No 3, 2025
Publishing Date: 2025-10-25
HISTORY
The paper analyses the content of the composition decorating a silver axe, which is considered to be a Bactria-Margiana origin, dated from the end of the 3rd – beginning of the 2nd millennium BC. This axe was purchased by the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York) in 1982 from a hereditary Iranian, later American art dealer M. Mahbubian. The author of the paper considers this axe as a material source. The results of the study make it possible to link the design of the axe with the religious traditions that developed in later times in the territories lying on both sides of the Hindu Kush.
The Maya Empire which includes areas that we now know as southern Mexico, western Belize and Guatemala peaked on its development with population of up to 16 million. That’s far more than previously thought. It was formerly believed that the Maya culture peaked with a population of around 7 to 11 million people spread across the territory 95,000 square km. The latest research builds on the 2018 analysis and has resulted in a 45% jump in the new population estimates of Maya civilization. The new estimates now range from 9,5 million to 16 million people in the late period from the year 600 to 900. In this article the author analyse the reasons why the Mayan culture experienced a breakdown more than 1,000 years ago. These reasons are established in the context with the influence of climate on the course of history and the vulnerability of mankind in the in the terms of transformations caused by climate change.
Allaberdiyeva L.A. The history of Khwarizmi in Biruni’s scientific works
Abu Rayhan Biruni was a great Khwarazm scholar of the 11th century. He is rightfully recognized by historians as the triumphant scientist of the medieval East. Biruni’s works, many of which were ahead of his era both in their content and methodology, are distinguished by sharp criticism, reliability of conclusions based on carefully verified facts, boldness of theoretical thought and phenomenal erudition of their author. Biruni is a scientist recognized in the world of Oriental studies, who has made a huge contribution to the study of the Central Asia peoples’ history. The article presents an assessment of Biruni’s contribution the Khwarazm history study.
The paper offers a micro-historical study of the lawsuit over the “proof of nobility” (wywód szlachectwa) of Fyodor Yevlashovsky observed as a window into everyday mechanisms by which the szlachta (nobility) maintained status in the later 16th century. The analysis traces how statutory prescriptions of the Statutes of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (required evidence, consequences of insulting a noble’s honour, the procedure of retracting one’s words) interacted with honour culture, kinship networks and local judicial infrastructure. The narrative reconstructs the causes (a public doubt cast on lineage), the course (a bundle of grod court extracts and oath testimonies along paternal and maternal lines; the opponent’s attempt to terminate the case by formal retraction; a counter-motion to compel the accuser to undergo his own proof), and the decisions of the Council of Lords (pany-rada) to summon and fine for non-appearance. The case reveals three core mechanisms of honour protection: procedural (appeal to statute), evidentiary (combined written and oral proofs), and disciplinary (sanctioning evasion). It also demonstrates the shifting burden of proof between parties and the transformation of the courtroom into a ritual of public confirmation of belonging, whereby the szlachta creatively reinterpreted the norm and used law as a resource of social self-organization.
The paper describes the development of one of the Russian North regions known as Kargopol uyezd (district) by the beginning of the 18th century. This uyezd was located on the shores of Lake Lache in the upper and middle reaches of the Onega River. The author has studied such issues as the formation of new townships, churchyards, churches, chapels, a network of drinking establishments and the construction of roads. The article researched the development of rural settlements, monastic possessions, population dynamics (number, social composition). The main factors of Kargopol uyezd development in this period were determined.
The author presents the second part of the paper describing the life and creative activity of a singer and dramatic actress Anna Marie Stagemann, known under the pseudonym Felicità von Vestvali (1828-1880). The actress’s tour in St. Petersburg in April-May 1869 can be called both successful and unsuccessful. A lot depended on the social stratum to which a particular spectator belonged that preferred a different style of acting that had been developed by that time in theatrical St. Petersburg. The actress was particularly favoured by members of the imperial family. The research is based on the analysis of archival materials, periodicals of St. Petersburg of the 19th century and scientific publications of our time.
The paper considers the history of the Florentine Republic policy study in the Italian Wars in the historiography of the 19th century. The emphasis on the consideration of this historiographical tradition of the 19th century as an important link in the formation of national Italian historiography is proposed. The reflection of the relationship between the historical problems of the Italian Wars and Florence policy in these wars with the self-consciousness of the local historical schools of the 19th century Italy – Lombard and Tuscan – is highlighted. The author of the paper comes to the conclusion about the opposing concepts of Tuscan and Lombard historians on the problems of Florence's policy in the Italian Wars.
Sedakova E.N. Yuri Dorokhov from Rostov-on-Don as a member of the Italian Resistance movement
The article describes the military path of Yuri Dorokhov, a Soviet member of the Italian Resistance. In the Red Army Sergeant Dorokhov commanded the 1575th squad of a separate sapper battalion which was a part of the 56th Army. After being captured he turned out to be in Italy, then had escaped and joined the local Garibaldi guerrilla group where he continued fighting against the nazifascists. The author traced the hero’s battle path on the basis of documents and other sources.
The paper covers the activities of the “Knowledge” (Znanie) society in the middle 1980s to conduct lectures and political and educational work among the residents of the Smolensk region. The article shows various means and forms of scientific knowledge propaganda: lectures, reports, round table discussions, film lectures, methodological, theoretical and scientific seminars, which were introduced and used by the lecturers of the “Knowledge” society to educate the population. The authors conclude that the scientific propaganda of the Society is still in demand and is used for educational and information publishing activities.
Pulkin M.V. Bath: nudity, hygiene, communication
The paper discusses the basic laws of communicative preferences formation of public baths visitors as well as the features of the perception of a heterotopic bath space in the public consciousness of various eras and parts of the inhabited space. It was established that at different times baths served not only to maintain the purity of the body, but also acted as a space intended for the formation and preservation of social roles. In addition to its basic functions (cleansing and sanative), the bath combines a lot of other ones, communicative, relaxational, and recreational.
POLITOLOGY and LAW
Nguyen Thi Ngoc Hoa, Vu Thi Huong. Vietnam’s contemporary multilateral foreign policy within ASEAN
The article clarifies the theoretical foundations of multilateral diplomacy and analyses the implementation of Vietnam’s foreign policy within the framework of ASEAN since its official accession to the organization in 1995. Special attention is paid to assessing the achievements and the persisting limitations in this process. In addition to literature review and policy analysis, the article also employs survey data reflecting the perceptions and views of relevant experts regarding the role of multilateral diplomacy in Vietnam’s economic development and international standing. On this basis the article presents a set of recommendations aimed at strengthening multilateral cooperation within ASEAN and at the international level.
The problem of unregistered marriages in Indonesia remains a complex issue that raises legal matters, particularly regarding the status of children. In Islamic law, unregistered marriages that fulfil the pillars and requirements of sharia, such as the presence of a guardian, witnesses and the consent are still considered valid, so that children born from them have a clear lineage to their father and obtain basic rights, including inheritance. However, in Indonesia a marriage is considered valid only if it is registered in accordance with Article 2 paragraph (2) of Law Number 1 of 1974 in conjunction with Law Number 16 of 2019. As a result, children from unregistered marriages are often only recognized as having a civil relationship with their mother, unless there is recognition or a court ruling, as affirmed in Constitutional Court Decision Number 46/PUU-VIII/2010. The paper uses a juridical-normative approach with a framework of lineage theory in Islamic law, legality theory in positive law, child protection theory, and progressive legal theory. Data were obtained through a review of literature, legislation, and court decisions. The research findings indicate a dual status for children born into unregistered marriages: legitimate according to religion, but not fully protected by state law. This discrepancy has implications for lineage rights, inheritance, population administration and child protection. The paper concludes that legal harmonization is essential. The state needs to strengthen the marriage confirmation mechanism, and establish marriage registration as an administrative tool to ensure legal child protection.
THEOLOGY
Architectural monuments play a special role in ensuring continuity in history and culture forming a single cultural landscape that unites generations. Buildings endowed with museum tasks occupy a special place. The paper tries to understand the transformation of the Church of the Transfiguration of the Saviour in Spas-Vezhi village from an active religious object to a museum exhibit. The role of the temple as the first building of the Kostroma Museum of Wooden Architecture, which has been formed since the 1950s, has determined the special importance of the architectural profile of the museum and the national value of the exhibits of its collection.
Melkov A.S. The Righteous doctor Nikolai Pirogov: to the 215th anniversary of his birth
The paper is devoted to the 215th anniversary of Nicolai Pirogov’s birth (1810-1881), an outstanding Russian doctor, scientist, pedagogue and citizen. The author examines the life path and professional activity of the great surgeon through the prism of his attitude to religion, Church and God. The moral qualities of Pirogov’s personality, the evolution of his religious and philosophical views and pedagogical principles are analysed in detail. It is also described the popular veneration of the “wonderful” doctor, and provides memoirs and testimonies of his contemporaries, students and representatives of Russian religious and philosophical thought. The author comes to the conclusion that Nicolai Pirogov, being a faithful son of his people and the Orthodox Church, had lived his bright, unusual, full of suffering and trials, but at the same time joyous life, which he laid down on the altar of the Motherland and for the sake of help suffering humanity. Being God’s chosen, the great Russian surgeon worked selflessly for many years in the field of medical science, making brilliant and great discoveries that he applied for the sake of the highest mission – saving people from illnesses and diseases. In this regard, according to the author, the issue of the possible canonization of Nikolai Pirogov is more relevant today than ever.
PHILOLOGY
The paper examines metaphorization within the conceptual field “fear” based on five of the most frequent synonyms of this lexeme: “terror”, “horror”, “panic”, “dread” and “awe”. The study identifies the main source domains of metaphorical mappings and provides examples of metaphorical expressions for each domain. The author conducts a comparative analysis of the metaphorization mechanisms of these nouns. The article concludes that metaphors predominate in domains that are associated with danger or negative effects on a person experiencing fear.
The paper analyses the novel “The Burn” (Ozhog) by Vasily Aksуnov through the prism of urban topography as a space of individual and collective trauma. Moscow and Magadan are considered as two poles of interaction with historical memory: Moscow appears as a city of repression and ideological control, while Magadan functions as a place of inevitable confrontation with the past. The work applies methods of narratological analysis, biographical approach, trauma theory and cultural memory. Particular attention is paid to spatial metaphors that convey a state of anxiety, fragmentation, and surveillance in Moscow, as well as the analysis of architectural and everyday elements of Moscow and Magadan as guardians of historical memory. The study shows that in the novel “The Burn” urban space not only influences the fates of the characters, but also becomes an independent element of the artistic structure that shapes the narrative.
Bogatyrev A.V. “Fictional” toponyms in Agatha Christie’s detective stories
The article analyses the toponymy in the works of a famous detective writer. The author establishes that there is a connection between the names of certain places from her literary works and historical events and real geographical objects. When inventing a name for a city, village or estate, Agatha Christie took existing toponyms as a basis. Then she “refined” them using the names of historical figures and obsolete vocabulary. The novelist did not choose geographical names arbitrarily, they reflected her ideas, thoughts and feelings in literary works.
PHILOSOPHY
Markov A.V., Shtayn O.A. New philosophy in design: from chaos to connection through observation
Traditional design paradigms reveal their limitations in response to the increasing complexity of the Anthropocene era characterized by environmental challenges, digital hybridization of experience and the crisis of meaning. Existing approaches often prove reactive and incapable of offering truly radical, systemic changes, remaining confined within the very models that gave rise to the problems. This article provides a theoretical review and analysis of four new complementary design theories that represent a genuine paradigm shift: Entropic Design, Sympathetic Design, Design of Non-Obvious Connections (Abductive) and Quantum Design (Design of Superposition). The relevance and novelty of the research lie in the rejection of anthropocentric, static and deterministic design in favour of an approach that embraces chaos (Entropic), encourages deep empathic connection (Sympathetic), employs lateral thinking to redefine problems (Abductive), and acknowledges the probabilistic nature of digital reality (Quantum). These theories form a new comprehensive language for describing and designing complex, adaptive systems. The uniqueness of the work is reinforced by the inclusion of the short story “The Geometry of an Erythrocyte” written by one co-author and commented by the other, which serves as a literary model and a practical illustration of the simultaneous manifestation of all four theories in the field of social interactions. The story demonstrates how the proposed design philosophies are not abstractions but are already operative in contemporary reality, describing human behaviour in a state of constant uncertainty. Thus, the article formulates the philosophical foundations, key principles, potential applications, and points of synthesis for the proposed theories, arguing for the necessity of transitioning design from the role of a “decorator” to that of a mediator of complexity.