Sourcing aspects of the reconstruction of the East-Slavs ethnic history in the modern Ukrainian historiography
Main Article Content
Abstract
Introduction. The reconstruction of Eastern Slavs’ communities’ ethnic history before the Mongol era is so difficult and complex because of extremely narrow source base. That’s why modern Ukrainian historiography representatives are compelled to offer their own versions either in relation to the Slavs community formation, or directly speaking about the Ukrainians ethnogenesis. However, neither archaeological nor written sources, nor their complex application, yet assist to decide that question, although Ukrainian specialists devote considerable attention and methodological efforts to this.
The purpose of the article is to analyze the validity of the source base at the present stage, which should provide the ethno-historical reconstruction of the East Slavs communities’ formation and development at the pre-Mongol era in the modern Ukrainian historiography framework.
Results. In the process of studying the «East Slavic» medieval ethnological history, Ukrainian scholars traditionally turn to the chronicle tradition, although they realize importance of the other types of sources. Demystification of falsified sources by modern scholars is also very important. Certain skepticism about non-written sources of medieval ethno-history exists in this problem historiography. However, quite often historians are limited by sources’ fragments, while neglecting the establishment of their origin and semantics.
Involvement of archaeological sources in ethno-historical reconstructions requires consideration of the theoretical and methodological specifics of their interpretation. Most Ukrainian archaeologists rightly emphasize that real breakthrough in the expansion of the so-called «early Slavic archeology» source base, as well as its scientific interpretation, took place in the last third of the twentieth century. On the other hand, in recent decades the process of active fieldwork in Ukraine has practically ceased. Unfortunately, anthropology has a lesser source base than archeology. There are no materials for craniology, due to the ritual of fervidation, common for Slavs in the pre-modern period. The main attention of Ukrainian historians regarding the source base of ethno-historical reconstructions is traditionally devoted to the Old-Rusian chronicle and, in the first place, to the «Tale of Bygone Years» However, in contemporary Ukrainian historiography researchers are skeptical in estimation of this work as the historical source.
Conclusion. In contemporary Ukrainian historiography, devoted to the ethno-historical reconstructions of the Eastern Slavs communities’ past, major attention is paid to the problem of ethnological purity of the source base, in particular, in terms of its rethinking. On the other hand, it has to be noted number of theoretical and methodological weaknesses in this perspective, which are related to the strength of ethno-historiographic stereotypes that have developed in relation to this branch at the earlier stages of historical science development in Ukraine.
Article Details
References
Kotlyar, N. (1998). Old-rusian statehood. St. Petersburg. (in Russ.)
Tolochko, O. (2005). «History of Russian» by Vasyl Tatishchev: sources and messages. Thesis of doctor of sciences (history). Kyiv. Institute of History of Ukraine of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. (in Ukr.)
Tolochko, A. (2005). «History of Russian» by Vasily Tatishchev: sources and news. Moscow; Kiev. (in Russ.)
Yatsenko, B. (2003). Paths of millennia. In: Veles book, 3-9. Kyiv. (in Ukr.)
Nalyvaiko, S. (2007). Ethnic History of Ancient Ukraine. Kyiv. (in Ukr.)
Luchyk, V. (2008). On the issue of the authenticity of the so-called «Veles book». In: New myths and falsifications about the origin of Ukrainians, 113-119. Kyiv. (in Ukr.)
Gorban, A. (2013). Imperial narrative of «Veles book»: a simulacrum of history. Zhytomyr literary studies studios, 7, 201-214. Zhytomyr. (in Ukr.)
Pritsak, O. (1997). Origin of Rus’. Ancient Scandinavian sources (other than Icelandic sagas), vol. 1. Kyiv. (in Ukr.)
Pachkova, S. (2003). Origin of the Slavs. Archeology, 4, 135-139. (in Ukr.)
Rychka, V. (2007). Kiev-Russian Problems in Ukrainian Historiography of the Last Decade. Discussion. In: Ukraine - Russia: Historiography Dialogue, 22-47. Kyiv; Chernihiv. (in Ukr.)
Aristov. V. (2015). What’s new in Kievan Rus?. Ab Imperio, 1, 480-488. (in Russ.)
Fylypchuk, A. (2010). Migration processes of Slavs V-VII centuries. in the Upper, Middle Podshtery and Upper Polupruty (based on stationary and exploratory studies). Bulletin of the Institute of Archeology, 5, 61-83. Lviv. (in Ukr.)
Kozak, D. (1999). Conclusions. In: Ed. S. Pavlyuk. Ethnogenesis and Ethnic History of the Ukrainian Carpathians, Vol. 1: Archeology and Anthropology, 483-502. Lviv. (in Ukr.)
Baran, V., Baran, Ya. (2005). Historical origins of the Ukrainian people. Kyiv. (in Ukr.)
Segeda, S. (2002). Anthropological composition of the Ukrainian people: ethnogenetic aspect. Thesis of doctor of sciences (ethnology & anthropology). Kyiv. (in Ukr.)
Rudych, T. (2007). The role of the population of Chernyakhiv culture in the formation of the anthropological composition of the Slavic people of Ukraine in the second half of the 1st millennium BC - the beginning of the 2nd millennium BC. Archeology, 3, 47-57. Kyiv. (in Ukr.)
Kazakevych, G. (2015). Oriental Celts: Cultures, Identities, Historiographical Structures. Kyiv. (in Ukr.)
Voloshchuk, M. (2014). «Rus» in the Hungarian kingdom (XI - second half of the XIV century.): Socio-political role, property relations, migration. Ivano-Frankivsk. (in Ukr.)
Voitovych, L. (2009). «Bavarian Geographer»: An attempt to ethnolocalize the population of Central and Eastern Europe in the IX c. Ukrainian Historical Magazine, 5, 12-34. Kyiv. (in Ukr.)
Voitovych, L. (2016). «Bavarian geographer»: attempts to ethnolocalize the population of Central and Eastern Europe in the IX c. Studia historica Europae Orientalis (Research on the history of Eastern Europe), 9, 16-51. Minsk. (in Russ.)
Baran, V. (2004). State-building and ethno-cultural processes in the period of Kievan Rus. In: The truth is established by the court of history, vol. 2, 82-101. Kyiv. (in Ukr.)
Koncha, S. (2012). Slavic tribes from Ukraine according to the description of the Bavarian Geographer. Bulletin of the Kiev National University, 16, 19-25. Kyiv. (in Ukr.)
Musin, A. (2015). A serious application of the historical and philological direction of the newest Kiev school of the history of Ancient Rus (review: Vilkul, T. (2015). Chronicle and Chronograph, pre-Mongolian chronicles in Kyiv. Kyiv). In: V. Aleksandrovich (ed.). Kniaz’ Age: history and culture, 9, 288-310. Lviv. (in Russ.)
Vilkul, T. (2015). Chronographic component of the pre-Mongolian chronicles of Kiev and the origin of ancient chronographs. Dissertation of doctor of sciences (history). Kyiv. Institute of History of Ukraine of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. (in Ukr.)
Vilkul, T. (2008). Ladoga or Novgorod? Paleoslavica, 16, No. 2, 272-280. Cambridge. (in Russ.)
Vilkul, T. (2015). Chronicle and chronograph. Studies from the pre-Mongolian Kiev annals. Kyiv. (in Ukr.)
Tolochko, P. (2003). Russian chronicles and chroniclers of the X-XIII centuries. St. Petersburg. (in Russ.); Tolochko, P. (2008). Editorial Tale of the interim years of Abbot Sylvester: historical reality or scholarly fiction. Ruthenica, 7, 130-139. Kyiv. (in Russ.); Tolochko, A. (2008). Reconsidering the prescription of Sylvester 1116. Ruthenica, 7, 154-165. Kyiv. (in Russ.).
Braichevsky, M. (2009). Historical thought in Kievan Rus. In: Selected, vol. 1, 603-673. Kyiv. (in Ukr.)
Vilkul, T. (2009). People and the prince in ancient Russian chronicles in the middle of the 11th-13th centuries. Moscow. (in Russ.)
Tolochko, A. (2015). The essays of primary rus. Kyiv; St. Petersburg. (in Russ.)
Kotlyar, N. (1998). Old-Rus statehood. St. Petersburg. (in Russ.)
Tolochko, P. (2003). Rusian chronicles and chroniclers of the 10th – 13th centuries. St. Petersburg. (in Russ.)
Rychka, V. (2009). «All royal army» (power of Kyivan Rus). Kyiv. (in Ukr.)
Plokhy, S. (2015). Origin of Slavic nations. Premodern Identities in Ukraine, Russia and Belarus. Kyiv. (in Ukr.)
Momryk, A. (2005). Formation of the concepts of ethnogenesis of the Ukrainian people (historiography of the problem). Thesis of PhD (ethnology). Kyiv. (in Ukr.)
Pryhodniuk, O. (1996). Nestor version of the settlement of Slavs from the Poduniavia (experience of chronological stratification and historical interpretation). In: O. Pryhodniuk (ed.). Materials of I m. AD on archeology and history of Ukraine and Hungary, 64-79. Kyiv. (in Ukr.)
Tolochko, O., Tolochko, P. (1998). Kyivan Rus. Kyiv. (in Ukr.)
Tolochko, A. (2002). Imagined Nationality. Ruthenica, 1, 112–117. Kyiv. (in Russ.)
Pryhodniuk, O. (2001). Steppe population of Ukraine and eastern Slavs (second half of the 1st millennium BC). Kyiv; Chernivtsi. (in Ukr.)
Aristov, V. (2011). Early chronicle of the streets, Drevlyans and Sveneld (to discuss about the ideas of O. Shakhmatov). Ukrainian Historical Magazine, 6, 172-182. Kyiv. (in Ukr.)
Balushok, V. (2004). Ethnogenesis of Ukrainians. Kyiv. (in Ukr.)
Tolochko, O. (1992). «The image of a stranger» in the picture of the world of pre-Mongol Rus. Medievalia Ucrainica: mentality and history of ideas, 1, 26-46. Kyiv. (in Ukr.)
Plokhy, S. (2006). The Origins of the Slavic Nations: Premodern Identities in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus. Cambridge.
Franklin, S., Shepard, J. (1996). The Emergence of Rus. 750–1200. London; New York.
Vilkul, T. (2003). On the manifestations of local patriotism («ours» in the chronicles of the 11th – 13th centuries). In L. Repina (ed.). Images of the past and collective identity in Europe before the beginning of the New Age, 311–320. (in Russ.)
Vinogradov, G. (2008). Old Russian statehood as a metanarrative. Eidos: an almanac of theory and history of historical science, 3, part 1, 106-119. Kyiv. (in Ukr.)
Tolochko, O. (1991). To the prehistory of «Rus’ land» of the XI-XIII centuries. Archeology, 4, 34-42. Kyiv. (in Ukr.)