The Settling of Mordovians in 3rd — Early 13th Centuries

Changes in the territorial extension of the Mordovians over the millennial period (the 3rd to the 13th centuries) are discussed, and causes of the displacement are determined in the article. The three major periods are identified in the process: the 3rd to the 7th, the 8th to the 11th, and the 11th to the 13th centuries. The 3rd century marked the appearance of ancient burial grounds containing decorations that are ethnically typical of the Mordovians. The heyday of the ancient Mordovian culture in the late 3rd and first half of the 5th centuries was accompanied by the expansion of its territory to the north. By the late 7th – first half of the 8th century, two options of the ancient Mordovian culture were formed: the Erzya in the north and the Moksha in the south. In the 8th–11th centuries, the Moksha Mordvins settlement territory shifted to the north-west, which could be associated with the danger from the Khazar Khanate. The territory of the Erzya Mordvins settlement did not change in the period. In the 11th-13th centuries, and the Mordovian population fell into the spheres of influence of Kievan Rus and Volga Bulgaria. The struggle between these states, and later the princely strife in Russia, led to the resettlement of the Mordovians to safer areas: the Moksha moved to the Moksha-Vad river interfluve, while the Erzya relocated to the Tyosha river basin