the coins minted by him have a symbolic meaning in today’s context, because Ukraine chose the personal sign of this prince as its coat of arms.

The exhibition was also enlivened by digital visuals, which, by watching or listening, you can learn the details of the history of Kievan Rus.

All exhibits displayed in the exhibition have never been exhibited in any of the Baltic countries. The exhibition at the House of Stories in Vilnius will run until 2025. March 30