159 The Martial Society Rus´, Varangians and Birka Warriors Charlotte Hedenstierna-Jonson Viking Age remains displaying a number of dis- tinct similarities stand in strategic locations along the Eastern trade routes from Birka to Kiev. They consist of fortiied settlements with many Scandina- vian features and a considerable military presence. Some artefacts obviously associated with warriors’ dress or equipment are so diagnostic in their design that questions about common origin and manufac- ture have been raised. Who were the bearers of this equipment and what was the relationship between these warriors and the fortiied settlements? Three main routes led to the Great Rus’ rivers: along the Neman, along the Dvina or through the Gulf of Fin- land. The great rivers Dnjepr and Volga could then be reached by following smaller rivers and traversing lakes. The Dnjepr was the route to the Black Sea and Byzantium, while the Volga led to the Caspian Sea and the Arab world (ig. 89). Considerable amounts of archaeological materi- al deriving from East Scandinavia, mainly from the Lake Mälaren Valley, have been discovered in the Russian areas of Eastern Europe – much more than in Western Europe. The pattern of distribution corresponds to the initial stage of the ancient Russian state (9th and 10th centu- ries), as described in the Russian Primary Chro- nicle (RPC) (Jansson 2000:128). East Scandina- vians settled in the East at about the same time as Danes and Norwegians established themsel- ves in the West. Archaeological evidence shows that Scandi- navians reached the area around Lake Ladoga as early as the 6th century. In search of furs Scandinavians founded small colonies along the Baltic coastline, e.g. Grobin and Apoule (Nerman 1958). Contact had thus been made between Baltic people and Scandinavians and the colonies remained for 200 years. During the mid 8th century a new commodity made its entrance on the Eastern trade route – silver. The existence of the early colonies may partly explain the speed with which the long distance trade contacts were established. From furs to silver One of the main reasons for the emerging silver trade was the major change in the Middle East that resulted from the Abbasids seizure of power from the Ommay- ads in ca. 750. A little more than a decade later the capital was moved from Damascus to Baghdad and Figure 89. The Great Rus´rivers.