Russkaya Starina

108-121

Authors: Varvara Е. Dobrovolskaya

The article discusses the function of the inscriptions on various objects in the traditional culture. Such inscriptions were attached by importance and were not a part of the decoration. In this case, they often were placed on the back side of the object. In some cases, they became a part of the ornament, and then their content was usually enlarged. The inscription could be a commentary on some image, sometimes complementing it, explaining what was going on, but in some cases the inscription changed the meaning of the portrayed events. Things “with the words” became fashionable and popular, and in some cases played the role of “propaganda”. But at the same time the inscription was interpreted as having large magical sense. It was thought that it may ruin or to protect its owner, to сonserve one's feelings, etc. Finally, the inscription on the things might remind you of some person, thus being a kind of monument to him.

143-153

Authors: Tatyana Yu. Vlaskina

The article deals with the anthropological aspects of the history of Russian revolutions. Primary focus is on the life of railway engineer N. Gorinov, a native of the provincial merchant family. The example of the Gorinovs reveals the unrealized prospects for peaceful evolution in the social and economic development on the Don that took place at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, examines the possible motives for the personal political choice faced by family members during the events of the Revolution and the Civil War. The first part represents the life story of the Gorinovs until the middle of 1915, characters and relations between family members. The main theme of the second part is the young man’s perception of the First World War events and the changes that are taking place with him. The study is based on the documents of the family archive.

173-185

Authors: Leonid L. Smilovitsky

The article is devoted to the little studied theme of the role of female servicemen in the Red Army during the war and their position in the men's group. Among the 800,000 women in the Soviet Union who participated in the war, the majority took part in the fighting. The author tries to explain how women, who by nature should give birth, educate, teach, and save, but not kill, were able to become soldiers as required in the war. Women shared all the hardships of the front-line situation and bore the burden of war on a par with men. They died from bullets, shells and bombs, burned in airplanes, were wounded and became crippled without arms and legs. Some of them, having withstood all the trials, lost the gift of motherhood and could not create families. The author comes to the conclusion that the greatest merit of women in the army during the war years was that by their presence they allowed men to feel their own strength, to be courageous, to do their duty, to fight and win. This study is based on WW2 correspondence, letters and diaries of Soviet Jews who served in the Red Army, which were recently collected in the archives of the Diaspora Research Center at Tel Aviv University (2012-2017) and now, for the first time, are used for academic purposes.

196-208

Authors: Maria A. Andrunina

The article investigates the mythological background of the calendar remembrance rites – belief in the migration of souls in natural and domestic areas. In Russian, Ukranian and Belorussian sources, on which the article is based, main calendar remembrance dates are “dedy” (literally “grandfathers”, taking place several times a year and observed at home) and dedicated to dead days during Easter and Whit Sunday periods. Capital difference between these dates and corresponding rites happens to be actual place selected for them (home, cemetery, forest, crossroad et.) according to ancient beliefs where souls expected to be in different seasons. In winter and fall rites are mostly held at home (“dedy”) in shape of common ritual supper of living and dead, including “nurturing” of souls, who will provide rich harvest in payment for reverent behavior of their live relatives. Also, Christmas festivals include gift collection by carol-singers, who believed to be personifications of dead forefathers, visiting at that time their heirs. With the coming of spring, “opening” the earth, returning of birds and the growth of plants sous of dead are released from the Otherworld, they are frequent in cemeteries and masses of people are visiting their graves, giving presents and communicating with them. In Easter time souls could be present everywhere in the world, in homes of their kinfolk, who used to prepare special food for them and held to strict rules for their benefit; in cemeteries, in fields and forests, where burial keens are performed to the sounds of cuckoo, who imagined to be incarnation of late family member. In Whit period, however, remembrance rites are transferred to different group of souls – mostly to those, who died young, which indicates most ancient basic of spring dead concerning beliefs and practices. The closer to the time of harvest, the lesser rites are becoming – souls previously inhabiting plants, cereals and flowers and making them to grow are starting to retreat, leaving the world with birds. But in this time special type of remembrance rite takes place — sacrificing first fruits of the new harvest to the dead, this custom is later turned into belief of unholy spirits presence in fruits and plants, demanding the chirch blessing of them. In winter souls are believed to be in the Otherworld, from which they are ritually invited to the festive suppers in the circle of their living relatives. This way, through the “opening” and “closing” of earth, growing plants, coming and going of birds the ritual year of remembrance rites is constantly renewing.

5-33

Authors: Marina V. Pyatikova

The article provides a historiographic review of publications on the history of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Don region (Rostov region). A problem analysis of the works, published to date shows that this direction began to be developed in 2010 by a limited number of researchers. However, for a short period of time they were affected, and to some extent developed almost all the directions of this problem for the period from the XVIII century until the 1960s. XX century: the historiography of the religious organizations in the South of Russia; the problem of church-territorial division; the early period of church history in the Don region; Social activities of the parishes of the Don diocese and parish clergy; an analysis of the parish clergy of the Don and Novocherkassk diocese as estates of the Russian Empire; the social service and charitable activities of the Russian Orthodox Church on the Don during the years of the First World War; the history of temples; analysis of church-state relations in the 1920s and 1930s; the anti-church actions in 1923; the churches and prayer buildings closure; the confiscation of church values; the problem of church schisms in the Don region; the repression of the clergy in the 1920s and 1930s; the church life in the Rostov region during the Great Patriotic War, in the post-war period and during the “Khrushchev thaw”; the problem of the cultural heritage of the region understanding. The prerevolutionary period of the Russian Orthodox Church history has been covered by many scientific papers and monographs. In 2013–2015 have been published the collections of documents and materials on history of the Russian Ortodox Church under the Soviets. The analysis of publications showes that in a short time a historiography, which includes comprehension of all the main directions of the problem, was created.

55-67

Authors: Andrey V. Venkov

During the Civil War, the Don Cossacks and officers, rebelled against the Bolsheviks, put forward against their enemy the most numerous of white armies in the South of Russia. The Cossacks had enough manpower to create their own army, but they didn't have personnel for a sufficient number of technical parts, engineering parts and aircraft. However, the Don Army, as the anti-Bolshevik army, won the support of other opponents of the new Russian regime and admited them into their ranks. The Don Army was not purely Cossacks military body. Many officers and generals of the General staff of the Russian Empire found a refuge in the ranks of the Don Army. They made up a significant portion of the staff officers, officers, who were not Cossacks by origin, accounted for most of the command staff technical parts, counterintelligence, and served in the cavalry and Cossacks infantry units. Some units of the Don Army have been created from the local farmers and people of neighboring provinces, but they were not numerous. Relying on these elements some regiments of the old Imperial Russian Army were restored in the ranks of the Don Army. The military units on religious grounds and military units of students were created. The Kalmyks, who had the status of the Don Cossacks, were collected in separate regiments. However, all the time of the civil war the Don Cossacks were the most significant part of the army.

79-86

Authors: Marina C. Larionoiva, Abdulaziz Y. Abbaskhilmi

Russia tended to strengthen political and cultural connections with Arabian East since reign of princeVladimir. By XII century pilgrimages to Jerusalem became massive. This fact is reflected in “The hegumen Daniil purgatory”. In 1882 the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society was created in Russia. It was the first Russian organization which was rending support to pilgrims to the Holy Land and was engaging the stable work on spreading and strengthening of Orthodoxy (Eastern Christianity) and – wider – of Russian culture among the Arabs. The society contained a great amount of schools in which thousands of the Arab children were educated. Besides the Arab teachers the Russian ones came too. In the schools of the Society the great significance was given to learning of Russian language and literature. Attachment to the Russian classics was broadening spiritual outlook of students and was making the way out into the cultural space easier. Male and female seminaries for preparing school teachers were opened. The educative process was conducting only in Russian. The best certificated seminary graduates were headed to Russia to continue their education. In madrasah Moscoviye, Russian schools, the students and teachers were reading the magazine Niva, works of Tolstoy, Turgenev and Chekhov. At the end of XIX century, the school graduates of Palestine society became the first translators who were translating Russian writers not from the Western translations, but directly from Russian language. Russian literature got free of intermediary in literature and language which was representing view on it. Afterwards some school graduates of the Society became teachers in St. Petersburg and Moscow universities, promoting the development of Russian oriental studies.

97-104

Authors: Igor G. Ivantsov

The article examines the history of the construction of the defensive perimeter (boundary) of the city of Krasnodar in November 1941 – July 1942 In the first weeks of the war, it was started the organization of the volunteer fighting battalions, detachments of people's militia, groups of anti-aircraft and chemical defense, as well as other activities for the defense were conducted. However, because the changes at the front in November 1941, according to the decision of the Military Council of the southern front, a solid defensive perimeter around the city of Krasnodar had to be created. Analyzing the archival documents of the Krasnodar city Committee of the AUCP(b) on defensive measures and building a defensive line around the city of Krasnodar, the author gives a fresh look at the history of this building.