Khazaria And International Trade In Eastern Europe 153
could also reach the Volga by continuing southwards along the Sheksna River.
Downstream along the river they could continue towards the mouth of the
Kotorosl River, where the road deviated from the Volga. This is evidenced by
a lack of hoards with dirhams along the Volga basin up till the mouth of the
Oka, as well as by the lack of settlements there. Southwards along the Kotorosl
the road led to Rostov Lake, south of which was the Sarski hillfort—a trade
settlement that emerged at the same time as Ladoga. It is presumed that it was
established during the eighth century by the Finnish tribe Merya. By the end
of the eighth century and especially during the ninth century, a Scandinavian
population also gradually began to settle there. It is important to note that the
Sarski hillfort was not located on either of the main rivers.17
The detour along the Kotorosl laid the main trade route through the Zalesie
region. The area was fertile and relatively densely populated, compared to the
large uninhabited forest areas of the plain. Along the water link between the
Kotorosl, Kliazma and the Oka were vast fields with rich semi-chernozemic
soil, where the settlements were concentrated. According to J. Shepard, “if
Scandinavians frequented the Sarskii fort and other settlements of the dis-
trict, it was not because they were obvious stopping-places for voyages down
or along the Volga. They probably diverted there because the Sarskii fort was
already a local centre of exchanges”.18
There is no specific reason to argue that during the ninth century, after
reaching the Oka, the Rus’ traders continued on towards the lands of the Volga
Bulgars. Even if they did, they would hardly have done this often. Up along the
middle and upper reaches of the Oka, where hoards with dirhams dating from
the ninth century have been found, two more settlements were located: one of
them was Murom, and the other one was located in the place where the city
Riazan would later be built. The territory south of the Oka was subjugated to
the Khazar Khaganate. Here, the hoards with dirhams link the Oka to the Don
basin, along which hoards from the ninth century have been found. It can be
thus assumed that during the ninth century the route, used by the Rus’ to get
to the Caspian Sea and the Caucasus, went south from the Oka along the Don
basin, or from the Upper Dnieper towards the Severski Donets and the Don.19
Especially this part of the route (south of the Oka, along the Don towards
the Caucasus) that traversed the lands of the Viatichi and the Bulgaro-Alanian
17 Shepard and Franklin 2000, 42–43 and 48; Nasonov 1951, 173–175.
18 Shepard and Franklin 2000, 43.
19 Shepard and Franklin 2000, 46–49 and 103; Noonan 2000a, 384; and 2000b, 936–937.
According to Tortika 2006a, 449–452, the Oka connected the Volga with the Don.