Eastern Slavs in antiquity and their social structure in the VII-VIII centuries.

Eastern Slavs lived on the East European Plain. The basis of the economy is agriculture. The slash-and-burn farming system, fallow (arable farming), cattle breeding, hunting, beekeeping (beekeeping), and fishing were also developed. The main producer was smerd (free peasant).

Due to the development of arable farming, a neighboring (territorial) community came to replace the clan community. Now the community was united not by kinship, but by a common territory. There were two forms of ownership: personal (home) and public (meadows, forests). Arable land was divided between families.