Cult Objects Research Articles

Каменные фигурки двуглавых рыб с острова Сергушкин (Северное Приангарье)

Ancient stone figurines of “Janus-like” fish have been mentioned in the literature since the 19th century. They occur along the Angara, Upper Lena, and Middle Yenisei Rivers, and in the Cis-Baikal region. Most of these objects were found occasionally or in nonstratified archaeological layers at the sites and settlements of different periods. This does not make it possible to suggest a definitive cultural and chronological identification of this category of ancient artifacts. Nowadays, most scholars attribute these objects of applied arts to the Serovo culture of the Final Neolithic. Six similar objects have been found in different years during archaeological research at two sites - Sergushkin 1 and Vzvoz - on Sergushkin Island (Northern Angara region). So far this is the largest collection of two-headed ichthyomorphic figurines discovered in the same area. The figurines have different stages of completion, which makes it possible to identify the phases of their manufacturing. According to their archaeological context in the cultural layers, these artifacts belonged to the Serovo culture. Functional purpose of double-headed stone fish is still uncertain. Some scholars suggested that they were cultic objects; others argued that the figurines had only a utilitarian function, since they represented the fish of specific type (freshwater whitefish) and were used as a lure in fishing. In our opinion, the context of these ancient objects and their obvious fantastic nature prove that the figurines of the Janus-like fish had a cultic function or combined cultic and utilitarian functions.

Новейшие данные по культуре Саньсиндуй

This article presents the data on the excavation at the Sanxingdui site in the the field season of 2021. Six more sacrificial pits ranging in size from 3.5 to 19 sq. m were added to two pits investigated in 1986. The inventory discovered inside is of exceptional wealth and includes bronze and gold masks, ritual vessels, and other cultic objects (altar, solar “wheel,” fragments of bronze trees). As a rule, metal objects were covered with the layer of elephant tusks. New discoveries include fragments of silk fabric and small wooden chest painted on both sides with cinnabar. Excavations were conducted at highest technological level and clearly manifest big success of Chinese science in the post-pandemic period, which is of great ideological importance. Publication of new archaeological evidence fostered the resumption of scholarly discussions about the functions of the excavated pits and origin of the Sanxingdui culture in general. According to authoritative opinion of Dr. Wang Wei, there should be a temple or other sacred structure, not yet found by archaeologists, next to the pits. As for the cultural genesis of the Sanxingdui culture, the majority of Chinese archaeologists attribute it to the state (culture, ethnos, or civilization) of Ancient Shu located in Sichuan. Precisely Sanxingdui represents the summit in the development of this culture (civilization, ethnos); nothing of the kind has appeared either before or after Sanxingdui. Therefore, the Shu culture, as well as Shang, Liangzhu, and others, can be considered as only one of possible components of the Sanxingdui complex, but hardly the most important. Establishing the origins of this unique phenomenon in the ancient history of China will require new evidence and new methods of its study.

Культура саков Семиречья: современное состояние и актуальные задачи исследований

Purpose. The article describes the history and analysis of the main issues in the study of archaeological sites of the Saka period in Semirechye. They are presented by three main types on this territory: burial and memorial complexes, settlements and hoards. The first type of monuments includes numerous burial mounds, where the elite burials of “royal” type and ordinary burials are located. Both social groups are combined by the unity of funeral rites, and the main differences are the complexity of architecture, memorial practices, and richness of burial equipment in the “royal” type burial mounds. The second category of monuments is presented by the settlements that are mostly small in size. The constructions like half dugouts were discovered on them, which gave a rich ceramic material. The third type of monuments of the Saka period in Semirechye includes numerous hoards of bronze items. Some of them are represented by the cult objects (sacrificial tables, lamps and cauldrons) that mark the places of worship. A significant percentage of the hoards contain items of weapons, horse equipment and household purposes and, apparently, serve as offerings to the spirits. However, despite the considerable progress in the study of the Saka monuments of the Semirechye Region, the main problem is their cultural attribution at this time. Some researchers suggest that the independent Saka archaeological culture was formed and developed on the territory of Semirechye in the Early Iron Age, while others believe that the Saka monuments of this region belong to the broader historical and cultural community that also covers the neighboring regions of Kyrgyzstan and Xinjiang. Results Another important issue in the study of the Saka sites of Semirechye is to clarify the chronology of burial and memorial complexes. Up to now, the significant database of radiocarbon dates has been accumulated, which allows us to consider the chronological positions of a wide range of monuments in a new way. It was of great importance to obtain such dates from several burials of Karatuma necropolis, which showed that it belonged to the Saka period, since burial monuments of this appearance are traditionally dated back to the Wusun period. Conclusion. The necessity of solution of these problems is an urgent task for further research of burial and settlement objects of the Saka period in this region.

ЕКОЛОГО-ПРОСВІТНИЦЬКИЙ МАРШРУТ «СВЯЩЕННІ ДЖЕРЕЛА СЛОВЕЧАНСЬКООВРУЦЬКОГО КРЯЖУ»

The aim. The aim of the study is to exploring the possibilities of using the development of networks of ecological routes and the involvement of communities in environmental activities, on the example of creating an ecological and educational route in the Slovenian-Ovruch ridge. Research methods. We apply standard field and cameral geobotanical and cartographic methods. Our field research lasted from 2004 to 2019. We have created many standard geobotanical descriptions and created several ecological-coenotic profiles using expeditionary and stationary field methods. We created landscape maps and laid a holistic system of ecological trails through its most famous natural sources using cartographic modeling methods. We have studied archaeological, historical, ethnographic and bibliographic materials. The results. We have developed an environmental education site about 100 km long, which combines 13 of the most famous natural springs. Each of these natural springs is a cult object, associated with a large number of myths and rituals that are still actively practiced. The Slovechansko-Ovruch ridge first of all impressed researchers with powerful natural springs that burst to the surface. Over the millennia of human history, a cult of worship has been formed in these places for natural spring. For the first time, we consider indigenous culture as a way to adapt to environmental conditions. Our activities aimed at studying, preserving and improving these sources will activate local communities to care for the environment, cultural and historical heritage. The ecological and educational route "Natural springs of the Slovechansko-Ovruch ridge" is a unique system that represents natural phenomena of world importance in combination with indigenous culture, which is the adaptation of communities to local natural conditions. Creation of NP "Slovechansko-Ovrutsky ridge" is the only comprehensive and systematic solution that will ensure sustainable development of communities while preserving the natural and historical and cultural identity. The local population, which has unique historical, cultural characteristics, is becoming increasingly vulnerable to global changes in the natural environment without these steps. The aboriginal population is economically and ideologically strongly integrated with natural complexes, so their loss will lead to the degradation and extinction of aboriginal culture. Scientific innovation. For the first time, we consider indigenous culture as a way to adapt to environmental conditions. Practical significance. The best way to promote caring for the environment is to involve local communities in the study, development and protection of natural resources. This is especially true in the area of design and creation of a national nature park.

Wooden anthropomorphic finials from mediaeval Novgorod (chronology and topography)

This paper is the first publication of the complete complex of anthropomorphic wooden finials from mediaeval Novgorod with a chronological and a topographical analysis of the finds. Also conditional variants of the representations themselves are considered. An interdisciplinary study demonstrates that this rare category of heathen cult objects was widespread in Novgorod from the 10th to 14th century without any chronological disruption. In terms of topography, the finds are mainly related with buildings that suggests their basic semantics as domestic talismans.

Obrazovanje konzervatora-restauratora na akademijama i fakultetima umetnosti

Cultural goods are recorded, valorised, processed, preserved, conserved and restored because of the artistic, cultural-historical and documentary values attributed to them. In addition to these, they have other values and functions that must be taken into account. For example, the religious value of a cult object, the emotional value of a certain object in personal ownership, material value and others. A wide range of materials and artistic techniques requires specific knowledge that must be possessed by experts in the field of conservation and restoration. The subject of interest in this paper is education in the field of conservation and restoration of works of fine and applied arts. How are those who will deal with conservation and restoration of such values educated in the modern world? What knowledge and skills do they need and what training models are there? Do conservators of works of art stand out among conservators of different specialisations? What is the tradition of conservation education in Serbia? How can academies and faculties of art be places of quality education for conservators-restorers? The paper analyses different European models of conservation education, as well as the changes that have occurred with the shift of conservation as a craft to a defined profession which requires higher education. It is also discussed how such changes, through university education reforms, have affected the level of skills and knowledge conservators need, as well as whether these changes have led to the recognition of conservation and restoration of cultural heritage as a science. Among the various possibilities for the education of conservators at higher education institutions in Serbia, master academic studies in Conservation and Restoration of Works of Fine and Applied Arts at the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad is analysed as a case study.

Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the European Part of the USSR and Siberia in The System of International Contacts of the USSR during the Cold War (1944—1955)

The Spiritual Administrations of Muslims of the USSR were official organizations accountable to the Council for Religious Affairs, which concerned with regulation the life of religious communities in the allocated territory. Their competence included functions of a theological nature, statistical treatment, observation of cult objects and believers. Under the pressure of post-war circumstances, the beginning of the Cold War, religious organizations were engaged in the propaganda foreign policy tasks of the USSR. In permitted international contacts, they created a positive image of the country and demonstrated freedom of religion. The article examines the participation of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the European part of the USSR and Siberia in the spread of the Soviet ideological project abroad. Territorially, the spiritual administration was located in Ufa, the materials of the National Archives of the Republic of Bashkortostan offer an insight into such forms of interaction with the foreign world as: staff meetings of the spiritual administration with representatives of foreign states, visits of Islamic spiritual leaders to Muslim countries, their publication in foreign editions, participation in international conferences, the presence of believers of the USSR in Saudi Arabia during the Hajj. In the 1950s DUMES has been converted regularly subjected to demonstrations to foreign guests of Bashkiria and all kinds of delegations as a symbol of freedom of conscience in the USSR. The Muslim clergy had promoted of the Soviet lifestyle and the country’s achievements in a deep crisis of religious life in the USSR.

Restaurarea unui antimis datat 1822

"Restoration of an antimension dated 1822 The antimension is a consecrated liturgical textile object, it is kept on an altar, and without it the Divine Liturgy cannot be celebrated. The antimension is made of a rectangular linen or silk cloth, decorated with the representation of the Entombment of Christ and of the four Evangelists, in various printing techniques. The restoration operations carried out include mechanical dry cleaning, removal of wax deposits, rehydration and regaining the original shape of the piece. Keywords: Antimension, restoration, cult objects, Romanian in the Cyrillic alphabet, Slavonic "

Liturgiczne uwarunkowania umiejscowienia ołtarza i tabernakulum we wnętrzu sakralnym po II Soborze Watykańskim w XX wieku

Artykuł próbuje udokumentować, że zarządzone w dokumentach posoborowych oddzielenie tabernakulum od ołtarza posiada konkretne oddziaływanie na architekturę i sztukę sakralną. Dotyczy to posoborowych uwarunkowań liturgicznych, będących żródłem uwarunkowań architektonicznych i sposobu urządzenia liturgicznego wnętrza w drugiej połowie XX wieku. Artykuł uwzględniając wyraźnie architekturę współczesną, bez analizy zabytkowych odnawianych wnętrz, kładzie nacisk na poszukiwanie modernistycznych metod budowy wnętrz liturgicznych, mających prawo do posługiwania się współczesnym językiem wypowiedzi mistycznej. Udowadnia się że posoborowe metody wykorzystania estetyki współczesnej wnoszą konkretne rozwiązania służące egzystencji sztuki liturgicznej odpowiedzialnej za budowę wnętrza kościelnego od ołtarza, stanowiącego centrum przestrzeni sakralnej. Dlatego oprócz tabernakulum to właśnie ambona, sedilia, chrzcielnica oraz obrazy i inne obiekty kultowe odnajdują swoje miejsce w przestrzeni odpowiedzialnej za czytelne przybliżenie strefy wiernych do strefy ołtarza, którego najwyższy element, dostrzegalny dla wszystkich, stanowi mensa stołu ofiarnego.

Vasubandhu. [“The Great Compassion and the Perfections of All Buddhas”]. A Fragment of the Seventh Part of Abhidharmakośabhāṣya

The paper presents a commented translation of the fragment Jāna-nirdeśa (The doctrine of knowledge) from the seventh part of the exegetic compendium Abhidharmakośabhāya ascribed to the eminent medieval Buddhist thinker Vasubandhu (4th5th centuries AD). The fragment can be used as a historical source for the study of evolution of the image of the Buddha in post-Canonical treatises where the real Śakyamuni was invested with the attributes of a transcendental object of religious cult. The text explicates the conceptual differences between the great compassion (mahākāruā), treated as the Buddhas attribute, and compassion (kāruā) as a characteristic trait of enlightened ascetics (śravakas and pratyekabuddhas) and explains the postulate of identity of all buddhas perfections (the perfection of religious merits and knowledge, the perfection of the Dharmic body, the perfection of serving all sentient beings). This is the first translation based on the Sanskrit edition by P. Pradhan (Pradhan 1967: 414416).

Mocking Parades and the Place of Pagan Statuary in Late Antique Alexandria

Abstract With the present paper I would like to discuss a particular form of procession which we may term mocking parades, a collective ritual aimed at ridiculing cultic objects from competing religious communities. The cases presented here are contextualized within incidents of pagan/Christian violence in Alexandria between the 4th and 5th centuries, entailing in one case the destruction of the Serapeum and in another the pillaging of the Isis shrine at Menouthis on the outskirts of Alexandria. As the literary accounts on these events suggest, such collective forms of mockery played an important role in the context of mob violence in general and of violence against sacred objects in particular. However, while historiographical and hagiographical sources from the period suggest that pagan statues underwent systematic destruction and mutilation, we can infer from the archaeological evidence a vast range of uses and re-adaptation of pagan statuary in the urban space, assuming among other functions that of decorating public spaces. I would like to build on the thesis that the parading of sacred images played a prominent role in the discourse on the value of pagan statuary in the public space. On the one hand, the statues carried through the streets became themselves objects of mockery and violence, involving the population of the city in a collective ritual of exorcism. On the other hand, the images paraded in the mocking parades could also become a means through which the urban space could become subject to new interpretations. Entering in visual contact with the still visible vestiges of the pagan past, with the temples and the statuary of the city, the “image of the city” became affected itself by the images paraded through the streets, as though to remind the inhabitants that the still-visible elements of Alexandria’s pagan topography now stood as defeated witnesses to Christianity’s victory.

ІКОНА ЯК ПРЕДМЕТ ЖИТЛОВОГО ІНТЕР’ЄРУ

To identify the things-meaning role of the icon in modern housing interior as an object of cult and religious purpose, a work of art, a cultural artifact. General scientific methods of research have been applied, including chronographic, historical-comparative as well as those relating to art studies – figurative-stylistic, semantic, iconographic. Theoretical and art terminological constructions have been used for determining the conceptual apparatus of design. There have been analysed the peculiarities of the location of the icon in the living interior as a cult object, a work of art,a symbolic object,a household object according to its purpose as: a) a subject of religious worship, b) a collector's item, c) a cultural object that embodies religious, national-historical , myth ‒ poetic, figurative ‒ artistic meanings and reveals the possibilities of their implementation in design practice;the icon as a cult object and a work of art embodies the property of an object as a phenomenon, process, action, state, practical or theoretical human activity. It was studied out that the use of the icon in the interior takes into account that the imagery of the icon as an "internal form" of art highlights the place of the image in the overall structure of artistic reproduction of spiritual content and material external form, the point of embodiment of one in another – materialization of spiritual and spiritualization of material. It is concluded that the use of the icon in the interior involves understanding its objective meaning as two aspects of existence – material and spiritual. The scientific novelty consists in determining the place and meaning of the icon as a household item in terms of content, compositional and aesthetic filling of the residential environment. The proposed materials expand the understanding of the possibility of forming a modern residential interior; the results can be used in residential design practice.

The Robe of Corporeality: Sensual Aspects of Medieval Representations of Crucified Christ in the Tunica Manicata

This paper explores the iconography of the Volto Santo – a crucifix worshiped at the cathedral of Lucca, Italy, and the reception of this iconographic type in the medieval art. The aim is to investigate the role of robes covering the body of crucified Christ in the scenes of the Passion. First of all, the origins and meaning of different Christ’s garments are discussed in relation to the debates on the nature of Christ and around the Eucharist. Still, as the Volto Santo is usually dated to the 12th century and it presents Christ in the tunica manicata with the cingulum, which can be identified as a clerical costume, the meaning of Christ’s garments in the context of the Gregorian Reform, celibacy, and the concept of the third gender is also presented. Afterwards the practices of dressing the Volto Santo in the ceremonial vestments as a manifestation of its worship are analyzed. These vestments along with the altar, where the Volto Santo was presented to the faithful, are the most important elements of the iconography of the representations of the Volto Santo in the mural paintings. What draws attention in these images is the ambiguous position of Christ nailed to the cross and standing on the altar at the same time. That produces ambivalent sensual experience: the impression of uncourting Christ turns into a recognition of the particular cult object and vice versa. Moreover, the robe covering the body contributes to a fluid gender identity of the figure. It may be concluded that the robes of the crucified Christ play several roles: they cover the suffered body, they are an attribute of the ruler or priest, but above all, they manifest Christ’s corporality. The faithful confronted with these images found his or her somatic identity with Christ.

ЕВОЛЮЦІЯ САКРАЛЬНОГО ЛАНДШАФТУ

This article examines the evolutionary processes of sacred landscapes. The basis for the investigation of such processes is the concept of global evolution. It combines the ideas of systemic and evolutionary approaches. The results of the research prove that all sacred landscape systems are dynamic in time and space, and their variability is determined by certain factors, while their integrity is ensured by the invariant nature of sacrality. The following research methods were used: structural and logical generalization, system analysis, historical and geographical method, cartographic method. The key factors in the evolution of sacred landscape are time, and area functions, which determine the information content at each stage of its development. The emergence, formation, and disappearance of sacred landscapes take place in time and space. These processes can be divided into stages and defined within certain time periods. This is especially true when we talk about the emergence of a landscape, the formation of ethnic bases, the creation and sacralization of religious objects, the functioning of sacred landscape, and the disappearance of sacred landscape, or losing its sacred functions. Special attention in the article is paid to disappearance of sacred landscapes, since only a few scholars had addressed this topic before. The humanistic landscapes, including sacred landscapes, may disappear as a result of changing their function and importance within a culture. According to the principle of landscape systems evolution continuity, modern sacred landscapes are in the intermediate stage of their evolution. The comparison of the sacred topography of the city in the twentieth century with modernity makes possible to preserve city historical and cultural heritage. In the article, the functioning of temples and cemeteries in Lutsk as of 1937 was analyzed. The study shows that there were 16 sacred sites on the city map, and 9 of them have lost their sacred function, including 5 cemeteries and 4 temples. The disappeared sacral landscapes in the structure of which were recorded cult objects today perform another functions.

Образ служителя культа в нативистском симулякре XXI века

The concept “a nativistic simulacrum” is introduced in the paper and the main characteristics of the definition are analyzed. As a result of consideration of the central stratum of the concept – the image of a minister of worship – the author comes to the following conclusions: the main “visually fixed” function of worshipers both in the Ossetian cult of the followers of “iron din” and in the environment of modern Russian pagan associations is to organize and hold festive-ceremonial events within a certain cult object, maintaining its sacred status. The leaders of modern pre-Abrahamic religious systems are characterized by the construction of mythological elements of their own ethnic priesthood on the example of copyright projects of ideologists of the Ossetian “iron din”, Russian paganism (“Rodnoverie”). The figure of the minister of worship is idealized in the programmatic texts of the “traditionalists”. Sacredness is achieved through the taboo priesthood – deliberate isolation from neophytes, initiation of the ancestral home in the prehistoric mythological world and transformation into the genetic elite of the society.

Barrow 11 of the “Garden” Group in the Lower Dniester Region and Contemporary “Mythmaking” About Scythian “Amazons”

The article publishes and analyzes materials obtained during the study of the Scythian barrow 11 of the “Garden” group excavated in 2018 near village Glinoe, Slobodzeya district, on the left bank of the Lower Dniester, for the first time.The barrow was surrounded by a circular ditch and contained four burials – one infant and three female. The tools from the barrow are represented by knives, spindle-whorls, needle. The only piece of tableware was found and it was a wooden bowl. The adornments (a pair of earrings, two bead necklaces, one bead bracelet, two “elbow bracelets”) were also discovered. Earrings with conical bulges on one of the endings testify to the Thracian influence on the material culture of the Scythians of the North-West Black Sea region. All female graves contained mirrors. Two of them are identical, and both were laid under the body of the buried. One of the mirrors has handle aforethoughtly broken in antiquity. The cult objects are a pendant made of a dog’s tooth and a stone slab, the arrowheads are the only weapons. The barrow dates back to the second half (preferably the third quarter) of the 4th century BC. Finding a quiver set in the grave 4 of barrow 11 of Glinoe/”Garden” group made the authors to analyze the burials of the so-called Scythian “amazons” of the North Black Sea region. It turned out that many of them were attributed with flagrant violations of scientific methods as burials of women-warriors, which is nothing more than modern “myth-making”. As a result, the authors claim that an open-minded analysis allows us to distinguish three groups of Scythian burials with weapons: 1) containing weapons, placement of which reflects certain “ethnographic” features of the rite or the special status of buried; 2) containing arrowheads that may indicate hunting; 3) the burials of warriors with diverse and numerous weapons.

Review: Ugliness and Judgment: On Architecture in the Public Eye, by Timothy Hyde

Review: <i>Ugliness and Judgment: On Architecture in the Public Eye</i>, by Timothy Hyde

Models of sacred space

The purpose is to create models of sacral space and the task is to analyze the structure and genesis of sacral space. Research methods. The creation of sacred space models in geography is predominantly driven by naturalistic, phenomenological and temporal approaches. The methods of their study include: a) habitual structure of geographical space and its forming natural, anthropogenic and natural anthropogenic landscapes; b) perceptual-cognitive interpretation of the sacral space, which is significantly different from the previous version; c) eschatological perception of processes in the landscape. Results. In forming the models of sacral space, the study paid attention to the peculiarities of space and place. The authors noted that their concepts could be quite antagonistic, which would have an impact on the research model. This approach allows creating models of sacral space with elements of its filling: natural and phenomenological; given the time aspect – eschatological. The natural model is built on the juxtaposition of "sacred" and "profane" in the sense of "heterotopia" as a territorial component. Covers both anthropogenic, natural-anthropogenic, and natural objects and landscapes. The categories "sacral" and "profane" form a vertical bipolar system, the axis of which is "hierophany." Heterotopia includes anthropogenic cores – religious (cult) objects and landscapes, and natural ones – part of the polytheistic subclass of the pagan and neo-pagan group of variants of the class of sacral landscapes, as well as places of force associated with geoactive structures. Phenomenological model is developed based on formation in the person of feeling and contact with the "divine", for the formation of which perceptual-cognitive interpretations of space are applied. It is proposed to include a liminal space in the structure of the phenomenological model, which will include the extension of the hierophony axis above and below the "heterotopic" plane. The eschatological model is based on the theory of catastrophism, which assumes that abrupt and global environmental changes are caused by abrupt natural processes (flood, volcanic eruption, earthquake, impact event, geomagnetic inversion). In religious sources, similar processes are analyzed in eschatology, where cyclical and linear concepts of sacral space development are predominant. The eschatological model has certain features: the singular point coincides with the point of the "apocalypse"; the level of sacralization increases, but with its increase, the time of natural rhythms and cycles decreases and shifts, and the amplitude oscillations become larger, which is reflected in the manifestation of the main eschatological features; after passing the singular point, the amplitude oscillations of the natural rhythms are slowed and smoothed; a new landscape sphere is forming. Scientific significance. Research aspects define the interpretation of sacred space as one that combines material and spiritual; certain places in the ethnocultural region that have signs of the interaction between the ethnos and the sacred. In the model of sacral space it is expedient to distinguish the categories of topical (hierophany) and choral (hierotopia) components; to distinguish in hierotopia: sacral and profane, sacred and religious space, heterotopia and liminal component. The natural model is part of the space landscape sphere and consists of ritual and cult objects that form an ethnocultural region and in a heterotopic sense, sacral landscapes. The selection of the phenomenological model allows us to consider the sacral space from the standpoint of liminal space, and accordingly – it can be irregular, spatial and go beyond the chronological and spatial perception of the sacral. The eschatological model will reveal the temporal aspects of sacred space, the evolution of which is subordinated to a "global catastrophe". The change in the structure of the sacral space occurs abruptly, with partial or complete destruction of the landscape sphere and elimination of the biotic component. Practical significance. The proposed models of sacral space significantly expand the existing subject of sacral geography, anthropogenic and ethno-cultural landscape studies. Their application will allow to deepen connections in the interdisciplinary fields of geography, religious studies, philosophy, and cultural studies.

«Арголаи» и «лѣнии лѣви» Александра Македонского: о трудностях перевода на русский язык славянского жития пророка Иеремии

This article, bearing on facts and data from ancient mythology, a novel about Alexander the Great and other Greek-Latin sources, as well as taking into account Greek and Slavic etymology, folk, and ritual customs, reveals the possible serpentine meaning of the words “Argolai” and “lenii levi.” The words are found in the Slavic translation of the Greek text The Life of the Prophet Jeremiah that was included in the 1499 copy of the Bible 1499 as a preface to the eponomous Old Testament book, but also, as it turned out, existed in collections Explanatory Prophets and Prologue. However, clarification of the cultural and historical context allowed me to suggest that these enigmatic words were related to the symbolic essence of material details of the cult objects. The article also demonstrates how these words reflect linguistic and lexical peculiarities of the activities of St. Gennady followers and the scribes at the end of the 15th century in general.

The Phenomenon of Propaganda as Reflected in Victor Pelevin’s novel S.N.U.F.F.

The aim of this paper is to draw a parallel between today’s situation – not only political and military, but also between the ideological confrontation between Russia and the Western world and the religious wars, which were waged during the Reformation, and Counterreformation in Europe in the 17th century. Epoch when arguably wars were waged not only for the military domination in Europe, but also, and most importantly, for the minds of people. Jose Antonio Maravall in his book “Culture of Baroque: Analysis of Historical Structure” describes the means of influencing audiences, calling this influence a “Baroque mechanism”. The connection between the modern times and the epoch of Baroque is also described in Greg Lambert‘s book “The Return of the Baroque in Modern Culture”. Lambert is comparing the alliance between politics and culture present in the modern world to that of Baroque epoch. Recent developments in Russian history and its reflection by the state propaganda and television quite often make the citizens feel that it is almost impossible to tell where fictional tragedy ends and a real one starts. The occupation of Crimea by the Russian Federation and the sanctions that followed gave rise to a new spiral of Russian propaganda which gave an impetus to a new wave of nationalism on the government-sponsored television and created the so called “Olgin Trolls” on the internet. This policy of state-sponsored ideology and propaganda found its reflection in Russian literature. Prominent contemporary writers, such as Viktor Pelevin and Vladimir Sorokin, gained almost prophetic status for their ability to predict developments in Russian politics albeit in a satirical and provocative form. By describing the present, Pelevin models the future and for this reason he is often credited with prophetic qualities. It seems that he manages to foresee not only the general outline of events, but also the smallest details. While reading Pelevin, one cannot help returning back to the title page and double check the date – it's hard to believe that the book has been written not in the wake of the Chechen wars (Generation II) or the hybrid war with Ukraine (S.N.U.F.F.) but anticipated the events and provided their astonishingly accurate description. As a rule, Pelevin's books outpace the historic events by about five to six years. Presumably we are not dealing here with a mystical providence, but with Pelevin’s unique ability to observe and his brilliant capacity for analysis. The aim of this paper is to analyze Viktor Pelevin’s novel S.N.U.F.F. This post apocalyptic novel was published in 2011 and predicted the confrontation between Russia and the Western world, which began after 2014. Pelevin suggested even the name of Ukraine, albeit in a distorted form – Urkaina, which is a derivative of укры (the term which became to serve as a pejorative name for Ukranians in Russia), орки (Orks by Tolkien) and урки (prisoners in the prison jargon). Although the book describes a dystopian future, one can clearly establish a connection with modern day realities. One of main discourses of the book is a fusion of ideology and art. The research based on works by Greg Lambert and Jose Antonio Maravall will be mainly focused on the analysis of the system, created in Pelevin’s book. In this system society is based on the films it is itself producing. The films are divided in two halves: one part of the film is a pornographic footage, and other part is a footage of killing during war, hence both the book and the films are called snuffs. The films relentlessly fed to the public serve to educate it and to offer it news. In this way they are the only source of information in Pelevin’s dystopia. The connection discussed in this paper will show that these films carry out not only an educational and information functions, they also become the main object of a religious cult and are an integral part of ideological and religious propaganda. The results of our analysis will hopefully show the mechanisms and effects of such forceful cultural pressure on individuals and how they can cope with and resist the pressure of goverment-controlled media.