Vol 67, No 1 (2024)
Articles
The site Vylys Tom 3 on the Izhma river
Abstract
The Vylys Tom 3 Mesolithic site is part of the Izhma-Tom geoarchaeological microregion, where there are now 6 Mesolithic sites explored by excavations. The site is located on the right bank of the middle course of the Izhma river in the vicinity of the village Tom, Izhma region of the Komi Republic, on the remnant of a pine forested fluvial terrace above floodplain. It was discovered in 2018 and then surveyed in 2021, 2023. On the excavated area the concentration of finds with a diameter of 4-5 m was revealed, accompanied by fragments of calcified bones and charcoal. Small concentrations of finds were located around it. Radiocarbon date for charcoal is 8150±90 years ago (LU-10576).
The collection includes a polished axe, abrasive tools and a large hammerstone. The flint inventory contains a large number of small cores in the final knapping stage. At the same time, large and very large specimens predominate among the blades and tools made of them. Attention is drawn to the presence of the so-called core-burins, there are burins on broken blades, a large number of scrapers. Large points are available.
The lithic industry of the Vylys Tom 3 site is similar to the industries of the nearby Mesolithic sites Vylys Tom 2 and Ochyu katishche.
5–11
Local details on the history of paleontological excavations near Kotlas
Abstract
Based on archival data, the paper provides local topographic and historical details of paleontological excavations near Kotlas in 1899-1929. The 1905 color map of the area shows the villages closest to the excavation sites with their land plots and surrounding landscapes, and describes the changes in the area to date. Lists of scientists and specialists who participated in the work or visited the excavations are given. It is concluded that there is a high interest in excavations in the region, their Russian and global scientific and historical significance.
12–21
Non-ferrous and precious metals in grave No. 115 of the Kokpomyag burial ground of the Vym culture: archaeological and archaeomineralogical aspects
Abstract
The paper discusses the results of archeological and archeomineralogical analyses of items made of non-ferrous and precious metals from burial No. 115 of the Kokpomyag burial ground of the Vym culture of the Vychegda Perm, dating back to the XI–XIV centuries. It includes a general characteristics of the burial ground, burial No. 115, a description of bronze and silver items, and the results of experimental studies of these items using a complex of modern mineralogical and geochemical methods. The results obtained indicate that local bronze casters possessed sophisticated technologies for the production of a variety of tin-copper and tin-silver alloys.
22–34
Channels of Lake Kamennoe: on the issue of peasant hydraulic structures in Karelia
Abstract
There are a large number of unexplored structures in Karelia related to peasant economic activities. These are mills, storage facilities, barns, hunting traps, paddocks, and roads located outside the boundaries of historical villages. In the paper, we will consider the objects of the Karelian rural water transport infrastructure group – channels. In the absence of good roads in the White Sea Karelia, waterways were the only convenient way to travel between villages throughout the year.The first field study of the channels was carried out by an archaeological expedition of the National Museum of the Republic of Karelia in 2015 on Lake Kamennoe (Kiitehenjarvi) in the Kostomuksha Nature Reserve. Two channels were examined near the village of Shappovaara on the western shore of the lake and the village of Luzhmaguba near the beginning of the Kamennaya River. The first channel (90 m long) was photographed by Finnish photographer K.I. Inha in 1894. There were two wooden crosses and two karsikkos near it and boats passed through it, the second channel (306 m) was probably used for transporting logs during the rafting period. The estimated dating of both structures is the second half of the XIX century. The closest analogies are located on the territory of Finland.
35–44
Changing the taxation system of peasants of the Komi region in the XVIII century
Abstract
The work deals with the study of changes in the taxation system of peasants of the Komi region in the XVIII century. In place of the household comes the poll system, which has radically changed not only the taxation system, but also the distribution of monetary taxes. The nomenclature of taxes and fees, their dynamics were determined, the specifics of changes in tax policy were revealed, etc. As shown by the study of monetary taxes on the territory of the Komi region (Yarensk, since 1780, and Ust-Sysolsk Uyezds), the peasantry paid poll taxes, quitrent and all kinds of «mundane» monetary taxes in favour of the state. They did not remain unchanged and were constantly increasing. New emergency taxes and fees have been introduced. As a result, it was concluded that the strengthening of the tax press led not only to a deterioration in the economic situation of the peasants, but also activated the population to search for new sources of income.
45–50
Deans of monasteries in the system of Church administration of the Russian Empire in the late XVIII–early XX century
Abstract
The paper deals with the study of the role of deans of monasteries in the system of Church administration and their influence on the activities of Orthodox monastic monasteries in the Russian Empire of the late XVIII – early XX centuries. Based on legislative acts and archival records, the author analyzes the scope of activity of deans in the structure of church authorities of the Synodal period. It is concluded that the deans, in accordance with the instructions, as well as the instructions of the bishop and the consistory, exercised direct control over Orthodox monasteries: the composition of the brethren, economic, financial and charitable activities.
51–57
The «ceremonial» side of the public life of the merchants of the Vologda province in the second half of the XIX century
Abstract
Despite the fact that the history of the Russian merchants has been of great interest to researchers for more than two decades, there are still little studied aspects in this area, including the «ceremonial» side of the public life of representatives of the merchant class. This area of research activity seems very promising, as it can significantly complement the sociocultural portrait of the merchant class. The purpose of this paper is to recreate the picture of the participation of the merchants of the Vologda province in festive and solemn events as an important part of public life in the second half of the XIX century. Based on the «Vologda Provincial Gazette» for 1861-1899, using the methods of formalizing and systematizing historical data, such components of the «ceremonial» side of the public life of the local merchants as the celebration of important dates related to the Romanov House; accompanying members of the imperial family who visited the province; participation in official events organized by the Governor; Clubs membership were identified. The published materials indicate that the merchants took an active part in local celebrations dedicated to the events from the life of merchants, as well as provided significant financial support to the related various charitable initiatives. The most important events of the provincial authorities could not do without representatives of the merchant class. Besides, in the second half of the XIX century, the general urban leisure space for a wide range of people, including merchants, began to take shape. These aspects nevertheless allow us to outline the main facets of the «ceremonial» side of the public life of the merchants of the Vologda province in the second half of the XIX century and set directions for further research.
58–66
V. V. Vereshchagin and the «invention» of the North in literature and journalism of the late XIX–early XX century (part two)
Abstract
The paper, based on the book “On the Northern Dvina. Through wooden churches”, considers the artist V.V. Vereshchagin’s perception of the North. It is shown that it is based on his professional and artistic interest in the monuments of traditional wooden architecture of the XVI-XVII centuries. The artist views the latter as a kind of classic – the pinnacle of Russian art, the personification of its tradition, destroyed or distorted by later stylistic experiments. Moreover, he even places them in a global cultural context, using very tendentious analogies based on his personal experience of acquaintance with the East. On the other hand, Vereshchagin is fully aware of and carefully records the ethnographic features of the Dvina area. Without dividing the North into regions or territories, perceiving it as a single nationally significant space, the artist resorts to subjective-emotional gradation as a means of differentiation: his assessment of the “quality” of a particular monument, settlement, or area is sometimes speculative, litereally depends on the mood. At the same time, the Vereshchagin text reveals key themes and motifs of the northern discourse of the 1890s-1910s, but otherwise articulated. Thus, the thesis that the North passed the peak of its development in the late Middle Ages is revealed through the interpretation of European and other borrowings in Russian architecture. The “remoteness” and “abandonment” of the region are shown as, on the one hand, the problem of “undermanagement”, inattention to the needs of the region, and on the other hand, a consequence of the weak infrastructure development of the northern provinces.
67–71
«An institution where fear and horror are in charge»: Arkhangelsk Provincial Gendarmerie Department in 1908-1915
Abstract
The paper analyzes the peculiarities of the development of political investigation in the Arkhangelsk province in 1908- 1915, when the Provincial Gendarmerie Department was headed by Colonel, later Major General, Nikolai Illarionovich Mochalov. For such a position, it was a very long period of leadership, which was characterized by three stages: the active struggle of the gendarmes and police against the revolutionary movement during the “Stolypin reaction”, then some stabilization of the situation by 1914, and the first years of the World War. The purpose of the paper is to substantiate the decisive importance of N.I. Mochalov’s personality as an experienced functionary of political investigation, who was quite effective in relieving social tension that had been growing in the region since the end of the XIX century and reached its apogee during the Revolution of 1905-1907. During wartime the aggravated espionage, combined with the problems of the complicated service, made the figure of N.I. Mochalov inconvenient for the Gendarmerie and Police authorities. Methods of combating the “internal threat” in peacetime turned out to be irrelevant in the war period due to the need to qualitatively increase the activity of the gendarmes and cooperation with the military authorities.
72–79
Involving women in the apparatus of the Volost Executive Committees of the Komi Autonomous Region in the 1920s
Abstract
The paper deals with the study of the activities of government bodies to attract women to the grassroots management apparatus in the 1920s, as well as consideration of the implementation of this work using the example of the Komi Autonomous Region. The study considers certain normative legal acts concerning the involvement of female workers and peasants to work in Soviet government bodies. They legislated gender equality between men and women and proposed to select the most capable delegates to work in the grassroots authorities. The most important aspects of the functioning of the Volost Eexecutive Committees are revealed, including a description of the directions of socio-economic and cultural work. Data on the number of women in the grassroots Soviet apparatus are considered. In general, women’s social activity increased: from 1922 to 1927 their number in the Volost Executive Committees of the country increased from 0.3% to 10.1%, participants in the elections to the Soviets of the Komi Autonomous Region per 100 people from 1924 to 1927 - from 8% to 45% and members of the Presidium of the Volost Executive Committee from 1925 to 1927 – from 0.7% to 2.1%. In the 1920s, the prerequisites were laid for increased activity and a gradual increase in the number of women in government.
80–86
Scientific and literary activity of P. G. Doronin in the pre-war period
Abstract
The paper considers the life and creative activities of the prominent Komi writer, literary critic, historian, folklorist Pavel Grigoryevich Doronin in the period before the outbreak of the Great Patriotic War. The contribution of the researcher to the collection of Komi folklore is characterized, his literary work, the formation of interest in the study of history are shown, literary creativity and activities in the field of education are highlighted. It is indicated that P. G. Doronin began his path to science with folklore studies, then his scientific interests included literary criticism and history. The scientist’s outstanding contribution to collecting sources on the history of Komi is emphasized. Basic information about P. G. Doronin’s biography is given. The paper is dedicated to the 120th birth anniversary of the scientist and writer.
87–99
Scientific policy of the USSR in the 1950s–early 1980s in the research of Soviet and American scientists
Abstract
In the 1950s the leadership of the USSR began to realize the country’s technological lag behind the advanced Western countries. In this regard, the Soviet Union began to transform its scientific policy. The search for optimal mechanisms for the organization of science continued until the end of the Soviet period. Scientists and historians of science, being direct participants in these events, assessed the ongoing transformation. This assessment has not always been objective. Nowadays, thanks to new computer technologies, researchers have access to the documents of American specialists who studied the main mechanisms of our country’s scientific policy at the state level in the 1970s-1980s. The purpose of the paper is to compare the conclusions of Soviet and American specialists who studied the scientific policy of the USSR in the 1970s-1980s, and to identify assessments of the main mechanisms for the implementation of scientific policy in the USSR. The main sources of the work were reports by American members of the working group on the study of scientific policy, which had not been used before in Russian historiography. After conducting a comparative analysis of the works, the author comes to the conclusion that Soviet scientific policy developed in the general global mainstream. Some of the science management mechanisms developed in the USSR were innovative. Others did not work at all in the absence of competition and a rigid command system.
100–107
“Arctic” secondary specialized educational institutions in the 1950s – 1960s: specialization of students, characteristics of the teaching staff (case study of the Komi ASSR)
Abstract
Based on the materials of the annual reports of secondary specialized educational institutions, the specializations in which specialists were trained in technical schools and colleges operating in the territory of the Komi ASSR within the borders of the modern Arctic zone of the Russian Federation are identified. The chronologically presented study covers the 1950s–1960s. Besides, the paper provides a detailed description of the teaching staff of the “Arctic” secondary specialized educational institutions at the specified time, in particular, the number, educational level and work experience of teachers. The conclusion is made about the training of specialists in the studied educational institutions in a wide range of specialities, the list of which has increased significantly over the period outlined. This process would not have been possible without a solid team of highly qualified teachers.
108–115
Old Believer motives in the work of the poet Nikolai Klyuev and milestones in his biography
Abstract
The paper considers the Old Believer roots of the work of the famous Russian poet of the XX century Nikolai Klyuev. The author pays special attention to archaic and folklore elements in Klyuev’s poetic speech. Of great interest are the author’s conclusions about the humanistic basis of this poet’s last verses and poems associated with his rejection of collectivization and the ruin of the Russian peasantry.
116–121
Reviews
Egorova S. L. “Grab the thread”. Experience of historical and biographical research about Albert Vaneev. – Syktyvkar : FRC Komi Science Centre, Ural Branch, RAS, 2023. – 208 p.: ill.
122–123
Anniversaries
Yury Ya. Chukreev
124–125