Ivan Rezansky's SCA Adventures

11th-century Russian-style Crossbow Quiver

Introduction Today I am displaying an 11th-century Russian-style quiver for crossbow bolts. The piece was constructed using woodworking, leather carving,…

The Revealing World of Medieval Kievan Rus’ Applied Art

I recently finished reading a chapter from “The History of Russian Art” on the applied arts in Kiev and the…

The Fascinating Splendor of Medieval Kievan Architecture

The 10th century rise of Kiev as a centralized power in Rus’, the official state acceptance of Christianity in 988,…

Deciphering Medieval Cyrillic for Russian SCA Calligraphy

I often get asked how to find medieval versions of Cyrillic letters to map to modern Russian texts for the…

Forces Contributing to the Development of Kievan Rus’ Artwork

I was getting ready to read several chapters from the 1953 History of Russian Art, vol. 1, related to Kievan…

Leatherworking and Shoemaking in Novgorod the Great

My research on Russian quivers for the project I’m working on led me to the article below, about leatherworking in…

Quivers and Bow Cases in Medieval Rus

I was starting to work on a quiver for my crossbow bolts, and found this book while trying to locate…

The Arrival of the Crossbow in Medieval Rus’

I was recently doing some research into medieval archery, and came upon a book by A.F. Medvedev that was completely…

Pagan Elements in the Decorative Art of Medieval Rus’: Rusalia, Simargl, and Pereplut

Today, I’d like to present an article I recently finished reading by B.A. Rybakov, about the symbolism on silver cuff…

Trade Relations Between Volga Bulgaria and Northern and Eastern Europe in the Pre-Mongol Period (9th-early 13th cent.)

Today’s post is a translation of an article about the important trade route which passed through Volga Bulgaria between Europe…