Merya / Merya
First Recorded:
mentioned by the 6th century Gothic scholar Jordanes as the Merens and later by the Russian Primary
chronicles
Formed from: Dyakovo culture was formed by Finno-Ugric peoples, ancestors of Merya - Merya had a
Finno-Ugric Language
~Merya tribe, which lived in what is today the Yaroslavl region northwest to Moscow (near Rostov Veliky and
Pereslavl-Zalessky).
~Meryas were assimilated by the Slavs. However, the Merya culture was also assimilated in those regions that
were initially inhabited by Merya. Sacred woods and stones, worshipped by Merya, were part of local
traditional feasts for much longer than the similar Slavic sacred places in the west regions of modern Russia.
Cities and Towns:
Moscow, Rostov, Kostroma, Jaroslavl and Vladimir.
Soviet archaeologists believed that the capital of the Merya was the site of Sarskoe Gorodishche to the south
of Rostov.
Neighbors:
Meshchera and Murom to the South, Veps to the North, Slavonic tribes to the West
Language:
Merya Language
Resources to Explore:
Primary Russian Chronicle
The Early Slavs P.M. Barford