Purpose – to recognize Germany. About some activities of the Polish intelligence in the 1920s

Purpose – to recognize Germany. About some activities of the Polish intelligence in the 1920s

Author(s): Henryk ĆWIĘK / Language(s): English / Issue: 10/2021

Keywords: Polish General Staff; interwar period; intelligence; reconnaissance; secret services; agents

After World War I, Weimar Germany did not recognize the western borders of the Second Polish Republic. They did not accept the result of the defeat they suffered. Poland was referred to as the ‘Saisonstaat’, which was synonymous with aggression for the Germans. The Weimar Republic sought to rebuild its military potential and demanded the abolition of all forms of control and revision of the Versailles Treaty. From the moment Poland regained independence, the security of the state was threatened by Germany and Russia. In this situation, the identification of threats was of particular importance. Secret service structures were created under very difficult conditions. In the early 1920s, the intelligence reconnaissance of Germany was not sufficient. The organizational changes and improved methods of operation carried out in the second half of this decade had a positive impact on the effects of work. The head of the Berlin intelligence facility, codenamed ‘In 3’, captain, and later major, Jerzy Sosnowski provided the headquarters of the Second Department of Polish General Staff with valuable information on the expansion of the German armed forces. Also, field offices were actively exploring Germany. Agents played a special role in the activities of the intelligence service. Therefore, the process of their selection, conducting, training and supervision, on which the effects of work depended, deserves attention.

International legal regulation of electronic document circulation

International legal regulation of electronic document circulation

Author(s): Saule KUSHYBEK / Language(s): English / Issue: 10/2021

Keywords: Directive; electronic commerce; electronic document circulation; unification; e-commerce; electronic signature; Convention; European Union; UNCITRAL

Electronic documents are a type of document that exists only in digital form. These electronic documents are the information product of the latest electronic information technologies such as Internet technologies, WWW technologies, multimedia. Electronic document circulation is known as a system of electronic document management, the relations between the participants of which are regulated by national law and other regulatory legal acts. On the basis of international legislation and legislation of foreign countries, the analysis of the essence and content of electronic document circulation is carried out, the legal relations that make up this concept are defined, the concepts and use of electronic documents and electronic signatures are studied. The unification of rules on electronic documents and their use in contractual relations are the cause of economic and legal issues. The article examines and conducts a comparative analysis of the features and effectiveness of the laws of United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), the directives of the European Union and the Convention laws in the emergence of electronic document management.

Manya Saadi-nejad, Anāhitā. A History and Reception of the Iranian Water Goddess, London: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc I.B. Tauris, 2021, ISBN: 978-1-8386-0111-9

Manya Saadi-nejad, Anāhitā. A History and Reception of the Iranian Water Goddess, London: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc I.B. Tauris, 2021, ISBN: 978-1-8386-0111-9

Author(s): Patryk SKUPNIEWICZ / Language(s): English / Issue: 10/2021

Keywords: Iran; History; Religion

Review

The Berlin plans of Kamianets-Podilskyi

The Berlin plans of Kamianets-Podilskyi

Author(s): Leszek Opyrchał,Urszula OPYRCHAŁ,Rusłan Nahnybida / Language(s): English / Issue: 10/2021

Keywords: Kamianets-Podilskyi; Kamieniec Podolski; fortress; historical cartography

The article discusses five manuscript plans of Kamianets-Podilskyi which are present in Berlin. Four of them are available in the collections of the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin (The Berlin State Library) and one – at the Geheimes Staatsarchiv Preußischer Kulturbesits (Secret State Archive of Prussian Cultural Heritage). Despite the fact that the list of maps and plans of areas present in the former socialist countries in Europe was published in 1976, these plans remained unknown to both, Polish and Ukrainian researchers analysing the history of fortification. Three of the discussed four plans are especially important. The first one is the plan by Christian Dahlke, an engineer who fortified Kamianets-Podilskyi, the later commanding officer of this fortress. The second one is an anonymous plan from 1740, most probably created during the inspection of the fortress reinforcements which was carried out by Saxon engineers. The third one is the plan by G. de Hundt. Identical versions of this plan are located in Cracow, in Vienna and in Moscow. Due to the fact that both, Austria as well as Russia, conducted military activities in Podolia in the 18th century, nearly identical plans of the Kamianets-Podilskyi Fortress, present in the capitals of those countries, indicate that G. de Hundt worked not only for the Polish king, but also for foreign intelligences.

The Northern kʻustak administrative units of the Sasanian Iran in 6th century CE

The Northern kʻustak administrative units of the Sasanian Iran in 6th century CE

Author(s): Henrik KHACHATRYAN / Language(s): English / Issue: 11/2022

Keywords: Sasanians; northern kʻustak; military-administrative units; Khosrov Anushirvan; Byzantine; the marzpanate of Armenia

In the 6th century CE, the Sasanian empire was divided into four administrative units already during the second reign of Kavad I, however, it was during the time of Khosrov Anushirvan that these regions were transformed into the military-administrative units – kʻustaks, where the administrative power belonged to the padgospan and the military to the spahbed. The northern kʻustak or kʻust-i-Kapkoh was included the marzpanates: Armenia (divided into the three military-administrative units – Tanutirakan gund, Vaspurakan gund, Syunikʻ), Georgia, Albania and the šahrs: Adharbādhakān, Gīlān, Dlmunkʻ, Zanjān, Ghazvīn, Ṭabaristān and Ray. This paper reviews the administrative of the northern kʻustak based on the Classical Armenian, Arabic and Persian primary sources.

The Daylamite Involvement in the Lazic War (541-562)

The Daylamite Involvement in the Lazic War (541-562)

Author(s): Nika KHOPERIA / Language(s): English / Issue: 11/2022

Keywords: Lazic War; Sasanians; Iran; Byzantine empire; Daylamites; infantry; Justinian; Khosrow Anushirvan

In the Late Antiquity, the Caucasus region had become a battle ground for the Byzantines and the Sasanians. The conflict between the two great empires escalated in the 6th century, when both sides overcame internal conflicts and pursued active foreign policies. The Lazic War (541-562 CE), fought on the territory of modern western Georgia, then the Lazic Kingdom, was one of the most important conflicts of the Late Antiquity and an integral part of the unremitting wars of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian. The conflict witnessed both sides employing combatant populations residing within the borders of their empires. Among them were the Daylamites, a kin-group from the rugged mountains of northern Iran, just south of the Caspian Sea who had long served as mercenaries for various powers. This article discusses the combat culture, tactics, equipment, and role of the Daylamites in the Sasanian military campaigns in the Caucasus in the 6th century CE.

Goddess Venus on Julia Domna’s coins. The Political Use of the Coinage of an Augusta of the Severan Dynasty

Goddess Venus on Julia Domna’s coins. The Political Use of the Coinage of an Augusta of the Severan Dynasty

Author(s): Pedro David CONESA NAVARRO,Anita SMYK / Language(s): English / Issue: 11/2022

Keywords: Imperial Politicy; Julia Domna; Venus; Religion; Numismatic

In this paper we aim to study the monetary examples of Venus dedicated to Julia Domna. The goddess appears in the numismatic records with a series of epithets and although they were initially created with specific connotations, they evolved and were widely employed on the coins of imperial women. The social and political context encouraged some types to be produced more than others at certain times. This is precisely one of the most important aspects that will be reflected upon in this study. Beyond responding to virtues related to the conjugal or maternal sphere, the policy developed by Septimius Severus and continued by his son Caracalla may have been decisive in encouraging the creation of certain coin types in order to transmit a message that was convenient for the state apparatus.

Sources of the history of the Jewish community in Dobrzyń nad Wisłą (1507-1939)

Sources of the history of the Jewish community in Dobrzyń nad Wisłą (1507-1939)

Author(s): Agnieszka WITKOWSKA / Language(s): English / Issue: 11/2022

Keywords: Dobrzyń nad Wisłą; Jewish community; vital Jewish records; archival sources; maps

No full monograph has yet been devoted to the history of the Jewish community in Dobrzyń nad Wisłą. This paper, whose subject is the almost completely unknown history of Jews from Dobrzyń in the years 1507-1939, stems not only from the author’s own interests, but also from the need to fill the above-mentioned gap. To study the topic, the author used mainly archival sources, which were the legacy of administrative and political authorities. Fragments of source materials are currently kept in the State Archive in Bydgoszcz and the State Archive in Toruń, and the branch in Włocławek. Especially noteworthy sources include: the vital records of Jewish people (1826-1936), the records of the Pomeranian Voivodeship Office in Toruń (1920-1939), the town records of Dobrzyń nad Wisłą (1917 -1937), and the records of the Board of the National Council (1950-1972). In these collections, the largest numbers of documents are extracts from birth records, official correspondence, minutes from the meetings of local authorities, and municipal inspections from the inter-war period. Apart from the above-mentioned archival collections, the author used a wide range of other source materials, for example, collections of maps kept in the Central Archives of Historical Records in Warsaw and in the District Office in Lipno, as well as very interesting items from private collections. Most of the above-mentioned sources have not yet been published.

The Library of Varlaam Shyshatsky in the Context of a ‘Reading Revolution’ in the Ukrainian Lands (Second Half of the 18th – Early 19th Centuries)

The Library of Varlaam Shyshatsky in the Context of a ‘Reading Revolution’ in the Ukrainian Lands (Second Half of the 18th – Early 19th Centuries)

Author(s): Liudmyla POSOKHOVA,Joanna Kowalik-Bylicka / Language(s): English / Issue: 11/2022

Keywords: Varlaam Shyshatsky; Enlightenment; history of reading; history of libraries

Varlaam Shyshatsky (1750-1821) was a prominent figure in the Russian Orthodox Church. In this article, the author’s focus is on his personal library – one of the most substantial book collections in Eastern Europe in the second half of the 18th and early 19th centuries, which has never been analyzed before. The article not only analyzes the composition of Varlaam Shyshatsky’s library, but also compares this collection with the personal libraries of other figures belonging to the same social group. The analysis is grounded in the broad context of the history of reading and book culture in Europe. Based on a number of criteria, it is concluded that significant changes in the culture of reading took place in the Ukrainian lands of the Russian Empire in the second half of the 18th century – first and foremost the emergence of ‘extensive’ reading and development of a number of new cultural practices among the ‘enlightened elite’. The composition of the library of Varlaam Shyshatsky also attests to the cultural uniqueness of the region and argues in favor of the thesis about the existence of a ‘Ukrainian Enlightenment’ as a phenomenon with national and regional specifics of its own.

The Armed Resistance Movement in Kosovo 1918-1928 according to the Albanian press

The Armed Resistance Movement in Kosovo 1918-1928 according to the Albanian press

Author(s): Veli KRYEZIU,Bujar DUGOLLI / Language(s): English / Issue: 11/2022

Keywords: Kosovo; Albania; Uprising; Drenica; Serbia; Press; Inter-Ethnic Relations; the Committee for the National Defence of Kosovo

Political Albania continuously made efforts to help the Kachak resistance in Kosovo, which in 1918 took over through the Committee for the National Defence of Kosovo, this resistance Albania supported by arming, of the Albanian rebellious groups. However, this Committee, except in Kosovo, its activity extended to Albania, in the consolidation and democratization of the Albanian state. To realize the National Union Hasan Prishtina established contacts with some Italian deputies from whom he received support and secured weapons to organize an armed uprising and thus overthrow the Serbian invader in Kosovo.

The attitude of the soviet authorities to the first wave of ‘nomaders’ according to the documents of the ‘special folders’ of the CC CP(B)K

The attitude of the soviet authorities to the first wave of ‘nomaders’ according to the documents of the ‘special folders’ of the CC CP(B)K

Author(s): Madi Tursynbekovich SHOTAYEV,Kairat Shakarimovich ALIMGAZINOV,Gulbanu ZHUGENBAYEVA / Language(s): English / Issue: 11/2022

Keywords: Central Committee of the CP(b)K; Xinjiang; special folders; migration; defectors; nomads

The central party organs dealt with all issues of the internal and foreign policy of the republic, led the national economy, public organizations, and personnel policy. Therefore, the documents of the ‘special folders’ of the Central Committee of the Communist Party (b) Kazakhstan reflect various spheres of the life of the republic, which for a long time were not available to researchers due to the highest secrecy stamp imposed. The article deals with one of such areas of the problem – the settlement of Kazakh repatriates and representatives of other nationalities from China, who left during the civil war, collectivization, famine and repressions, who, unable to withstand the attitude of local residents and the persecution of the authorities of the country, republic or regions to which they moved, returned back to Kazakhstan. The ways of solving problems related to their settlement in Soviet farms, organization of trade with them, their cultural services, medical care, their resettlement, maintenance and veterinary services for their livestock are analyzed. Authors describes the reasons and measures to prevent the mass return of "nomads" back to China, despite all the decisions taken, the measures taken by the leadership of the republic in connection with the gaps made by some representatives of local authorities during their placement.

Crossing the Rubicon in archival sciences. Redefining the scope of state archivists in the 21st century Poland (with Ukrainian reflection)

Crossing the Rubicon in archival sciences. Redefining the scope of state archivists in the 21st century Poland (with Ukrainian reflection)

Author(s): Dariusz MAGIER,Sergiy POSOKHOV / Language(s): English / Issue: 11/2022

Keywords: archival system; Poland; Ukraine; state archives; technology; transformations

The archivist’s profession has been shaped by its relations with historic sciences. In the 19th century, where first archival institutions were founded, they attracted numerous historians. It was them who primarily joined the ranks of archives’ personnel and contributed to their development. It constitutes a foundation for the traditional archival methodology, the perception of archives themselves and the self-identification of their employees. Nowadays, the world is changing more rapidly than ever before affecting the archives. Polish state archives influenced by both techno-logical and cultural revolutions are faced with a difficult choice for further advancement of their scope and activities. This article outlines the principle reasons behind the discernible changes in the Polish archival realism. The authors try to answer the question of what these changes are, in which spheres of archival work take place and on what levels. They also prepare a portrait of an employee of the modern state archive in Poland and describe the transformations in the consciousness, self-esteem and intellectual and professional condition of archivists. They confront this picture with the situation in Ukrainian archives operating in a similar geographical area, although with the experience of the realities of the Soviet Union and a different systemic path after 1991. This comparative study was based on an analysis of the scientific literature on Polish and Ukrainian archivists and the results of research conducted by the authors among employees state archives.

The Impact of Digital Technologies on Kazakh archivists in the Age of Globalization

The Impact of Digital Technologies on Kazakh archivists in the Age of Globalization

Author(s): Akmaral YSKAK,Gabit ZHUMATAY / Language(s): English / Issue: 11/2022

Keywords: Digital Technologies; Globalization; Kazakhstan; archivists

Based on the survey questionnaire and interviews with employees of the state archives across Kazakhstan, this article examines the impact of digital technology on Kazakh archivists. Although the impact of information technology on human life in the information age is growing, there is a lack of research in Kazakhstan about how the deep transformation in society engendered by digital technology has affected the national archival system and archivists. It is therefore not fully understood how they can influence and what changes they bring to the archival system in Kazakhstan and archivists. Hence, this study aims to fill the gap in this specific area and contribute to the scholarship on archival science. The results of the study empirically confirm the positive impact of information technology on the work of archivists. The obtained data require a critical approach to the role of information technology in the work of archivists.

Russia’s war with Ukraine and Russia’s revisionism on the international stage

Russia’s war with Ukraine and Russia’s revisionism on the international stage

Author(s): Tomasz STĘPNIEWSKI / Language(s): English / Issue: 11/2022

Keywords: Russia-Ukraine war; Russia’s revisionism; Ukraine; Russia; Ukraine’s security; Central Europe’s security

Russia’s armed conflict with Ukraine, ongoing since 2014, has created conditions for Russia to revise the balance of power in Eastern Europe, and even the international order established after the Cold War. The aim of this article is firstly to show Ukraine, in a highly synthetic way, as a state at a crossroads but simultaneously a key state in terms of Russia’s interests in the post-Soviet area, then the motives for Russia’s redrawing the post-Cold War international order, taking into account the location and role of Ukraine. The article merely indicates the problem of research, and does not claim the right to comprehensively cover the issue in question.

Fiona K. Haarer, Justinian: Empire and Society in the Sixth Century, Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2022, ISBN: 978-0-7486-3678-5

Fiona K. Haarer, Justinian: Empire and Society in the Sixth Century, Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2022, ISBN: 978-0-7486-3678-5

Author(s): Joanna SZKLARZ / Language(s): English / Issue: 11/2022

The plan of Kamianets-Podilskyi from 1773

The plan of Kamianets-Podilskyi from 1773

Author(s): Leszek Opyrchał / Language(s): English / Issue: 11/2022

Keywords: Kamianets-Podilskyi; Kamieniec Podolski; fortress; historical cartography

The paper discusses a plan of the Kamianets-Podilskyi fortress from the year 1773, which has not been known until now. The performed analyses of the biographical notes of the Reibnitz family, demonstrated that the most probable author is Ferdinand Friedrich Christoph von Reibnitz, a standard-bearer and later captain of the regiment of royal infantry. The descriptions in the plan and the legend were made in German. The shape of the city and of the castles is represented in a very deformed way, however, the plan includes many details of the city surroundings, such as the locations of windmills or of the Evangelical and Jewish cemeteries. The errors in the representation of both castles, the new one and the old one, suggest that the discussed plan is a copy of the plan kept in Berlin, at the Prussian Privy State Archives.

The Magnates of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 16th-18th century: towards Sejmiks. Ciechanowiec May 24-27, 2022

The Magnates of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 16th-18th century: towards Sejmiks. Ciechanowiec May 24-27, 2022

Author(s): Artur GOSZCZYŃSKI / Language(s): English / Issue: 11/2022

Keywords: History; History of Poland; Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth; the scientific conference

Overview and description of the 6th edition of Scientific Conference “The Magnates of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 16th-18th century” in Ciechanowiec (2022.05.24-27).

The Investigation of residential architecture in the Bronze Age. Tape Yal (Yalda), Sistan and Baluchestan province,

The Investigation of residential architecture in the Bronze Age. Tape Yal (Yalda), Sistan and Baluchestan province, Iran

Author(s): Zohreh OVEISI-KEIKHA,Hosseinali KAVOSH / Language(s): English / Issue: 12/2023

Keywords: Archaeology; Iran; Sistan; Hirmand Civilization; Bronze Age; Architectural Archaeology

The first villages were formed during the Neolithic period, when people began building residential architecture. Villages continued to exist in Iran until the 2nd half of the 4th millennium BC, when the first cities appeared. Settlement in Shahr-i Sokhta had begun during this period, and in the 3rd millennium BC, the city’s size expanded and many related-settlement sites were formed in the Sistan plain. A prominent related-settlement site of Shahr-i Sokhta is Tape Yal or Taleb Khan 2, located 11 kilometres from the city. An excavation was conducted at this site by one of the author. This article analyses the architectural features of this site, a Bronze Age village of the Hirmand civilization, based on the findings of this excavation. It has been determined that this site contains residential buildings, workshops, and storage rooms with mudbrick construction. The above residential buildings probably belonged to the craftsmen of this village who lived next to their workshops. The first villages were formed during the Neolithic period, when people began building residential architecture. Villages continued to exist in Iran until the 2nd half of the 4th millennium BC, when the first cities appeared. Settlement in Shahr-i Sokhta had begun during this period, and in the 3rd millennium BC, the city’s size expanded and many related-settlement sites were formed in the Sistan plain. A prominent related-settlement site of Shahr-i Sokhta is Tape Yal or Taleb Khan 2, located 11 kilometres from the city. An excavation was conducted at this site by one of the author. This article analyses the architectural features of this site, a Bronze Age village of the Hirmand civilization, based on the findings of this excavation. It has been determined that this site contains residential buildings, workshops, and storage rooms with mudbrick construction. The above residential buildings probably belonged to the craftsmen of this village who lived next to their workshops.

Cremation in Elamite period (Sukkalmah): Hirbodan site

Cremation in Elamite period (Sukkalmah): Hirbodan site

Author(s): Sepideh Jamshidi YEGANEH / Language(s): English / Issue: 12/2023

Keywords: Archeology; History; Iran; Elamite; Anshan; Cremation; Funeral Archaeology

Every region and period have its own characteristics when it comes to burial, which is considered a part of spiritual and material culture. Since burial practices are influenced by society's thoughts, beliefs, and culture, studying them can help reconstruct the evolution of ancient culture. Large parts of Iran were considered the territory of the Elamite civilisation from about 2700 BCE until the beginning of the Achaemenid empire. While various studies have been conducted on the cultural materials of this period, burial methods, especially in the old Elamite period, remain unknown. The evidence of cremation is one of a unique range of features that can be observed among burying ritual in a society. Based on the findings, this article describes the evidence for cremation in the Old Elamite period in south of Iran. In Hirbodan, a corpse was buried in a crouching position and burned with wood sticks. It can be concluded from the burn marks on the skeleton and the soil beneath the body, that the body had been burned inside the grave before being covered in soil. This burial is associated with the old Elamite civilization and with the reign of the Sukkalmah dynasty based on the analysis of pottery and C14 results.

Achaemenid Settlement in Shiraz Plain: Tol-e Sefid Sadra

Achaemenid Settlement in Shiraz Plain: Tol-e Sefid Sadra

Author(s): Alireaza ASKARI CHAVERDI / Language(s): English / Issue: 12/2023

Keywords: Archeology; History; Iran; Shiraz; Tirazziš; Tol-e Sefid; Achaemenid; Post-Achaemenid

Shiraz plain is one of the most important plains adjacent to Persepolis. Tirazziš place have been mentioned in the Persepolis Archives many times. For further research on the place name of modernShiraz with what is mentioned in the Achaemenid’s Archives, it was necessary to carried out an archeological survey in this plain. Objective and methodical archeological researches had not been carried out in the Shiraz plain until 2008. In the process of this new methodical archaeological survey,one of the most important ancient sites of the Achaemenid and Post-Achaemenid periods was identified in the Shiraz plain. According to the ceramic documents, this site was inhabited in the Achaemenid and Post-Achaemenid periods. Shiraz is mentioned in the Persepolis Archives under the Elamite form Tirazziš. This site attests to the situation of the Shiraz plain in the Achaemenid and Post-Achaemenid periods. The introduction of this ancient site provides a new perspective to understand the relationship between the Shiraz plain in the Achaemenid period and its connection with Persepolis.