Makhmudova Z. The South Caucasus in the Studies of Evgeny Schilling (1920s–1940s)

Z. Makhmudova
Primakov National Research Institute of World Economy and International Relations of the RAS
Moscow, Russia
ORCID: 0000-0002-8109-5296
E-mail: zoyamakhmudova@yandex.ru

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ABSTRACT. Evgeny M. Schilling (1892–1953) was one of the most distinguished scholars of Caucasian studies in the twentieth century. From the early 1920s to the late 1940s, he organized and actively participated in extensive ethnographic field research that covered almost the entire Caucasus region. Schilling combined profound knowledge of the material culture of the Caucasus with refined artistic sensibility and a strong commitment to museum collecting. He is rightfully regarded as one of the founders of the Central Museum of Nationality Studies (later — the Museum of the Peoples of the USSR) in Moscow and was deeply involved in collaboration with both central and regional museums. Schilling’s most widely known publications focus on the peoples of the North Caucasus and Dagestan. He also made a substantial contribution to the preparation of volumes on the Caucasus for the Peoples of the World series, published by the Institute of Ethnography of the USSR Academy of Sciences, serving on the editorial board, authoring numerous articles, and overseeing the selection of illustrations. In addition, Schilling published several studies on the ethnography of the South Caucasus. For various reasons, not all of these works were published, and some remain preserved only in archival collections. This article presents an overview of Schilling’s expeditions to the South Caucasus, examining their objectives, routes, and principal results. Particular attention is paid to his activities during his collaboration with the Research Institute for the Study of Ethnic and National Cultures of the Peoples of the East of the USSR, as well as to his work under the leadership of N. F. Yakovlev, including preparations for an international ethnological and linguistic expedition to the Caucasus in cooperation with the Institute for Comparative Research in Human Culture (Oslo).

KEYWORDS: Caucasus studies, linguistics, ethnology, South Caucasus, Norway, Research Institute of Cultures of the Peoples of the East of the USSR, Institute for Comparative Research in Human Culture, E. M. Schilling, N. F. Yakovlev

DOI 10.31250/2618-8600-2026-1(31)-30-49
UDC 39 (=352.41) (470.621)

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