54/3. Olha Lahunova

Olha Lahunova

Candidate of Historical Sciences (Ph.D. in History), 

Assistant Department of Ethnology and Local History, 

Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv,

Kyiv, Ukraine

E-mail: olha.lahunova@knu.ua

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7403-7389
DOI: 10.17721/2522-4611.2026.54.3

ETHNOLOGICAL STUDIES OF THE PEOPLES OF THE EAST BY ACADEMICIAN AHATANHEL KRYMSKYI (SOURCE REVIEW OF UNPUBLISHED PAPERS OF THE SCIENTIST FROM THE FUNDS OF INSTITUTE OF MANUSCRIPT OF V. I. VERNADSKYI NATIONAL LIBRARY OF UKRAINE)

The relevance of the article is the formulation and elaboration of a new topic that has not been thoroughly researched in historical science. Unpublished papers by A. Krymskyi, stored in the funds of the Institute of Manuscripts, have been introduced into scientific circulation. Purpose of the work. To conduct a source review of scientific papers on the ethnology of the Eastern peoples by the scientific secretary of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences Ahatanhel Yukhymovych Krymskyi (1871-1942), which he wrote while working at the academy. To introduce into scientific circulation manuscripts of papers on the traditional culture of the Eastern peoples that were not published by the scientist due to Soviet repressions. These manuscripts are stored in the funds of Institute of Manuscript of V. I. Vernadskyi National Library of Ukraine. Methods. To write the article, the biographical method was used to study the professional activities of A. Krymskyi during his work at the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences. The methods of source heuristics made it possible to find the ethnological papers of the academician in the funds of the Institute of Manuscripts and determine their affiliation with cultural anthropology (ethnology). In article І used methods of criticism of historical sources, which are determined by the specifics of the object of study. Conclusions. The manuscripts for the scientist's unfinished work “Materials for the Study of the Language and Ethnography of Syria” show to us a wide range of A. Krymskyi's knowledge of the everyday life and folklore of the peoples of Western Asia. An analysis of the cases from the funds of the Institute of Manuscripts allows us to assert that this unfinished book should have consisted of three parts: everyday life, folklore and dialects of the peoples of the so-called “Greater Syria”, which included the territory of modern Lebanon until 1918. Most of the data for the study were taken by him from the papers of other travelers and Western European scientists. The analysis of the papers of other scientists and combination with his observations during his travels in the territory of modern Lebanon reveals to us the large-scale scientific work of the scientist. This book could be embodied in a unique work that has not lost its relevance in our time. Therefore, the work “Materials…” awaits its proper assessment by scientists and, if possible, publication with appropriate comments from specialists.

Key words: Ahatanhel Krymskyi, archival materials, biography, ethnology, Lebanon, Ukrainian Academy of Sciences.

Received 20.03.2026.

                                                                                       Revised 16.04.2026.

                                                                                        Accepted 20.04.2026.

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