- January 7, 2026
- 11:13 pm
- Ukraine, Video
Historian Alexander Alferov – since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion — an officer of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, served in the units of the Special Operations Forces “Azov-Kyiv” and the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade. Holds the rank of reserve major of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Since June 27, 2025 – head of the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory.
The name of Kyiv in the popular imagination is almost inextricably linked with the figure of the legendary Kyi. This version, recorded in the “Tale of Bygone Years,” has long become part of the school canon and national myth.
But ancient Kyiv, as sources from the 10th century claim, had another name — rare, mysterious, and almost vanished from historical memory. This name is Sambatas. And it is around this name that a complex and underestimated discussion about the early history of the city is taking place today.
Sambatas, the Sambation River, and Kyiv
The existence of the second name was reminded by historian Alexander Alferov, analyzing Byzantine sources that are rarely cited outside the academic environment. His conclusions are based not on later chronicles but on the direct testimony of a contemporary of the events.
The discussion is about the treatise “On the Governance of the Empire,” created in 948 by the Byzantine Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus. In this text, Kyiv is named the capital of Rus’ — and at the same time, its second name is indicated: Sambatas.
This mention is unique. Neither in later Byzantine chronicles, nor in ancient Russian chronicles, nor in Western European sources does Sambatas appear again. Historians do not have parallel texts or archaeological finds that directly confirm or refute this name.
It is this singularity of the source that makes Sambatas especially important.
Researchers are not just dealing with an alternative name for the city, but with a trace of a vanished layer of historical reality — possibly associated with another language, another culture, or a different circle of contacts.
The origin of the word Sambatas remains a subject of debate. No version is recognized as definitive, but each reflects a certain historical context of the region.
The Turkic interpretation associates Sambatas with the concept of a “high fortress” or fortified elevation. This interpretation seems logical from the geographical perspective of Kyiv and the role of the city as a defensive center.
The Scandinavian version suggests a possible origin from sand-bakki — “sandy shoal” or “shore.” It fits well with the idea of the Dnieper as a key trade route and the presence of the Varangians in the region.
The Gothic hypothesis proposes reading Sambatas as “a place for gathering boats,” emphasizing the transport and military function of the city. The Baltic version, in turn, interprets the name as “a structure on the edge” or “a house on a protrusion,” based on phonetic parallels.
A special place in this series is occupied by the Jewish interpretation. It connects Sambatas with the mythical river Sambation, known from ancient Judaic texts. According to these sources, Sambation is a river beyond which the “lost tribes of Israel” supposedly reside, and which flows turbulently for six days a week and stops on the Sabbath.
This version does not imply a literal identification of Kyiv with the biblical myth. However, it points to possible cultural and intellectual contacts in the region in the early Middle Ages, including the presence of Jewish communities, traders, and intermediaries whose ideas might be reflected in geographical names.
It is important to emphasize: none of the hypotheses has a decisive advantage. Sambatas remains a linguistic and historical mystery, the significance of which cannot be reduced to one people or one language.
According to Alferov, the very fact of the existence of such a name speaks of the multi-layered identity of early Kyiv. The city was formed at the intersection of trade routes, cultural zones, and religious traditions, and its history cannot be explained by a single chronicle version.
The history of Sambatas is a reminder that the past of Kyiv is much more complex than familiar schemes. Behind the well-known name lie layers of forgotten meanings that still require understanding — something that NANews — News of Israel | Nikk.Agency regularly engages in.
Sambation: where it is mentioned, how it is described, and what it meant
Sambation is a mythological river known from Judaic, ancient, and medieval sources. It was never considered a real geographical object and in all texts serves as a symbolic boundary, not a river in the literal sense.
In Judaic sources, Sambation is mentioned in the Babylonian Talmud, tractate Sanhedrin 65b. It states that “the ten lost tribes of Israel” are located beyond the Sambation River. The context is a discussion of the boundaries of the inhabited world and the fate of the exiled tribes, not a description of a specific locality.
The Midrashic tradition (including Bereishit Rabbah and later aggadic texts) describes the properties of the river in detail. According to these texts, Sambation:
- boils, throws stones, sand, and dust six days a week;
- completely stops on the Sabbath;
- remains impassable, as crossing on the Sabbath is prohibited by religious law.
Thus, Sambation becomes a double boundary — physical and religious, which cannot be overcome by force or by observing the law.
In ancient tradition, Sambation is mentioned by Josephus Flavius in the work “The Jewish War” (Book VII). He describes a river that throws stones and becomes calm on the seventh day. For Flavius, Sambation appears as part of the ideas about distant eastern lands and has no precise localization.
In medieval Byzantine and Latin texts, Sambation is included in encyclopedic and chronicle writings as an element of the “wondrous geography of the East.” Here it is no longer directly associated with religious polemics but serves as an inherited image from the Jewish tradition.
The spelling of the term depends on the language of the source:
- Hebrew — סמבטיון (Sambation);
- Greek — Σαμβατίων (Sambatíon);
- Latin — Sambation, Sambatyon, Sabbatyon.
Geographical attachment in all sources remains undefined. In different eras, Sambation was conditionally “placed”:
- in Mesopotamia,
- in Central Asia,
- in the Caucasus,
- beyond the Caspian Sea,
- in an undefined “East.”
These versions do not contradict each other, as Sambation was understood not cartographically, but cosmologically — as a boundary between the known world and the space of exile, between the ordinary flow of time and the religious cycle.
Conclusion: Sambation is a stable mythological image present in several traditions. No source describes it as a real river, but all use it as a symbol of the limit, the expectation of return, and the messianic future.
Alexander Alferov
Full name — Alferov Alexander Anatolyevich.
Ukrainian historian, candidate of historical sciences, radio host, public and political figure. Born on November 30, 1983, in Kyiv (Ukrainian SSR). By nationality — Ukrainian.
He is a researcher at the Institute of History of Ukraine of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, specializing in the history of Ukraine in the 16th–18th centuries, sigillography, genealogy, the history of the Cossack elite, and historical institutions.
Graduated from the National Pedagogical University named after M. P. Drahomanov with a degree in “history teacher, law teacher.” In 2012, he defended his candidate dissertation on the role of the Cossack-elite family Golubov in the history of Ukraine.
Since 2008, he has been working as a radio host on Ukrainian Radio “Culture,” author and host of the program “Historical Frescoes.” He was also a TV host on the public TV channel UA: Culture.
At different times, he held positions as a researcher, press secretary of the People’s Deputy of Ukraine Andriy Biletsky, and head of the press service of the “Azov” regiment.
Since the beginning of the full-scale war — an officer of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, served in the units of the Special Operations Forces “Azov-Kyiv” and the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade. Holds the rank of reserve major of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
On June 27, 2025, he was appointed head of the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory.
Author of more than 100 scientific publications, as well as numerous books and catalogs dedicated to Ukrainian sigillography, Cossack history, genealogy, and archival sources. In 2009, he discovered a copy of the “Constitution of Pylyp Orlyk” in Old Ukrainian in Russian archives.
Awarded the Order of Merit III degree, the presidential award “For Participation in the Anti-Terrorist Operation,” the medal “For Sacrifice and Love for Ukraine,” and a number of professional awards.
