Late 16th century .
Russian abacus • The
Russian abacus or
schoty (literally "counts") is a
decimal type of
abacus that has a single slanted deck in a unique vertical layout, with ten beads on each wire (except one wire which has four beads, for quarter-ruble fractions, that is usually near the user). It was developed in Russia from the late 16th century, at the time when abacus already was falling out of use in the
Western Europe. However, the decimality of the Russian abacus (explained by
Russian ruble's being the world's first
decimal currency) and its simplicity (compared to the previous European and Asian versions) led to the wide use of this device in Russia well until the advent of
electronic calculators in the late 20th century, though it remains in quite common use today.
1550 Streltsy • First known standard
military uniform worn by Russian
regular army, elite armed forces known as
Streltsy.
1552 Battery-tower • The
battery-tower is a late type of
siege tower, carrying
artillery inside it, a development of the
gulyay-gorod concept. The first such tower was built by the Russian
military engineer Ivan Vyrodkov during the
siege of Kazan in 1552 (a part of the
Russo-Kazan Wars), and could hold ten large-calibre cannons and 50 lighter cannons. Later battery-towers were often used by the
Ukrainian Cossacks. . '
1561 Saint Basil's Cathedral ' • '''Saint Basil's Cathedral''' is perhaps the most famous
Russian Orthodox cathedral, a symbol of
Moscow and
Russia. It was designed by
Postnik Yakovlev on the order of
Ivan IV of Russia and built on the Moscow's
Red Square in 1555–1561, to commemorate the
capture of Kazan and
Astrakhan. The unique feature of the Saint Basil's Cathedral is the fact that it is a complex of multiple temples put together. The original building, known as "Trinity Cathedral", contained eight side churches covered with
onion domes and arranged around the ninth, central
tented roof church of
Intercession; the tenth church was erected in 1588 over the grave of venerated local
Fool Vasily (Basil). In the 16th and the 17th centuries the cathedral, perceived as the earthly symbol of the
Heavenly City, was popularly known as "
Jerusalem" and served as an
allegory of the
Jerusalem Temple in the annual
Palm Sunday parade attended by the
Patriarch of Moscow and the
Tsar. Its striking design, shaped as a flame of a bonfire rising into the sky, has no analogues elsewhere in the world, and it was seldom reproduced in
Russian architecture, most notably in the St. Peter's and Paul Cathedral in
Petergof and in the
Church of the Savior on Blood in
St. Petersburg. '
1566 Great Abatis Line ' • The
Great Abatis Line, or
Bolshaya Zasechnaya Cherta in Russian, was the largest fortification line of the
abatis type, built by the
Grand Duchy of Moscow and later the
Tsardom of Russia. Its purpose was to protect Russia from the raids of
nomads of the
Eastern European steppes, such as the
Crimean Tatars. As a fortification construction stretching for hundreds kilometers, the Great Abatis Line is analogous to the
Great Wall of China and the Roman
limes. Most of its length consisted of
abatis, which is a barrier built from felled trees arranged as a barricade. It was also fortified by ditches and earth mounds, palisades, watch towers and natural features like lakes and swamps. Stone and wooden
kremlins of the towns were also included in the Great Abatis Line, as well as the smaller forts called
ostrogs. The Great Abatis Line was built south of
Moscow between the
Bryansk woods and
Meschera swamps starting from the 12th century, and was officially completed in 1566, exceeding 1000 km in length. , showing its massive bore and cannonballs, and the Lion's head cast into the carriage. '
1586 Tsar Cannon ' • The
Tsar Cannon is an enormous
cannon, commissioned in 1586 by Russian
Tsar Feodor and cast by
Andrey Chokhov. It is the
largest bombard by caliber. The cannon weighs 39.312 metric
tonnes and has a length of . Its bronze-cast barrel has a calibre of , and an external diameter of . Along with a new carriage, the 2 ton cannonballs surrounding the cannon were added in 1835 and are larger than the diameter of its barrel; in fact, it was originally designed to fire 800 kg stone
grapeshot. The cannon is decorated with
reliefs, including one depicting
Tsar Feodor on a horse, hence the name of the cannon, though now the word
Tsar is associated more with the supreme size of the weapon. Several copies of the cannon were made in the 21st century and installed in
Donetsk, Ukraine and several Russian cities, while the original Tsar Cannon is in the
Moscow Kremlin.
17th century s of the
Transfiguration Church in
Kizhi, holding
onion domes above.
Bochka roof • The
bochka roof or simply
bochka (, barrel) is the type of roof in the traditional
Russian architecture that has a form of half-
cylinder with an elevated and sharpened upper part, resembling the sharpened
kokoshnik. Typically made of wood, the bochka roof was extensively used both in the church and civilian architecture in the 17th and 18th centuries. Later it was sometimes used in
Russian Revival style buildings. arranged in the
pushka (
cannon) pattern behind the
gorod line.
Gorodki •
Gorodki or
townlets is an old Russian
folk sport whose popularity has spread also to
Scandinavia and the
Baltic States. Similar to
bowling, the aim of the game is to knock out groups of
skittles arranged in some pattern by throwing a
bat at them. The skittles, or pins, are called
gorodki (literally
little cities or
townlets), and the square zone in which they are arranged is called the
gorod (
city). The game is mentioned in the old Russian chronicles and was known in the form close to the modern one at least from the 17th century, since one of the famous players in gorodki was the young
Peter I of Russia.
Roller coaster •
Russian Mountains, as they were called by the Westerners, were winter sled rides held on specially constructed hills of ice, sometimes up to 200 feet tall, being the first type of
roller coaster. Known from the 17th century, the slides were built to a height of between 70 and 80 feet, consisted of a 50 degree drop, and were reinforced by wooden supports. In the 18th century they were especially popular in
St. Petersburg and surrounding areas, from where by the late 18th century their usage and popularity spread to Europe. Sometimes wheeled carts were used instead of tracks, like in the
Katalnaya Gorka built in
Catherine II's residences in
Tsarskoe Selo and
Oranienbaum. The first such wheeled ride was brought to
Paris in 1804 under the name
Les Montagnes Russes (French for "Russian Mountains"), and the term
Russian Mountains continues to be a synonym for
roller coaster in many countries today. .
Bird of Happiness • The
Bird of Happiness is the traditional North Russian wooden
toy, carved in the shape of a bird. It was invented by
Pomors, the inhabitants of the
White and
Barents Sea coastline. The Bird of Happiness is made without glue or other fasteners, by elaborate carving of thin petals for the bird's wings and tail and then using a special method of spreading and curving them. Similar methods are also used in other products of the North Russian handicraft. The amulet is usually made of pine, fir, spruce, or
Siberian cedar. It is suspended inside a house, guarding the family hearth and well-being.
Dymkovo toy s. •
Dymkovo toys, also known as the
Vyatka toys or
Kirov toys are moulded painted
clay figures of people and animals (sometimes in the form of a
pennywhistle). It is an old
Russian folk
handicraft which still exists in a village of Dymkovo near
Kirov (former Vyatka). Traditionally, the Dymkovo toys are made by women. Up until the 20th century, this toy production had been timed to the spring fair called
свистунья (svistunya), or whistler. The first recorded mention of this event took place in 1811, however it is believed to have existed for some 400 years, thus dating the history of Dymkovo toy at least from the 17th century. pulling a
sleigh.
Troika • The
troika (тройка, "triplet" or "trio") is a traditional Russian
harness driving combination, using three
horses abreast, usually pulling a
sleigh. It differs from most other three-horse combinations in that the horses are harnessed abreast. In addition to that, the troika is the world's only multiple harness with different
horse gaits – the middle horse
trots and the side horses
canter. At full speed a troika could reach , which was a very high speed on land for vehicles in the 17th-19th centuries, making the troika closely associated with the fast ride. The troika was developed from the late 17th century, first being used for speedy delivering of
mail, and having become common by the late 18th century. It was often used for travelling in stages where teams of tired horses could be exchanged for fresh animals to transport loads and people over long distances.
1630 Late Muscovite Russian architecture characterized by many large cathedral-type churches with five onion-like cupolas, surrounding them with tents of bell towers and aisles.
1659 Khokhloma tableware on a Soviet postage stamp. •
Khokhloma is a Russian wood painting
handicraft, known for its vivid flower patterns,
red and
gold colors over the black background, and the distinctive effect on the cheap and light wooden tableware or furniture, making it look heavier,
metal-like and glamorous. It first appeared in the second half of the 17th century, at least from 1659, in today's
Nizhny Novgorod Oblast and was named after the large trade settlement Khokhloma. The handicraft owes its origin to the
Old Believers, who, fleeing from persecutions of officials, took refuge in local woods and taught some of the
icon painting techniques to the local craftsmen, such as the usage of a goldish color without applying real
gold. Nowadays khokhloma is one of the symbols of Russia, and apart from its usage in making tableware, furniture and
souvenirs, it can be found in the wider context, for example in paintings on Russian
airliners. 's circle of fifths in
Idea grammatiki musikiyskoy (Moscow, 1679)
1679 Circle of fifths • In the late 1670s a
treatise called
Grammatika was written by the composer and theorist
Nikolai Diletskii. Diletskii's
Grammatika is a treatise on composition, the first of its kind, which targeted Western-style polyphonic compositions. It taught how to write kontserty,
polyphonic a cappella, which were normally based on
liturgical texts and were created by putting together musical sections that have contrasting
rhythm, meters,
melodic material and
vocal groupings. Diletskii intended his treatise to be a guide to composition but pertaining to the rules of
music theory. Within the Grammatika treatise is where the first circle of fifths appeared and was used for students as a composer's tool. .
1685 Tula pryanik • The
Tula pryanik is a type of printed
gingerbread from the city of
Tula, the most known kind of Russian gingerbreads. Usually the Tula pryanik looks like a rectangular tile or a flat figure. Modern Tula pryanik usually contain
jam or
condensed milk, while in the old times they were made with
honey. The first mention of the Tula pryanik is in Tula census book of 1685.
1688 Balalaika . • The
balalaika is a
stringed instrument with a characteristic
triangular body and 3 strings (or sometimes 6, in 3 courses), perhaps the best-known national Russian musical instrument. The balalaika family of instruments includes, from the highest-pitched to the lowest, the prima balalaika, sekunda balalaika, alto balalaika, bass balalaika and contrabass balalaika. The earliest mention of balalaika is found in a 1688 document, and initially it was an instrument of
skomorokhs (sort of Russian free-lance musical jesters). In the 1880s the modern standard balalaika was developed by
Vasily Andreev, who also started a tradition of balalaika orchestras, which finally led to the popularity of the instrument in many countries outside Russia.
Glass-holder • The podstakannik (Russian: подстаканник, literally "thing under the glass"), or tea glass holder, is a holder with a handle, most commonly made of metal, that holds a drinking glass. The primary purpose of podstakanniki (pl.) is to hold a very hot glass of tea, which is usually consumed right after it is brewed. It is a traditional way of serving and drinking tea in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and other post-Soviet states.
1693 •
Naryshkin Baroque. Also called Moscow Baroque, or Muscovite Baroque, is the name given to a particular style of Baroque architecture and decoration which was fashionable in Moscow from the turn of the 17th into the early 18th centuries.
Early 18th century table-glass.
Table-glass • The
table-glass or
granyonyi stakan (literally
faceted glass) is a type of
drinkware made from especially hard and thick
glass, having a faceted form. Granyonyi stakan has certain advantages over the other drinkware, since due to its form and hardness it is more difficult to break. It is arguably handier in usage on moving trains or rolling ships, where it is less prone to tip and fall, or slip from hands, and less likely to break upon hitting the floor. A legend says that the first known Russian faceted glass was given as a present to
Tsar Peter the Great from a glass-maker called
Yefim Smolin, living in
Vladimir Oblast. He boasted to Tsar that his glass couldn't be broken. Tsar Peter liked the present, however, after drinking some alcoholic beverage from it, he threw the glass on the ground and managed to break it. Still Peter didn't punish the glass-maker, and the production of such glasses continued, while the Russian tradition of breaking
drinkware on certain occasions originated from that episode. s and
kopecks.
1704 Decimal currency • The
decimal currency is a type of
currency that is based on one basic unit and a sub-unit which is a power of
10, typically 100. Most modern currencies adhere to this pattern. Russia was the first country to introduce such a currency after
decimalisation of its financial system in 1704, during the reign of
Peter the Great, when
Russian ruble was made equal to 100
kopecks.
1717 Metal lathe compound slide • by
Andrey Nartov. A compound slide on a metal lathe adds the ability to turn tapers more easily, and may be used to turn more precise diameters. They are a standard feature of modern manually operated lathes.
1718 Yacht club '' by
Alexey Zubov, 1716. Shows
yachts and
war ships on the
Neva River. • The
yacht club is a sports
club specifically related to
sailing and
yachting. The oldest yacht club in the world, by date of establishment, is the
Neva Yacht Club, founded by the Russian
Tsar Peter the Great in 1718 in
St. Petersburg (likely, the idea had been devised as early as 1716, when the First Neva Shipyard started building civilian vessels). Though, since it was not a purely voluntary association of members, but an organisation founded by Tsar's decree, the Neva Yacht Club's being the world's oldest is challenged by the
Royal Cork Yacht Club in
Ireland, founded in 1720. Both clubs have gone through periods of dormancy and undergone various name changes. ==Russian Empire==