The Way of Prince Igor «of Varyag to the Greeks»

The article compares the conditions ofmovement of the waterways of Kievan Rus to the Black Sea. On the Dnieper River in the lower reaches were seven rapids. When sailingthrough the rapids (according to Constantine Porphyrogenitus), then landed people on the shore and ships carried on the hands. Fourth rapidbypassed by portage, length of 9 km and exhibited by Pechenegs protection. The total length of the river with rapids (according XIX - earlyXX cc.) accounted for 75 km, where in addition to the rapids had 30 rifts. The second outlet to the sea served as the Azov-Don waterway, inwhich moved from the Dnieper to the Sejm. There were several options for the way in the Don basin. From Sejm to Don led portage lengthof 25 miles. In the Donets had portage a length of 2 km through a steep watershed(relative excess 30 m). From Sejm to Oskol led portagelength of 7-8 km. Difficulties to overcome portage on both routes are comparable. At the foreground acts Pechenegs factor, and Pechenegswas easier to control Dneperovskie thresholds.In the sources do not have specific instructions along which rivers move Prince Igor in an attack on Byzantium. But there is evidencethat the Russian army be present several times on the Azov Sea, and from the first campaign Igor returned through the Kerch Strait. Makeconclusion that a significance of the Azov-Don path was not inferior Dnieper and route choice is largely dependent on the foreign policyenvironment. For sailing in the sea the Russian ships were in need of refurbishing. Snap-ships conveniently carried out in the port harbor.Kievan Rus, as any large state, was needed a port city. Based on the historical fate of the cities of the former Kingdom of the Bosporus on theone hand and Olbia - on the other hand, the emergence of Russian enclave on the Azov Sea is very natural.

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