The Reports of Academician J.A. Guldenstadt in the Fonds of the Central State Archive of the Republic of Daghestan
| 20 June 2024
Posted in
Publication of archival documents
Manyshev S.B.,
Makhachkala, Russian Federation
The Reports of Academician J.A. Guldenstadt in the Fonds of the Central State Archive of the Republic of Daghestan
Absract
The article analyzes the reports of academician J. A. Guldenstadt from the fonds of the Central state Archive of the Republic of Daghestan, which allows to review several essential issues concerning the development of the Caucasian spas by the Russian Empire. The expeditions of the Academy of Sciences in 1770s was instrumental in studying of the territory of the Russian Empire, its peoples and their customs and culture. Materials collected by the scientists are still studied and analyzed by the historians, ethnographers and linguists. The scientific expedition headed by a well known naturalist Johann Anton Guldenstadt played was crucial for studying of the Caucasian folk history. Not with standing the fact that its materials were partially published, there remain some documents that have never been brought into the scientific use. Among them of some importance are Guldenstadt reports on the field research in the North Caucasus. In total he spent in the region more than three and a half years. The scientist has scrutinized and sampled the mineral waters of the North Caucasus. He also took note the many oil springs, which had been actively used by the natives since the Middle Ages. But after describing the advantages of the greenhouses he noted that they could not be absolutely safe due to possible attacks of the highlanders. Upon his research Guldenstadt offered a number of measures for state development of the Caucasian spas. One of them was founding a settlement close to the springs in order to attract the patients. The scientist saw great potential in promoting sericulture and viticulture in the region. Guldenstadt's Caucasian papers are of great significance as they have been repeatedly studied, borrowed from and used in reserch. Correspondingly an introduction into the scientific use of new materials allows to broaden the scientific representation of the development of academic science in Russia of the last third of the 18th century and throw light onto some aspects of history of the North Caucasus peoples.
Keywords
Sourse, archival document, North Caucasus, Daghestan, spas, Academy of Sciences, Johann Guldenstadt
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About the authors
Manyshev Sergey Borisovich, candidate for a degree at the Institute of Russian History of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 8-909-481-50-22, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it