PERM UNIVERSITY HERALD. History

ABOUT THE DURATION OF THE NEOLITHIC CULTURES

2026-04-07T05:52:20+00:00

The article focuses on developing questions regarding the duration of cultures during the Neolithic period. From the 1950s to the 1970s, the interdisciplinary approach was hindered by a lack of data obtained through analytical methods. The chronological framework of cultures was established solely through archaeological means. According to archaeologists, the functioning of cultures in the forest zone lasted for 1,500 years. With the initiation of studies on sites buried in peat bogs and stratified sites, a series of radiocarbon dates and the results of palynological analyses have been gathered. Currently, the situation has changed drastically. The question at hand can now be explored at a higher level of inquiry. This issue can be analysed across the vast territory from the Kelteminar culture in the East to the Sperrings culture in the West, and from the Upper Kama River basin in the North to the Caucasus in the South. The beginnings of Neolithic cultures in the southern regions are documented around 7100 years BP. According to paleogeographic reconstructions, this time marks the end of the maximum aridization. The upper limit of cultural development is dated to around 6200 BP, which is also linked to paleoclimatic deterioration. The emergence of Early Neolithic cultures in the northern part depends on the region. The start can be dated to between 7000 and 6800 BP, while the end is around 6000 to 5800 BP. Cultures from the later stage of the Neolithic developed from approximately 6300 to 5300 BP. The interdisciplinary approach allows for the establishment of the duration of the development of most archaeological cultures across various landscape zones to be about one thousand years.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND ANALYTICAL TOOLS FOR FOOD SYSTEM RECONSTRUCTION: OVERVIEW OF OPPORTUNITIES AND LIMITATIONS (THE BRONZE AGE OF THE SOUTHERN URALS)

2026-04-07T07:00:54+00:00

The article discusses the current state of research into the reconstruction of the nutrition system for ancient societies. The topic has become increasingly relevant due to the expanding information capabilities of archaeological sources with new analytical techniques. Potential sources can be grouped according to the phases of the food chain: production, storage, preparation and consumption of food products, as well as disposal of waste. Despite the interconnected nature of these stages, each has its own unique set of data and methods of analysis. The paper evaluates the usefulness of various techniques, such as elemental and isotope analysis, gas chromatography with mass spectrometry, and proteomic analysis of ancient dental calculus, as well as the phosphate method. It considers not only the heuristic potential of these methods but also their limitations and the potential for different interpretations. All this is demonstrated by the example of the Bronze Age of the Southern Urals, for which a significant number of data have been found in various locations. The phases of production and consumption of products have been reconstructed with great confidence, although there are still some gaps in archaeological and analytical data for some periods and regions. We see potential for further research in the field of “archaeology of food” through the elimination of these gaps, as well as through the expansion of using gas chromatography methods for ceramic vessels and the analysis of dental calculus. Important results from previous studies include the recognition of the need for systematic research and an integrated approach to studying the food system, incorporating all phases of the process and as much data as possible, which can create a comprehensive picture of this period of the past.

CERAMIC PRODUCTION IN THE KAMA REGION ON THE EXAMPLE OF THE STUDY OF TABLEWARE OF THE VASYUKOVSKY II SETTLEMENT: AN INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH

2026-04-07T07:12:57+00:00

The work is devoted to an interdisciplinary approach to the study of the ancient ceramic production of the Kama region. The article presents the results of the physico-chemical studies of ceramics of the settlement of Vasyukovskoye II. This monument is multi-layered. The conducted field research has shown that this territory was inhabited several times from the Neolithic era to the Middle Ages. The purpose of the study was to study the historical processes of pottery traditions formation based on an interdisciplinary approach. The work is devoted to the study of tableware using thermogravimetry, scanning electron microscopy, thermal synchronous and X-ray phase analysis. 18 samples were involved in the study: 2 from the Neolithic period, 16 samples from the transition period from the Late Bronze Age to the Early Iron Age. The numbers 10 and 16 are missing from the numbering of the samples, and these samples were excluded from the study due to the small size of the sample. As a result of the study, we identified the main groups of samples, depending on the content of montmorillonite to the residual mass after calcination to 850 ° C, and the content of plant pollutants. As a result, certain conditions of heat treatment and groups of molding masses were identified in these groups, which indicates the formed traditions in the manufacture of tableware in different groups. Our research is just the beginning of a large-scale study of ancient ceramics, and the application of an interdisciplinary approach, especially instrumental physico-chemical methods for the study of archaeological material, is currently characterized by the accumulation of analytical data, their systematization and interpretation.

SILVER ARTIFACTS FROM THE KOKPOM'YAG BURIAL GROUND OF THE VYMSKAYA CULTURE

2026-04-07T07:23:05+00:00

The Kokpomyag burial ground is a late monument of the Vym archaeological culture. Excavations at the site were conducted in the 20th century (led by A.S. Sidorov and E.A. Savelyeva). A total of 222 burials were studied. A representative collection of interesting finds was collected during the excavations. Among the finds is a significant series of silver objects. This work is devoted to the analysis of silver items. A total of 54 items were discovered. Most of the items are jewelry, including headdresses, pendants, beads, and rings. Most of the items are made of an alloy with a high silver content. Many of the jewelry items were made using complex jewelry techniques (granulation, filigree, soldering, inlaying, and gilding). Imported jewelry predominates. Most of the items originate from the Perm Urals region. A smaller number of items come from Volga Bulgaria. All jewelry items are heavily worn. Some have been repaired. Among the jewelry, items of local origin stand out. They are also made of silver using simple techniques. Among the finds are also small pieces of silver, almost identical in weight and made of high-grade silver. These facts allow us to call them raw ingots. Simple jewelry, raw ingots, and repaired jewelry suggest the emergence of budding jewelers among the population.

EARLY RESIDENT OF THE CITY OF PERM IN THE SECOND QUARTER OF THE 18TH CENTURY ACCORDING TO DENTAL ANTHROPOLOGY

2026-04-07T07:29:35+00:00

The aim of this article is to describe the odontological characteristics of the first inhabitants of the city of Perm. The study examines skeletal remains of the early settlers buried in synchronous necropolises dating from the second quarter of the 18th century, which appeared with the foundation of the Yegoshikha copper smelting plant in 1723. This skeletal series is the only paleoanthropological source on the population of Perm and the largest paleoanthropological sample from the Perm Kama region. A total of over 160 individuals were studied. The results reveal that the odontological complex of the Perm population is close to the northern gracile variant within the western odontological trunk, which largely correlates with northern Europeans and part of the populations of the Uralic race. Such odontological features are characteristic of many Volga and Kama region populations. Consequently, the study concludes that the urban population formed primarily on the basis of the local population. In addition to migration flows into the Cis-Ural region, the anthropological characteristics of the first settlers may also have been influenced by the incoming population from the Volga region, which migrated westward during the course of Russian colonization. At the same time, no Siberian or Trans-Ural influence was detected, indicating the unidirectional nature of this process.

THE TECHNOLOGY OF PRODUCTION OF MEDIEVAL STEEL FLINTS IN THE PERM PRE-URALS (METALLOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS)

2026-04-07T07:35:08+00:00

The article is aimed at the study of steel flints. This is a special category of archaeological finds. The scope of the article is limited to the materials of the Middle Ages in the Perm Pre-Urals (Rodanovskaya culture). These tools performed several functions: utilitarian (producing fire), decorative (wearing as part of a costume) and ritual (amulet). To create a spark, the flints had to contain a high amount of carbon. Consequently, their production required the blacksmiths to know the features of the metal and the intricacies of technological operations. The flints are represented by two main types: xiphoid and double-edged. The former are typologically related to the Finno-Ugric world. They are dated to the XI – early XIII centuries. The latter originate from Ancient Russia. They date back to the end of the XI-XIV centuries. The paper presents the results of a metallographic analysis of 33 specimens of flints. They originate from 8 sites. Metallographic analysis is aimed at studying the structure of the metal and the methods of forging the object. In such studies, the main analysis and cultural-historical conclusions are based on the most widespread category of tools (knives). Here, an attempt is made to generalize on an equally high–quality category of forgings – flints. It was revealed that for xiphoid flints, the production technology was most characteristic entirely of steel (up to 54.16%). Double-bladed flints were forged mainly according to the scheme of welding a strip of steel onto an iron base (up to 66.66%). A similar situation is recorded in the materials of the neighboring Vymskaya culture. There is probably a succession of types of flints. The production technology of xiphoid flints is related to local production. In line with the ancient Russian colonization of the Urals at the turn of the XI-XII centuries. Double-edged flints and welding technology are penetrating into the Perm Pre-Urals along the Vuchegda way. The overall high quality of the forging of products and the change in technology may indicate the beginning of the modernization of the technological stereotype of the Kama craftmans.

TARASY IN FORTIFICATIONS AND CIVIL ARCHITECTURE OF THE RUSSIAN STATE

2026-04-07T07:39:15+00:00

The aim of the study was to clarify the meaning of the term tarasy, which denoted various structures in fortification and civil architecture in the Russian (Russian) state from the second half of the 16th to the 19th centuries. The source base of the study is represented by written, archaeological, and ethnographic materials.. The article reconstructs the design of tarasy as gate foundations, consisting of two log frames placed at a certain distance from each other, with gates installed between them. In some cases, a tower superstructure above the gate passage could rest on the tarasy log frames. Tarasy filled with soil served as retaining walls for rampart cuts at their breaks, where passages were constructed. Log tarasy were also integrated into the sides of tall towers, likely filled with soil, to increase the base area of the towers and lower their center of gravity, enhancing stability. In low, marshy areas along defensive lines (zasechnye cherty), short tarasy were built. Two types of such tarasy are identified: 1) Two parallel crowned walls with crosspieces, filled with soil (height and width of 1–1.5 sazhens); 2) Two parallel crowned walls with crosspieces, 3–5 rows high, containing an earthen fill inside. Tarasy also functioned as parapets on gun platforms (raskaty) and bastions (byki), protecting artillery and its crew during battle. Very limited data exist on individual tarasy log frames filled with soil, used as field fortifications, assault tarasy-towers, and relatively small mobile tarasy employed in fortress sieges. In civil architecture, tarasy were used as embankments forming riverfronts and as the body of river dams. The findings of this study, along with conclusions from prior research, demonstrate that the term "tarasy" in written sources from the second half of the 16th to the 19th century encompassed a wide range of structures, determined by their functional purposes.

RESULTS OF X-RAY FLUORESCENCE ANALYSIS OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL OBJECTS FROM EXCAVATIONS IN THE VILLAGE OF LALSK AND MINERALOGICAL MARKERS OF THE ORIGIN OF RAW MATERIALS

2026-04-07T11:04:59+00:00

This article analyzes data obtained through X-ray fluorescence analysis of ethnocultural heritage items from the village of Lalsk in the Luza District of the Kirov Region. This location can be viewed as a unique point of entry for the eastward expansion of Pomorie ethnoculture - to the Urals, Siberia, China, and Russian America. Ceramic and glass objects from the cultural environment of a small late- and post-medieval town in the Russian North include tiles from the decoration of local churches and stoves, glazed, black-burnished, and ordinary clay pottery, fragments of bottle and pharmacy glass, and more. They reveal a complex of impurities, substances derived from long-term use, and so on. The identified raw material components allow us to reconstruct details of the manufacturing process of finds such as tiles (their clays and glazes), indicating the high skill of the craftsmen who made them, and the imported or local nature of the ceramic ware used in everyday life. It is also possible to reconstruct the production technologies of such handicrafts as pottery and architectural decoration. Impurities can be used to determine certain details of the objects' use (for example, the polishing of glass). The impurity profiles of the clays used can provide more precise data on the geography of their deposits. This not only reveals the logistics of raw materials, finished objects, and manufacturing technologies for various artefacts across macroregions such as the Russian North, European Russia, the Urals, and Siberia, but also creates a database of clay deposits, taking into account their historical perspective.

ACTIVITIES OF CHURCH PARISH GUARDIANSHIPS IN THE PERM DIOCESE AT THE END OF THE 19TH – BEGINNING OF THE 20TH CENTURY

2026-04-07T11:10:01+00:00

The parish trusteeships, which arose during the period of the "Great Reforms", as public organizations for more than 50 years of their activity have become an integral part not only of the Orthodox parish, but also of Russian public life as a whole. The catch phrase that became widely known: "It is not difficult to open Parish guardianship offices, but it is difficult to breathe life into them" testified to the hopes that contemporaries placed on the implementation of the adopted "Regulations on Parish Guardianship in Orthodox Churches." Educational and charitable activities, which have become the main purpose of the existence of parish curacies, on the one hand, should have contributed to the development of society, and on the other hand, is closely related to the increasing need for culture and education. There is a tradition in Russian historiography of a rather restrained or even critical assessment of the results of the guardianship activities. However, no special systematic studies have been conducted yet, and therefore it is too early to make any assessments of this social phenomenon. Based on a large amount of factual material, the author examines various aspects of the activities of parish guardianship authorities in the Ural region using the example of the Perm Diocese. Here, an attempt is made to analyze the regulatory framework, as well as statistical data that allow us to draw conclusions about the scale and effectiveness of trusteeship activities. The article comprehensively uses both published and unpublished sources. New sources are being introduced into scientific circulation. The study of the main directions of the socio-cultural activities of parish curacies allows us to open new pages in the history of the church, as well as in the history of charity, public education, libraries, and the general socio-cultural life of Russian society in the second half of the 19th and early 20th centuries.

THE ORTHODOX CHURCHES AND CHAPELS OF THE SAMI POGOSTS OF RUSSIAN LAPLAND IN THE FIRST HALF OF THE 19TH CENTURY

2026-04-07T11:13:35+00:00

The article summarizes and analyzes for the first time information about Orthodox churches and chapels that existed in the Sami pogosts of Russian Lapland in the first half of the 19th century. The most informative source was the list compiled by Dean John Dyakonov in 1828, from the State Archive of the Murmansk region. It turns out that only two Sami pogosts, Pechengskiy and Pazretskiy, operated one temple each. With a small number of churches, chapels were of particular importance for maintaining Christian values in the daily life of the Eastern Sami, who professed Orthodoxy and led a nomadic lifestyle. They were located on the Murmansk coast of the Barents Sea and in the interior of Russian Lapland. Statistical data on chapel buildings, information about their location and the circumstances of their appearance are introduced into scientific circulation. The most ancient Borisoglebsky Church on the Paz River and two chapels in the Nyavdemskiy and Pechengskiy pogosts turned out to be associated with the missionary activities of the "Lapps apostle" St. Trifon Pechengskiy in the second half of the 16th century. The chapels were single-chamber cell structures typical of sparsely populated areas, which could be moved to new locations if necessary. The chapel construction was carried out with the participation of northern monasteries and wealthy merchants from the county town of Kola, the Sami population and fishermen who came from different counties of the Arkhangelsk province. Conventionally, there are four types of chapel buildings according to their location. The data obtained make it possible to refute the opinion existing in Russian historiography about the "late" appearance of chapels on Murmansk in the second half of the 19th century.

AT THE ORIGINS OF THE FACTIONAL DICTATORSHIP REGIME: PERSONNEL CHANGES IN CENTRAL AND REGIONAL (URAL) PARTY BODIES AFTER THE 10TH CONGRESS OF THE RCP(B)

2026-04-07T11:17:01+00:00

The article analyzes a little-studied issue based on materials from the Urals—personal changes in the governing bodies of the Bolshevik Party aimed at strengthening the positions of Lenin's faction and isolating its opponents after the 10th Congress of the RCP(b). The mechanisms and dynamics of personnel reshuffles in the Ural Bureau of the Central Committee, provincial, city, county, and district committees of regional party organizations, as well as in its central bodies—the Politburo, Central Committee, Secretariat, and Orgburo of the Central Committee—are examined. These changes radically altered the balance of power at all levels of the party hierarchy and completed the process of concentrating power levers in the hands of Lenin's faction. It is established that the practice of personnel movements and persecution of party workers for dissent, which acquired a systematic character after the 10th Congress, was accompanied by an increase in bureaucratic methods of party management. This objectively led to the tightening of the intra-party regime, transforming it into a factional dictatorship, which became a defining factor in the evolution of Lenin's model of power into Stalin's. Under these conditions, calls for the revival of intra-party democracy, including through Stalin's removal from the post of General Secretary, as expressed in Lenin's later works, were illusory. These proposals did not imply a rejection of the "anti-factional" policy pursued by the faction dominating the party after the 10th Congress, which had advanced Stalin to this position. Such restructuring would have required a reconstruction of the entire party structure, profound reform of the entire system of intra-party relations, and, fundamentally, of the entire Soviet political system. The primary source base of the article consists of archival and published documents, materials from the periodical press, memoirs, and correspondence of contemporaries.

VIOLATION OF SUBORDINATION: THE RESIGNATION OF THE FIRST SECRETARY OF THE MOLOTOV REGION PARTY COMMITTEE K.M. KHMELEVSKY IN 1949

2026-04-07T11:20:46+00:00

The article examines the reasons for the resignation of the first secretary of the Molotov regional party committee K.M. Khmelevsky in 1949, initiated large-scale cadre purges in the region. In historiography this event was studied fragmentarily, and the assumptions that it was connected with the Leningrad Affair or was a Malenkov revenge for violation of subordination bases on ego-sources only. The circumstances and process of the resignation have been studied through the Federal Archives documents. It turned out that the Molotov region after the Great Patriotic war coped with economic tasks, including thanks to the lobbying activity of K.M. Khmelevsky, who in 1948 was accepted by J.V. Stalin. However, in the summer-autumn of 1949 the Central Committee checked the work of the Molotov regional committee and, citing shortcomings in cadre work and clamping of criticism, replaced its first secretary. Violation of procedures, biased selection of materials, assessment of standard shortcomings as political mistakes point to non-publicized circumstances. K. M. Khmelevsky voiced these in numerous statements addressed to senior party leaders between 1952 and 1959. The former secretary wrote about the unreasonableness of his resignation and linked it to the personal hostility of the Central Committee leaders, who were dissatisfied with the fact that he acted over their heads. At first he called the initiator of his resignation the head of Central Committee department A.L. Dedov and only in 1958 G.M. Malenkov, who had lost his high positions by that time. An analysis of these documents suggests that Khmelevsky's version is reliable.

SCHOOL HISTORICAL EDUCATION REFORMS AND REGIONS’ AGENCY: THE CASE OF THE RSFSR

2026-04-07T11:24:40+00:00

This article examines the school textbooks on local history that were bound to appear in each administrative region of the RSFSR in accordance with the changes in school education. By tracing the reforms chronologically, the author shows that the call for the publication of textbooks on local history in the subjects of the RSFSR in 1961 was not a “one-time action”. The state, represented by the Ministry of Education of the RSFSR, consistently returned to this issue right up until the very end of the USSR, demanding the publication of textbooks in territories that sabotaged this process. Since 1973, special attention has been paid to territories with a "national component"—the ASSRs and autonomous regions. In terms of content, the basic requirements for textbooks of this type were formulated back in 1962: the main priority was the issue of the relationship between national and local history. A preliminary analysis of the collected database (containing 340 school textbooks on regional history published between the 1960s and 1991) allows us to identify the territories most actively involved in the process of publishing such textbooks. A quantitative analysis revealed that the territories with the “national component” were the most active in terms of total number of publications over the entire indicated period. In terms of the “promptness”, the “first place” was shared by the Tatar ASSR and Mari ASSR, as well as the Ivanovo Oblast.

ETHNOCULTURAL PROCESSES AMONG MOLOKANS OF OMSK REGION (20TH – FIRST QUARTER OF THE 21ST CENTURY)

2026-04-07T11:27:56+00:00

Ethnocultural processes among Molokans living in rural areas of Omsk region and the city of Omsk in the 20^th – the first quarter of the 21^st century are considered. The research sources used were materials from ethnographic expeditions conducted in the Odessa and Novovarshavsky districts of the Omsk region, as well as documentary sources stored in the Historical Archives of the Omsk Region. The author has established that the main reason for the formation of places of compact residence of Molokans in the south of Omsk region was peasant migrations at the beginning of the 20th century. In the 1920s an officially registered community of Molokans was founded in Omsk, but a change in the religious policy of the USSR in the second half of the 1930s led to its closure. Unlike in the city, the Molokans' informal religious life in rural areas continued uninterrupted until the early 21st century. A characteristic feature of their rural life was the persistence of associated folk traditions, which remained most persistent in family rituals and food culture. At the same time, the name "Molokans" has turned into a kind of collective nickname for rural residents, which at present is more characterized not by their religious affiliation, but by the community of origin.

CONFERENCE OF THE USSR ACADEMY OF SCIENCES FOR THE STUDY OF PRODUCTIVE FORCES OF THE MOLOTOV REGION AND PERM UNIVERSITY: POINTS OF INTERSECTION

2026-04-07T11:30:58+00:00

The study focuses on an extraordinary event in the history of scientific and industrial policy in the post-war Soviet Union: the Conference of the USSR Academy of Sciences on the Development of Productive Forces in the Molotov Region, which took place in late 1945 in the capital of the Western Urals. Using archival documents, including previously unpublished ones, from federal and regional archives, this article offers new insights into the factors that directly influenced the organization and topics of the issues discussed at the conference. The historiographic formulas for describing the Conference have been supplemented and partially revised. The chronology and nuances of organizing this event, as well as the influence of the regional party leader N.I. Gusarov on these processes, have been clarified. The role of the Council for the Development of Productive Forces (CDPF) in preparing and holding the scientific and practical forum is demonstrated. The article examines the intersections between the history of Perm University and organizations, structures, and historical figures associated with the organization of the first regional scientific and industrial forum in Molotov (Perm). This article describes the contribution of V. F. Tiunov, one of the first professional economists from the Kama region, to the development of the Conference's thematic priorities. Contemporary assessments of the phenomenon of regional post-war conferences of the USSR Academy of Sciences on the development of productive forces are considered in the broader context of the mobilization of academic science in the post-war restoration of the Soviet economy.

DIGITALIZATION IN LATE SOVIET SOCIETY: THE CREATION OF A KNOWLEDGE INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE FIELD OF COMPUTATIONAL MATHEMATICS AT PERM UNIVERSITY IN THE 1960S

2026-04-07T11:34:43+00:00

In the middle of the 20th century, the world experienced an "information explosion." The amount of information produced by humanity grew exponentially, requiring new approaches to data processing, analysis, and storage. Electronic computing machines became one of the technical tools for managing information flows. Digitalization, or the integration of computers into human life, became a challenge that Soviet society began to adapt to in the late 1950s and 1960s. This article explores the process of creating the knowledge infrastructure necessary for training specialists in computer science during this period. The research is based on documents from central, regional, and private archives that document the history of the development of the "Computational Mathematics" specialization at the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics at Perm State University. The organizers of the infrastructure used elements such as a network of scientific organizations and higher education institutions, a system for supplying technical equipment, and the activities of public organizations and personal initiatives to build the infrastructure. However, along with successful practices, the article identifies the contradictions that hindered the functioning of the infrastructure. To address these issues, actors engaged in informal communication. The inclusion in the network of social connections was a functional advantage for its participants. The history of the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics at Perm State University reveals three types of social networks that the organizers of the knowledge infrastructure used to build the knowledge infrastructure.