For the first time Belo-ozero is mentioned in the introductory part of the all-Russian chronicle - the Tale of Bygone Years - in the article under the year 862. However, the reliability of the early events described in the Tale of Bygone Years is still not recognized by all researchers. According to the archaeological research of the Belozersk Expedition of the Institute of Archaeology of the USSR Academy of Sciences, the Onezh-Sukhon expedition of the Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the settlement at the source of the Shaksna river from the Beloye Lake dates back to the middle of the 10th century. And by the end of that century, it had covered about 1.4 hectares.
In the subsequent history of Belo-ozero, two periods of rapid growth of the territory and development of life in the city stand out. The first of them is dated with the 11th century. In this century, the area of the city has increased fivefold. The second stage of significant urban expansion occurred in the second half of the 12th century and the beginning of the 13th century, and coincides with the period of the Belo-ozero prosperity.
Trade was of great importance in the development of Belo-ozero. Its location on the northern section of the Great Volga River Route was instrumental to the growth of the settlement and its transformation into an urban handicraft centre. The basis of local exports was fur. Archaelogical finds of beads of Old Ladoga type of the 8-10th centuries, Frisian combs testify to the early ties of Belo-ozero with the countries of Northern Europe involved in the Eastern trade.
In the 10th century, with the arrival of Slavs, the district of Belo-ozero became connected to the Dnipro trade route. In the early period of its existence, in the 10th and 11th centuries, Belo-ozero was a settlement of artisans. Metallurgy, wood processing, bone-cutting, pottery -- all these industries had their representatives among the population of the city.
The inhabitants were also engaged in agriculture and various activities, especially fishing.
During the archeological excavations of Belo-ozero, more than 300 objects of the Christian cult were discovered. The city was the largest center of Christianity in the Russian North in the 10th-13th centuries. The transfer of the city to its present location took place in the 14th century. For a long time, it was believed that the main cause was the plague epidemic in the 14th century. However, archaeological studies have shown that a sharp decline in the density of the city and the intensity of life in the city occurred in the late 13th and early 14th centuries. Around this time, a new Belozersk ‘town’ becomes the center of the Belozersk principality -- future Belozersk. By the end of the 13th century, handicrafts were in crisis due to the depletion of natural resources and a substantial increase in the population. Without the means to develop agriculture, the old city has died out.
In the subsequent history of Belo-ozero, two periods of rapid growth of the territory and development of life in the city stand out. The first of them is dated with the 11th century. In this century, the area of the city has increased fivefold. The second stage of significant urban expansion occurred in the second half of the 12th century and the beginning of the 13th century, and coincides with the period of the Belo-ozero prosperity.
Trade was of great importance in the development of Belo-ozero. Its location on the northern section of the Great Volga River Route was instrumental to the growth of the settlement and its transformation into an urban handicraft centre. The basis of local exports was fur. Archaelogical finds of beads of Old Ladoga type of the 8-10th centuries, Frisian combs testify to the early ties of Belo-ozero with the countries of Northern Europe involved in the Eastern trade.
In the 10th century, with the arrival of Slavs, the district of Belo-ozero became connected to the Dnipro trade route. In the early period of its existence, in the 10th and 11th centuries, Belo-ozero was a settlement of artisans. Metallurgy, wood processing, bone-cutting, pottery -- all these industries had their representatives among the population of the city.
The inhabitants were also engaged in agriculture and various activities, especially fishing.
During the archeological excavations of Belo-ozero, more than 300 objects of the Christian cult were discovered. The city was the largest center of Christianity in the Russian North in the 10th-13th centuries. The transfer of the city to its present location took place in the 14th century. For a long time, it was believed that the main cause was the plague epidemic in the 14th century. However, archaeological studies have shown that a sharp decline in the density of the city and the intensity of life in the city occurred in the late 13th and early 14th centuries. Around this time, a new Belozersk ‘town’ becomes the center of the Belozersk principality -- future Belozersk. By the end of the 13th century, handicrafts were in crisis due to the depletion of natural resources and a substantial increase in the population. Without the means to develop agriculture, the old city has died out.
