PEŞTERA WERTEBA DE LA BILCZE ZŁOTE

Author(s): Cornelia-Magda Lazarovici / Language(s): English,Romanian Issue: 1/2011

Since times immemorial caves have been known as temporary and seasonal living places. In some cases they were used as places for different activities, such as processing artifacts (pottery, tools, weapons, jewels) or cult. In this study we are especially interested in the last aspect, involving cult activities. We briefly present other different caves used for such a purpose, in Romanian and in Europe. Some discoveries prove that caves used to shelter sanctuaries, offerings, ritual wells, and sometimes they were used as necropolises by some communities. It seems that, starting with the Copper Age, cult practices in the caves became more frequent.For the Cucuteni-Tripolye horizon the unique cave with traces of habitation is Werteba, near Bilcze Złote (Podolian Plateau), today in the Ukrainian territory. We make a short incursion in the history of its discovery, and of the artifacts found there. In the same area, there are other sites related to the cultural complex under discussion; the nearby copper and salt-water sources, together with the hydrographic system (the Siret, the Dniester and their tributaries) and the soil quality account for the location of these sites. Very interesting are the artifacts that were found in the cave. Unfortunately, not all of them have been published until now. Another problem is the relation between these artifacts and the human graves, human skulls or dispersed human bones (pieces from about 120 persons) in the cave. From that point of view the site is very important, since, generally, we know few things about the graves or necropolises of this cultural complex. Many and various artifacts have been discovered (a main characteristic of such communities!); however, there has been no comprehensive publication, but only some reports and articles. Pottery represents the main kind of finds, the painted one prevailing (75%). Various motifs and symbols (geometric, zoomorphic, astral, vegetal) were used, many related with fertility and fecundity, and to attributes of the Great Mother Goddess. There are also anthropomorphic and zoomorphic statuettes, as well as stone artifacts. Very interesting and various are also the bone artifacts: spatulas, awls,40 daggers, pendants (one of which became famous immediately after its the discovery, namely the one shaped as a bull’s head with a feminine deity incised on it). The jewels are also represented by amulets made by perforated fangs(dog, deer), as well as shells and copper beads. The richness and diversity of the artifacts found in the cave, their association with human remains, the hearths, the statuettes found in some of the cave's niches, impose the idea that the place was used for cult practices. We also agree to this interpretation; and still there are some enigmas, related to unsolved problems: the so-far superficial presentations of the discoveries, the nature of the relation between artifacts and human remains (graves, skulls, dispersed bones). Another problem is to what site the cave belongs: to the nearest one at Bilcze Złote – Ogród, or to other communities of the area too. Did the cave represent a necropolis for one community (human bones from 120 persons), or does it also reflect some symbolic burials (skulls, other dispersed bones)? Did the artifacts in the cave represent parts of the funerary inventory, or did they represent offerings? The recently discovered 16 skulls can reflect a skull cult, or an ancestor cult, as also manifest on other sites of the same cultural complex; but even the latest publication presents too general data, without the context of the discoveries or the association of the artifacts! Radiocarbon data for Bilcze Złote – Ogród and for the Werteba cave, as well as the analysis of the archaeological material (pottery and stone artifacts) provide a chronological frame for both sites, the cave having being occasionally used throughout a period of about 1000 years. As a conclusion, we believe that the Werteba cave is a unique, very important site of the Cucuteni-Tripolye cultural complex. In the future, a new, complex analysis of the conditions of the discoveries and on the relation between the artifacts and the human remains will provide new data that can make possible a better understanding of the cult practices that took place there.

OPAIŢELE DE TIP „FIRMALAMPEN” DIN COLECŢIILE MUZEULUI JUDEŢEAN DE ISTORIE ŞI ARHEOLOGIE PRAHOVA

Author(s): Florin Topoleanu / Language(s): English,Romanian Issue: 1/2010

The Museum of History and Archaeology in Ploieşti has an important collection of lamps, remarkable for its typological and chronological diversity. Unfortunately, just a small part of the about 150 lamps benefits from information regarding discovery terms and places, most of them been acquired from private persons at a time when the Museum of Ploieşti had organised its permanent exhibitions. A unitary group of twenty lamps belonging to the Firmalampen type stands out among the others. The popularity of their shape in the whole Roman world over more than three centuries, the quality and prestige of North Italic signatures turned them into models copied and imitated in local and provincial workshops. In the absence of any data regarding their provenance, the only possibility of a stylistic, iconographical and chronological interpretation of this group of lamps in the Ploieşti collection remains the comparative method, on the basis of analogies. Starting from the premise that, in most cases, the lamps were discovered by or acquired from their first owners on the territory of Romania, we have paid a greater attention to the Romanian specialized literature, which was statistically completed and reassessed with new artefacts. The name of the workshop’s owner is still preserved on sixteen lamps, while the other four have no such feature. Most of them, nineteen pieces in all, belong to type X (Loeschcke and Buchi), variant a and b, and only one to the type IXa. Of the ten different types of marks on the lamps under discussion, eight are of North Italic origin: CAMPILI (1 lamp, cat. no. 2), CASSI (2 lamps, cat. no. 3 and 4), FORTIS (4 lamps, cat.no. 6–9), IANUARI (2 lamps, cat. no. 10 and 11), LVCIVS (1 lamp, cat. no. 12), NERI (1 lamp, cat. no. 13), OCTAVI(2 lamps, cat. no. 14 and 15) and PROCLI (1 lamp, cat. no. 16). We must observe that FORTIS, the most common mark stamped on the Firmalampen type, is present on four of the above-mentioned lamps, thus confirming its popularity inside the Empire. Beside the marks already presented, there are also products of the local workshops of Dacia and of Moesia Inferior: ARMENI (1 lamp, cat. no. 1) and FLAVI (1 lamp, cat. no. 5). The signature IANUARI may be added to the same category, because its writing is quite different from the Italic prototype, so we may regard it as a local product. Among the lamps without a signature, worth pointing out is the one quite large in size (cat. no. 18), the lamp with three rostra(cat. no. 19) and the only lamp belonging to the type Loeschcke IX (cat. no. 20), which seems to be a provincial import, possibly from the German area. The lamps from Apulum and from Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa (both in Dacia), and from Durostorum (Moesia Inferior) appear to represent local workshops that used to produce imitations of Italic prototypes or marks with limited circulation. The general chronological range is between the beginning of the 2nd century A.D. and the middle of the 3rd century A.D. Only four lamps could surely be dated by the archaeological context of discoveries between 101/102–117/118 A.D., the time the Roman camp from Drajna de Sus, Prahova County was in existence.

Отдаденост,последователност и постоянство на историческото поприще ст.н.с. дин Тодор Петров на 60 години

Author(s): Svetlozar Eldarov / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 4/2009

Българската политика и дипломация по македонския въпрос след Освобождението

Author(s): Liubcho Troharov / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 3/2009

In the period after the Liberation the official policy of Bulgaria had a number of tactical mistakes. There was a wrong approach towards determining the role of domination and the evaluation of the idea for Macedonia being autonomous, the preparation for and the participation in the Balkan wars and us seeking support from the Great powers.

Model středoevropského typu středověkého státu jako interpretační problém české a polské medievistiky

Author(s): Robert Antonín / Language(s): Czech Issue: 1/2011

The paper aims to present both complex nature and multiple origins of deepseated conflict with reference to validity of Central European medieval state model. The author emphasizes that the discussion on early medieval forms of state on territories of contemporary Czech Republic, Moravia, Poland, Slovakia or Hungary may be continued only on international scholarly forum that eliminates all socio-political factors (see Feyerabend) influencing the development of scientific theory and method. The origin of narrative framework for understanding and creating the Central European medieval state model should be linked with Polish authors. In contemporary Polish historiography that issue is being raised again. Thus we may expect that return of that subject of research would provide us a wider framework for scientific cooperation between Polish and Czech medieval history studies.

Polska okresu nowożytnego a czeska wiedza historyczna (do końca XVII wieku)

Author(s): Pavel Boček,Tomáš Knoz / Language(s): Polish Issue: 1/2011

In the twentieth century Polish history was a fixed part of Czech historiog-raphy, yet it was the main area of Bidl’s and Macůrk’s studies only. Recently we may observe a significant change, as Polish and Czech historiography co-operate more closely with each other. Hence for Czech historians (i.e. Pánek, Bečková) „Polish issues” are more often a natural part of universal early modern history. We also observe reinterpretations of old research problems and emerging of New ones. Thanks to Miloš Řezník Elary modern Polish his-tory is set in a new framework. There are plenty of new research projects on the eighteenth century Polish history, new books and papers on Polish his-tory are being publishes, thereby some of them are lectures on a scientific themes for the general public. Conceptualization of Polish history by Czech scholars is structured by works of Jiři Vykoukal on Poland in the eighteenth century. 1. History of Poland. 2. History of Czech-Polish relations. 3. Region-al history. There is also new interesting research field emerging. It is study on perceptions and interpretations of Polish history by Czech historians, „pub-lic opinion” and students. Thus the study of Polish history changes into the study of contemporary perception of Polish history in Czech (resp. Moravi-an) milieu. ontroversies in the perception of Polish history seem to be qua-si-controversies only. They began to disappear together with disappearance of national and étatistic elements of Czech historiography. Yet, they are still present – in a latent form – in the perception of Polish history by general public (particularly due to the journalism and the literature of fact). Some remains of this stance are also visible in the above-mentioned perception of history as „representation of the past”.

Превъплъщенията на Георги Кулишев от революционер и публицист до политик и дипломат

Author(s): Aleksandar Grebenarov / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 2/2017

The article offers an overview of certain aspects from the biography of Georgi Kulishev, the last President of the Macedonian Scientific Institute before its closure in 1947. His life and deeds can be provisionally divided into three stages. In the first stage, from the beginning of the 20th century until 1944, he changed several vocations – a teacher, a publicist, a member of Parliament, a public figure, and last, but not least – an active member of IMARO and the Macedonian legal organizations.

Възстановяване и дейност на Македонския научен институт

Author(s): Trendafil Atanasov Mitev / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 2/2017

The article focuses on the activity of the Institute in the first decade of the 21st century.

Legendarni przodkowie dynastii Przemyślidów w świetle dziejopisarstwa czeskiego

Author(s): Jakub Wojtczak / Language(s): Polish Issue: 1/2013

Podsumowanie warsztatów dydaktycznych „Europa Środkowa – wspólne dziedzictwo”

Author(s): Emilia Rydel,Piotr Krajewski,Weronika Rybarczyk / Language(s): Polish Issue: 1/2013

Ovlivnilo raně přemyslovské správní a ekonomické ústrojí piastovské Polsko?

Author(s): Libor Jan / Language(s): Czech Issue: 2/2012

Pobyty a emigrace české elity v Polsku v 10. – 12. Století a jejich širší interpretační souvislosti (965–1125)

Author(s): Vratislav Vaníček / Language(s): Czech Issue: 2/2012

Sprawozdanie z międzynarodowej konferencji pt. U źródeł piastowskiej państwowości. Miejsce i rola grodów w formowaniu się struktury wczesnopaństwowej, Grzybowo, 7–8 VI 2017 r.

Author(s): Ziemowit Kraska / Language(s): Polish Issue: 4/2017

Kalmak : The enemy in the Kazak and Kirghiz epic songs

Author(s): Dávid Somfai Kara / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2010

After the formation of the Chagatay and Jochi Uluses the local Mongol nobility was converted to Islam and assimilated by the local Kirghiz and Kipchak Turkic nomads. When these Uluses were disintegrated into smaller hordes (Özbeg, Nogay, Kazak, Kirghiz, etc.), the Turkic-speaking Muslim nobility ruled the newly-formed new nomadic states. The epic tradition of these nomads underwent fundamental changes, and the heroes of the epic songs became the historical or legendary founders of the tribes. When the Oirat Mongols and Jungars attacked their territories during in 16th–18th centuries the Buddhist Oirats became the major enemies of the Muslim Turks who called them Kalmak. But the meaning of Kalmak is broader in the epic tradition of these Turkic peoples: it can mean Non-Muslim or enemy of all kind. The present article analyses the historical and cultural background of the word Kalmak in written and oral sources.

Rocznice „rewolucji rosyjskiej” w propagandzie władz sowieckich w latach 1933–1939

Author(s): Dariusz Jeziorny / Language(s): Polish Issue: 4/2017

The Soviet Union as a typical totalitarian regime was strongly inclined to celebrate various events which were of great propaganda value to the regime. One of such occasions was the anniversary of the Russian Revolution. The article presents basic ways of influencing the public opinion in Soviet Russia in 1933–1939. Special attention is paid to the fact whether successive celebrations of the “October Revolution” made more evident contents that emphasised the strengthening of Stalin’s dictatorship in the USSR, a change in the course of Soviet foreign policy, or propagated the policy of the Communist International. Whether there were some other subjects and topics brought up in occasional speeches and manifestos? What was the proportion between internal and external affairs brought up in enunciations delivered on this occasion? To whom were they addressed and in what way? And what was the actual purpose of the anniversary celebrations of the victorious Bolshevik coup of 1917? Were there, apart from successive publications of documents “in honour”, any other tools of influencing the public opinion? All these questions can be answered after a thorough analysis of speeches and statements made by the leading politicians of the Soviet Union or specially appointed people. It is also highly reasonable to analyse other – than words – elements of propaganda tactics to influence people.

Polska międzywojenna w pracach Franciszka Ryszki z lat 1950–1996

Author(s): Wojciech Kapica / Language(s): Polish Issue: 9/2017

The purpose of this article is to examine Franciszek Ryszka’s view of the interwar Poland, including the way in which the view evolved throughout his academic career. The author begins his analysis with texts which, written in the period of the Stalinization of Polish historiography, contributed to the ‘black legend’ of the Second Republic. As the research into the Second Republic progressed and the circumstances in which the historical profession operated changed, Ryszka’s picture of the inter-war Poland grew more objective. The most original parts of his works are those that draw on his own experience – the account of the country life from the perspective of a landed gentry family, the description of the lifestyle and cultural patterns to which this social group adhered, and the analysis of the group’s slow decline and of the rural poverty.

Dzieje zatrzymane. Wstęp do analizy wizji historii Polski po 1944 roku w podręcznikach ekonomii politycznej socjalizmu od lat 50. do 80. XX wieku na przykładzie problematyki bodźców

Author(s): Tomasz Ochinowski / Language(s): Polish Issue: 9/2017

The author of this article starts from the assumption that the vision of reality to be found in textbooks of the political economy of socialism should be treated as part of the official discourse of the Polish People’s Republic. In the analysis of a number of selected textbooks, he focuses mainly of the “stimuli” issues. After deconstructing the relevant texts, he proceeds to search for all kinds of regularities, politically correct statements and ways of masking purely ideological beliefs. His focus is also on the criticisms repeated in different works by different authors.The article offers the analysis of the history of ways of speaking about historiography’s social function. This approach is inspired by Foucault’s view of how historical interpretations are shaped. The author also touches on the issue of the knowledge/power relation, following ‘French Theory’ in his understanding of it. The way in which politics and education coexisted in Communist Poland offers a clear-cut example of the interrelation between power and knowledge. The educational materials intended for Polish students and Polish intelligentsia distorted the picture of both the past and present.The author shows that ‘Foucauldian practices’ adhered to in the political economy of socialism involved the use of a set of incentives designed not only to motivate employees of different level to work better but also to shape their political and moral and historical views.

Remembering wartime violence in twentieth-century Transylvania: A few thoughts on comparative history

Author(s): Maria Bucur / Language(s): English Issue: 1-2/2007

This article is a comparative examination of processes through which collective memory is shaped. Taking as its focus the collective memory surrounding specific sites of remembrance, that of a massacre that took place in 1940 in the Transylvanian village of Treznea and that of the early period of communist takeover in the same village, it offers a discussion of the comparative value of contrasting narratives of the past and suggests insights into the processes through which these narratives take shape separately. It also examines these narratives across generations, situating them not as part of the past but as part of an ongoing dialogue of identity and, in some instance, conflict.

Петроглифы Бендерской крепости

Author(s): Georgi O. Astvatsaturov / Language(s): Russian Issue: 6/2000

The author describes 22 images made on stone walls of the Bender fortress. These images are made by skillful masters from Crimea and Moldova. They must have appeared on the walls of the fortress in early XVIII century during the general reconstruction. One can distinguish several classes of images: narrative, with geometric ornamentation, with Arab, Latin or Cyrillic writing, etc. Scarcity of images to be compared, however, does not allow a detailed analysis of the petroglyphs.

Скандинавский компонент древнерусской культуры

Author(s): Yury M. Lesman / Language(s): Russian Issue: 5/2014

This article is a post-mortem publication of Yu. M. Lesman’s paper, in the version it had acquired by 2010. It is an analytical overview of originally Scandinavian elements in the Early Russian culture. The author identifies specificity and dynamics of penetration of Scandinavian components into the Early Russian culture, focusing, particularly, on Scandinavian elements in development of smithcraft (“pack” technology, bundles, etc.) and jewelry, Scandinavian prototypes in the Early Russian female jewelry set and Scandinavian features of the funerary rite.