The nine geographic notes about the campaign and battle on the Kalka River in 1223

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to analyze of geographical terms in early variants of the Tale of the Battle on the Kalka River (mainly the Novgorod First and Ipatiev Chronicle with the Laurentian Codex partially), and to identify of mentioned points and build a route of Russian-Polovtsian troops to the battlefield and in the opposite direction. Research materials are the Russian chronicles with the Tale of the Battle on the Kalka River. Methods of the study: Early and late chronicles are compared with each other for detection of the late textual layers. Localization of individual geographical items are checked by archaeological data. Key opinions of historians are considered in every discussed theme. Research results and scientific novelty: As a result, a logical picture of the allied troops route emerges: they joined forces near Zarub town and Varyazhskiy island, then followed down the Dnieper till rapids, crossed the river, and walked along the divide to the Karatysh and Kalchik rivers before they lost the battle and retreated back to Dnieper river. With added chronology data to these observations, the possibility of creating of events´ scientific reconstruction will possibly emerge.

Keywords

• the tale of the battle on kalka river
• russian chronicles
• mongols
• princes of rus´
• polovtsians
• zarub
• khortitsa