Военный инженер Малиновский: творческая деятельность в Хабаровске

Based on archival materials and the analysis of surviving buildings, the article recreates the creative activity of one of the prominent Far Eastern architects of the early 20th century, the military engineer B.A. Malinovsky. In the article his architectural and engineering works built mainly in the style of neoclassicism are identified, and the contribution of the architect to the development of Khabarovsk is shown. The principles of its design are traced, and a wide typological range of buildings is noted. The article pays attention to other important aspects of Malinovsky's creative activity, in particular, his contribution to the training of engineering personnel in the Far East in the 1920s-1930s.На основе архивных материалов и анализа сохранившихся построек в статье воссоздается творческая деятельность одного из видных дальневосточных архитекторов начала XX века военного инженера Б. А. Малиновского. Выявлены его архитектурные и инженерные произведения, постройки преимущественно в стиле неоклассицизма, показан вклад архитектора в развитие застройки Хабаровска. Прослежены принципы его проектирования, отмечен широкий типологический диапазон построек. Обращается внимание на вклад Малиновского в подготовку инженерных кадров на Дальнем Востоке в 1920–1930-е годы

Historical dynamics and succession of Inner Asian nomadic empires

The constant and variable elements of the formation of medieval nomadic empires are the focus of the study. The basic economic system of pastoral nomads including the species composition of the herd and routes of migrations remained  stable. There are several characteristics of the socialpolitical organisation of nomadic empires which played a decisive role: tribal and supratribal genealogical loyalties, principle of administrative division of the empire; military-hierarchical character nomadic organisation; postal service; specific system of power succession. These elements were also exposed to change. However, several dynamic elements such as technology of transport, weapon and military arts, urbanisation, writing system, and world religions were due to the contacts with the neighbouring agricultural world

Multiregional Emergence of Mobile Pastoralism and Nonuniform Institutional Complexity across Eurasia

In this article I present a new archaeological synthesis concerning the earliest formation of mobile pastoralist economies across central Eurasia. I argue that Eurasian steppe pastoralism developed along distinct local trajectories in the western, central, and (south)eastern steppe, sparking the development of regional networks of interaction in the late fourth and third millennia BC. The “Inner Asian Mountain Corridor” exemplifies the relationship between such incipient regional networks and the process of economic change in the eastern steppe territory. The diverse regional innovations, technologies, and ideologies evident across Eurasia in the mid-third millennium BC are cast as the building blocks of a unique political economy shaped by “nonuniform” institutional alignments among steppe populations throughout the second millennium BC. This theoretical model illustrates how regional channels of interaction between distinct societies positioned Eurasian mobile pastoralists as key players in wide-scale institutional developments among traditionally conceived “core” civilizations while also enabling them to remain strategically independent and small-scale in terms of their own sociopolitical organization. The development of nonuniform institutional complexity among Eurasian pastoralists demonstrates a unique political and economic structure applicable to societies whose variable political and territorial scales are inconsistent with commonly understood evolutionary or corporate sociopolitical typologies such as chiefdoms, states, or empires

Adaptability of Millets and Landscapes: Ancient Cultivation in North-Central Asia

Millet is a highly adaptable plant whose cultivation dramatically altered ancient economies in northern Asia. The adoption of millet is associated with increased subsistence reliability in semi-arid settings and perceived as a cultigen compatible with pastoralism. Here, we examine the pace of millet’s transmission and locales of adoption by compiling stable carbon isotope data from humans and fauna, then comparing them to environmental variables. The Bayesian modelling of isotope data allows for the assessment of changes in dietary intake over time and space. Our results suggest variability in the pace of adoption and intensification of millet production across northern Asia.</jats:p

Quantitative historical analysis uncovers a single dimension of complexity that structures global variation in human social organization.

Do human societies from around the world exhibit similarities in the way that they are structured, and show commonalities in the ways that they have evolved? These are long-standing questions that have proven difficult to answer. To test between competing hypotheses, we constructed a massive repository of historical and archaeological information known as "Seshat: Global History Databank." We systematically coded data on 414 societies from 30 regions around the world spanning the last 10,000 years. We were able to capture information on 51 variables reflecting nine characteristics of human societies, such as social scale, economy, features of governance, and information systems. Our analyses revealed that these different characteristics show strong relationships with each other and that a single principal component captures around three-quarters of the observed variation. Furthermore, we found that different characteristics of social complexity are highly predictable across different world regions. These results suggest that key aspects of social organization are functionally related and do indeed coevolve in predictable ways. Our findings highlight the power of the sciences and humanities working together to rigorously test hypotheses about general rules that may have shaped human history

Quantitative Historical Analysis Uncovers a Single Dimension of Complexity that Structures Global Variation in Human Social Organization

Do human societies from around the world exhibit similarities in the way that they are structured, and show commonalities in the ways that they have evolved? These are long-standing questions that have proven difficult to answer. To test between competing hypotheses, we constructed a massive repository of historical and archaeological information known as “Seshat: Global History Databank.” We systematically coded data on 414 societies from 30 regions around the world spanning the last 10,000 years. We were able to capture information on 51 variables reflecting nine characteristics of human societies, such as social scale, economy, features of governance, and information systems. Our analyses revealed that these different characteristics show strong relationships with each other and that a single principal component captures around three-quarters of the observed variation. Furthermore, we found that different characteristics of social complexity are highly predictable across different world regions. These results suggest that key aspects of social organization are functionally related and do indeed coevolve in predictable ways. Our findings highlight the power of the sciences and humanities working together to rigorously test hypotheses about general rules that may have shaped human history