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Valentin Lavrentievich Yanin

ヴァレンティン・ラヴレンティエヴィチ・ヤニン

Valentin Lavrentievich Yanin

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1929-02-06 （Vyatka (now Kirov), Kirov Oblast, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union）
Died
2020-02-02 （Moscow, Russian Federation） age 90
Nationality
Soviet Union, Russian Federation
Languages
Russian
Residence History
Vyatka (now Kirov) → Moscow → Novgorod the Great (archaeological fieldwork)

Career

Occupations
Historian, Archaeologist, University professor, Medieval Rus' specialist
Active Years
1954-2020
Affiliations
Faculty of History, Department of Archaeology, Moscow State University, Academy of Sciences (USSR Academy of Sciences / Russian Academy of Sciences), President's Committee for the Defence of the Material Culture of the Russian Federation, Consultative Committee of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, Novgorodian Society of Lovers of Antiquities (honorary member)
Memberships
USSR Academy of Sciences (corresponding member 1962; full member 1990), Moscow State University, Chair of Archaeology (professor; chair held since 1978), President's Committee for the Defence of the Material Culture of the Russian Federation (member), Consultative Committee of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation (member), Novgorodian Society of Lovers of Antiquities (honorary member)

Education

Lomonosov Moscow State University
Faculty of History / Department of Archaeology
Degree: Kandidat (候補学位)
Period: 1951–1954
Year of Graduation: 1954
Country: Soviet Union
Defended Kandidat thesis in 1954; thesis published as 'The Monetary and Weight Systems of Medieval Russia'.
Lomonosov Moscow State University
Faculty of History / Department of Archaeology
Degree: Doctor of Historical Sciences (Doktor nauk)
Period: 1954–1962
Year of Graduation: 1962
Country: Soviet Union
Awarded doctoral degree in 1962 for the thesis 'Novgorodskie Posadniki', which significantly changed understanding of Novgorod's institutions.

Awards

Lomonosov Gold Medal
1999
Organization: Russian Academy of Sciences
Result: 受賞
USSR State Prize
1970
Organization: Government of the Soviet Union
Result: 受賞
Lenin Prize
1984
Organization: Government of the Soviet Union
Result: 受賞
Demidov Prize
1993
Organization: Demidov Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
State Prize of the Russian Federation
1996
Organization: Government of the Russian Federation
Result: 受賞
Solzhenitsyn Prize
2010
Organization: Solzhenitsyn Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Triumph Prize
2002
Organization: Triumph Foundation
Result: 受賞
Order of Merit for the Fatherland, 4th class
2009
Organization: Office of the President of the Russian Federation
Result: 受章
Order of Lenin
1990
Organization: Government of the Soviet Union
Result: 受章
Order of the Red Banner of Labour
Organization: Government of the Soviet Union
Result: 受章
Order of Friendship of Peoples
Organization: Government of the Soviet Union
Result: 受章
Medal 'Veteran of Labour'
Organization: Government of the Soviet Union
Result: 受章
Yaroslav the Wise Medal (first degree)
Organization: Yaroslav-the-Wise Novgorod State University
Result: 受賞
Honorary Citizen of Novgorod the Great
Organization: Novgorod the Great
Result: 栄誉称号

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Monetary and Weight Systems of Medieval Russia (Денежно-весовые системы русского средневековья)

1954 Economic history / History

A systematic study of the monetary and weight systems in pre-Mongol Rus'; it uses documentary and archaeological evidence and became a classic in Russian monetary history.

monetary historyeconomic historymedieval Rus'

Novgorod Posadniks (Novgorodskie Posadniki)

1962 Political history / Institutional history

Examines the office of the posadnik in Novgorod, demonstrating that the office was often held by the same individual for several consecutive years and sometimes passed within families, challenging the image of Novgorod as an entirely democratic republic.

Novgorod historyinstitutional historymedieval politics

Seals of Ancient Rus (Pechati Drevnei Rusi)

1970 Sphragistics / Epigraphy / Source studies

A two-volume monograph compiling seals and signets of Ancient Rus', summarizing decades of Soviet sphragistics research.

sphragisticsarchaeologysource studies

Studies of Novgorod Birch-Bark Documents

Philology / History

A series of studies on the Novgorod birch-bark documents, establishing him (alongside Andrey Zaliznyak) as a leading authority in the field.

birch-bark documentsNovgorodphilology

Bibliography

  • The Monetary and Weight Systems of Medieval Russia (Денежно-весовые системы русского средневековья)
  • Novgorod Posadniks (Novgorodskie Posadniki)
  • Seals of Ancient Rus (Pechati Drevnei Rusi)
  • Various articles on the Novgorod birch-bark documents

Style & Themes

Literary Style
scholarlyempiricalsource-critical
Recurring Motifs
Novgorodmedieval institutionsseals and documentary sourcesbirch-bark documentseconomic history

Legacy

An international authority on medieval Rus', especially Novgorod, birch-bark documents and sphragistics. Author of over 700 works, he influenced Novgorod archaeology and institutional history; in 1999 he was awarded the Lomonosov Gold Medal, a landmark for historians.

Academic Societies

  • USSR Academy of Sciences / Russian Academy of Sciences
  • Faculty of History, Moscow State University

Archives

  • Archives of the Faculty of History, Moscow State University
  • Archive of the Russian Academy of Sciences (related materials)

Trivia

  • Extremely prolific scholar with over 700 publications (books and articles).
  • Led archaeological excavations in Novgorod from 1962 and became a leading authority on birch-bark documents.
  • Elected corresponding member of the Academy in 1962 and full academician in 1990.
  • In 1999 he became the first historian to be awarded the Lomonosov Gold Medal.
  • Experienced family persecution: maternal grandparents arrested in 1937 and died in a prison camp in 1938.