Hillfort
Page with stories told by this place
Historical overview
Sources:
- І.І. Каліноўскі, "Тэхналагічная карта (Метадычная распрацоўка) і кантрольны тэкст агляднай экскурсіі па г. Полацку на тэму "Полацк – найстаржытнейшы горад Беларусі""
second half of VIII - second half of IX cent.
translation by the site team
The ancient hillfort was founded by the Balts - the ancestors of the modern Latvians and Lithuanians. The hill and the area of the settlement have survived till nowadays. That is the place where Polatsk was founded by the Kryviches in the 8th cent. - from the former Baltic settlement. Polatsk appeared as the trade-handicraft center of the Kryviches-polatsk citizens- and as the local government residence. Such a status ensured the city development during the IX-X th cent.
In chronicles Polatsk is called Polotesk, Poltesk, Scandinavian Sagas rendered that name as Palteskjuborg, Palteskija. This city was destined to become the cradle of Belarusian statehood, culture and spirit, the historical homeplace of the Belarusians.
Unfortunately, the Polatsk Chronicles are keeping silence, they are gone, the amount of sources about Polatsk region is small from Russian chronicles. Quite a lot Polatsk is mentioned in Scandinavian Sagas.