Latvijas 20. gs. vēstures hronoloģija: problēmas, iespējas un risinājumi

The 20th century history of Latvia is complex and sometimes difficult to understand for a non–professional. In the 1900’s, in Latvia various powers changed several times and events unfolded rapidly and with many turning points. Tracing all of them is a challenge even for a professional historian. The chronology is the first serious attempt to provide an answer to this challenge and make the history of Lat-via more understandable not only for history enthusiasts, but also for people interested in history – both in Latvia and elsewhere. The group of historians who developed this chronology also faced various problems – from the development of the most important criteria for the selection of facts to the problems of the exact data of events. Although a complete reflection of chronology cannot be expected in a chronology of this nature, which, in the author’s opinion, is only an ideal goal – it is undoubtedly a significant step towards the fur-ther formation of chronology and creation of deeper understanding of history of Latvia.

Asad Rustum and the Egyptian Occupation of Syria (1831–1841): Between Narratives of Modernity and Documentary Exactitude

The Lebanese historian Asad Rustum (1897–1965) devoted much of his career to the study of Ottoman Syria in the early nineteenth century. For him, this history culminated in the dramatic events of 1840–41, when a Lebanese armed uprising against an Egyptian occupation, combined with European intervention, triggered far-reaching changes in the region’s politics. This article explores how Rustum’s accounts of the Egyptian occupation period and its end refract the complexities of that moment itself, through the dilemmas of a self-consciously professional historian working under the French Mandate and in early independent Lebanon. By comparing his histories of the Egyptian occupation with both his documentary collections and his own private archive held at AUB, this article reveals the complexities, achievements and limits of Rustum’s historical method. Above all, it argues, Rustum’s desire to narrate Lebano-Syrian modernisation was held in check—paradoxically perhaps—by his conviction of his own modernity.

A Productive Trinity

This Thing of Darkness by Joan Neuberger, about S. M. Eisenstein’s film “Ivan the Terrible”, is the result of enormous work by a professional historian, a serious art critic, and an experienced teacher. The most important features of this productive trinity were manifested in it: a deep knowledge of the history of Russia (equally in the 16th and 20th centuries); a subtle understanding of the specifics of art in general and cinema in particular; the ability to clearly and easily present one’s observations, hypotheses, and conclusions; and finally (last but not least), the successful penetration into the creative world of Sergey Eisenstein, a director and theoretician, draftsman and psychologist, connoisseur of classical world culture and courageous experimentalist-modernist, but at the same time an honest person and a politically minded citizen of his own country in the tragic period of its history, that of Stalin’s tyranny. The author was lucky enough to witness the long-term evolution of this work, from earliest experiments to the publication of a fundamental monograph. In the process of researching archival materials and as we penetrated into the film itself, the circle and type of questions changed. The author expresses confidence that from now on, not a single serious specialist in the history of Soviet cinema, not a single biographer or researcher of Eisenstein’s work can do without the wonderful work of Joan Neuberger.

The Ancient Past and Fiction, or about the Construction of Worlds by Humanities Scholars: A Review of Books

This paper reviews three novels by different modern authors, all published in 2020 and applying to the realities of Ancient Rome. Marik Lerner’s science fiction novel “Practical Ufology” fits within the subliterary genre of “accidental travel”, and any background information from the Roman-Byzantine life is not very appropriate in the adventure text. The new novel “The Triumphant” by Olga Eliseeva, a professional historian, can be labeled as a form of the “science novel” genre, because it has numerous references and “anchors” that only an educated person is able to understand. The main canvas of O. Eliseeva’s novel is a synthesis of the personalities and actions of Julius Caesar and Constantine the Great, so the writer used the motif of the fantasy world, in which the Roman Republic and Rome are replaced by Latium and Eternal City with the Nazarenes (i.e., Christians) playing an important role in its future. The trilogy “Divine World” by Boris Tolchinsky, a professional politologist, is the most radical inversion of the reality with its own alternative history. The world of the Amorian Empire is a synthesis of the ancient Mediterranean and the ancient Egyptian civilizations. These texts can be considered as “imperial literature” tied to the post-Soviet realities and projects aimed to find a better future.

The beginning of de-Stalinization or the “Khrushchev thaw”: place and role in Soviet history

The paper attempts to look at the problems of Soviet society in the period of 1964-1985 through the eyes of Anatoly Sergeevich Chernyaev, a professional historian and, at the same time, a responsible employee of the Central Committee of the CPSU, who served for many years in the Central Committee apparatus and took part in the preparation of many Brezhnev’s speeches. Having written voluminous memories, Chernyaev is rightfully considered one of the most authoritative and thoughtful chroniclers of a huge era - from Stalin to the USSR collapse.

Greece and its history in The Greek mosaic: History, people, travels by Natalia Nissen: A contemporary Russian narrative

The essay examines the contemporary Russian narrative on Greece and its history using The Greek mosaic: History, people, travels by Natalya Nissen as an example. The book is a collection of essays linked by a common plot thread - the life and travels of a foreigner in Greece. The author had spent considerable time living in Greece, and had travelled extensively accompanied by her friend, Yannis, a Greek historian, documenting both her travels and the historical backgrounds of the locations she visited. Nissen is a professional historian as well as a journalist, and her writing can certainly be considered “qualified” journalism at the very least, since the author has far more familiarity with the subject than an average travel writer. Despite that, the book is still influenced by the predominant Russian narrative about Greece, portraying the Greeks as kind, hospitable people, closely linked to the rich and fascinating history of their country. This prevents the author from presenting an accurate picture of the country and leads to her ignoring any and all negative social trends influencing contemporary Greek society, despite all her knowledge and the depth of cultural analysis.

Using Haplotypes to Reconstruct Ancient Population Dynamics; a User Guide for Historians

Recently, the analysis of haplotypes has garnered a lot of attention in both popular media, from companies such as 23andMe, and in scientific journal publications. Haplotypes, which can be thought of as DNA patterns in the chromosome, may remain unchanged for centuries and are therefore a promising new method for tracing lineages. This method could provide valuable new insights into population dynamics, specifically regarding ancient populations. However, a crucial issue is that historians are not trained to evaluate this sort of evidence, yet many publications in prestigious journals such as Nature and Science are making historical claims based on haplotype analysis. When analyzing this data, a few key assumptions must be made. Of particular concern are logical circularities in hypothesis generation and in sampling strategy. This is to say, that the hypotheses are often not based on "scientific" data, but are instead drawn from often outdated historical assumptions. These same assumptions then drive a sampling strategy that guide the study to a conclusion in line with the hypothesis. What is the professional historian to do? Proposed is a common-sense user guide for a non-specialist to evaluate the quality of the data and claims made with it. Several case studies will be examined from this perspective that show both the strengths and weaknesses of this new source of historical and archaeological evidence.