Kievskaia starina

Kievskaia starina, literally “Kievan antiquity,” was a monthly historical, ethnographic and literary chronicle published in Kyiv from 1882 until its transformation into Ukraina in 1906, with the successor publication continuing into 1907. It was issued primarily in Russian because the Russian imperial censorship system severely restricted Ukrainian-language publishing, yet its subject matter, contributors and institutional purpose were closely connected with Ukrainian history and culture. The periodical emerged from a long-standing desire among Kyiv intellectuals to create a publication devoted specifically to the history of Ukraine. Earlier Ukrainian-oriented journals and collections had generally emphasized literature, folklore and ethnography, while historical materials were often published in Russian periodicals that interpreted the past of Ukraine through an imperial framework. In the 1840s, Kyiv University rector Mykhailo Maksymovych had sought permission to establish a historical journal in Kyiv, but the request was rejected by Emperor Nicholas I. Later, from 1879, Oleksandr Lazarevsky and Volodymyr Antonovych discussed creating a new Ukrainian historical publication. Preparatory work, including editorial meetings and the drafting of a publishing program, took place in 1881. The organizing circle drew heavily on the Kyiv Old Community, a network of Ukrainian intellectuals and cultural activists. The proposed titles included Ukrainian Antiquity, Zaporizhzhia Antiquity and Ukrainian Archive, but the founders selected the more politically acceptable compromise title Kievskaia starina. The publication program was approved by the Russian imperial authorities in October 1881. Feofan Lebedyntsev became the first editor, helped by his reputation as a reliable figure in official circles and by his earlier editorial experience. Financial support came from Ukrainian patrons, including Vasyl Symyrenko and Hryhoriy Galagan; the preparatory effort reportedly included a substantial contribution from Symyrenko to Ukrainian cultural causes. During its first period, the magazine published historical documents, archaeological and ethnographic materials, literary texts, memoirs, scholarly studies, reviews and bibliographic information. Each issue was relatively short at first, generally containing ten to twelve printer’s sheets. Despite censorship restrictions, the editors used Russian-language publication to preserve and investigate Ukrainian historical subject matter. The journal’s scholarly network included Volodymyr Antonovych, Dmytro Bahaliy, Mykola Kostomarov, Pavlo Zhytetsky, Orest Levytsky, Oleksandr Yefymenko, Oleksandr Lazarevsky and other historians, archivists, linguists and folklorists. The magazine experienced continuing financial difficulties, and its profits reportedly did not cover its costs. After Lebedyntsev’s editorship ended, publication rights were transferred to Oleksandr Lashkevych in late 1887. Under Lashkevych, Fedor Myshchenko served as the practical editor for an important period, and the publication expanded its documentary and critical material. New or strengthened departments covered criticism, bibliography and reference information. The physical production also improved: issues became longer, paper quality increased and the blue cover gave the periodical a more distinctive appearance. Indexing projects, including an alphabetical index of names and notable places and a later systematic index of the first decade, increased its value as a research resource. Kievskaia starina functioned as an unofficial cultural platform of the Old Community. Its approach was often moderate in tone, partly reflecting the political and censorship conditions of the Russian Empire, but its cumulative contribution was strongly connected with the preservation and professional study of Ukrainian historical memory. In 1884 it printed Knyaginya, the first known prose work by Taras Shevchenko, in Russian. In 1899 Mykola Biliashivskyi began publishing an archaeological chronicle as a supplement; from 1901 to 1905 that project appeared as a separate periodical. A major change came after restrictions on Ukrainian-language publishing were relaxed in the aftermath of the 1905 Revolution. In its final phase, the periodical was renamed Ukraina and moved to Ukrainian-language publication. Naumenko continued a monthly publication under that name for another year after Kievskaia starina ceased appearing. The original magazine therefore occupies a transitional position between nineteenth-century imperial scholarly publishing and the more openly Ukrainian cultural press of the early twentieth century. Later attempts to revive the title were made during the late Soviet period, but a durable successor appeared only in 1992, when Petro Tolochko helped establish Kyivska starovyna, a Ukrainian-language journal associated with the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. That later publication is historically related but is not the same publishing entity as the imperial-era Kievskaia starina.

The origins of Kievskaia starina lay in the nineteenth-century Ukrainian intellectual movement’s effort to create a dedicated historical journal in Kyiv. Ukrainian history was often treated in Russian imperial publications from perspectives that subordinated or reinterpreted Ukrainian experience. Existing Ukrainian-oriented periodicals tended to focus on literary and ethnographic themes rather than sustained historical research. An earlier attempt by Mykhailo Maksymovych, rector of the University of Kyiv, to secure permission for a historical journal in the 1840s had been rejected by Emperor Nicholas I. A new initiative developed through discussions between Oleksandr Lazarevsky and Volodymyr Antonovych beginning in 1879. During 1881, members of the Kyiv Old Community prepared a publication plan, held editorial meetings and assembled articles, reviews and research notes. The group included Antonovych, Lazarevsky, Mykola Petrov, Pavlo Zhytetsky, Oleksandr Kistiakivsky, Orest Levytsky and others. Financial backing was supplied by Ukrainian patrons, including Vasyl Symyrenko and Hryhoriy Galagan. The organizers sought an editor who would be acceptable to the Old Community while also appearing sufficiently reliable to the imperial authorities. Feofan Lebedyntsev, an experienced cleric and former official with editorial experience, was selected. The proposed title went through several possibilities before the organizers settled on Kievskaia starina. The publication program was submitted to the Main Directorate for Printing in August 1881 and approved by Interior Minister Mykola Ignatiev in October of that year. The first issues appeared in 1882. The magazine was nominally Russian-language, reflecting the restrictions imposed on Ukrainian publishing, but its research agenda was centered on Ukrainian history, culture, archaeology, folklore and literature. Its contents included archival documents, historical essays, archaeological observations, ethnographic records, memoirs, literary texts, reviews and bibliographic notices. Lebedyntsev’s editorial period lasted until 1887. The publication established itself as a meeting point for historians and cultural researchers, although it faced persistent financial problems and operated with limited commercial prospects. In 1882, an alphabetical index of personal names and significant places and objects began to be compiled for the journal’s volumes. The final issue of 1887 announced a temporary suspension associated with the editor’s illness and the difficult circumstances surrounding the publication. In December 1887, publishing rights were transferred to Oleksandr Lashkevych. The authorities approved him as editor-in-chief in February 1888, and the first issue under the new arrangement appeared the following month. Fedor Myshchenko acted as the practical editor for an important part of this transition. The magazine broadened its documentary and scholarly apparatus, adding or strengthening criticism, bibliographic reporting and reference sections. Its issues became longer, the paper improved and the cover was changed to blue. A consolidated index for the years 1882–1887 was also prepared. During this period, the magazine increasingly resembled a durable research institution rather than only a literary-cultural miscellany. The editorial succession included Yevhen Kivlytskyi from 1890 to 1896 and Volodymyr Pavlovych Naumenko from 1893 through the final Kievskaia starina phase. The dates indicate overlapping editorial responsibilities in the later nineteenth century. Contributors associated with the journal included Volodymyr Antonovych, Dmytro Bahaliy, Mykola Kostomarov, Pavlo Zhytetsky, Orest Levytsky, Oleksandr Yefymenko and Oleksandr Lazarevsky. Their work helped document Ukraine’s past at a time when Ukrainian cultural institutions had limited freedom and resources. The magazine also supported specialized archaeological publishing. In 1899, Mykola Biliashivskyi began an archaeological chronicle as an addition to Kievskaia starina. Between 1901 and 1905 it was issued as a separate magazine, extending the periodical’s documentary and material-culture interests. The political environment changed after the 1905 Revolution, when restrictions on Ukrainian-language publishing were temporarily relaxed. In its last year, Kievskaia starina was renamed Ukraina and adopted Ukrainian as its publication language. Naumenko continued the monthly under that name for another year after the original title disappeared. The publication’s direct run is therefore commonly described as 1882–1907 in accounts that include the successor phase, while the Kievskaia starina title itself belongs principally to the period before the 1906 renaming. Later efforts to revive the historic title were attempted during the late Soviet period. A lasting successor was established in 1992 under the name Kyivska starovyna, a Ukrainian-language scholarly journal associated with the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and managed in its modern foundation period by Petro Tolochko. It represents a later revival of the historical-cultural tradition, not an uninterrupted continuation of the imperial-era publication.

• 1992

  Later historical-cultural revival

  [1]Kievskaia starinaen.wikipedia.org

  A later Ukrainian-language journal, Kyivska starovyna, was established as a successor in the broader scholarly tradition.

• 1906

  Renamed Ukraina

  [1]Kievskaia starinaen.wikipedia.org

  The periodical adopted the name Ukraina and shifted to Ukrainian-language publication after censorship restrictions eased.

• 1899

  Archaeological chronicle launched

  [1]Kievskaia starinaen.wikipedia.org

  Mykola Biliashivskyi introduced an archaeological chronicle as a supplement to the periodical.

• 1893

  First decade index is compiled

  [1]Kievskaia starinaen.wikipedia.org

  Volodymyr Naumenko compiled a systematic index covering the contents of the journal’s first decade.

• 1887

  Change in publishing rights

  [1]Kievskaia starinaen.wikipedia.org

  Publishing rights moved to Oleksandr Lashkevych after the end of Lebedyntsev’s first editorial period.

• 1884

  Publication of Knyaginya

  [1]Kievskaia starinaen.wikipedia.org

  The magazine printed Taras Shevchenko’s prose work Knyaginya in Russian.

• 1882

  First issue appears

  [1]Kievskaia starinaen.wikipedia.org

  Kievskaia starina began monthly publication in Kyiv under Feofan Lebedyntsev.

• 1881

  Publication program receives approval

  [1]Kievskaia starinaen.wikipedia.org

  The proposed title and editorial program were submitted to the imperial printing authorities and approved in October.

• 1879

  Founding discussions begin

  [1]Kievskaia starinaen.wikipedia.org

  Oleksandr Lazarevsky and Volodymyr Antonovych began discussing the creation of a dedicated Ukrainian historical periodical.

A scholarly cultural periodical devoted to the history, archaeology, ethnography, literature and historical memory of Ukraine, operating within the linguistic and political constraints of the Russian Empire.

• Historical and cultural periodical · 1882

  Kievskaia starina

  The core monthly publication combined historical research, archival documents, archaeology, ethnography, literary material, memoirs, criticism and bibliographic information. Although published mainly in Russian under imperial censorship, it concentrated on Ukrainian historical and cultural subjects and provided a durable scholarly platform for members and associates of the Kyiv Old Community.

• Successor periodical · 1906

  Ukraina

  In the final phase of the original magazine, the title changed to Ukraina and the publication moved into Ukrainian-language publishing after restrictions on Ukrainian had been relaxed. Naumenko continued the monthly under this name for approximately another year.

• Archaeological supplement and related periodical · 1899

  Archaeological chronicle of southern Russia

  Started by Mykola Biliashivskyi in 1899 as an addition to Kievskaia starina, this archaeological publication became a separate magazine from 1901 to 1905 and extended the journal’s interest in material remains and archaeological documentation.

• 1906

  Rename the periodical Ukraina and adopt UkrainianStrategy

  Background

  The Russian Empire temporarily relaxed restrictions on Ukrainian-language publishing following the political changes of 1905.

  Action taken

  The magazine changed its name from Kievskaia starina to Ukraina and began publishing in Ukrainian.

  Aftermath

  The original title ceased to be used, while Naumenko continued a monthly successor publication under the new name for another year.

  Source

1. 1Kievskaia starinaen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Kievskaia starina in the Encyclopedia of Modern Ukraineesu.com.ua