Unknown chapters of the Volga-Kama historiography: Kapiton Mil'kovich

Abstract

The paper deals with one of the most crucial issues in the Volga-Kama historiography: introduction of previously unused and forgotten materials related to the description of archaeological sites of the late 18th – early 19th centuries. This element of the late-19th century regional historiography is marked by the absence of such archaeological resources. The manuscript by Kapiton Mil'kovich, state councilor and forestry surveyor, is a vivid example of this. In the course of her study, it can be concluded that Kapiton Mil'kovich was the first to describe a significant part of the archaeological sites of Kazan Province. However the work of Sergey Shpilevskiy, known in Russian historiography as Ancient Cities and other Bulghar-Tatar Monuments in Kazan Province did not mention the name of Kapiton Mil'kovich, and the archaeological sites discovered by him in Chistopol district were attributed to Aleksandr Artemyev, the later researcher. The manuscript, found by us in St. Petersburg National Library of Russia, was analysed and published, and it indicates the importance of the need to correct this historiographical gap, and include the name of the outstanding researcher in the annals of the Volga-Kama historiography.