Methodology for Analysis of Ancient Sources as a Sample for V.O. Kluchevsky in the Creation of the Scientific History of Russia

The article is devoted to references to ancient history in the scientific works and university lectures of V.O. Klyuchevsky when he considered issues of a source study. Noted is the use of V.O. Klyuchevsky's experience in comparing texts accumulated by specialists in ancient history as he points out significant differences in the source base of Greco-Roman and Russian history. The main rules (techniques) for working with ancient sources identified by Klyuchevsky were restoration and interpretation of the ancient text, determination of the author's point of view, interpretation of the meaning inherent in the text. He noted that historical criticism acquired a masterful skill precisely in the analysis of the works of ancient authors. The main difference between the sources on the medieval history of Rus' and the ancient narrative tradition is according to V.O. Klyuchevsky that the written monuments of the ancient world, on which historical criticism developed its techniques, are all marked by individuality, are works of personal creativity, while the sources on Russian history before the 17th century are “impersonal works of writing”, that is, chronicles and acts. The author of the article comes to the conclusion that the model for Klyuchevsky's development of source study techniques for studying medieval Russian texts was the methods of working with ancient Greek and Roman sources, methods of their criticism and interpretation, as they had developed by the second half of the 19th century. When creating the scientific history of Russia, V.O. Klyuchevsky relied not only on the works of his predecessors in Russian history, but also on the methodology of studying general, especially ancient history.