ЕВОЛЮЦІЯ КОНЦЕПЦІЇ ВІЙСЬКОВИХ МЕДАЛЕЙ: СТАНДАРТИЗАЦІЯ ТЕРМІНОЛОГІЇ ТА ПРОБЛЕМИ КЛАСИФІКАЦІЇ (ІСТОРИКО-ГЕРАЛЬДИЧНИЙ АНАЛІЗ)
EVOLUTION OF THE CONCEPT OF MILITARY MEDALS: STANDARDISATION OF TERMINOLOGY AND PROBLEMS OF CLASSIFICATION (HISTORICAL AND HERALDIC ANALYSIS)

Summary/Abstract: The purpose of the research paper. The study aims to identify the historical preconditions for terminological confusion, reconstruct the logic of the development of award systems, and justify the methodology for their classification based on an interdisciplinary approach.In modern historiography and phaleristic studies, there is significant terminological uncertainty in the classification of military awards. The lack of consensus on the distinction between the concepts of ‘medals for service,’ ‘medals for campaign,’ and ‘special commemorative medals’ complicates both academic studies and museum cataloguing, which requires systematic scientific reflection. The theoretical and methodological basis. The article examines the genesis of military medals as a sociocultural phenomenon and analyses their evolution from individual distinctions to an institutional system of awards. Particular emphasis is placed on the symbolic semiotics of medals and their role in shaping the corporate identity of military personnel.The need to clarify terminology is dictated not only by academic requirements, but also by the practical tasks of museology, archival science, and modern award law. The study sheds light on a little-studied aspect of the relationship between the material culture of awards and historical processes. The scientific novelty. For the first time, a comprehensive historical and heraldic approach to the analysis of medals is proposed, combining the study of their nominative characteristics, morphology and functional purpose. The scientific contribution lies in the systematisation of criteria for the differentiation of award artefacts. The research methodology is based on:a historical-systemic method for analysing the evolution of award practicesa semiotic analysis of the symbolism of medalsa comparative approach to identifying national characteristics of award systemsa hermeneutic analysis of written sources and normative acts. It has been established that terminological uncertainty is a consequence of:the dynamics of military artthe politicisation of award systemsdiscrepancies between the official nomenclature and the actual use of terms. Conclusions and main results of the study. A three-level classification model is proposed, taking into account functional, chronological and morphological criteria.Based on the results of the study, the author argues that overcoming terminological ambivalence requires a synthesis of historical, legal, and cultural approaches. The results of the study create a methodological basis for further studies in the field of phaleristics, art history, and military anthropology.

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