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Vasily Vasilievich Struve
Vasily Struve

Vasily Vasilievich Struve (born February 2, 1889, died September 15, 1965) was a famous Soviet historian. He was an expert in "oriental studies," which means he studied the history and cultures of the East, especially the Ancient Near East. He started a new way of studying ancient history in the Soviet Union.

Early Life and Education

Vasily Struve was born in Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire. In 1907, he began studying history at Saint Petersburg State University. There, he learned Ancient Greek and Latin. He also studied the Egyptian language with a famous Russian expert named Boris Turaev.

Mastering Ancient Languages

Struve became very good at reading all kinds of ancient Egyptian writing. This included a simpler form called Demotic. After graduating in 1911, he continued his research and taught at the university. In 1913, he went to Germany to learn even more about the Egyptian language.

Name Change and Return

During World War I, he changed his name from Wilhelm Wilhelminovich Struve to Vasily Vasilievich Struve. He returned to Russia and became a university lecturer in 1916. By 1920, he was a professor. From 1918 to 1933, he led the Egyptian art and culture department at the Hermitage Museum.

Expanding His Knowledge

While teaching, Struve also started learning other ancient languages. He studied Akkadian language, Biblical Hebrew, and other Semitic languages. He learned these from another expert, Pavel Kokovtsov. Struve also taught himself the Sumerian language.

Career and Major Works

In 1928, Struve earned his Master's Degree in history. His important paper was called Manetho and His Time. Later, he received a special Doctor of Science degree. In 1935, he became a full member of the USSR Academy of Sciences. This meant he was a top academician.

Leading Research Institutes

Struve held several important leadership roles. From 1937 to 1940, he was the head of the USSR Academy of Sciences Ethnography Institute. From 1941 to 1950, he led the Academy's Institute of Oriental Studies. Later, in 1959, he became the head of the Ancient East department at that same institute.

New Ways of Studying History

Struve was a pioneer in how history was studied. He moved away from older ways of thinking. Instead, he used a Marxist approach. This meant he looked closely at how social and economic structures changed over time. His ideas brought big changes to historical research.

Key Contributions to History

Vasily Struve wrote about 400 scientific works during his life. He worked with Boris Turaev on the Moscow Mathematical Papyrus. They published its translation in 1930. As an Egyptologist, he translated and published many Demotic documents from museums in the USSR.

Beyond Egyptology

Struve's research was not only about Egypt. He also wrote major scientific works on the history and art of Sumer, Babylonia, Assyria, and the Hittite Empire. These were all important civilizations of the Ancient Near East.

Important Publications

He wrote many research papers and textbooks in these areas. One of his most important works was "History of the Ancient East" (1941). Struve also led a large team that worked to publish all the Greek writings from the ancient Bosporan Kingdom. He also published a book on the history of the ancient Northern Black Sea Coast, Caucasus, and Middle Asian civilizations.

See also

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