#  Organisation of the Territory 

 



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The main activity of these newly-arrived Norsemen was trade and they soon established a hierarchy of market towns, all of them established in the banks of the rivers used for moving the cargo. Each capital city (in orange in the map) was the capital of a territory or land, [traditionally called a principality ](https://www.academia.edu/127990873/The_Question_of_Principalities_in_Kyivan_Rus), with dependent cities, meaning smaller towns from which taxes were collected (Figure 2.1). This second-level cities (in blue in the map) were clearly important trade centres, some of which had their own city charters. The last level of towns (in green in the map) were those who had no dependent cities, meaning they could not collect further taxes, but were nevertheless involved in trading activities. By the thirteenth century, ten different lands (Figure 2.2) could be identified with their own network of capital cities, cities and towns.

While the majority of the new buildings in stone constructed in pre-Mongol Kyivan Rus´ were religious, there was also room for civic buildings (Figure 2.3). Many of them were built at the very beginning in Kyiv, as capital of the new state, but unfortunately, precisely because of its importance, Kyiv suffered the most the destruction of the Mongol campaigns and successive wars. Construction continued steadily in other capital cities during the twelfth century. Our estimates are based on data provided by the chronicles and other sources, rather than comprehensive archaeological findings, which were destroyed or recycled in the construction of new buildings.

 ![Figure 2.1 Map showing the color-coded hierarchy of capitals, cities and towns. ](/sites/g/files/omnuum4941/files/2026-11/MAPA-GAKR-2.1.jpg)

 

Figure 2.1 *Map showing the color-coded hierarchy of capitals, cities and towns.*  ![Figure 2.2 Map showing the different lands and all the settlements within a single jurisdiction. ](/sites/g/files/omnuum4941/files/2026-11/MAPA-GAKR-2.2.jpg)

 

Figure 2.2 *Map showing the different lands and all the settlements within a single jurisdiction.* ![Figure 2.3 Chart of distribution of civic buildings by land and century. ](/sites/g/files/omnuum4941/files/2026-11/MAPA-GAKR-2.3.jpg)

 

Figure 2.3 *Chart of distribution of civic buildings by land and century.*



 



 

 See also:- [ Modules ](/page-type/modules)
- [ Golden Age of Kyivan Rus ](/projects/golden-age-kyivan-rus)
- [ Analysis ](/resource-type/analysis)