Boris Rybakov

Boris Aleksandrovich Rybakov (1908–2001) was a Soviet and Russian historian and archaeologist, a member of the USSR Academy of Sciences, and one of the most influential scholars of the history and culture of Kyivan Rus’.

He authored foundational works on Slavic antiquity, the crafts of early Rus’, and the paganism of the ancient Slavs. His research became a classic of Soviet medieval studies and is still used as foundational literature on the history of Rus’.

Although some of his theories are now considered somewhat outdated by contemporary historians — in part because of the ideological influence of the Soviet historical school — Rybakov’s works remain an important source of factual material and a starting point for further research.