History of the Vizantiiskiy Vremennik

In the early 90s of the 19th century, academician Vasily Vasilievsky and his assistant, privatdozent of St. Petersburg University Vasily Regel, initiated the establishment of a special periodical at the Imperial Academy of Sciences to publish works on the history of Byzantium. They also became it's first and second editors. The first volume of Vizantiyskiiy Vremennik was published in 1894 in St. Petersburg in 4 issues. Subsequently, the yearbook volumes were published regularly and distributed in Russia and abroad by subscription. From vol. VII with the death of Vasilevsky in May 1899, the publication of the journal was supervised by Regel. During these years, the Vizantiyskiy Vremennik became the center of unification of Russian Byzantine studies and earned the recognition and respect of scientists all over the world. Among the authors of the magazine were prominent Russian and foreign historians. With the outbreak of the First World War, after the publication of the volume XXI in the early days of 1915, Regel transferred editorial responcibilities to the academician Fyodor Uspensky, who tried to save the journal in an unfavorable environment for science. After the publication of the XXII volume in 1916, its release was interrupted for a long time by revolutionary turns. In the most difficult post-revolutionary years, thanks to the efforts of Fyodor Ouspensky, who manages to release 3 more volumes (XXIII – 1923, XXIV – 1926, XXV – 1928), as well as the delayed index volume XVI (1922). With the death of Uspensky in October 1928, the publication ceased, which was facilitated by the unfavorable attitude of the authorities towards Byzantine studies, the gradual decline of professional scientists and financial difficulties.

 

On the eve and during the Great Patriotic War, the Soviet government reassessed the role of historical traditions, which was reflected, in particular, in the "rehabilitation" of Byzantine studies. In the summer of 1941 The Institute of History of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR has prepared for publication the "Byzantine Collection" under the editorship of academician Evgeniy Kosminsky (published only in 1945). In the spring of 1947, after an almost 20-year hiatus, the first volume of the revived Vizantiyskiiy Vremennik was published, which demonstrated continuity with the tradition of the interrupted "old series". The preparation of the "new series" was led by a collective body — the editorial board, which included leading representatives of the Moscow and Leningrad groups of Byzantine studies. The editorial board was headed by academician Evgeniy Kosminsky, who led the publication until volume 17. Further management of the journal was carried out by: from the 18th to the 26th volume (1959–1965) — academican Mikhail Tikhomirov, from the 27th to the 49th volume (1967–1988) — corresponding member Zinaida Udaltsova, from the 50th to the 69th volume (1989–2010) — academician Gennady Litavrin.

 

At the moment, Vizantiyskiiy vremennik is being released under the leadership of akademican RAS Sergey Karpov.