Introduction. The science of history and its tasks. The study of ancient history in Uzbekistan.

Plan:

1. Subject, goals and objectives of historiography

2. Methods of analysis of historiography

3. Development of historiography in Uzbekistan

• 1. Historical science has a unique independent place in the system of historical sciences, it has its own sources and research methods. The object of historical science is not only the historical process, but also historical thinking, its study and the science of history.
• For example, the history of the early Middle Ages in Central Asia studies the states that existed in the region, the Arab conquest, the spread of Islam, the emergence of centralized states, etc.
• And the historiography of early medieval Central Asia studies how the history of this period was studied in the Middle Ages, in the modern era and in our days.
• Historiography is a science of socio-historical thought, reflecting the ideas of a particular era. This science is closely related to source studies, which determines the structure of sources of each era, their critical approach and methods of use, the level and level of historical thinking and knowledge. The breadth of the range of sources and the method of historical research at that time are the main factors in the development of historiography. The improvement of historical research methods (for example, a critical approach, historical comparison, etc.), the emergence of new (epigraphic, archaeological, numismatic) sources have had a significant impact on the level of historical science. This branch of science is closely related to source studies, archeology, ethnography, numismatics, and linguistics.

• The historiography of world history is divided into several sections depending on the nature of human civilization and the level of historical thinking. These are: the historiography of ancient, medieval (medieval), modern and modern times.
• In particular, the historiography of the history of Uzbekistan can also be conditionally divided into periods based on periods, historical thinking and research methods. These are: the historiography of ancient Uzbekistan, the Middle Ages, Russian colonialism, the Soviet period and the period of independence.
• The historiography of the history of the peoples of Central Asia refers to works on historiography that serve as the main source of the history of the ancient peoples living in this region from ancient times to the present.
• During the half-century of activity of the Institute of History of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the field of historiography has reached a significant stage of development. This is a clear confirmation of the important place of historiography in the development of historical science in Uzbekistan. It is precisely historiography that serves to deeply and comprehensively study history (not in the narrow sense, but as a coverage of the history of the science of history), to objectively understand the development of historical thought at its specific stages, to analytically consider various trends, to summarize the work done, to set goals, and to make reasonable recommendations to historians on further research directions.

• It also allows historians to identify areas of further research on the reconstruction of the public environment at various stages, reflecting the life, work and achievements of the authors of the most notable historical works, facilitating the work of young scientists, that is, to familiarize themselves with the literature on a specific scientific problem.
• As is known, historical research requires freedom of analytical thought, the absence of forbidden topics and names, deep knowledge and the ability to critically perceive literary issues, taking into account, comparing and identifying different views and concepts of historical scientists with their advantages and disadvantages. They are the most important and truthful, have a basis, and serve to correctly illuminate the problem under study.

• 2. The subject of “History” taught in higher educational institutions considers the achievements of modern historiography on the history of Uzbekistan, discusses the main means of its emergence and development, the definition of periods, and the future of the development of this discipline. Historical works should be written without ideology, objectively and truthfully. However, this has not always been the case. Studying such works from a historiographical perspective is of great importance in the study of history. There are many studies and works on the history of our country, and it is useful to study them, be aware of their writing style, the problems they raise, and their characteristic features. By studying history, young people develop a sense of love for their homeland, a sense of identity, and a sense of preserving material and spiritual culture as the apple of their eye. Historiography inspires debate on historical issues and creativity in the study of the history of the Motherland. History is the teaching and experience of ancestors, a lesson in not repeating mistakes made once, and a lamp illuminating the paths of the future.

There are several methods of analysis in historical research:

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• 1. The comparative historical method - is used to determine how historical information arose in different historical periods, the degree of movement, the reasons for change and development, the processes of the emergence and development of historical ideas in the development of society.
• 2. The exact analytical method - the conducted historical research studies the causes of the origin of the details of events, the development process, the interrelationship of theoretical and factual materials, and how they are covered in science.
• 3. The logical analytical method has great potential in historiography and is used to study the specific features of a historical problem, its structure, and its connection with other historical events. In other words, it expresses the development of the science of history at a certain stage or period in relation to the main direction of the development of society.
• 4. The chronological method is used to study historical facts about events collected at different stages or periods in a coherent manner. This reveals in chronological order the recurring or diverse aspects of the movement of scientific thought at different times, the changing concepts, views, and ideas in the approach to the problem.

• 3. It is known that historiography is a relatively new discipline compared to the science of history. In some historical works created in the Middle Ages, including Abu Rayhan Beruni's "Relics of Ancient Peoples" and "India", Abu Bakr Narshahi's "History of Bukhara", Sharafuddin Ali Yazdi's "Zafarnoma", Zahiriddin Muhammad Babur's "Boburnoma", Muhammad Yusufbek Bayani's "History of Khorezm", "Shajarayi Khorezmshahi", Ahmad Donish's "Biographies of the Emirs of Bukhara" and others, attempts are made to generalize certain information, to describe facts and historical processes, and to adopt an analytical approach.

• It was in this atmosphere, when the 1940s were unfavorable for the humanities (the time when the Institute of History of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan was established), that scientists had to act, realizing the role and importance of historiography in the development and improvement of the science of history. Taking this into account, everything was done to make historiography an organic component of all scientific research work in the country.

• Soon after the institute began its activities, a group of historians interested in the field of historiography was identified in it. In particular, during this period, such works as V. Ya. Nepomnin’s “Main problems of historical science in Uzbekistan” (1947), “On some issues of the history of Uzbekistan in the pre-revolutionary period” (1953), R. N. Nabiyev’s “On some results of the development of historical science in Uzbekistan” (1949), and I. K. Dodonov’s articles “On the study of the history of the peoples of Central Asia and Kazakhstan in the Soviet period. Notes of a historian” (1951) were published.

• L. M. Landa also carried out fruitful work in the field of historiography. The scope of his scientific interests included, along with general topics (the historiography of the October Revolution, the Civil War, the printing press movement, etc.), the formation and development of historical institutions in Uzbekistan. A number of works by this author, including "Nekotorye voprosy istoriograficheskoy raboty v Uzbekistane" (1964), "Nekotorye voprosy istoriografii profsoyuznogo dvizheniya v Uzbekistane. Nachalo 1920 - seredina 1940 gg." (1964), "Sovetskaya istoriography natsionalno-gosudarstvennogo razmejevaniya Sredney Azii" (1964), "Sovetskaya istoriography Khorezmskoy revolutsii 1920 goda" (1972) and others were published.

• At the moment, the books devoted to historiography by B.V. Lunin, an employee of the institute: "Iz istorii russkogo vostokovedeniya i arkheologii (Turkestanskii krujok lyubiteley arxeologii). 1895 - 1917 gg." (1958), "Nauchnye obshchestva Turkestana i ix progressivenaya deyatelnost. Konets XIX - nachalo XX vv." (1962), "Srednyaya Aziya v dorevolyutsionnom i sovetskom vostokovedenii" (1965) and other works were published. Also, Ya. G'.Ghulomov, R. N. Nabiyev and V. Ya. They were the authors of the parts devoted to the history of Uzbekistan in volumes I and II of Nepomnin's work "Ocherki istorii istoriicheskoy nauki v SSSR" (M., 1955, 1958).
• H. Sh. Inoyatov also published a number of historical works during this period. Including "Izuchenie istorii Oktyabrskoy revolutsii v Respublikakh Sredney Azii" (1962), "Sovetskaya istoriography Oktyabrskoy revolutsii v Sredney Azii" (1966), "Izuchenie istorii grajdanskoy voyny v Sredney Azii" (1972), "Istoriografiya v Uzbekistane" (1973), "Kratkaya istoriografiya grajdanskoy voyny v Sredney Azii" (1974) and other works belong to this scientist.

• The works in the field of historiography created by the institute's employees were approved and widely paid attention to by the scientific and general public at the time. In 1968, by the Resolution of the Presidium of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic and on the recommendation of academician I. M. Muminov, the historiography sector (later the department) of the Institute of History was founded.
• From the moment of its establishment until 1988, this department was headed by Doctor of Historical Sciences B. V. Lunin, and from 1988 to 1992, Candidate of Historical Sciences V. A. Germanov. From 1992 to the present, this department has been headed by Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor D. A. Alimova.

• The establishment of the Department of History with permanent staff provided an impetus for the continuous development of historiography as one of the main scientific directions of the institute. The employees of the department created a number of important works of a general nature among historiographical works. In particular, the monographs “History of Historical Science in Uzbekistan. Brief Essay” (1970), co-authored by M. A. Okhunova and B. V. Lunin, and “Historical Science in Uzbekistan from the XXIV to the XXVII Congress of the CPSU. Historiographical Essay” (1987) were published.

• Also, the second volume of the work “Science in Uzbekistan”, published in 1974, includes parts by R. H. Aminova, M. A. Okhunova and B. V. Lunin, A. A. Askarov and S. Mirkhosilov on the subjects of history, archeology and ethnography. During this period, B. V. Lunin published monographs dedicated to the life and work of famous orientalists - N. I. Veselovsky (1979) and V. V. Bartold (1981), as well as “History of Social Sciences in Uzbekistan” (1974), two-volume works “Biobibliographic Essays on Social Sciences in Uzbekistan” (1976–1977) and “History of Uzbekistan in Sources” (1984, 1988, 1990).

• D. A. Alimova has made a significant contribution to the study and development of the historiography of women's issues and gender issues in Uzbekistan from 1917 to the present day. A number of articles and essays of the scientist on this topic include "K istoriographii resheniya jenskogo voprosa v Uzbekistane" (1977), "Literatura ob uchastii jenshchin Uzbekistana v obshchestvennom proizvodstve" (1984), "Uzbekistan women's life in literature" (1984), "Literatura i pechat v reshenii jenskogo voprosa v Uzbekistane" (1987), "Khudjum v literature" 20-30-x godov i zadachi obshchestvovedov v osveshchenii jenskogo vopros v Uzbekistane" (1988), "Collectivization i jensky vopros v Respublikakh Sredney Azii (po materialam publikatsiy 30-x godov)" (1989), "Jensky vopros v sovetskoi istoriografii Sredney Azii 20-x godov" (1989), "Izuchenie zhenskogo Voprosa v Uzbekistane: itogi i dalneyshie zadachi" (1989), "Sovremennoe sostoyanie jenskogo voprosa v Uzbekistane i zadachi obshchestvovedov" (1990) includes many scientific works. As a result of his long-term scientific research, such as "Reshenie jenskogo voprosa v Uzbekistane (1917-1941 gg.): kratkiy istoriografichesky ocherk" (1987) and "Jenskiy vopros v Sredney Azii: istoriya izucheniya i sovremennye problemy" (1991) studies were created.

• In 1989, the first interregional “Historical Readings” (“Историографические чтения”) was held at the “Historical Studies” department of the Institute of History with the participation of historians from the Republics of Central Asia and Kazakhstan, where reports were heard on the state and tasks of historiography. A number of speeches by the participants of the conference were devoted to individual problems and questions of historical research. Among the participants of the forum, in addition to employees of scientific institutions, there were also representatives of higher educational institutions, archives and museums. The participants of the conference openly noted the existence of many gaps in the topic of historical research, along with positive trends in the study of the history of the peoples of Central Asia, as well as the fact that some of them were superficially considered and not coordinated. This conference provided a bold critical assessment of the scientific research being conducted for the first time, and also emphasized the need to develop and implement new approaches to addressing the problems of historical science.

• In 1993, the department staff completed work on the work “Essays on the history of historical science in Uzbekistan. The first third of the 20th century”. “Essays” cover a wide range of problems and issues. In particular, “Processes of historical science in Uzbekistan in the first third of the 20th century”, “Main directions of research on the socio-economic history of Uzbekistan”, “Development of problems of socio-political history of Uzbekistan”, “History of studying problems of culture of Uzbekistan”, “Status and development of historical oriental studies in Uzbekistan”, “Ethnography in the works of Uzbek scientists”, “Study of archaeological relations of Uzbekistan in the first third of the 20th century” and other sections reflected important processes. This monograph was published in 1994 in two volumes. During this period, B. V. Lunin also prepared the historiographical part of the problem for publication in the book "Timur and Ulugbek: personality, history, era".

STUDY OF ANCIENT HISTORY IN UZBEKISTAN

• Plan:
• 1. Historiography of the history of the "Avesta" and Zoroastrianism.
• 2. Coverage of the Achaemenids of Iran, the Greco-Macedonian invasion and the fight against them in historical literature.
• 3. Ancient sources and monuments on the history of Central Asia.

• After the invention of writing, inscriptions and chronicles on stones or buildings are considered the oldest written sources of history. Sources written down by eyewitnesses or contemporaries of events of those times, and later copied repeatedly by calligraphers and poets or passed down from mouth to mouth, are considered ancient sources. Inscriptions and chronicles are found in almost all peoples who have their own writing.

• 1. Zoroastrianism is one of the oldest religions in the world that has had a great influence on human culture. At the same time, Zoroastrianism is one of the most complex and, in turn, difficult to understand religions. This religion, which arose in the steppes of Asia more than 2700 years ago, was a religion that ruled for centuries in the three powerful states of Iran (Kayanids, Achaemenids and Sasanians), and was also widespread in many Eastern countries, in particular in Central Asia. In Europe, the teachings of Zoroastrianism aroused great interest in antiquity - in ancient times, many Greek and Roman writers, philosophers and historians wrote scientific works about Zoroastrianism and his teachings. During the Sasanian era, that is, in the 3rd-7th centuries, when the texts of the sacred book of Zoroastrianism - "Avesta" - began to be translated into Middle Persian, the historiography of this religion began to emerge. It can be noted that books and commentaries written in the Pahlavi language, such as "Shahrihoyi Iran", "Denkard", "Bundahishn", and "Ardavirafnama", created in the 1st century BC, are the introduction to Avestan studies.

• During the time of Beruni, the Khorezmian language had not become a completely dead language.
• Some researchers, in particular, Professor Jalil Dostkhoh, based on some of Beruni's ideas, express the opinion that he must have been familiar with the parts of the Avesta that are unknown to us or with the content of those parts.
• Another work that contains valuable information about the Avesta is "Muruj az-Zihab" ("Golden Valley") by Masudi (d. 995). According to Masudi, after Alexander the Great conquered the city of Istakhr, he ordered the texts on medicine, philosophy, mathematics, and astronomy in the Avesta to be translated into Greek and then burned at the stake.

• In 1590, Barnabas Brisson's book on the Avesta was published in Paris. Also, Thomas Hyde, a professor at Oxford University, studied the Avesta in the process of researching the history of ancient Iranian literature. Thomas Hyde studied Iranian, Greek, Roman and Arabic sources on Zoroastrianism and published his work in Latin in 1700 entitled "History of the Religion of the Ancient Persians, Ports (Parthians) and Mods". In this book, Thomas Hyde proves that the interpretation of Zoroastrianism (Mazdatism) as a monotheistic, that is, monotheistic religion arose due to the Greeks' polytheistic perspective. It should be noted in its place that the 18th century is a stage of the formation and development of European Avestan studies.

• Anquetil Duperron's work brought European Avesta studies to a new level. He embarked on a journey to India without receiving a permit or funding from anyone in order to read the Avesta manuscripts in the Bodleian Library. Having endured many hardships, he reached the city of Pondicherry. Duperron lived in India for six years, learning the Avesta language from a teacher named Doroby Porcy. During this period, he acquired 180 unique copies, and then came to Paris and devoted all his time to studying the Avesta, writing comments and commentaries. The Zend-Avesta, published in Paris in three volumes (1771), was the fruit of his many years of work (1754–1771).

• The German scholar I. Klauker translated Duperron's book "Zend Avesto" into German and published it in Riga in 1775–1777. Soon, interest in the "Avesto" in the European scientific community increased sharply, and comprehensive scientific research was consistently continued. By the beginning of the 19th century, several scientific studies on the history of the religion of ancient Bactria, Media and Persia, and the "Avesto" language were published on the basis of this translation. I. Rode's book "Bactrians, Medians and Persians or the Zend Peoples", published in 1820, contains brief information about Vedavdot, which is considered part of the "Avesto". According to A. Lelekov, this work, although not of great scientific value, was an important work for its time.

• In the 19th century, the Avesta attracted the attention of Western philosophers. In particular, G. Ritter's 12-volume "History of Philosophy" and a number of articles and speeches by Kechel extensively commented on the religious and philosophical doctrines in the Avesta, emphasizing that they were somewhat richer in content and content than the views of ancient Greek mythology. "This," says Hegel, "is a true religion of enlightenment and goodness. In it, enlightenment is opposed to darkness, goodness to oppression." Hegel emphasizes that the Zoroastrian religion is an active, creative, militant religion that promotes the welfare of the people and the development of the country, and calls Zoroaster a "reformer" in this area.

• A new stage in the history of Avesto studies was marked by the book “Commentary on the Yasna” by the French linguist A. Burnouf. Continuing the work of Duperron, he meticulously studies the lexical and grammatical features of the Avesto language and conducts a comparative-typological analysis of the language written in the Behistun and Persepolis inscriptions with the ancient Indian Vedas. As a result, this scientist begins a new stage in determining the lexical layer of the monument. Also, S. Wendeshman, in his famous study “Zoroastrian Experiments”, comparing the myths of Mithra and Ardvissura Anahita with the Indian epic, once again emphasized how scientifically sound Burnouf’s comparative-typological method is.

• Thus, in Western European oriental studies, two trends emerge in the opinions about the essence of the Avesta: some scholars argue that the Avesta and the Vedas have the same root, and the similarity of their myths gives the right to draw such a conclusion, while the second group of scholars oppose this and believe that both monuments arose on different grounds, and there are serious differences in their essence. Therefore, they put forward the idea that both the Veda and the Avesta should be studied and evaluated based on their own characteristics.

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• Subsequent full translations of the Avesta and research based on them confirm the views of the supporters of the second trend. In these years, the German composer Richard Strauss created a three-part symphony called Thus Spoke Zarathustra. The work was based on a series of Gothic works. In the middle of the 19th century, Ye. Burnuf and M. Hauga studied and systematized the Goths and the text of the Avesta. M. Hauga's research on the critical texts of the Avesta is especially noteworthy.

• Another of the scientists who made the greatest contribution to the study of the Avesta and its dissemination in Western Europe is Max Muller. Professor of Oxford University M. Muller (1823–1900) is the author of numerous studies on history, comparative mythology and comparative linguistics, religious studies, and Indian literature. In particular, this researcher is the only specialist in the history of the origin, migration and spread of the "Aryans" around the world. In 1874–1904, with the initiative and personal participation of Muller, the 49-volume "Sacred Books of the East" were published in English. Volumes 1, 5, 23, 31 of this series are considered to be the texts of the Avesta. Of these, "Vendidod", part of the "Zend Avesta" (volume 1, 1880; volume 33, 1883) was translated by Jem Darmstetter.

• Mary Boyce, a professor at the University of London, has made a significant contribution to the study of the history of Zoroastrianism in the Middle Ages and the modern era with her works on the history and culture of Iran. Mary Boyce studied the beliefs and paintings of the Zoroastrians during her fieldwork in the northern part of the Yazd Valley in 1963–1964. As a result of the above work, the scientist prepared and partially published a large scientific work entitled “The History of Zoroastrianism” in 4 volumes. Mary Boyce’s views on the period of the emergence of Zoroastrianism are also controversial.

• In Russia, Avesta studies also have their own rich traditions. The study of the Avesta in Russia dates back to the second half of the 19th century, and the earliest of them are the scientific researches of Kossovich. At the beginning of the 20th century, V. V. Bartold, K. G. Zameman, A. L. Pogodin, K. A. Inostransev paid great attention to the study of the Avesta. In this regard, the researches of such scientists as B. N. Turaev, A. A. Freyman, ye. E. Bertels, I. M. Dyakonov, B. G’. Gafurov, I. G. Aliev and V. V. Struve, as well as the translation of the Avesta by the famous scientist I. M. Steblin-Kamensky are the result of these scientific traditions and experiments.

2.

• In 329 BC, the armies of Alexander the Great crossed the Oxus (Amu Darya) and invaded our country. It was intended that these military campaigns of Alexander would be recorded by some writers and historians accompanying the king, in accordance with his wishes. The Macedonian generals Aristobulus, Ptolemy Lagus, and the sailor Darga Nearchus were such early historians. The memoirs of these writers were later included in the works of Arrian, Strabo, and other historians.

• The description of Alexander's campaigns in Central Asia is preserved in the works of the Greek historian Arrian (2nd century BC) and the Roman historian Quintus Curtius Rufus (1st century AD). They describe Alexander's campaigns in detail. Plutarch (1st–2nd centuries) and Justin (2nd century) say almost nothing about his campaigns in Central Asia. Many places are missing from the work of Diodorus Siculus "Historical Library" (1st century BC). This work consists of 17 books, and only the titles of the chapters describing Alexander's campaign beyond the Amu Darya have been preserved.

3. Behistun Inscriptions.

• Such inscriptions were found in and around the ancient Achaemenid capital of Persepolis, as well as the cities of Susa and Ecbatana (modern Hamadan). For example, an inscription carved on a clay tablet describes the construction of a palace built in Susa during the early period of the reign of Darius I (522-486 BC) (494-490 BC), and more precisely, the countries from which the materials used for construction were brought. According to the information written on this tablet, gold was brought from Lydia and Bactria, precious stones, lapis lazuli and sardonyx (a red and reddish stone) from Sogdiana, and turquoise from Khorezm.

• The inscriptions and reliefs found in Persepolis (a city built in 520-450 BC, located about 50 km north of Shiraz) are of great scientific value. Some of their examples are associated with the names of the Italian traveler Pedro Della Valle and the Danish scientist K. Niebuhr in the 17th–18th centuries (1621). In the 1930s and later years of the 20th century, as a result of archaeological research conducted by the German scientist E. Hersfeld, the American E. Schmidt, the French scientist A. Godard, and the Iranian researchers M. Mustafavi and A. Somiy, many unique monuments were discovered in Persepolis.

• Among them, the paintings on the steps of Apadana are of particular importance. The paintings depict people bringing tribute from 23 satrapies (dependent states) subject to the Achaemenids. Among them, the Bactrians are depicted with various vessels, leather, furs and camels, the Sogdians with cloth, leather and sheep, the Sakas with horses and chakmans, the Parthians with vessels and camels, and the Khorezmians with horses and weapons. About 5 km from Persepolis, on the rocks of Husaynkuh to its north, there are the tombs of Darius I and Xerxes I (486–465 BC), Artaxerxes I (465–424 BC) and Darius II (424–404 BC) and inscriptions carved at the entrances to them. This monument is also associated with the name of the Sassanid general Rustam (who died in a battle with the Arabs in 636), and is often referred to in history as the "Naqshi Rustam".