V. G. Vasilevsky’s contribution to the study of Tacitus’ “Germania” in Russian classics
Starostin Dmitrii Nikolaevich, Kuleshova Elena Vladimirovna
Saint Petersburg State University
Submitted: 06.11.2023
Abstract. The research aims to deepen the understanding of the views of the famous Byzantinist V. G. Vasilevsky on the possibility of involving the work “Germania” by Tacitus (56-120 AD) to consider the causes of the collapse of the Western Roman Empire on the basis of Vasilevsky’s previously unused reports on research trips to Europe, lecture courses, as well as his handwritten biography by his student I. M. Grevs. The objectives of the research are to scientifically substantiate the significance of V. G. Vasilevsky’s contribution to the study of Tacitus in Russian classics. The paper examines how the works by the famous Russian Byzantinist and academician of the St. Petersburg Imperial Academy of Sciences V. G. Vasilevsky developed approaches to the study of the works by the Roman historian Cornelius Tacitus, which had a significant impact on the interpretation of this author in the national historical tradition. It is shown that the Russian scientist was able to find new approaches to the source. He drew attention to the fact that one can find an indication of the disintegration of the agricultural community and the formation of an extremely unstable society of small family land ownership in Tacitus’ writings. Thus, V. G. Vasilevsky was one of the first to notice that we find the theme of the economic crisis as early as the beginning of the 2nd century AD. Scientific novelty consists in providing a new holistic picture of V. G. Vasilevsky’s activities as an expert in the collapse of the Western Roman Empire and, in particular, in the interpretation of Tacitus’ “Germania”. As a result, it has been found that despite the fact that V. G. Vasilevsky gained fame as a Byzantinist by the end of his life, the issues of the collapse of the Western Roman Empire interested him during his studies and he addressed them in his lecture activities. Thus, V. G. Vasilevsky’s scientific legacy can be supplemented by the theme of a new approach to Tacitus’ “Germania” as a source that marked the beginning of the social and economic crisis in the Western Roman Empire.
Key words and phrases: В. Г. Васильевский, В. И. Модестов, И. М. Гревс, Корнелий Тацит, община, социально-экономический кризис, Западная Римская империя, V. G. Vasilevsky, V. I. Modestov, I. M. Grevs, Cornelius Tacitus, community, socio-economic crisis, Western Roman Empire
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