9th-12thc Viking Era Kievan Copper Cross Artifact

9th - 12th Century, Viking era, Kievan Rus copper artifact cross pendant with 1000 year old patina. Excellent collection status, free of defects & cracks. Found via metal detector. 1" H X 3/4" W. Kievan Rus, was the first state to arise among the Eastern Slavs. It took its name from the city of Kyiv, the seat of the grand prince from about 880 until the beginning of the 13th century. At its zenith, it covered a territory stretching from the Carpathian Mountains to the Volga River, & from the Black Sea to the Baltic Sea. The state's rapid rise & development was based on its advantageous location at the intersection of major north-south & east-west land & water trade routes with access to two major seas, & favorable local conditions for the development of agriculture. In the end, however, the state's great size led to the development of centrifugal tendencies and local interests that limited its political and social cohesion. This, and its proximity to the Asian steppes, which left it vulnerable to invasions of nomadic hordes, eventually contributed to the decline of Kyivan Rus’. The origin of Kyivan Rus’ still produces controversy among historians. The oldest, or Normanist theory rests mainly on a literal interpretation of the Primary Chronicle & stresses the role of the Varangians as the first leaders & organizers of the state. Ukrainian historians, have generally downplayed the Varangian influence on the formation of Rus’. However, it remains, with certain modifications, the basis of Western historiography of the Ukraine.