This article examines the names of the burdock шишибар / шышыбар (shishibar / shyshybar) and their phonetic variants that function in the dialect speech of the Komi-Permyak people, as well as Russian people living in a vast territory. The authors of the article aim to provide a version of the origin of the word шишибар / шышыбар ‘burdock’, substantiated both from the point of view of the area of distribution of the lexemes and from the point of view of their semantic connections with other words. The collected material makes it possible to conclude that the name of the burdock шишибар / шышыбар is a borrowing from the Russian language into the Komi-Permyak language. In the Perm Russian dialects adjacent to the Komi-Permyak, phonetic variation of pre-stressed vowels is observed (with the stability of the stressed vowel). In addition to the meanings ‘burdock plant, agrimony’, ‘burdock thickets’, ‘burdock inflorescence / fruit’, ‘thistle plant’, other meanings not related to flora are also recorded; it is used to refer to ‘disheveled hair standing on end’, ‘a person who brings discord into relationships between others’, ‘an angry person’, and ‘an unwashed, unkempt child’. The authors show the connection between the studied words and cognate words that have non-phytonymic meanings in other Russian dialects. Most often, such units denote lumps of frozen or dried mud, ice growths, lumps of matted animal wool, knots, thickenings on threads and fabric, scabs, and less often — old, unusable things; dirty, unkempt people, and people unworthy of respect. The authors reconstruct the semantic development of the considered meanings. It is assumed that in the complex phytonym шишибар, the first root goes back to the word шиш, which in Russian dialects often denotes something rounded, rising on the surface of something (a stack of hay, straw, etc.). The words шишибар ‘burdock’ and шишибары / шишиборы (originally in the plural) ‘lumps’ (i.e. pieces of some substance, usually soft or loose that have taken a rounded shape) are semantically related: lumps → burdock inflorescences → burdock plant.

This article presents a systematic description of the value orientations in the works of the renowned Ural poet Boris Alexandrovich Ruchyov (Kryvoshchekov) articulated in his poetry created during his time in the correctional labour camps of Kolyma and his subsequent settlement in the village of Adygalakh in Khabarovsk region (1938–1949). The aim of the research is to identify, characterise, and trace the semantic dynamics of the key axiological dominants within prison camp poetry by Ruchyov. The research draws upon the complete corpus of poetic works by Ruchyov (including poems, lyrical cycles, and individual lyrical pieces) that were written in Kolyma and variously published in later editions. The analysis of the poetic texts is grounded in the fundamental principles of axiological and structural-semiotic approaches, which are widely utilised in contemporary Russian and international literary studies. Among the key axiological dominants of camp works by Ruchyov, the author identifies categories such as “freedom”, “homeland”, and “woman”, which emerge as overarching compositional and thematic nodes that bind individual poetic texts into a cohesive literary continuum. The author contends that, against the backdrop of the literary tradition that developed in the USSR from the 1930s to 1950s — often referred to in contemporary literary studies as “Gulag poetry” (Ya. Smelyakov, N. Zabolotsky, A. Zhigulin, A. Barkov, B. Chichibabin, V. Shalamov, Yu. Dombrovsky et al.) — Ruchyov’s camp lyricism is distinguished by a pronounced life-affirming mood and an optimistic tone. Consequently, the author concludes that the composition of the axiological dominants in prison camp poetry by Ruchyov does not fundamentally differ from those in his previous and subsequent periods of his literary activity but is infused with specific content shaped by the crisis of personal experience during his time in Kolyma.

This article examines the limits of the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome, which arose in connection with the deposition of Patriarch Ignatius of Constantinople by Emperor Michael III of Byzantium (842–867), which Pope Nicholas I (858–867) considered uncanonical, and the elevation of the imperial secretary Photius, a layman, to his position. The correspondence emerged during the period of the Photian Schism between Rome and Constantinople, marking a significant turning point in the development of the concept of papal supremacy within the Christian Church. The objective of this work is to analyse the theological, historical, and legal arguments presented in Nicholas’s letters to justify Roman jurisdiction over the Church of Constantinople and the right of popes to interfere in the internal affairs of an independent patriarchate. The research methodology involves a comparative analysis of the letters of Pope Nicholas and Photius in terms of their differing views on the structure of the Church and the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome. The author refers to the letters of Pope Nicholas and Patriarch Photius, the Life of Patriarch Ignatius by Nicetas the Paphlagonian, conciliar canons, and papal decretals. The correspondence reviewed indicates that as early as the ninth century, the Roman and Constantinople churches held divergent views on the church structure and Constantinople’s position within it. Additionally, they had different ecclesiastical and legal foundations. The Roman Church, in its ideology of ‘primacy’, rejected local traditions, declaring them to be the product of ‘arbitrariness’, and relied only on carefully selected written texts, namely: 1) Holy Scripture (about Peter as the ‘rock’ on which the Church would be founded); 2) papal decretals; 3) selected church canons, which in one way or another mentioned the privileges of the Roman Church. Due to the differing approaches of the two churches, a dispute emerged regarding the interpretation of jurisdictional boundaries. Constantinople proceeded from the traditionally understood ‘sovereignty’ of each individual Church (patriarchate), whereby internal matters were resolved by a local council, and matters of significance to all of Christianity were dealt with by an Ecumenical Council. This traditional scheme was not merely challenged by Pope Nicholas but categorically rejected. In the papal letters to Photius, the Roman Church was assigned comprehensive jurisdiction within Christianity, with the right to intervene in disciplinary matters arising within local Churches and the obligation of all Churches to seek permission from Rome to resolve disciplinary conflicts.

This article analyses the social contradictions in the Ostrogothic Kingdom, namely the interpretation of the causes and characteristics of crimes committed by rustics against merchants and large landowners, which took place in the Scylaceum region, as well as at the Lucanian fair of Marcelliana in the 530s. Based on the information obtained from Cassiodorus’ Variae, the author comes to the conclusion that during the period of late antiquity, the society of the southern regions of the Ostrogothic state was highly polarised. This was primarily due to the disappearance of the stratum of middle-class landowners and curiales, as well as the involvement of large landowners in commercial activities, which became an additional source of income for them. The economic split in society resulted in the growth of social tension in the south of Italy. Among the immediate reasons that prompted the rustics to act against the possessors, it is worth noting speculation in food products, tax fraud, and the fact that large landowners did not always effectively ensure the security of the territories under their control in the event of attacks by the Byzantines or Vandals. As a result, peasants who had lost their land plots, as well as former curiales, became robbers and resorted to robbing wealthy southerners. However, the author maintains that crimes of this kind were situational and represented a natural reaction against those in power by those who had lost their former social status and does not support the point of view that robberies were a manifestation of separatism in the society of the southern Italian regions. The author believes that the rustics in the analysed cases acted independently. As a result, the author concludes that social tension in the Ostrogothic state arose not only in connection with the forced coexistence of the Romans and Goths in one limited territory but could also be caused by economic processes taking place in the provinces.

This article examines the issue of “missing girls”, which refers to the disproportionately high mortality rate among female infants and children due to gender discrimination, which has been highlighted in recent historical and demographic studies of the European population. The work aims to identify the main sources and methods for studying the issue, the theoretical framework and conceptual apparatus of research, the factors and mechanisms of discrimination, as well as to determine the prospects for developing research based on Russian sources. Economists were the first to identify the problem of excess female mortality, therefore the explanatory models were borrowed from economics. The “Missing Girls in Historical Europe” project, carried out within the framework of historical demography, inspired new impetus for studying the phenomenon. The latest historiography demonstrates a moderate revision of views on the problem of “missing girls” in Europe, more particularly, questioning the unequivocal link between the spread of the so-called European marriage pattern, non-local families, and the well-being of women. Based on a wide range of sources and approaches, the authors demonstrate inter-country and inter-regional differences, as well as specific features in the sex ratio, identified at the level of individual territories and population groups. Neither do the research results allow for conclusions about a widespread distribution of the “missing girls” phenomenon. However, identifying areas with relatively high sex ratio values has not yet enabled the establishment of clear patterns. Researchers have identified many factors that influence the sex ratio. However, the question of discrimination mechanisms remains a weak point in historiography. Additionally, the constraints of the research timeline prevent us from observing the dynamics of the phenomenon. The analysis indicates that the potential for studying the population of the Russian Empire is contingent on conducting in-depth longitudinal studies of individual regions, incorporating both quantitative and qualitative data.

During the 1960s and 1970s, computing centres at higher educational institutions (hereinafter referred to as “CCs”) were the driving force behind computer development. The teams at these centres offered internships for students specialising in certain fields, worked together with other researchers to automate calculations in research projects, and collaborated with external customers to develop and troubleshoot computer programmes. In Perm State University, a centre of this kind was founded in 1960. Being pioneers of the digital industry, the specialists of the PSU CC shaped the professional culture through informal corporate practices. One of them was recorded. In the 1960s–1970s, colleagues of Yu. V. Devingtal, scientific director of the PSU CC, celebrated his birthdays by giving him special gifts, which are considered in this article as a historical source. The gifts were albums consisting of poetic texts accompanied by illustrations. Being an integral role in the broader practice of congratulatory exchanges, PSU CC albums serve as a record of the professional community’s self-perception at a specific historical moment. The intermedial and semiotic analysis of the albums’ content reveals a subjective view of the process of formation of the CC socio-technical space. The authors of the albums describe the everyday life of the CC chief in the “fairy-tale language” of Soviet popular culture. Modern technology and the process of its application are represented in the visual-verbal narrative by three recurring elements: the transience of time, the bogatyr scientist, and bureaucratic chaos. Consequently, the practice of the greeting album evolves into a tool for institutionalization and consolidation of a corporate community that seeks to master digital materiality.

This article analyses mineralogical nomenclatural terms presented in the 1790 Dictionary of the Imperial Free Economic Society. The choice of the source is conditioned by its special status: it completes the stage of creation of mineralogical terminology in the eighteenth century. The compilers of the dictionary bring together all the terms existing in mineralogical literature and oral tradition, try to organise the terminology, and coin new nomenclature terms. In order to identify the newly created nominations and to determine the position of the authors of the dictionary in relation to the development of mineralogical terminology, the article carries out a comparison of terms from the Dictionary of the Imperial Free Economic Society with the terminology of previous works on mineralogy translated into Russian: W. F. Brickman, I. E. Walch, A. F. Kronstedt, I. G. Lehmann, and I. G. Valerius, and the Dictionary of Commerce. The comparative analysis demonstrates that, following the general trend in the language of science of the eighteenth century, the dictionary compilers try to make the term as clear and accessible to the Russian reader as possible, avoiding new loanwords and preferring Russian equivalents and calques. A distinguishing feature of the new terminology in the Dictionary of the Imperial Free Economic Society is the extensive use of popular names for minerals, along with the objective of single-word terms. This objective is achieved by collapsing term-word combinations through word building and suffixation. The article notes that a characteristic feature of the language of the Russian mineralogy of the eighteenth century is the polysemy of terms. The compilers of the Dictionary of the Imperial Free Economic Society try to overcome it in a way accessible for that time, offering a number of synonyms for polysemantic terms. The innovations of the Dictionary of the Imperial Free Economic Society are an important step towards the formation of comprehensive mineralogical terminology.

This article analyses the policy of the Venetian Republic in the Morea (Peloponnese), considering its territorial acquisitions of Argos and Nafplio in the late fourteenth century, as well as in connection with the increased Ottoman threat in the region. The decrees of the Venetian Senate, as well as Byzantine and Latin historical writings, make it possible to examine the policy of the Republic not only in its new possessions, but also in the Peloponnese in general. The author concludes that during this period, in addition to meeting the needs of its colonies, the Republic was forced to intervene in political conflicts between its neighbours to maintain overall defence capability in the region. This was explained by military actions in the borderlands, which threatened not only with economic losses, but also called into question the future of these territories in the face of Ottoman invasions. The specificity of Venetian policy before 1397 consisted in the active use of diplomatic methods simultaneously with the strengthening of new territories. By appealing to the common interest of Christian rulers, it sought to form a strong alliance to resist the Ottomans. However, following the raid of Evrenos Bey and Yakub Pasha in 1397, Venice adopted a more restrained policy, focusing solely on its own interests and resources. In this situation, the newly acquired territories were finally assigned the role of a buffer to protect the colonies in the south of the Peloponnese. However, the Venetian Republic’s diplomatic efforts in the Morea during this period remained focused on achieving political stabilisation and conflict resolution in the Peloponnese. This was due to the fact that, in the face of evolving political dynamics, the Venetians could no longer maintain a neutral stance on local conflicts.

This article introduces, explains, and proposes further analysis of the term “Soviet classical-inspired style” (Rus. «советский антик») in relation to the works of the Leningrad art industry. This term refers to the use of techniques and images from classical works of decorative and applied art in the development of standard images for mass-produced consumer goods. The author points out that the structure of the arts and crafts industry underwent changes in the 1950s. Specifically, artels were transformed into factories, and production was standardised. Concurrently, processes associated with the industrial stage were evolving. These included the growth of cities and the urban population, as well as the emergence of a new lifestyle. Art industry enterprises had to solve new tasks of producing goods of sufficiently high quality while maintaining substantial quantities. At the beginning of the period in question, the main artistic language was the “Triumph style”. This style was based on a wide range of classical references, welcoming splendour and decorative complexity. These dominant features were successfully transferred to the industry, where new materials and demands for cheaper production already played a significant role. The contradiction between “classical style” and “technological innovation” gave rise to the phenomenon of “Soviet classical-inspired style”, represented by three main trends: thematic (reference to classical works of art to decorate consumer goods with their images), technological (the use of cheap materials instead of precious stones and metals), and a stylistic direction that synthesised the first two (copying the techniques and sometimes the overall structure of classical works of decorative and applied art of the eighteenth–nineteenth centuries in standard samples of products intended for mass production).

This article considers the poetic semantics of words and phrases related to the designation and conventional explanation of summer lightnings (flashes without thunder) in Russian and several Finno-Ugric languages (Mari, Komi, Udmurt). Based on dialect linguistic materials and Russian folklore texts (songs, ditties (chastushki), omens) and the facts of Finno-Ugric speech (idioms, proverbs), the authors analyse mythological and artistic meanings of certain figurative motifs related to astral phenomena (meteor shower, light, lightings). The work aims at analysing linguistic facts and folklore motifs showing how the peculiarities of natural phenomena perception that are universal or specific for certain people are reflected in the studied cosmic images and in the definition of typological similarity between figurative cosmonyms and their modifications in different languages and cultures. For example, it shows the transformation of plots with the characteristics of autumn meteor showers in cultures with developed agricultural and hunting-trade traditions. The authors examine the development and linguistic functioning of imagery plots defined by tradition that express complex psychological human conditions related to several existential notions (life, love and death, destiny). They describe the meaning of astral images in the artistic texts and individual styles of Viktor Astafyev, Vasily Klimov, and other authors. Conclusions are drawn about the variety of linguistic ways of the verbalisation of the “зарница” mythologeme in popular speech and the active realisation of its pictorial potential in folklore and artistic texts.