Zabelin Ivan

Zabelin Ivan (1820‒1908) – historian, archeologist, bibliophile, collector of Russian antiquities.

In 1832, he entered to the Moscow Preobrazhenskoe school at the Catherine’s Orphan House. After it, he had no chance to keep his education, because he had to earn money for life. In 1837, he started to serve as a clerk of the second rank at the Armoury, where they held weapons, utensils, clothes, and documents of the sixteenth – seventeenth centuries. That place determined his further destiny. Since 1848, he became Assistant of Archivist; since 1856 – Archivist of the Moscow palace Office. He not only kept, but also studied documents of the palace archive and objects of the Armoury.

In 1842, in an attachment to the newspaper ‘Moskovskie gubernskie vedomosti’ (No 17, pp. 367-370) he published his first article on the ceremonial entries of Moscow tsars for pilgrimage. It attracted attention of readers, and the Trustee of the Moscow Educative District, Chairman of the Imperial Society for Russian History and Antiquities at the Moscow University, Count S. G. Stroganov also was impressed. In 1847, Z. was elected as a candidate-member of the Society, and in 1851 – full member. He participated in the publication of multi-volumed collection of historical materials ‘Antiquities of the Russian State’ (Moscow, 1849-1853. 6 vol.).

In 1840-s, he became free visitors of the classes of the Moscow University. In 1853-1869, he taught at the Constantine’s Land Surveying Institute, and the School of Topographers; he also led classes in Russian history, archeology, and paleography.

Since 1859, he became Titular Councilor and started to work at the Archeological Commission. He participated in the excavations at Scythian mounds and classical cities in the south of Russia. Especially precious were findings by the city of Nikopol’ (the Mound of Chertomlyk) and on the Taman’ Isthmuss. For some time, he has headed the Museum of Antiquities in Kerch.

In 1870-s, he participated in the foundation of the Historical Museum; since 1885, he became Deputy Chairman of the museum. He took an active part in developing the collections of the museum and gifted it his own collection.

He got the Doctor degree in history honoris causa at the Kievan St Vladimir University (1871). In 1873, he became a member of the Commission for the restoration of the Correctors’ and Book Chambers in Kremlin; in 1870-s – 1880-s, he participated in the work of all commissions for the restorations of the key monuments of Old Russian architecture.

In 1876, he retired in the rank of Actual State Council.

Correspondent Member (1884) and Honourary Member (1907) of the Ac. of Sc.

Chairman of the Society for Russian History and Antiquities 91879-1888); Member of the Moscow Archeological Society, the Society for Support of Fine Arts; the Society for Natural Studies, Anthropology and Ethnography.

He was awarded with the Order of St Stanislaw of the 2nd Level – in 1864 (for his archeological activity); the Order of St Vladimir of the 2nd Level – in 1896 9for the restoration works).

Compositions

Some Court Rites and Customs of Moscow Tsars at the Christmas Feast // Moskovskie gubernskie vedomosti. 1846, No 155, December 26, pp. 1074-1075. (in Rus.)
The Tsar Entry on the Epiphany Day // Moskvityanin. 1850, book 1, part 5, pp. 19-26. (in Rus.)
Palm Sunday in the Old Times // Moskvityanin. 1850, book 8, part 5, pp. 163-172. (in Rus.)
Materials for the History of Russian Icon Painting // Vestnik of the Society for the History of Russian Antiquity. 1850, book. 7, pp. 1-128. (in Rus.)
A Historical Description of the Moscow Stauropegic Donskoy Monastery. Moscow, 1865. (in Rus.)
Scythian Burials. Mound of Chertomlyk. Moscow, 1865. (in Rus.)
Antiquities of Scythia by Herodotus: Collection of Descriptions and Archeological Excavations and Finds in the Steppes by the Black Sea. St. Petersburg, 1872, iss. 2. (in Rus.)
The Home Life of Russian Tsars in the Sixteenth – Seventeenth Centuries. Moscow, 1862. (republ. Moscow, 2000) (in Rus.)
The Home Life of Russian Tsarinas in the Sixteenth – Seventeenth Centuries. Moscow, 1869. (republ. Moscow, 2001) (in Rus.)
Etudes on Studies in the Field of Russian Antiquities and History, in 2 vol. Moscow, 1872-1873. (in Rus.)
The First Introduction of Greek-Latin and Common European Knowledge in Moscow: Speech in the Society for Russian History and Antiquities. April 19, 1886. Moscow University. (М. Катков), 1887. (in Rus.)
Materials for the History, Archeology and Statistics of the City of Moscow. Parts 1-2. Moscow, 1884-1891. (in Rus.)
Memories on D. А. Rovinsky. St. Petersburg, Ac. of Sc., 1896. (in Rus.)
The History of the City of Moscow. Part 1, Moscow, 1902. (переизд.1996) (in Rus.)
Diaries. Notebooks: [1837-1908] / Comp. N. А. Kargapolov. Moscow, 2001. (in Rus.)
The History of the City of Moscow: Non-Published Works / Comp. N. B. Bystrova, М. V. Katagoshina. Moscow, 2003. (in Rus.)
Moscow Peculiarities / Introd., comp. V. B. Muraviev. Moscow, 2007. (in Rus.)

Bibliography

I. Е. Zabelin: Bibliographical Index / Comp.: О. F. Boikova. Moscow, 1988. (in Rus.)

About him

Zabelin Ivan Egorovich // Encyclopedical Lexicon of Brockhaus and Ephrone, in 86 vol. St. Petersburg, 1890‒1907. (in Rus.)
Trubachev S. S. The 50th Anniversary of the Research Activity of I. Е. Zabelin // Istoricheskyi vestnik. 1892, vol. 48, No 6, pp. 746‒757. (in Rus.)
Kuzminsky C. S. I. Е. Zabelin and His Published Works. Moscow, 1912. (in Rus.)
Speransky М. N. The Collection of manuscripts of I. Е. Zabelin // Report of the State Historical Museum for 1916-1925. Moscow, 1926. (in Rus.)
Artsikhovsky А. V. Zabelin — Archeologist // Historical and Archeological Collection. Moscow, 1948. (in Rus.)
Rubinstein N. L. I. Е. Zabelin // Istoriya SSSR. 1965, No 1. (in Rus.)
Tuzov А. L. The Archive Materials on I. Е. Zabelin // Arkheograficheskyi ezhegodnik for 1982. Moscow, 1983. (in Rus.)
Formozov А. А. Historian of Moscow I. Е. Zabelin. Moscow, 1984. (in Rus.)
Sakharov А. N. I. Е. Zabelin: a New Evaluation of his Work // Voprosy istorii. 1990, No 7, pp. 3-17. (in Rus.)
Sakharov А. N. People is a Clue for Everything: I. Е. Zabelin // Historians of Russia, the Eighteenth – Early Twentieth Century. Moscow, 1996, pp. 315-333. (in Rus.)
I. Е. Zabelin. The 170th Anniversary, in 2 parts / Edit. А. D. Yanovsky. Moscow, 1992: Trude of the State Historical Museum. Iss. 81. (in Rus.)
Katagoshchina М. V. Masters of Russian Historiography: I. Е. Zabelin // Istoricheskyi arkhiv. 2006, No 5. (in Rus.)
Zabelin Ivan Egorovich // Orthodox Encyclopedia. Moscow, 2008, vol. XIX, pp. 433‒437. (in Rus.)

M. Sh.