The subject of this study — the painted illustrations by Yu. Sooster (1924–1970) for popular science articles in the 1962 edition of the annual journal Science and Humankind. The articles included “The Puzzle of Human Brain Evolution” by M. Nesturkh, “Physics and Progress in Agriculture” by I. Revut, “Wealth of the Oceans” by L. Zenkevich, “New Developments in Stereochemistry” by O. Reutov, “Cosmic Matter and the Earth” by V. Fesenkov, and “Metagalaxy and the Universe” by A. Zel’manov. These illustrations have not been extensively described or analyzed in the scholarly literature before. The author set out several tasks, including identifying the features of Sooster’s illustrations, correlating them with other visual materials accompanying the articles, analyzing how the artist worked with the text to create images, and comparing these works with Sooster’s studio paintings and graphics. The study concludes that Sooster did not follow a path of obvious adherence to the text. Instead, he preferred to construct images that were more abstract in nature, prompting the reader to engage in additional humanistic and philosophical refl ections. This approach was characteristic of publications under the direction of Yu. Sobolev, Sooster’s friend and the chief artist of the “Znanie” publishing house. Sobolev aimed to immerse the reader deeper into the essence of the scientific text and establish its connection with broader metaphysical problems by combining diverse images and using metaphors. In this way, the artist became a full-fledged co-author of the researcher who wrote the article. This principle is evident in each of Sooster’s six illustrations. The study also discovers similarities between Sooster’s illustrations and the main direction of his creative work in several aspects: compositional techniques (such as the importance of the horizon line, contrast of scales, focus on the leading metaphorical element), coloristic solutions, attention to texture, and a conceptualphilosophical approach to selecting and combining images.

To date, a vast amount of material has been accumulated on the history of cities, which increasingly attracts the interest of archaeologists, historians, sociologists, economists, and cultural scientists. Special attention is paid to the emergence of ancient cities. This article analyzes English-language works by foreign authors from the past two decades, dedicated to the architecture and spatial development of Hellenic settlements from the Homeric era to the end of Hellenism. The breadth and complexity of the topic have necessitated the inclusion of works that employ a thematic rather than a regional approach. The extensive body of foreign research on archaeologically documented settlement structures of the ancient Hellenes allows for the identifi cation of priority areas. During the period under review, the primary focus has been on the initial stages of the spatial structure formation of ancient Greek communities. In the reviewed works, space is treated as an independent object of study. Archaeologically documented settlement structures are interpreted from the standpoint of their social significance. The research objects include public buildings and spaces (temples, necropolises, the agora, domestic architecture). At the same time, these studies are interdisciplinary, extending beyond historical and archaeological analysis. They present a series of generalizations and conclusions that enhance knowledge about specific regions or historical periods. The research is concentrated around several themes: urbanization and genesis of a complex political system, city planigraphy and demography, interdependence of settlement structure formation and the socio-political development of the community, ways of urban development, and approaches to studying urban territorial organization. The obtained data allow for the conclusion that the issue of space organization is considered in Englishlanguage historiography from the perspectives of functionality and the nature of the population’s activities. It is important to note the signifi cant degree of independence and variability in the formation of social space, and its gradual hierarchization depending on the purpose of objects. It is also necessary to emphasize the ongoing debate regarding the interpretation of settlement objects due to the peculiarities of the early stages of the urbanization process (criteria for defi ning a town), the fragmentary nature of evidence, and the diversity of specifi c historical conditions of Hellenic political genesis.

A significant portion of the world’s population, especially in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, cannot conceive of atheism or a life without religion. In traditional societies, local beliefs permeate every aspect of life from birth to death, sanctifying all stages of socialization. However, in modern times, these beliefs have largely vanished in their pure form. World religions have not completely supplanted them, as this complex and contradictory process has taken many centuries. With the spread of world religions, many characteristics inherent in preindustrial societies’ beliefs have receded into the background. Ancient spirits and deities have become characters in folklore, children’s games, and songs, with traces visible in language and preserved customs. Adherents of world religions (and atheists as well) are often unaware of the connections between these religions and old traditional beliefs. World religions have incorporated many elements of more ancient religious faith. Practically everywhere, certain syncretic forms have developed (hence terms like “folk Orthodoxy”, “folk Islam”, etc.), which are an integral part of any culture. Without understanding this, it is impossible to adequately grasp the history of religions, political science, sociology, or even economics (one might recall, for example, the concept of “zakat” in Islam or tithing in Christianity). Therefore, alongside disciplines like theology and the spiritual practices of world religions, the study of the existence, interconnection, and mutual infl uence of religions is a key research area for anthropologists. This article highlights the importance of the anthropological study of this process, the close relationship between anthropology and religious studies, and the need to include this topic in the training and education of future anthropologists. The place and role of traditional beliefs in modern life and their future, and their interconnection with world religions, are demonstrated using the example of their existence among the peoples of Sub-Saharan Africa.

Russian personal libraries have become a subject of comprehensive study for the first time by O.N. Ilyina. She has outlined a range of research problems associated with the terminology and historiography of these book collections. Ilyina examined the ownership characteristics of personal libraries, their fates, sources and methods of research, and the formation and development of historiography trends on this topic. Each of these identified directions holds potential for development not only in the field of library science but also for historical study. Historians, in particular, find interest in the libraries of educational institutions, book collections of scholars with marginalia or notes from their colleagues, and descriptions of personal libraries left by third-party readers. Many modern educational institutions’ libraries, whose histories began in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, contain copies from other, sometimes very famous, collections. For instance, books from the collection of the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum were transferred to the library of the Pedagogical Museum of military educational institutions. The history of a personal library in the pre-revolutionary period could serve various purposes. It might be an additional argument for increasing social status, as with the book of academician N.P. Likhachev about the family book collection. It can illustrate the worldview of governmental circles and the highest aristocracy, such as the book collection and reading interests of Princess E.G. Saxe-Altenburg. It can reveal the formation of a future statesman’s personality, as seen in the memoirs of D.N. Tolstoy regarding the role of his library, or show the inner “laboratory” of a scholar through the analysis of marginalia left in books or inscriptions on presentation copies. The study of the phenomenon of the library of a nobleman-bureaucrat, such as those of S.S. Uvarov and D.A. Tolstoy, deserves separate consideration. Additionally, an important topic is the study of digital libraries, both public and personal. Approaches to the periodization and classifi cation of the history of personal libraries and their terminology need clarifi cation, specifi cally, whether a personal library is considered a book collection. These topics can serve as subjects for joint discussions among historians and librarians.

The Faculty of History at Lomonosov Moscow State University recently celebrated the 100th anniversary of the birth of Ivan Dmitrievich Koval’chenko (1923–1995), a distinguished full member of the Academy whose pioneering work has profoundly influenced the field of historical science. Recognized internationally, his contributions continue to shape the discipline. This centennial milestone was marked by a series of commemorative events, including a scientific conference, an exhibition of books and materials, and a display of photographs and documents. The seventh memorial conference, held on 28 November 2023, addressed contemporary issues in historical science, with themes reflecting the scientific problems initiated and developed by Koval’chenko. His students, colleagues, and emerging researchers honored him through their speeches and reports, emphasizing his signifi cant contributions to the development of historical methodology, source studies, historiography, and the introduction of quantitative methods in historical research. The conference underscored the importance of identifying classes of mass historical sources and evaluating the application of modern information theory in source studies. Participants shared personal memories of Koval’chenko as a scholar, professor, and heroic participant in the Great Patriotic War. Discussions focused on the current state and future prospects of the research areas Koval’chenko championed throughout his career, the impact of his scientific school on contemporary historical science, and the formation and professional training of young historians. His leadership in defining the tasks and directions of the Department of Source Studies at the Faculty of History, as well as his role in establishing a laboratory for the application of electronic machines in historical research — later transformed into the Department of Historical Informatics — was also highlighted.

The article focuses on the development of the women’s Labour organization in Great Britain from 1918 to 1939. After the First World War, British social democrats engaged in active agitation and propaganda efforts, which enabled them to transform and strengthen the party organization significantly in a relatively short period. A key aspect of these reforms was the development of women’s party sections, building on the foundation of the previously existing Women’s Labour League. The article highlights the contributions of the activists who were instrumental in the movement’s early days, including M. Phillips, M. Sutherland, S. Lawrence, D. Johnson, M. Bondfi eld, E. Wilkinson. It also examines the propaganda techniques and methods used by the party to attract new supporters. The author discusses the preparation of female speakers, the organization of special classes and summer schools for them, and the staging of mass events aimed at popularizing the Labour Party among the public. Special attention is given to women’s party weeks and months. The article delves into the territorial organization of women’s sections, efforts to improve their vertical management, and the creation of women’s advisory councils, central committees in cities, and federations in counties. The author notes that the most notable successes in women’s party building were achieved in the post-war 1920s. However, the growth of women’s sections and membership slowed in the 1930s. A significant focus is on the entry of the first Labour woman, M. Bondfield, into R. MacDonald’s government in 1929, where she served as Minister of Labour. The article assesses M. Bondfield’s legislative activity as head of the ministry and highlights the circumstances that hindered her from implementing signifi cant reforms in unemployment insurance. Additionally, the article analyzes the problems that caused the most notable tensions between the party and trade union leadership and women’s sections, particularly regarding family allowance allocations and the popularization of measures for birth control.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the development of a robust postal and telegraph system, alongside the construction of railways, was a crucial indicator of social modernization. The efficient operation of the Chinese Eastern Railway and its connecting Kaidalovskaya line depended heavily on the organization of communication along the railway. Establishing comprehensive postal and telegraphic communication was also vital for the local population. This study aims to examine the formation of the postal and telegraphic system along the Kaidalovskaya line of the Transbaikal Railway. Due to changes in the administrative affiliation of the Transbaikal region throughout the 20th century, information on this topic is dispersed across various central and regional archives of Russia. These materials are mainly housed in the Russian State Historical Archive, the State Archive of the Republic of Buryatia, the State Archive of the Irkutsk Region, and the State Archive of Zabaykalsky Krai. The authors concluded that creating the postal and telegraph system along the Kaidalovskaya line was a complex and prolonged process. Before the construction of railways, there was no post and telegraph in the administrative centre of the Aginsky Steppe Duma. Although the first post offi ce was opened in Chindant during the construction of the Kaidalovskaya line, the establishment of a fully functional postal and telegraph system in the region was delayed until World War I, primarily due to the insufficient government funding. Despite the authorities’ interest in moder nizing the communication system for the local population and repeated requests from selfgovernment bodies, including the Aginsky Steppe Duma and later the Aginsky Indigenous Volost Administration, postal and telegraph offices along the Kaidalovskaya line were primarily established when and where there was an urgent need for military presence or railway construction.

The article concerns the little-studied aspects of the biography of the prominent political figure, literary critic, publicist and prose writer Yakov Veniaminovich Braun in order to reconstruct in its entirety the social and political activity of this multifaceted personality. The author examines the unrealized literary projects connected with the left-wing Socialist Revolutionary movement and repressions against Braun. The study is based on the archival and investigative materials, publications in newspapers and magazines, documents of the Russian State Archive of Socio-Political History and the Russian State Archive of Literature and Art. Most of the sources are introduced into scientific discourse. Throughout 1917–1933, Braun was an active participant in the Socialist Revolutionary and Left Socialist Revolutionary movements, member of the All-Ukrainian Committee of the Socialist Revolutionary Party in 1918–1919, secretary of the Party of Left Socialist Revolutionaries (syndicalists) of Ukraine in 1922–1923, member of the Central Committee of the United Left Socialist Revolutionary Party of Ukraine in 1922–1923 and the Central Bureau of the Association of Left Narodnik Movement (Association of the Party of Left Socialist Revolutionaries and the Union of Socialist Revolutionary Maximalists). He participated and acted as a speaker at party congresses and conferences. During his imprisonment and exile (with interruptions) in 1923–1933, Braun followed a left Narodnik direction and maintained contacts with like-minded people. However, breaking with them did not save him from arrest and execution in 1937. Braun’s activities as a party publicist can be traced through his articles in the newspapers Narodnoe Delo and Bor’ba and magazines Klich, Znamya and Narodnoe Prosveshchenie, as well as in the collection of articles Puti revolutsii. Also of interest are the unrealized literary projects of the publishing house “Revolutionnoye Tvorchestvo” and the magazine of the same name with the participation of Ivanov-Razumnik and Sergei Esenin. Particularly noteworthy is the letter from Braun to I.Z. Steinberg with a mention of his lecture titled Esenin and Mayakovsky in Kharkov in the spring of 1922 and a letter to Vladimir Mayakovsky dated November 8, 1927, in which Braun narrates about the book Esenin and Mayakovsky that he planned to write.

The study of Vincenzo Gioberti’s ideological and political heritage, his views on the nature of Italian unity allows us to take a new look at his growing popularity among today’s Italian politicians of the federalist wing. Contemporary historiography and socio-political debates present Gioberti as one of the central characters of the Risorgimento. Among the reasons for this are the crisis of traditional federalism and relative decline in popularity of the ideological reference points of the recent past. One of Gioberti’s most important actualized theses is the establishment of a self-sufficient philosophical thought in Italy; another newly sounding idea is the preeminent role of the Catholic Church in reconciling the ambitions of regional elites. The article shows that the understanding of these and some other theses of Gioberti nowadays differs quite significantly from the meaning that the thinker put into them, and it is dictated by the political conjuncture. This phenomenon is also not new. The application of ideas expressed in the mid-nineteenth century specific situation to other temporal and political contexts makes it difficult to understand the philosopher’s works and leads to distortions in their interpretation. The figure of Gioberti as a link between Italian social thought and French Romanticism has been insufficiently studied. Comparing his project of the federalist structure of the future Italy with other similar projects of the Risorgimento allows us to identify the most important individual feature. In the 1840s the main political problem of Italy was seen as the contradiction between the need to unite the forces of the nation and the presence of several sovereigns, regional elites and local patriotism. Awareness of a number of obstacles to the political unification of the country led thinkers to propose various ways to go beyond this contradiction on the basis of political compromises and overcoming immediate difficulties. Gioberti’s federalism, on the other hand, was founded on the combination of the federalist ideal with an advanced philosophical doctrine. This made his theory unsuitable for political application, but it is an attractive aspect when studying the philosopher’s legacy at the present stage.

The aim of this article is to examine the dichotomy between “Hussite” and “Catholic” through the lens of how sinfulness was perceived by the Hussites (Czech Utraquists) and their military and political Catholic opponents. The study focuses on the unique perception of sinfulness as a distinctive feature of Hussite ideology compared to anti-Hussite views. The sources used include theological and polemical writings of Hussites such as Jan Želivský, Mikuláš of Pelhřimov, and Petr Helčický, as well as their ideological predecessor Jan Hus. Additionally, the study examines the Hussite program known as the “Four Articles of Prague” in its various forms, which were supported by both the radical Taborites and the more moderate Prague Hussites. Traditional Catholic theological criticism, notably from figures like Ferdinand of Lucca and Gilles Charlier, and other sources reconstructing fifteenth-century Catholic norms and perceptions, particularly in Hungary, are also considered. The analysis identifies two key features of the perception of sinfulness in Hussite ideology: sin as a social offense, and the belief that all people are equal in front of sin, implying that a ruler’s sin justifi es disobedience, including armed resistance. The author concludes that the dichotomy between “Hussite” and “Catholic” is only partially evident in this context. Gilles Charlier, a Catholic theologian, considered only those sins that directly harmed the state and society (e.g., theft , murder) as social crimes, while he did not classify “simple fornication” as such a crime. In contrast, fornication among the Catholic opponents of the Hussites, particularly in fifteenth-century Hungary, continued to be regarded as a suppressible social offense under the laws established by Saint Stephen (997–1038). Charlier advocated for tolerance towards the sins of monarchs and infl uential individuals to avoid severe unrest. The Hungarian kingdom in the fifteenth century retained the legal right for the estates to resist the monarch if he violated the Golden Bull of 1222. This conclusion, highlighting the similarities between the views of the Hussites and their opponents, is unprecedented in historiography. While R. Novotný noted the similarity between the estates of the Hungarian and Czech kingdoms, the recognition of these ideological parallels is a new contribution.