Head – doctor of history, professor Georgiy Nickolaevich Chagin
Tel.: +(342)2396821
E-mail: anhist@psu.ru; Antiant.new.History@psu.ru
Archaeology office tel.: +7(342)2396498

The Department was formed in 1916 by B.D.Greckov (private-docent, ordinary professor, in the years to follow being academician-and-secretary of the Branch in History and Philosophy of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR).

The Department trains students in the speciality “History”, arranges and conducts field works of the students, such as archaeological, ethnographic, archives and museum ones.

At the Department there used to work the outstanding organizers of the historical science in the Urals, such as professor A.A.Savich (in 1924-1931), professor F.S.Gorovoy (in 1945-1973), associate professor O.N.Bader (in 1946-1956), professor V.A.Oborin (in 1952-1995). With F.S.Gorovoy as editor there was published the first in the national historiography fundamental work under the heading “History of the Urals”, in two volumes (1963, 1965). O.N.Bader founded the first in the Urals Permian School of Archaeologists, held in Perm the first in the Urals archaeological conference, he also founded the museum of the Prikamie archaeology and the River Kama basin studies archaeological expedition. O.N.Bader arranged specialization in archaeology at Perm State University. Among Bader’s disciples there are 6 doctors and 15 candidates of history. In October 2003 the members of the Department held International (16th Urals) Archaeological Meeting dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the outstanding national archaeologist O.N.Bader.

The contemporary fields of research carried out at the Department are as follows: studies into regional historical experience and its interaction with the processes of national history and culture development basing on the example of the Urals studies. The archaeologists study ancient (starting from Palaeolithic) and middle ages cultures of the Urals in the euro-asian cultural space; the ethnographers do research into history, ethnic processes and ethnic identification of the Urals peoples. The Department staff members possess important results in the fields of modernistic cultural studies, early Russian liberalism, historical, cultural and artistic development of Russia and the Urals.

The Department arranges two kinds of expeditions, i.e. the Kama River Basin Archaeological Expedition (since 1947) and the Kama River Basin Ethnographic one (since 1975). The Department is considered to be a recognized centre of archaeological and ethnographic researches in the Urals area. In the recent 3 years the archaeologist have discovered in the Perm Region 330 sites of ancient settlements, excavated 57 relics, the materials of which have been acquired for the state preservation in the Perm Region museums. There is arranged a systemic registration of archaeological relics, during the last 3 years it has been compiled 760 register passports concerning the relics of 1 – 19th centuries of the new era, the latter were presented to Regional Centre of protection and utilization of relics. Basing on the results of the registration the organs of local self-government have put the relics into the state register list. Of great importance seem to be annual archaeological researches carried out in historic towns of Perm Region. Among them of great importance there are excavations in the historical part of the city of Perm where new buildings are erected. The obtained relics of material culture are presented to the Regional folk museum to be kept and further on to be exhibited there.

Field ethnographic researches were carried out in such fields as “Calendar rituals and holidays of the Prikamie area peoples in the 19th – 20th centuries”, and “Contemporary ethnographic processes” in the 10 territories of Perm Region. Field work is carried out together with the Perm Region museums staff. There has been obtained important material for the creation of anthropologic films. The Department received two Grants. Basing on the Perm Region Grant there was carried out the research on the issue “The Contemporary National and International Relations in Perm Region”. The interviewing of 10 nationalities was organized in the southern territories of Perm Region, in the cities of Perm, Berezniki and Chaikovsky. There was accomplished the project under the heading “Old Believers World of the Volga and Kama Rivers Basin”, the latter was considered to be the winning project in the competition under the heading ‘Social Partnership’ of the Regional Fund of Social and Cultural projects of the Privolzhsky Federal Territory Division “Perm-2000” and was financed by The Autonomous Non-commercial Organization “Initiative” (Moscow), being the grant-giver of the project (with the granted sum of 300,000 Roubles). There was formed the data basis concerning the results of studies undertaken in the field of ‘Volga-and-Kama Old Belief’ developed a set of methods for complex field researches to be carried out, the latter was recommended to scientific centres of Privolzhsky federal Region for implementation. There was held a scholarly conference and published a collection of papers under the title “The Old Believers World of the Peoples Inhabiting Volga and Kama Rivers Basin”.

In 2005 the project “Involvement of Stroganov Ancestral Lands to Orthodox Culture” was pronounced the Winner of the 4th Competition of social and cultural projects of the LLC “Lukoil-Perm”. For field researches there were attracted Faculty students who worked in the circle “The Urals Archaeology”.

The Department academics integrate their researches with the ones of the Institute of History and Archaeology of the Urals Branch of the Russia’s Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology of Russia’s Academy of Sciences, the Archeographic Laboratory of Lomonosov Moscow University, with Perm Regional as well as with Ilyinsky, Cherdynsky, Solikamsky, Chaikovsky, Usolsky, Bereznikovsky, Komi-permyatsky, Dobryansky folk museums, as well as with Regional State archives of Perm Region, Department of Public Relations of Perm Region Administration. Creative links are being developed with the Institute of Russia and Eastern Europe (Finland).

At the 4th Congress of ethnographers and anthropologists of Russia (the city of Nalchik, 2001) G.N.Chagin was elected to be the member of the Presidium of Russia’s association of ethnographers and anthropologists. He also works in the Councils awarding higher University degrees: in the united Council of Udmurtsky State University awarding doctor’s degrees (speciality “Ethnography, ethnology, anthropology”, “Archaeology”, “National History”), and Perm State University Council awarding candidate degrees (specialities “National History”, “General History”). At present there are in the process of preparation 5 thesis for the candidate degree. In the 5 recent years there were defended 7 dissertations for the candidate degree.

The Department academics are involved into various kinds of scholarly and educational work. They are members of Academic Councils of Perm Region Local History Museum, Perm State Arts Gallery, Regional State Archives, Coordination Council on National Issues of Perm Region Administration, they work as members of editorial boards of collection of papers and journals

Regular assistance is rendered to the institutions of culture and education in development and arrangement of national and cultural events at the regional scale.
Academic and scholarly potential of the Department is as follows, 11 academics, among then there is 1 doctor of history, 7 candidates of history.

The Department academics deliver lectures on social, economic, political and external political history of Russia of the 10-20th centuries (they are A.F.Melnichuk, K.I.Shneider, V.V.Mukhin, A.V.Shilov). In the specialized courses there are considered the problems of public thought, culture, education, genealogy, demography, role of a personality in the chronicle of events development (the lecturers are as follows: V.V.Ustyugova, G.N.Plotnickova, A.F.Melnichuk, K.I.Shneider, T.A.Kalinina). In the curriculum an important role is allotted to the courses in ethnology, archaeology, history of the Urals, source jurisdiction (the lecturers are as follows, G.N.Chagin, A.V.Chernykh, V.V.Mukhin, P.A.Korchagin, V.V.Ustyugova).