The Journal of V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University. Series History

The ‘Regnal Years’ of Tigranes II the Great

Sergey Litovchenko — Tue, 01 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The article discusses the policy of the kings of the Artashesid dynasty in the sphere of chronology. There is no unanimous view in historiography regarding the spread of Hellenistic or native eras of chronology in Greater Armenia. Analysis of the available sources leads the author to argue that, despite extensive contacts with Hellenistic states, the Seleucid era, or any other Asian era, was not used in Greater Armenia in the 2nd century BC. Tigranes II was probably the only king of the Artashesid dynasty who pursued a purposeful policy in the sphere of chronology. Analysis of the coinage of this Armenian king shows that during the heyday of the Armenian Empire Tigranes II did not see the need to introduce a special era of chronology. His coins bore no dates, with the exception of those minted in Damascus, which were dated according to the Seleucid era. Numerals appear only on coins of the so-called imperial type (bearing the legend “King of Kings”), which were probably struck in Artashat. While many modern scholars still refuse to recognize them as years of Tigranes II’s reign, it can be asserted with confidence that the numbers from 33 to 39 do signify the king’s ‘regnal years’. All other readings, such as the ‘Sidon era’ or an ‘unknown Armenian era’, entirely lack factual support. It is quite likely that after his defeat by Pompey in 66 BC Tigranes II began to put years of his reign on silver coins minted in Artashat. This can be explained by the king’s need to demonstrate to his subjects the strength and duration of his rule, whose prestige was gravely damaged by the capitulation of 66 BC. However, such placing of dates on coins does not indicate the establishment of a new era of chronology, because the coins of Tigranes II’s successor Artavazdes II bear lower years than those marking the coins of Tigranes II himself.

The Myth of Remus in the 1st Century BC

Andrii Tokarev — Tue, 01 Oct 2024 08:23:49 +0000

In the author’s view, the figure of Remus, one of the divine twins and founders of the ‘eternal city’, is unjustly neglected in modern Greek and Roman studies; few academic works deal with him in any depth. In antiquity, however, the figure of Remus long remained quite prominent, especially in the 1st century BC – in the tumultuous era of civil wars, the fall of the Republic, and the establishment of the Principate. Furthermore, his image underwent significant changes during that century. The civil war of the first decades of the 1st century BC was marked by an antagonism between two ideological and political currents — the optimates and populares. Both actively sought to use Remus to their advantage. For the optimates, he was a symbol of discord, one of the initiators of the ‘first civil war’, who opposed his blood brother Romulus, the founder of Rome sanctified by augural and fecial law. The populares perceived Remus as a hero and champion, a patron of the plebs and a model to be emulated. In this period, his image merged with that of another plebeian hero — the legendary king Aventinus. The brothers were even separated geographically: Romulus was associated with the Palatine Hill, and Remus with the Aventine. The establishment of monarchy in Rome caused a sharp change in the role of Remus. In the ideology of Augustus, the brothers were reconciled. Remus was now Romulus’ companion, a symbol and guarantor of peace. The legend of the founding of the City as though prefigured the appearance of a second conditor and the onset of a golden age. The figure of Remus now became synonymous with both Romulus and Rome itself (and his name even came to be associated with the Palatine as well). At the same time, the way Remus was perceived by the contemporaries of Augustus in fact helped spark a dynastic struggle in the house of the first princeps. Augustus himself wanted to appear as Romulus, and portrayed his closest lieutenant and to some extent co-ruler Mark Agrippa as Remus. After Agrippa’s death, Augustus tried to keep up such dynastic duality by using stepsons and adopted sons, but this policy failed with his death and the rise to power of Tiberius, who would not tolerate rivals or welcome new ‘Remi’.

A Long Mexican Dominance: A New Look at the Relations of Teotihuacan with Tikal, Dzibanche, and Other Maya Kingdoms between Middle 5th and Middle 6th Centuries

Maksym Styuflyaev, Marie Stadnik — Tue, 01 Oct 2024 09:09:06 +0000

The article addresses a problem that remains one of the most interesting, controversial, and difficult in the study of the history of Mesoamerican civilizations in the Early Classic Period. The authors argue that the supremacy of Teotihuacan over Tikal and other Maya cities lasted longer and was more thorough-going than traditionally believed. Inscriptions from different Peten sites (Tikal Stela 40, El Peru Stela 16, and Uaxactun Stela 22) and the testimony of Tetitla murals are at odds with the thesis, popular in historiography, about a confrontation between Tikal and Teotihuacan in the second half of the 5th century. Analysis of the hieroglyphic texts on Yaxchilan Lintel 37 and on monuments from Piedras Negras and Tonina shows that at least until 508 AD the kings of Tikal remained vassals or allies of the Mexican empire. The idea of a long Teotihuacan ascendancy, proposed on the basis of such evidence, directly affects our understanding of those turning-point developments that in the mid-6th century determined the further course of Classic Maya history — namely the weakening of Tikal and the rise of the Kanul kings. Circumstantial evidence suggests that during the era of Teotihuacan dominance Tikal and Dzibanche were allies and each represented the interests of the Mexican metropolis in its own region. However, in the mid-6th century Teotihuacan faced considerable internal difficulties and apparently could no longer control the far periphery. As a result, a power vacuum developed in the Maya lowlands. The rulers of both Tikal and Dzibanche tried to seize the now vacant position of hegemon and almost simultaneously assumed the title of kaloomte’, the highest in the Maya political hierarchy, which between 378 and 518 had belonged exclusively to the Mexican foreigners. Their competition for leadership destroyed the hitherto stable political order and led to a series of devastating wars.

‘Nation, Language, Blood’: (Un)Popular Themes in the Ukrainian Propaganda of the Imperial Era

Serhii Naumov — Tue, 01 Oct 2024 18:52:23 +0000

The article considers the extent of the presence of national/nationalist ideology in the ideological content of Ukrainian propaganda literature in the Russian Empire. The study is based on the most widespread and dynamic type of such literature — leaflets, which in the late 19th and early 20th centuries represented for political parties and organizations one of the principal means of communication with the masses. Methodologically, the work positions itself in the field of nationalism studies and employs elements of discourse analysis and content analysis. The categories of ‘nation’, ‘language’, and ‘blood’ are chosen as keywords, and their use together as a ‘triad’ is considered a marker of national radicalism. The problem has not been studied in much depth, and its source base and archaeographical aspects remain poorly known (it may be noted that the corpus of leaflets analyzed by the author is many times larger than previously utilized by scholars). It is found that, among political organizations, only the Ukrainian People’s Party consistently made use of the ‘triad’, which confirms the appropriateness of employing this combination of keywords to mark national-radical ideology. Elements of the ‘triad’ rarely occur in the publications of other Ukrainian political bodies, and in the case of the most numerous and popular of them, the Revolutionary Ukrainian Party (RUP-USDLP), they appear only in the early days of its existence and then later as a result of the initiative of some local branches at the height of the revolution of 1905– 1907. The author thus concludes that during this period the dissemination of the ideology of Ukrainian nationalism was not carried out purposefully, systematically, or on any appreciable scale. Attempts in this direction were consistently made only by the radical right-wing fringe of the national movement, but its activities were limited and had little noticeable impact on society. This was one of the main reasons for the weakness of national identity among the Ukrainian population of the Dnieper basin during the imperial era.

Urban Anniversary Culture in Katerynoslav, Late 19th and Early 20th Centuries

Serhii Silvanovych — Tue, 01 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The article analyzes the culture of anniversaries and jubilees in Katerynoslav around the turn of the 20th century. Anniversary culture is defined by the author as a set of forms and norms for celebration of anniversaries and jubilees, used by society to develop a symbolic, ordered image of the past within the framework of a particular ideological discourse. The main criteria for the selection of events for analysis were their public appeal and engagement with the collective memory of the urban community. The case studies include one municipal anniversary (100th anniversary of the founding of Katerynoslav), two personal (100th anniversary of the death of A. Pushkin and 100th anniversary of the death of T. Shevchenko), and two historical (100th anniversary of the ‘Patriotic War of 1812’ and 300th anniversary of the House of Romanov). The study locates the anniversary at the intersection of the culture of urban leisure (anniversary as celebration) and historical culture (anniversary as commemoration). The author sets out to identify the public actors behind the organization of anniversary events; the composition and reaction of the audience; and the typical and unique in the program of celebrations. The purpose of the study is to trace, based on the analysis of the chosen varieties of the public anniversary, the changes in the latter’s function and role in the urban space of Katerynoslav. The study shows that, regardless of the type, the public anniversary was a powerful factor of horizontal (committees, societies) and vertical (spectators, participants) group interaction in a city with a dynamic ethno-confessional composition of the population. Furthermore, anniversaries served as catalysts for addressing the community’s needs and enacting its values. In the urban space of late 19th-century Katerynoslav, the anniversary scenario was designed to perform, along with a commemorative function, the function of cultural and moral enlightenment. That is why celebrations were accompanied by the opening of libraries, schools, literary societies, and shelters for the poor. In the early years of the 20th century, on the other hand, the anniversary became a tool of cultural nationalism, expected to stimulate the feelings of patriotism and loyalty to national values. Universal for anniversary culture during the entire period under study was a desire to expand the space of celebration, regardless of social and religious boundaries. One consequence of this aspiration was an increased demand for popular historical knowledge among the urban residents and educated public.

Intensification of the Process of Mass Closing of Churches and Houses of Prayer in the Kharkiv Region in the First Half and Middle of the 1930s

Yurii Volosnyk — Tue, 01 Oct 2024 19:19:22 +0000

The article is concerned with the quickening of the pace of mass closing of churches and houses of prayer in Kharkiv and the region during the first half and middle of the 1930s. The author surveys the current state of research on the issue and finds that this phenomenon remains poorly described. An overview of primary sources shows that the source base for the study of church closures during this period is reliable and sufficient. The article situates the upsurge in the closing of churches in the context of the agenda of the Communist Party and the anti-religious policy of the Soviet totalitarian state, aimed at creating a non-religious society in the shortest possible timeframe (the so-called ‘godless five-year plan’). The process of closing churches and houses of prayer in Kharkiv and the region is outlined in some detail, along with the legal framework that regulated it. The article sheds light on the administrative and repressive methods (including persistent intimidation of believers and clergy) that were mainly used by local authorities in this sphere. The author concludes that the scale and negative outcomes of churches and houses of prayer closures in the first half to mid- 1930s far exceeded those of a similar process in the late 1920s. The author demonstrates that the closing of churches in the region reached its peak in the first half and middle of the 1930s; clarifies the scale and extent of this phenomenon; and highlights the deeply negative consequences of the large-scale suppression of the activity of churches and houses of prayer and their eradication, which was accompanied by demolition of monuments of religious architecture from different eras and destruction of objects of worship and artifacts of religious art (unique iconostases, kiots, bells, murals, etc.). Finally, the article considers the resistance of believers to the closure and destruction of churches and houses of prayer in the Kharkiv region.

Wartime and Post-War Criminal Prosecution of Persons Involved in Nazi Crimes in the Kharkiv Region

Vitalii Yakovliev — Tue, 01 Oct 2024 19:36:40 +0000

The article sheds light on an issue neglected in both Ukrainian and international historiography — the prosecution of persons involved in Nazi crimes in the Kharkiv region. The source base of the study includes legislative and regulatory documents, thematic collections of documents, and archival criminal cases of former members of the Ukrainian auxiliary police who served with the GFP (secret field police) group 560, security police and SD of the ‘General District of Kharkiv’, and the Ukrainian police battalion under SD command. Despite the differences that existed between the Allies, the prosecution of Nazi war criminals became a key condition for the restoration of peace and establishment of a new world order after the end of World War II. In later years, the growing tensions between the two military-political blocs of NATO and the Warsaw Pact notwithstanding, the issue of bringing to justice persons involved in the bloody crimes of Nazism continued to remain important in international politics. A major step in the cause of punishing the crimes of National Socialism was the adoption by the UN General Assembly of the Convention on the Non-Applicability of Statutory Limitations to War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity. Trials of German citizens involved in mass murder of civilians and prisoners of war in the city of Kharkiv and Kharkiv Oblast mainly took place after the end of the war. Based on the analysis of criminal cases of persons convicted both by the Allies and by Germans courts, it can be stated that few individuals were brought to justice for crimes committed in the region. For the most part, they received minimum prison terms and were punished for other crimes. Most Nazis escaped responsibility altogether. The criminal prosecution of Soviet citizens who participated in massacres of civilian population and prisoners of war in Kharkiv Oblast began immediately after the liberation of the region in 1943 and continued until the end of the 1980s. Collaborators who served in German penal institutions were assiduous executors and accomplices of Nazi crimes. Unlike German citizens, the vast majority of them received a severe punishment. Notably, there was no concept of ‘collaborationism’ in the Soviet criminal code; so, crimes committed by collaborators were classified as ‘treason to the Motherland’. Despite the contradictory nature of the prosecution of Soviet citizens involved in Nazi war crimes, it should be noted that not a single such individual was rehabilitated even in the 1990s. In other words, even by post-Soviet standards, their actions were considered war crimes with no statute of limitations.

The Academic Stature and Achievement of the Historian A. H. Sliusarskyi in the Perception of His Colleagues and Students

Mykhailo Protsenko — Tue, 01 Oct 2024 19:48:02 +0000

The article is concerned with contemporary appraisals of the academic influence and achievement of Anton Hryhorovych Sliusarskyi (1900(1901)–1980) – historian, doctor of historical sciences, professor, and dean of the Faculty of History of Kharkiv University from 1947 to 1962. Based on the materials of the scholar’s personal file, preserved in the archives of V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, and other sources, the author considers the relationship between Sliusarskyi’s life path and his development as a scholar. After the end of World War II, Sliusarskyi served as dean of the Faculty of History of A. M. Gorky Kharkiv State University and took an active part in the post‑war reconstruction of the university and the faculty. The 20th Congress of the CPSU in 1956 marked the start of the period of de‑Stalinization and ‘thaw’, which spurred new trends in historical scholarship and education. In particular, the late 1950s and 1960s witnessed advances in the fields of special historical disciplines, archival studies, local history, and more. Sliusarskyi, whose main research focus was the history of Sloboda Ukraine, became a kind of ‘precursor’ of the local history movement in the Kharkiv region, and his activities as the head of the Kharkiv branch of the UTOPIK (Ukrainian Society for the Protection of Monuments of History and Culture) helped bring to the fore the need to safeguard the region’s cultural heritage. Most memoirists positively evaluate Sliusarskyi’s performance as dean. A rare exception, likely related to a personal grudge, is found in the memoirs of doctor of historical sciences, professor I. K. Rybalko. Commentary on Sliusarskyi’s academic work and reviews of his publications began to appear in the scholar’s lifetime. At first, these were brief notes, remarks, and photos in newspapers; later came more detailed characterizations. Sliusarskyi’s name figures in encyclopedic and reference works, such as ‘Faculty of the Higher Schools of the Ukrainian SSR’ (1968) and others. It must be acknowledged, however, that a general appraisal of the scholar’s legacy remains a task for the future, since, with a few isolated exceptions, his name is found almost exclusively in the writings of researchers of Sloboda Ukraine, and even then with little attention to his overall academic contribution.

Oral History Project “‘Moving West’: Ukrainian Academics in Conditions of Forced Migration (2014–2024)”: Issues of Research Methodology

Viktoriia Ivashchenko, Yulia Kiselyova — Tue, 01 Oct 2024 20:02:34 +0000

The article seeks to problematize certain methodological aspects of the oral history project “‘Moving West’: Ukrainian Academics in Conditions of Forced Migration (2014- 2024)”. The project is concerned with the forced migration of Ukrainian academics (internal after 2014 and external, to other European countries, since the start of the fullscale Russian invasion), as well as with the European academic community’s response to this process. In particular, the article discusses the social and historiographical contexts of the study, which form a kind of research ‘ framework’ that is not stable and in turn creates shifting spatial, temporal, and personal boundaries and exacerbates ethical problems. Analysis of the geographical and chronological compass of the project and composition of the respondents helps to more clearly define an ‘academic migrant’ and the key features of the ‘westward movement’, outline the main stages of the project’s progress, and trace changes in the organization of research throughout its duration. The situation is complicated by the fact that the project focuses on an ongoing event; in addition to the traditional challenges of oral history, new ones must addressed all the time. In searching for respondents, the authors of the project chose the ‘snowball’ method, which helps to find people who are ready to communicate. The semi-structured interview is also used, which provides opportunities for further comparison and at the same time allows respondents to feel as free as possible, choosing a format of self-presentation that is convenient for them. The nature of the subject group makes it possible to include respondents in the study at every stage (familiarization with the project, the interviewing and transcription process, and, if desired, analysis and evaluation of the research results). The respondents can thus be seen as true co-authors. This greatly facilitates the interpretation of the source, including transcription of the interviews, which follows a rather demanding set of rules. Finally, the decision to space interviews over a long period of time and re-interview participants at a later date is important. It is already possible to speak of certain trends in forced intellectual migration and of the typicality or uniqueness of strategies chosen by migrants to build academic careers in extraordinary circumstances.

Problems of the Preservation, Management, and Popularization of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Ukraine in Wartime

Yevhen Rachkov — Tue, 01 Oct 2024 20:12:43 +0000

The article discusses pressing problems of the protection of Ukraine’s intangible cultural heritage during the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War. Such problems include, but are not limited to: lack of effective mechanisms for the identification, study, preservation, management, and popularization of various elements of intangible cultural heritage in wartime conditions; lack of a national strategy for protection of intangible cultural heritage in wartime; discrepancies between national legislation and international norms regarding protection of intangible cultural heritage; absence of a mechanism for compensation for damages caused by Russian military aggression in this sphere; insufficiently close cooperation between communities, relevant government bodies, and international institutions; limited use of new forms of popularization of intangible cultural heritage, such as mediatization. The author notes that interest on the part of Ukrainian society and the international public towards Ukraine’s intangible cultural heritage is currently growing, accompanied by a rethinking of this heritage within the framework of the national policy of decolonization. An illustrative example is the so-called ‘battle for borscht’, one of the results of which was the inclusion of the culture of making Ukrainian borscht in the National List of Elements of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Ukraine and the world-wide List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding. It is stressed that the industry of protection of Ukraine’s intangible cultural heritage, developed along the lines set by the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, has generally proven ill-prepared for the challenges of the Russo-Ukrainian War. Without a doubt, the industry is in need of close expert attention. In particular, the wartime situation calls for bringing together a coalition of experts that could help develop more effective principles and mechanisms for the protection of Ukraine’s intangible cultural heritage.

Published in the Hardest Times

Nina Bereziuk — Tue, 01 Oct 2024 20:21:31 +0000

This is a review of the bio-bibliographical index dedicated to Vasyl Nazarovych Karazin (1773–1842) — a prominent scientist, inventor, enlightener, public figure, and founder of Kharkiv University. The book was published to commemorate the 250th anniversary of V. N. Karazin’s birth. The index includes 1,529 bibliographical entries. The book was prepared through the collaborative efforts of specialists from Ukraine, Moldova, and Bulgaria.

The ‘New Ukrainian School.’ A History Textbook for the 6th Grade: A Failed Attempt

Sergiy Dyachkov — Thu, 03 Oct 2024 08:53:20 +0000

The publication under review is the textbook by H. Khlibovska, M. Kryzhanovska, and O. Naumchuk “History of Ukraine. World history: Textbook for the 6th Grade of Institutions of General Secondary Education” (Ternopil: Aston, 2023), a national competition winner in 2023. The reviewer sees the recognition accorded to this textbook as an unfortunate misunderstanding. The work is replete with errors of fact, logic, and style. The structure of the textbook is poorly thought out and far from effective. The authors’ attempts to encourage the use of the Internet in the learning process in most cases cannot be considered successful. It must be stated that the textbook does not meet the requirements of the ‘New Ukrainian School.’

Francis Fukuyama: From ‘the End of History’ and Triumph of the West to ‘Our Posthuman Future’ and ‘Identity’

Oleksandr Kaplin — Thu, 03 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The review responds to the publication in Ukrainian of four books by the contemporary American political scientist and observer Francis Fukuyama. These are relatively new works that appeared for the first time in English in 2011, 2015, 2018, and 2022. The aim of the review is to draw attention to the topical issues tackled in these books. The reviewer concludes that the value of the appearance of Fukuyama’s books in Ukrainian lies not least in making us think about the flaws of schematic politics and attempts to reduce the multifaceted, heterogeneous social reality to a fixed formula.

Book Review: Link, Stefan J. Forging Global Fordism: Nazi Germany, Soviet Russia, and the Contest over the Industrial Order. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2020. 328 pp.

Volodymyr Kulikov — Thu, 03 Oct 2024 19:18:55 +0000

In Forging Global Fordism, Stefan J. Link asks how Fordism influenced globalization and industrialization in Nazi Germany and the USSR in the second quarter of the 20th century. Using archival materials, the author sheds light on the technology exchange between these countries, the impact of Henry Ford’s book My Life and Work, and the way the two regimes adapted Fordism for their modernizing projects. Link further examines the implications of Fordism for postwar US economic and industrial hegemony, emphasizing its contribution to the establishment of a global system based on industrial capitalism and mass production.

In Memoriam Julia Obertreis (1969–2023)

Sergiy Posokhov — Thu, 03 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000

This memorial text pays tribute to Julia Obertreis (1969–2023), who was a distinguished professor specializing in modern and contemporary Eastern European history at the Friedrich-Alexander University in Erlangen-Nuremberg (Friedrich-AlexanderUniversität Erlangen-Nürnberg). The author recounts the significant milestones in her career, her major research contributions, and her notable visits to the V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University. Additionally, the text reflects on the various collaborative events and initiatives she was involved in.

Chronicle of Events at the Faculty of History for 2023

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