The new book by I. Ya. Froyanov is devoted to two most important problems in the history of the Eastern Slavs - slavery and tributary. Having carefully studied the sources available to the modern researcher, the author comes to conclusions that differ significantly from the ideas widely spread in the latest domestic historical literature. He views slavery and tributary relations not only as elements of production and social ties, but also as manifestations of the spiritual and moral life of the Eastern Slavs of the 6th–10th centuries. For researchers, teachers and students of humanities universities, everyone who is interested in the ancient history of Russia.