No 1, 2025
Publishing Date: 2025-04-25
Melkov A.S. In memory of Professor Alexander Kamchatnov (10.02.1952 – 09.03.2025)
The scientific legacy of Professor Alexander Kamchatnov, who died on March 9, 2025, is great and multifaceted. It is a moral duty and a sacred obligation of deceased’s colleagues and students to study this legacy carefully, evaluate the scientist’s contribution to the Russian linguistics development, and comprehend the importance and significance of his works for philological science. It is confidently to say that the name of Alexander Kamchatnov is inscribed in the golden treasury of Russian science forever. The article briefly describes A. Kamchatnov’s life and his creative path, as well as a chronological list of his main scientific works.
HISTORY
The Bronze Age (c. 3300 – c. 1200 BC) in the eastern Mediterranean area was a historical period characterized principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of the three-age system, following the Stone Age and preceding the Iron Age. The final decades of the Bronze Age in the Mediterranean basin are often characterized as a period of widespread societal collapse known as the Late Bronze Age collapse (c. 1200 – c. 1150 BC), although its severity and scope are debated among scholars. In this paper were analysed the possible causes of the collapse of civilization in the 1170s BC which, according to researchers, are multifaceted. Also the mysterious Sea Peoples will be discussed and the fact that bronze as a material was outcompeted by iron and iron making. The author has made an attempt to create a comprehensive picture of the events in the mid-1170s BC and the collapse consequences for humanity.
Pulkin M.V. Naked wizards (warlocks, shamans): the role of the open body in magical usage
The article considers the problems of perception and the functions of an open body in magical practice. The author reveals that the exposure became a prerequisite for contacts with supernatural creatures, obtaining comprehensive support from them, magical power, material wellbeing. The most typical situations, in which public exposure was carried out in order to commit witchcraft, are reduced to harming the neighbours and transferring the results of rural labour to their farm with the help of witchcraft. The magical practices of the Siberian peoples often suggested exposure with the aim of contacting the world of spirits. The Christianized consciousness abandoned the positive assessments of exposure and began to regard nudity as a means for contact with the devil.
The article examines the milestones of the life of an opera singer and dramatic actress Anna Marie Stagemann, known under the pseudonym Felicità von Vestvali (1828-1880). The study rediscovers the name of the famous travesty, performer of the male roles of Hamlet, Romeo, Petruchio and Uriel Acosta, on the stages of European and American opera and drama theatres. The beginning of her career as an opera singer was marked by a debut, which was a resounding success, at the La Scala theatre in Milan in 1853. The year 1863 was a turning point as, during an unsuccessful tour in New York, the singer decided to pursue a career as a dramatic actress. Having made her debut in New York, like before, as a travesty playing Romeo in 1864, she brought back the success and reverence of the former admirers of her talent. Vestvali continued to play Hamlet on the stages of Europe after becoming the first woman to perform this role in the USA.
Badanov V.G. Olonets Zemstvo in the political life of the Russian Empire (1867-1913)
The government assigned economic functions to the zemstvo institutions, but contrary to all expectations the zemstvos engaged in “politics” and by the beginning of the 20th century had become an active political force. In this context “the political aspect” of activity of Olonets zemstvo being a peculiar one because it didn’t become the conductor of liberal ideas as the majority of the Russian Empire zemstvos is under considerable interest. Throughout the entire period of its existence (1867-1918) it was the zemstvo of pragmatists and realists. The territorial movement here, unlike other territorial provinces, was loyal in relation to the government and took firm conservative and guarding positions up to March, 1917.
The article examines correspondence between Peter Bartenev and Peter Shchukin in the context of “Russkiy arkhiv” journal editorial policy during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The study of unpublished letters from Bartenev to Shchukin, which are kept in Department of Written Sources of the State Historical Museum, adds a new dimension to our understanding of their long-term collaboration. These letters serve as a valuable source of information on the cooperation between the publisher of “Russkiy arkhiv” and the collector. “Russkiy arkhiv” was one of the main channels through which Shchukin shared his collection of historical documents with interested parties, while Bartenev used Shchukin’s publications to attract new readers and contribute to the creation of a comprehensive archive of Russian history.
The article considers the creation, activity and revival of scouting in Russia. The authors describe the creation of a scout society on the example of Smolensk region: its goals and objectives, the structure of the organization, the charter and documentation. The authors introduce into scientific circulation archival materials from the funds of the State Archive of the Smolensk Region and the State Archive of the Contemporary History of the Smolensk Region and materials of the periodicals.
This review considers the book by M.V. Akulich, devoted to one of the most understudied topics – the history of Jewish pirates. The authors of the review came to the conclusion that this book not only didn’t bring anything new and valuable to historiography, but on the contrary contributed to the distortion of piracy history. The book contains no scientific value. It not only contains errors, inaccuracies, etc., but it is largely made up of them. As a result, the authors say that people have a vivid example presented of how not to write books.
PEDAGOGY and TEACHING METHODOLOGY
Gerashchenko I.G. Artificial intelligence innovations in education: problem statement
The paper considers the problem of the possibility of innovative activity of artificial intelligence (AI) in education. The author analyses specific directions in teaching, where artificial intelligence goes beyond the boundaries of purely formal and reproductive activities: personalization, interactive learning, development of students’ critical thinking, virtual teaching, inclusive learning, etc. The strengths and weaknesses of AI in the pedagogical process are highlighted. The article presents examples of problem tasks developed by AI and applied in school and university education. The idea that AI can master almost all pedagogical skills in the future is substantiated, which poses the primary task of maintaining human control over it.
The article examined the experience of using digital educational resources in teaching Belarusian history to prepare applicants for the Centralized Testing (CT) and Centralized Exam (CE). Special attention was given to the integration of online learning platforms such as “Stepik”, social networks (Telegram and YouTube), as well as multimedia technologies including interactive maps, tests, and video materials. The advantages of digital tools and their impact on improving the quality of education were analysed along with the limitations associated with their use. The focus was on combining traditional and digital methods aimed at developing critical thinking, analytical skills, and confidence in passing exams among students. Conclusions were drawn based on practical results and student feedback.
THEOLOGY
Ryzhov Y.V. Socio-cultural dynamics of religion on the example of the development of an icon
The paper considers the question of the relationship between the historical development of an icon and the dynamics of religion as a cultural and social institution. The author studies the development of icons in various: Antiquity, the period of iconoclasm, the Middle Ages and Modern era. The article shows that religious art objectively reflects the state of contemporary culture on the example of the Eastern and Western Churches. At the same time, the specific artistic style of an icon depends little on its dogmatic content.
PHILOLOGY
Chrul S. Translation transformations in scientific-publicist text
The article analyses the use of lexical and grammatical transformations in the fragment translation from Russian into Polish of N. Epple’s scientific and journalistic book “An inconvenient past. The memory of the state crimes in Russia and other countries” (2020). Among the 144 transformations used in the translation, the most frequent rare lexical transpositions (67) and substitutions (77), including 27 part-of-speech substitutions. Lexical and grammatical substitutions were used in 18 cases. The author is convinced that not only the chapter about Poland but the entire book by N. Epple deserves to be translated into Polish. Moreover, the chapters on other countries, Spain, Germany, Argentina and South Africa, may be even more interesting for the Polish reader.
Loginovskikh M.V. Problems of translation of medical terms in the field of bone marrow donation
The article considers the problem of translation of medical terminology on the example of the sphere of bone marrow donation. The author considers medical text as a genre of scientific functional style and reveals the features of medical terms. The most common problems of translation of such terminology are ambiguous abbreviations, homonyms, synonyms, eponyms and Greek-Latin elements. The article analyses existing glossaries and dictionaries in this field in English and Russian language sources. Based on the results of the analysis, the importance of unifying the system of medical terms by expanding, enriching and systematizing the terminology system in bone marrow donation for the progress of medicine and improving the quality of translation is argued.
Nikishov Y.M. Tatiana in Onegin’s life. Part II
February 2025 marked the 200th anniversary of the first chapter of “Eugene Onegin” publication. 200 years of the novel’s existence in its entirety is not so far away. There are countless interpretations of the main characters accumulated during this time. There are also separate assessments of them from the poet himself. Meanwhile, the author’s holistic view of the characters is still in shadows. Some important details remain unnoticed. Understanding the poet’s intention is a worthy goal for a researcher. The final part of the study considers all shades of Onegin’s feelings when meeting knyaginya Tatiana. The author pays attention to Onegin’s letter and actions. The reason for the fail of the loving relationship was Onegin’s selfishness.
The article analyses two works by Agatha Christie – “The Blue Geranium” from the cycle about Jane Marple and “Yellow Iris” about the adventures of Hercule Poirot. The author of the article comes to the conclusion about their significant similarity, which is revealed primarily in the general “flower code” of the stories, the method of murder (poison), the disguise of the killer (impersonation of another individual), the gender of the victims (women), the presence of a love line. Thus, “Yellow Iris” is a variation of “The Blue Geranium” served under a different “sauce” where the action is moved to a more suitable setting for Poirot. Although A. Christie had already introduced floral symbolism into other crime stories, it was “The Blue Geranium” where the writer first used the “language of flowers” common in the East, which she could have learned about during her Eastern travels. The story was influenced among other things by Agatha Christie’s interest in classical opera and her fascination with railway themes.
The article examines the individual author’s style of a modern American writer Rick Riordan on the material of a book series “Percy Jackson and the Olympians”. The authors study representation of the idiostyle on different linguistic strata. The paper analyses Rick Riordan’s idiostyle in a semantic and stylistic approach. The authors of the paper identify the means of expression at the lexical and grammatical strata, and represent the frequency of its use in a percentage ratio.
Lamm M.A. Daily life travel in the cult of tourism
The article analyses a story “A slightly sad story about the cheerful adventures of a Hitchhiker in the country of Tourismia” by D. Zhurlakov. The process of travel is presented in the work as everyday life; the most typical situations that any traveller encounters are satirically interpreted. The author characterizes main narrative features of the story, and makes a conclusion about the genre allusion to the utopias of the 18th century, but the external similarity is more aesthetic than philosophical – the problems raised by the author are much more modern. The article also analyses the plot of the story from the point of view of the most significant for the 20th century ideas about happiness. The country of Tourismia can be studied in the philosophical categories of J. Ortega y Gasset, G. Debord and J. Baudrillard. Analysis in the philosophical categories of consumer society seems to be the most legitimate, since it allows us to identify and characterize emblematic inaccuracies made by the author.
PHILOSOPHY
Nechipurenko V.N. “Daphnis and Chloe” by Long: pastoral drama as mystery and philosophical parable
The article offers a hermeneutic reading of Long’s novel “Daphnis and Chloe” as a semiotic structure where the pastoral ideal is intertwined with philosophical allegory and mystery symbolism. The author explores the key episodes and multi-layered symbolism of the text from the perspective of allusions to Plato’s dialectic of Eros and Orphic-Dionysian mysteries revealing its sacred and initiatory meanings. The analysis shows that the conflicts and trials on the path of the protagonists function as ritual obstacles that facilitate their transition to maturity and realization of the true nature of love. Music, dance and mythopoeic narratives structure their experience, preparing them for the final event. Based on an analysis of the text and contemporary interpretations, it is argued that “Daphnis and Chloe” is not just a pastoral but a philosophical parable in which nature and Eros form a harmonious unity transforming the genre into a mystery dedicatory text. In the context of ancient religious and philosophical traditions the novel reveals Eros as a mediator between the material and the divine. Thus Long’s pastoral idyll becomes a mirror of eternity where every gesture of the characters reflects the universal beauty and harmony.
Deikun I.D. The philosophical intertext in trilogy “Christ and Antichrist” by Dmitry Merezhkovsky
The trilogy “Christ and Antichrist” by Dmitry Merezhkovsky amazes with the diversity of intertextual inclusions. However, the entire complex of intertext in it is subordinated to the function of creating a cultural myth centred on a certain concept of the course of world history. This article answers the question of how a philosophical quotation transformed by the author’s concept and simultaneously influencing it during the author’s reception of this quotation is built into the system of chronotopes, scenes, and narrative imagery. The author argues the special significance of proper names: names of philosophers, toponyms, titles of works that integrate the quoted text into the plot, attach it to the intrigue. The paper outlines unity of all quotational inclusions that make up a complex of philosophemes commensurate with the epic point of view of the immanent author.