Dzeranov T.E. B. Kaloev and his Study of Traditional Culture of Ossetians. Print

The article attempts to give comprehensive assessment of scientific creativity of B.A. Kaloev, one of the leading researchers of the XXth century ethnography. Scientific heritage of Kaloev encorporates diverse themes, forms and branches. In his works he explores the problems of history, anthropology and ethnography, historiography and Linguistics, folklore, religion and mythology, ethnographic research methodology. The main focus of his research was the traditional culture of the Ossetians, and those peoples whose history and culture have been linked to the Ossetian. By the beginning of the scientific activities of B. Kaloev our science has accumulated a wealth of material about Ossetia and Ossetians. Kaloyev systematised, analysed and gave his own scientific interpretation to the data obtained by his predecessors. Particular attention in the article is paid namely to this aspect of his scientific activity, devoted to individual studies of each of his predecessors, as a tribute to their work. Noting the great personal contribution of B.A.Kaloev into the science and creation of his own material database during his numerous expeditions, the author notes that the scientist comprehensively studied the culture and everyday life of the Ossetian ethnic group in general and separate affinity groups (subethnics), without which it was impossible to create a complete picture of national culture. The main subject of his studies was the traditional spiritual and material culture of the Ossetians. The scholar paid special attention to the various forms of religion from the simplest archaic to monotheistic, and proposed the scientific reconstruction of ancient religious system of the Ossetians, tracing its development from Scythian times till modern times.

Keywords: traditional culture, Ossetians, Alans, mythology, religion, outlook.


References:

  1. Kaloev B.A. Ehtnograficheskie dannye o svyazyah ehtnogeneza osetin so Srednej Aziej [Ethnographic data on ethnogenesis communications of the Ossetians with Central Asia]. Voprosy iranskoj i obshchej filologii [Questions of the Iranian and General philology]. Tbilisi, 1977.

  2. Kaloev B.A. Nekotorye ehtnograficheskie paralleli k osetinskomu nartskomu eposu [Some ethnographic parallels with the Ossetian Nart epos]. Skazaniya o nartah – epos narodov Kavkaza [Legends of the Narts – epos of the peoples of the Caucasus]. Moscow, 1969.

  3. Kaloev B.A. Narody Kavkaza. Antropologiya, lingvistika, hozyajstvo [Peoples of the Caucasus. Anthropology, linguistics, economy (in cooperation with M.G. Abdushelishvili and S.A.Arutyunov)]. Moscow, 1994. 199 p.

  4. Kaloev B.A. Vengerskie alany (Yasy). Istoriko-ehtnograficheskie ocherki [Hungarian Alans (Yases). Historical and ethnographic essays]. Moscow, Nauka Publishing house, 1996. 286 p.

  5. Kaloev B.A. Osetiny: Istoriko-ehtnograficheskie issledovaniya [Ossetians: Historical and ethnographic researches]. Moscow, 1971. 2nd ed.

  6. Kaloev B.A. Osetinskie istoriko-ehtnograficheskie ehtyudy [Ossetian historical and ethnographic etudes]. Moscow, Nauka Publishing house, 1999. 393 p.

  7. Kaloev B.A. V.F. Miller – kavkazoved. Issledovanie i materialy [V.F. Miller as a caucasiologist. Research and materials]. Ordzhonikidze, 1963.

  8. Kaloev B.A. Zemlevladenie i zemlepol'zovanie u mozdokskih osetin [Landowning and land-using of Mozdok Ossetians]. Sovetskaya etnografiya [Soviet ethnography]. 1952, no. 1. pp. 179-183.

  9. Kaloev B.A. Osetiny Vostochnoj Osetii i rajonov Gruzii. Istoriko-ehtnograficheskie ocherki [Ossetians of East Ossetia and regions of Georgia. Historical and ethnographic essays]. Vladikavkaz, Ir Publishing house, 2012.

  10. Osetiny glazami russkih i inostrannyh puteshestvennikov (XIII—XIX vv.) [Ossetians viewed by the Russian and foreign travelers (the XIII—XIX centuries)]. Ordzhonikidze, 1967.

  11. Osetiny [Ossetians]. Moscow, GOLOS-PRESS Publishing house, 2007.

  12. Kaloev B.A. Mozdokskie osetiny [Mozdok Ossetians]. Moscow, 1995.

  13. Kaloev B.A. Programma sbora materialov po zemledeliyu i skotovodstvu dlya “Kavkazskogo istoriko-ehtnograficheskogo atlasa” [Program for collection of materials on agriculture and cattle breeding for “The Caucasian historical and ethnographic atlas”]. Moscow, 1968. 40 p.

  14. Kaloev B.A. Material'naya kul'tura i prikladnoe iskusstvo osetin. Kniga-al'bom [The material culture and applied art of Ossetians. Book-album]. Moscow, 1973.

  15. Narody Kavkaza [Peoples of the Caucasus]. Moscow, 1960, vol. 1.

  16. Narody i religii mira [Peoples and religions of the world]. Moscow, Bol'shaya Rossijskaya ehntsiklopediya Publishing house, 2000.

  17. Mify narodov mira. Enciklopediya. V 2-h t. [Myths of peoples of the world. Encyclopedia. In 2 vols.]. Moscow, Sovetskaya Entsiklopediya Publishing house, 1991-1992.

  18. Osetiny [Ossetians]. Moscow, Nauka Publishing house, 2012.

  19. Kaloev B.A. Zemledelie narodov Severnogo Kavkaza [Agriculture of the peoples of the North Caucasus]. Moscow, 1981.

  20. Kaloev B.A. Skotovodstvo narodov Severnogo Kavkaza s drevnejshih vremen [Cattle breeding of the peoples of the North Caucasus since the most ancient times]. Moscow, 1993.

  21. Miller V.F. V gorah Osetii [In the mountains of Ossetia]. Vladikavkaz, Alaniya Publishing house, 1998.