Editing History of Ukraine (section)

=== Early Slavs ===
{{main|Early Slavs}}
{{see also|Antes people|Rus' Khaganate}}
{{further|Slavic migrations to Southeastern Europe}}

Following the power vacuum left by the fall of [[Huns|Hunnic]] and [[Goths|Gothic]] dominance, the [[Early Slavs]] began to expand over much of the territory that is now Ukraine during the 5th century, continuing their migration into the [[Balkans]] in the 6th century. The exact origins of the Early Slavs remain uncertain, though several theories suggest they may have originated near the [[Polesia]] region, a marshy area between modern-day [[Belarus]] and [[Ukraine]]. This period marks a transition from the [[Kyiv culture]] to the establishment of Slavic tribes across Eastern Europe.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Barford |first=P. M. |title=The early Slavs: Culture and society in early medieval Eastern Europe |date=2001 |publisher=Cornell University Press |isbn=0-8014-3977-9 |page=32|location=Ithaca, NY |oclc=47054689}}</ref>

[[File:Slavarchaeology.png|thumb|left|Archaeological cultures associated with [[proto-Slavs]] and [[early Slavs]]: [[Chernoles culture]] (before 500 BC), [[Zarubintsy culture]] (300 BC to AD 100), [[Przeworsk culture]] (300 BC to AD 400), [[Korchak culture|Prague-Korchak horizon]] (6th to 7th century, Slavic expansion)]]
In the 5th and 6th centuries, the [[Antes people|Antes Union]] (a tribal confederation) is generally believed to have been situated in present-day Ukraine. The Antes are considered ancestors of several Slavic tribes that would later form the [[Ukrainians]], including the [[Polans (eastern)|Polans]], [[Severians]], [[Drevlians]], [[White Croats]], [[Dulebes]], [[Ulichs]], and [[Tivertsi]]. The migration of these tribes from Ukraine throughout the Balkans contributed to the foundation of several [[South Slavs|South Slavic]] nations, while northern migrations, reaching as far as [[Lake Ilmen]], gave rise to the [[Ilmen Slavs]], [[Krivichs]], and [[Radimichs]].<ref name="so">М. Грушевський – "Історія України". Том І, розділ IV, Велике слов'янське розселення: Історія Антів, їх походи, війна з Словянами, боротьба з Аварами, останні звістки, про Антів</ref>

The collapse of the Antes Union in 602, following a devastating raid by the [[Pannonian Avars]], led to a fragmentation of the early Slavic federation. Despite this, many of these tribes maintained their distinct identities until the formation of larger political entities in the early second millennium, such as [[Kievan Rus']], which began to consolidate Slavic lands.<ref name="so"/>

The Early Slavs were primarily agrarian, relying on subsistence farming, and lived in semi-nomadic communities. Over time, they developed a complex social structure, with local chieftains leading tribal groups. They also practiced [[paganism]], with a pantheon of gods tied to nature, such as [[Perun]] (god of thunder) and [[Dazhbog]] (sun god). By the time of the Antes Union's decline, the cultural and religious practices of the Slavs had already begun to influence neighboring peoples, laying the groundwork for the Slavic cultural sphere that would emerge later in Eastern and Southeastern [[Europe]].<ref>[https://bigenc.ru/ethnology/text/3625013 Slavs] / Ilya Gavritukhin, [[Vladimir Petrukhin]]. // Saint-Germain World 1679-Social security [Electronic resource]. - 2015. - pp. 388-389 — - ([[Great Russian Encyclopedia]] : [in 35 volumes] / ch. ed. Yuri Osipov; 2004-2017, vol. 30) — - ISBN 978-5-85270-367-5.</ref>