berkovec

[Ralph Cleminson]

Can anyone help with the weights and measures of mediaeval Rus'?
In the Kievan Chronicle we find, s.a.6654, that when Izjaslav
Mstislavich plundered Svjatoslav Ol'govich's property at Putivl',
vpogrebekh bylo 500 berkovezk' medu, a vina 80 korchag'.  Now,
according to all the reference books that I can find, a
berkovesk/berkovec is equal to ten puds, that is to say 400 Russian
pounds.  500 berkovec would therefore be over eighty tons, or nearly
82,000 Kg.  Did Svjatoslav really have this much honey in his cellar,
or did the berkovec not always weigh this much?

R.M.Cleminson,
Professor of Slavonic Studies,
University of Portsmouth,
Park Building,
King Henry I Street,
Portsmouth PO1 2DZ
tel. +44 1705 846143, fax: +44 1705 846040