This article presents a historiographical review of sources and scholarly literature dedicated to exploring the intricate cultural connections between Sasanian-era Iran and ancient Derbent. The con- temporary relevance of this research is underscored by the importance of examining cultural exchanges within contact zones. The primary aim is to survey previous studies on the interactions between Iran and Derbent to promote constructive dialogue and collaboration in both the present and future. The author conducts a thorough assessment of the existing historiographical materials on this subject, emphasizing the need to investigate the influence of Sasanian cultural heritage in shaping the social and cultural landscape of the peoples who inhabited this historical region.

This study examines the development of the administrative-territorial structure of Transbaikal, and to some extent, the Amur region, between the 1650s and 1680s, drawing on archival and published administrative sources. It corrects numerous inaccuracies and errors found in historiography concerning this process. The social, administrative, and official status of the Transbaikal administrators is clarified, and the formation and duration of several districts — Nerchinsk (from 1680), Selenginsk (1680–1683), Albazin (1683–1686), and Irkutsk (from 1688) uyezds (districts) — are determined. Furthermore, the local governance system in the Transbaikal region is described, alongside the factors that contributed to its transformation. These factors primarily pertain to Russia’s relationships with Mongolia and Qing China, as well as the changing military-political situation in Transbaikalia and the Amur region.

The fate of Alexey Tolbuzin – the first and last voivode of Albazin, who perished while defending the fortress in 1686 – has long captured the interest of researchers. Yet, no one has succeeded in reconstructing the history of the noble Torbuzin family (sluzhilyi rod). This article introduces previously unknown information into scholarly discourse, supporting the hypothesis of kinship ties between Alexey Tolbuzin’s family and boyar scions Pavel Yakovlevich Shulgin. Additionally, it examines A. Tolbuzin’s first service appointment in Dauria, the reasons for his selection as prikaznyy chelovek (administrative official) of the Nerchinsk ostrogs (forts), and the duration of this service. Based on the research findings, it has become possible to construct a partial genealogical tree for A. Tolbuzin and identify the sources of his family’s income.

A 16th-century copy of the Prologue, belonging to M. N. Tikhomirov’s collection of manuscripts housed at the State Public Scientific and Technical Library of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (№ 556), is now being introduced into academic discourse. This study delineates the codicological features of the manuscript, establishes its dating, and describes the repertoire of Russian articles it contains. It has been determined that the majority of the readings correspond to the extended version of the Prologue, whereas those for early April and May align with the shorter version. In sections featuring the extended version, the manuscript closely resembles the Sofiiskaya group of copies. This connection is further reinforced by unique elements in the composition and structure of the collection, such as distinctive articles specific to this group, variations in the arrangement of individual texts within the calendar structure, and discrepancies in the titles of several didactic texts. An analysis of the insertion note has led to the conclusion that the manuscript originated from the Church of St. Nicholas in Opoki, a city situated on the Shelon River. The study incorporated reports regarding the churches and monastery in Opotsk, as well as information from the Novgorod Census Books of the Shelon Pyatina from 1498 and 1575/1576. These sources underscore the unique details concerning the clergy of the Nikolskaya Church and the Opotsky Monastery, as recorded in Tikhomirov’s Prologue.

This study seeks to identify, interpret, and date the historical battles described in a collection of Altai folk legends, drawing upon both written and archaeological sources. The Altai folklore tradition contains accounts of several significant historical battles, some of which reference events from both earlier andlater periods. These include: the Battle of the Teleuts and Dörbets (Oirats) on the left bank of the Tom River (1672); the Siege of Erdeni-Dzo by the troops of Galdan-Boshoktu (1688); the Tibetan campaign led by Tsewang-Rabdan (1717); the confrontations involving the supporters of Dabachy zaisans Mamut, Moonysh, and Köö-Kökshin against Amyr-Sana (1754); the battles between the armies of zaisans Tödööt, Mola, and Kuljukai against the Khalkha-Manchu army commanded by the Uriankhai zaisan Er-Chadak (1755); and the raid executed by Kochkorbai’s detachment on the nomadic camps of zaisan Köö-Kökshin (1759). The study highlights the presence of legends that feature overlapping themes of battles occurring at different times in the same locations, often resulting in similar outcomes, as well as collective portrayals of specific historical figures. The findings suggest that Altai folk legends serve as a valuable historical resource for examining the military actions of Dzungaria, the Teleut Khanate, and the state of the Yenisei Kyrgyz.

This article examines «The Tale of Bova the Prince» as part of an 18th-century collection. The study examines the manuscript collection no. 365 from the collection of Academician M. N. Tikhomirov, which is housed in the Rare Books and Manuscripts Department of the State Public Scientific and Technical Library of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Notably, this manuscript was previously unknown to scholars investigating «The Tale of Bova» and was not referenced in any catalogs of existing copies. The article provides a thorough archaeographic description of the manuscript. An analysis of its composition allows us to draw conclusions regarding the type of collection, based on M. N. Speransky’s classification. Additionally, a close examination of the textual features of «The Tale of Bova» indicates that this copy bears the greatest similarity to the third edition. However, it also exhibits distinct characteristics: the narrative contains both expansions and abbreviations, along with factual discrepancies – including changes to character names and fates, variations in numerals, and alterations to the plot.

This article presents, for the first time in scholarly discourse, the photographic portraits of Pyotr Efimovich Kulakov, an administratively exiled individual who settled in the Irkutsk Governorate at the end of the 19th century. Kulakov is recognized for his statistical and economic research on the indigenous peoples of Eastern Siberia. The photographs of Kulakov, discovered in the State Archive of the Russian Federation, were initially intended for inclusion in the dictionary «Figures of the Revolutionary Movement in Russia» as early as 1935. However, due to the dissolution of the All-Union Society of Political Prisoners and Exiled Settlers, which was responsible for preparing the publication, these photographs have remained unpublished to this day.

The purpose of this article is to systematically organize the philological and semiotic sciences that examine the phenomenon of writing from various perspectives: as a representative form of language, a communicative system of sociolinguistic practice, a texture of speech, and a sign system characterized by a distinct set of signs. The multifaceted nature of writing has given rise to a wide array of theoretical and applied scientific disciplines connected to it. It has been established that the study of writing encompasses four primary areas of knowledge: semiotics, philology, linguistics, and paralinguistics. This classification aligns with the overall trajectory of philological science and its broader activities. Moreover, within these areas, we can identify several subfields: general theoretical disciplines (such as general philology and grammatology), specific theoretical disciplines (including graphics, graphemics, and metagraphemics), applied disciplines (like paleography, textology, and sphragistics), orthological studies (pertaining to spelling and punctuation), practical disciplines (such as typography and script decipherment), and even artistic practices (like calligraphy and font design).

This article reviews scholarly works that focus on understanding the nature and characteristics of text as a complex phenomenon. The study seeks to identify common conceptions of text across various philological disciplines. By exploring text from the perspectives of palaeography, codicology, epigraphy, textology, literary studies, stylistics, semiotics, pragmatics, psycholinguistics, text linguistics, and cognitive linguistics, the author identifies and organizes a range of its defining attributes. The comparative analysis presented in this article may serve as a foundation for establishing a new, comprehensive, and integrated research field centered on the study of text.