Journal articles on the topic 'Steppes in art'

Transbaikalia is the vast region in Southern Siberia withnumerous mountain ridges within the upper basins of the three big rivers, the Amur (Pacific Ocean basin), the Yenisei and the Lena (Arctic Ocean basin). The most part of Transbaikalia territory is covered by woodlands, however, the steppes are an inherent component in the southern part of the region. Steppe communities occur throughout the broad range of habitats varying in humidity, edaphic conditions, and anthropogenic disturbance. The main aims of presented study are: (1) to develop a phytosociological classification of transbaikalian steppes and to characterize the syntaxa distinguished, (2) to reveal principal ecological factors that have an influence on regional syntaxonomical patterns of the steppe vegetation. From 2005 to 2013, the field studies were carried out in the territory of the Republic of Buryatia. During this period we collected the data set of 829 steppe relevйs. Supplementary characteristics were followed by every relevй: geographical coordinates (measured by GPS); altitude; inclination and exposition; rock outcrops, large stone and debris cover; sand content in the soil. For each relevй climatic parameters from the WorldClim web-database were determined. Plant species indicator values for southern Siberia have been applied (Korolyuk, 2006); the average indicator value for moisture at every relevй was calculated. The data set was stored and managed in the IBIS 6.2 software. To analyze the data structure, a canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) was used. As a result 11 associations were distinguished, all of them belong to the class Cleistogenetea squarrosae Mirkin et al. ex Korotkov et al. 1991. The class represents main dry grassland diversity of the East Siberian–Central Asian sector of Palaearctic (Korolyuk, 2002). The continuous range coincides with the steppe and forest-steppe zones and mountain belts, encompassing Southern Siberia in Russia, as well as the significant part of People’s Republic of Mongolia and Inner Mongolia province in China. Under conditions of the ultracontinental climate, the steppe communities penetrate far to the North in North-Eastern Asia. This class consists of two orders: Stipetalia krylovii (typical bunchgrass steppes of the steppe zone and mountain steppe belt) and Helictotrichetalia sсhelliani (meadow steppes and rich-in-species bunchgrass steppes of mountain forest-steppe). The order Stipetalia krylovii Kononov, Gogoleva et Mironova 1985 represents the central order of the class. It comprises typical steppes predominated by bunch grasses as usual. The order is diagnosed by the same species like those of the class. N. Ermakov (2012) attempted to narrow this order. In his understanding (see below underlined), the order combines typical steppes of Yakutia and is characterized by following features. Communities are extremely poor — 4–9 species per 100 м2. I think that this statement is incorrect. In original publication (Mirkin et al., 1985), wh ere the new association Stipetum krylovii has been described, authors plotted the releve at the size of 1 м2 only. Therefore I can assume that species richness of these steppe communities has been wrongly estimated in regard of 100 м2 plots. According to my own data from the Lena River valley in vicinities of the city of Yakutsk the richness of 20 species (in average) per 100 м2 plot is typical for xerophytic steppes. Yakutian steppes of Stipetalia krylovii are differentiated by meadow steppe species (mesoxerophytes): Artemisia commutata, Festuca lenensis, Poa transbaicalica with a high constancy and many species with a low constancy. From my data, in Transbaikalia such species as Artemisia commutata and Festuca lenensis are common in petrophytic steppes both typical and meadow. In Yakutia, Poa botryoides is typical (d. s. Stipetalia krylovii) instead of Poa transbaicalica. Participation of numerous mesoxerophytes with the low constancy is common for typical steppes from different regions of Southern Siberia and Mongolia (Hilbig, 1995; Namzalov, 2015; Makunina, 2016). Yakutian steppes of Stipetalia krylovii are differentiated by halotolerant plants, namely Saussurea amara and Puccinellia tenuiflora. According to results of my studies as well as literature data, presence of the both species is characteristic for steppe communities in the alases only. Alases are formed as shallow depressions among the taiga landscapes in Central Yakutia, maded by thermokarst, and covered by the meadow or steppe vegetation (Troeva et al., 2010). In such landscapes steppes are spatially patterned into combination with halophytic communities. In well-drained landscapes halotolerant plants are absent. In the definition of Stipetalia krylovii N. Ermakov (2012) based on publications devoted to alases, when steppes from drained terrains were omitted. Thus, none of the three criteria suggested by N. Ermakov (2012) and mentioned above is not acceptable for distinguishing typical steppes of Yakutia from analogue communities of Southern Siberia, including Transbaikalia. This means that the attempt to validate the order Cleistogenetalia squarrosae Mirkin et al. ex Ermakov 2012 was superfluous (Art. 29c, ICPN). Consequently, this order is a synonym of Stipetalia krylovii. Also, the alliance Poo attenuatae–Cleistogenion squarrosae Mirkin et al. ex Ermakov 2012 is to be re­cognized as a synonym of the alliance Stipion krylovii. The alliance Stipion krylovii Kononov, Gogoleva et Mironova 1985 is the central alliance of the order Stipetalia krylovii. It includes non-petrophytic steppes which are common mainly in the mountain steppe belt and the steppe zone. In Western Transbaikalia the alliance is represented by two associations: Cymbario dahuricae–Stipetum krylovii Hilbig (1987) 1990 (the central association of the alliance) and Cleistogeno squarrosae–Festucetum dahuricae Dulepova et Korolyuk 2015 (sandy steppes). Alliance Thymion gobici Mirkin et al. ex Hilbig 2000 comprises xerophytic petrophyte steppes of Transbaikalia, Central and Eastern Mongolia, the Inner Mongola province (China). In Buryatia it is represented by three associations. Ass. Eremogone capillaris–Festucetum lenensis Mirkin et al. 1988 — the central association of the alliance. Petrophytic communities are common both on convex windswept slopes and ridge tops in the forest-steppe and steppe belts. Physiognomy of communities is determined by small cushion-forming species and dwarf semishrubs. Communities of the ass. Selaginelletum rupestris–sanguinolentae ass. nov. are often confined to ridge-top parts of north-facing slopes with outcrops or screes in the Selenga river basin. Community physiognomy is determined by predomination of the low-growing trailing perennial Selaginella sanguinolenta which makes communities noticeably darker as compared to the surrounding steppes. Ass. Selaginello rupestris–Artemisietum subviscosae ass. nov. — the endemic association found in the Barguzin depression. The communities occur on fine gravel soils on river terraces, deluvial foreslopes and convex slopes in the mountain lower belt. Order Helictotrichetalia schelliani Hilbig 2000 comprises meso-xerophytic grasslands, mainly meadow steppes of East Siberian–Central Asian sector of Palaearctic. It unites the most widespread non-forest plant communities of forest-steppe landscapes. The area of the order extends considerably to the north in comparison with the order Stipetalia krylovii. In Transbaikalia, the meso-xerophytic grasslands predominate in the mountain forest-steppe belt up to the heights of 900–1000 m a. s. l. Alliance Helictotrichion schelliani Hilbig 2000 — the central alliance distributed in Altai-Sayan mountains, Western Transbaikalia, northern mountains of Central and Western Mongolia. In the study area we distinguished two suballiances. Suballiance Stipenion baicalensis suball. nov. — the central suballiance representing meadow steppes on fine soils. Communities are found at gentle straight slopes, sometimes occupying slightly concave sites of mountain ridge slopes. The suballiance consists of three associations. The central association is Veronico incanae–Stipetum baicalensis Peterson ex Hilbig 2000. It occurs in the steppe and forest-steppe belts, occupying gentle slopes and piedmont foreslopes. Ass. Carici pediformis–Spiraeetum aquilegifoliae ass. nov. represents meadow steppes with well developed shrub layer. The communities usually occupy steep south-exposed slopes with large stones or outcrops, often of concave shape. By their physiognomy and species composition, the described communities look like the association Amygdalo pedunculatae–Spiraeetum aquilegifoliae, which substituted by them in more humid forest-steppe landscapes. Ass. Thalictro foetidi–Koelerietum cristatae ass. nov. unites the more moist type of the suballiance. The communities are found in the forest-steppe landscapes, usually along gentle straight or concave slopes. Often they occupy steeper parts of slopes along the edges of larch and birch forests. Suballiance Thymenion baicalensis represents petrophyte meadow steppes of Western Transbaikalia. The communities are common in the forest-steppe and steppe landscapes on stony, often convex slopes, ridge tops, sometimes on screes. Ass. Potentillo acaulis–Thymetum baicalensis Chytry et al. 1993 — one of the most widespread steppe plant communities. Ass. Sela­ginello rupestris–Artemisietum monostachyae ass. nov. comprises rich meadow petrophytic steppes. The communities are found in forest-steppe landscapes in the Uda and the Barguzin rivers basins. Ass. Sedo aizoi–Festucetum lenensis ass. nov. includes the more moist variants of meadow petrophytic steppes. The communities are rich and polydominant, mainly with predomination of mesoxerophytic meadow steppe species. They are confined to stony slopes and ridge tops, usually at the forest margins in the Selenga river basin. Strong ecological gradients have been revealed by the numerical analysis of associations. The first axis of CCA-ordination is correlated with humidity which is determined by precipitation, and the soil moisture that depends on landform features as well. The second axis represents edaphic conditions — stones and sand content in the soil. The third axis is the most likely of complex character, however it is especially related with temperature and solar radiation. Due to interlacement of various environmental gradients a high variability of habitats and consequent complicated vegetation patterns within the studied region occured. Further development of the dry grassland syntaxonomy of Inner Asia could be advanced by the involvement of the data from the territories of Eastern Transbaikalia, People’s Republic of Mongolia (Outer Mongolia) and the province of Inner Mongolia in China. This will allow to delineate the distribution of syntaxa, as well as to make a general revision of the class Cleistogenetea squarrosae all over its area of distribution.

The study of the processes of restoration of species richness and productivity of steppe ecosystems after fires is an urgent problem that affects not only the conservation of biodiversity but also the maintenance of pasture resources. This article presents the results of a study of post-pyrogenic effects in steppe ecosystems, taking into account changes in the species composition of cyanoprokaryotes and algae that are art of the biological soil crust, which performs ecologically important functions in xerophytic ecosystems. The investigations were carried out in virgin and post-pyrogenic steppe ecosystems of the “Troitsk Clough” reserve (Zaporizhia region, Ukraine). For three years, the dynamics of the projective cover and the height of the vegetation cover in virgin areas of herbs-fescue-feather-grass and fescue-feather-grass steppes was studied as well as within two ecosystems of post-pyrogenic development after fires that occurred in the spring and winter periods. We discovered that restoration of the herbs-fescue-feather-grass and fescue-feather-grass steppes after fires occurs at different rates. The cause of the slow restoration of vegetation cover can be its severe damage by fire at the beginning of the vegetation season and the development of erosion processes. The number of species of cyanoprokaryotes and algae in the biological soil crust of virgin and post-pyrogenic ecosystems is not significantly different. It varies from 35 to 49 species. The greatest diversity is noted for Cyanoprokaryota. Chlorophyta is in the second place. Among the dominants, the filamentous forms of Cyanoprokaryota prevail. Nostoc edaphicum was noted as a nitrogen fixing representative. The similarity of the species lists of cyanoprokaryotes and algae of post-pyrogenic and virgin ecosystems, according to the calculated Jaccard coefficient, varies from 49.1% to 55.3%. This indicates a strong specificity of the composition of cyanoprokaryotes and algae in post-pyrogenic biological soil crusts. Changes in their composition reflect different stages of post-pyrogenic succession. In the first year after a fire, there is a slight increase in species richness, which is a consequence of the favorable effect of increasing the amount of mineral substances in the soil after the organic matter has burned out. The “pioneer” group includes: Phormidium autumnale, Ph. dimorphum, Ph. retzii, Ph. (Leptolyngbya) henningsii, Luticola mutica, Hantzschia amphioxys. Gradually this effect is leveled and the species richness of cyanoprokaryotes and algae is stabilized at a level peculiar for this type of ecosystem.

Starting in 2006, the author joined and then led field expeditions to central Siberia in search of answers to the greatest murder mystery in the history of Earth: the end-Permian extinction. The rocks that yielded answers were the same kinds of volcanic lavas that can be seen at night on the Moon, or in photos of Mars or Venus. The unyielding Russian engineering that owns the longevity record on the surface of Venus is now used to launch cosmonauts and astronauts from the other end of those same Siberian steppes. Not the data—not the years nor the numbers nor the temperature—but art, as Solzhenitsyn explained, is the only way to reach the heart and soften our pace as we move into another age of space exploration, this time as humans, the author hopes, and not as nations.

Hunting is the oldest kind of human activity preserving traditional forms due to its conservatism. Paleozoologists working in the Northern Black Sea region determined the objects of hunting according to the data obtained from Greek settlements. These are mainly hoofed animals such as deer, roe deer, saigas, and wild boars, and fur animals including hares, foxes, beavers, as well as a variety of birds. According to paleozoological data, hunting was elitist. Unfortunately, it was not taken into account that inhabitants of the settlements hunted in the steppes of foreign lands, and delivered not carcasses of killed animals, but skins and meat. Therefore, skeletal remains cannot objectively reflect the proportions of distribution of hunting objects. Studying ancient texts and toreutics allows us to establish that in the Scythian nomadic world there were such types of hunting as raid, driven hunting, hunting with hounds. It is reasonable to assume that Scythians also utilized hunting birds as their hunting method, as images of hunting birds are widespread among nomads. In the settlements, there can be found skeletal remains of the following hunting birds: saker falcons, golden eagles, gyrfalcons, hawks, etc. Frequent occurrence of their images in the Scythian art and a single case of a saker falcon buried in a male burial of Elizabeth’s burial ground can serve as a vivid example of hunting bird exploitation. Nomads, in particular, could be suppliers of wild animal meat to the settlement and city markets. Inhabitants’ independent hunting in steppes was of extraordinary characteristic. Inhabitants of the settlements could probably hunt outside the fortifications only after the agreement with local nomads.

AbstractThis paper looks at how ethnicity as an aspect of personhood is ‘performed’ among academics and musicians in the contemporary southern Siberian Republic of Khakassia, which is a member of the Russian Federation. It gives a nineteenth-century assessment of musical ethnicity among the Abakan Tatars (i.e. Kachins, Sagais, Bel’tirs, Kyzyls and Koibals), describes the introduction during the Soviet period of the ethnonym ‘Khakas’ through the academic arena, and outlines the controversy that still rages in overlapping academic and musical circles over this and its contemporary divisions. Finally, the paper points to the recent move by musicians to contest their official ‘Khakas’ identities by copying onto their instruments ancient Okunev art from standing stones that litter their steppes, and to reaffirm their Sagai, Khaas and Kyzyl ethnicities by reinstating the traditional inheritance of epic performance among these groups and by differentiating between their musical styles.

Scythian Amazons have attracted the attention of researchers since a long time. The Amazons as the subject is developed in three main directions, conditioned by the choice of a certain group of sources — literary, pictorial and archaeological. The literary and visual aspects have been developed quite thoroughly by many generations of researchers, as evidenced by the representative corpus of monographs and publications. Both these directions developed in parallel, often intersecting. Literary aspect implies the study of the image of the Amazon — one of the brightest in classical ancient mythology and culture. Several topics could be seen as key here: the degree of an existence historicism of these warlike women ; the meaning of the term «Amazon»; the origin of the cycle of myths about the Amazons; plot cycles; confrontation / opposition to heroes; and finally, the Amazons and gender issues. The pictorial aspect is related to the study of a wide range of works of decorative art, in which female warriors appear. Following subjects are developed here: storylines (Amazonomachy as Pan-Hellenic plot, Grifonomachy as the local variant thereof ; an injured Amazon, etc.); the image of an Amazon in art in general (multi-figure compositions, solitary figures) or in its particular forms — architecture, sculpture, plastic, painting, toreutics, vases art, etc.); interpretation of compositions, iconography, detailed analysis of accessories and so on. Archaeological aspect looks the least developed, since it is connected with the necessary field work. In the process of studying the funerary complexes of Scythian female warriors, three stages can be distinguished. At the first stage (second half of the 19th century — the end of the 1950s), during the occasional excavations of the Kurgan antiquities of the Pripontian steppes, single graves of women with weapons were discovered. They seemed to have already been noticed, but as an exceptional phenomenon. The second stage (the second half of the 20th century) is characterized by a change in the vector of archaeological researches — at this time, not only the large Kurgans begin to be explored, but also the burial grounds of the rank soldiers. Excavation materials are introduced into scientific circulation. The first analytical works appear (O. Ganina, V. Olkhovskiy, V. Ilinskaya and A. Terenozhkin, E. Buniatian, E. Fialko, R. Rolle, V. Guliaev). It should be noted that these publications are used to this day by foreign colleagues. The third stage (the end of the 20th century — the beginning of the 21st century) was marked by a forced turn from fieldwork, especially barrows, to the office investigations. At this time there were publications of a series of graves of Amazons in individual burial grounds, in different regions of European Scythia (steppe and forest-steppe Dnieper, Crimea, Transdnistria and the Don region). Their number reached 250. These works treated different types of the burial structures, certain categories of burial items of Scythian Amazons, their social stratification, complexes chronology, etc. These materials bring us closer to interesting conclusions and generalizations.

An ecological survey of the ant fauna of the southern part of the Junggar Basin and adjacent mountains, Xinjiang, China, revealed 46 species of which 27 (59%) were new records for China. Most of the species are widespread and no endemics were found. A largely boreal fauna occupies the spruce forest zone at high elevations of the Tienshan Mountains, giving way, lower down, in elm forest, to a mixed, but primarily mesic temperate fauna. Loess desert and degraded steppe at mid-elevations and in the foothills are overgrazed and have only a few species that elsewhere occur in temperate mesic and/or steppic habitats. The sandy deserts and poplar woodlands of the arid Junggar Basin have a fauna characteristic of deserts and steppes. The salt desert fauna has a strange mixture of a number of elements.

Background: this article is devoted to the work of the Kyrgyz Soviet writer ChingizAytmatov. In the vast world of fiction, Aytmatov's works amaze us with their figurative system. Against the background of everything and everyone, admires us with the simplicity, beauty, the variety of images created by the writer, whether it is the image of a person, politician, journalist, village shepherd, tree, horse, whale, ocean, etc.The Sarozek steppes, the vastness of space, Issyk-Kul, the Kremlin, Red Square in Moscow, a yurt in a Kyrgyz village, a church choir, Shostakovich's music, Georgian singing, Baikonur, legends about mankurt and many other concepts and phenomena of humanity make up the figurative system of ChingizAytmatov. The created artistic images cover huge layers of the life of peoples, an individual person, accompanying a person with his constant anxieties, experiences, joy, gains, losses and much of what we call life. Results: Reading Aytmatov, getting imbued with his images, we are more and more convinced that literature in a number of other arts is closer and more understandable to a person, because the main means of artistic expression is the word, this is a natural need for communication between people. We love to speak out, hear someone's confession; we simply cannot do without speech. And then we ask ourselves the question, what is this - the art of the word, how the word turns into an artistic image and makes us compassionate, laugh and cry, think, agree and argue, and most importantly receive aesthetic pleasure, because literature is an art. Conclusions: All ingenious is simple. Characters, descriptive elements of the plot, used by the author to create certain images, are in a certain system, filled with aesthetic, philosophical, realistic meaning.

We present the results of an interdisciplinary study of an unusual sample of wool fabric, found at the Jety-Asar-2 fortifi ed site, representing the Jety-Asar culture of the late 4th century BC to early 1st century AD, in the central Turan Plain. We outline the results of the analysis of the dyes and technological characteristics of the fabric. The woven pattern is described in detail. The specimen is compared with the tapestry from Shanpula (Sampul) cemetery in the Hotan oasis, Xinjiang, China. We examine the idea that the Jety-Asar fabric had been manufactured in Shanpula and transported to the Aral basin along the Great Silk Road. Previously, this type of tapestry was believed to have been used only in the Hotan oasis, because no direct parallels with other areas were known. A direct parallel with such a remote westerly region is all the more intriguing. Apparently, colorful strips of woolen tapestry depicting animals, birds, humans, fantastic beings, mountains, and fl owers were in big demand. The tradition, then, may have been distributed much more widely than previously thought. Many anthropomorphic, zoomorphic, plant, and purely decorative motifs have numerous parallels in the Early Iron Age art of the Eurasian steppes, highlands, and piedmont areas. The Shanpula people used such fabric for decorating skirts. In other cultures, it was destined for various purposes.

Lyre shaped ornament is a common motif of ornamental and folklore applied art. But, unfortunately, the origins of the lyre shaped motif are still not well investigated. In the paper we review the literature devoted to the study of the emergence and spread of a lyre shaped motif and analyze museum exhibits from catalogs and published sources. The aim of the study is to define the сenters of the lyre motif origin and the paths of its distribution. Material and methods. Article analyzes lyre shaped motifs in museum artifacts, folk arts and crafts using materials presented in published literature and catalogs of museum exhibits. A spiral motif originated in Egypt. The origins of the lyre motif in ancient Egypt are probably connected with the iconography of the Egyptian god of Hathor, who was depicted as a woman with a headdress decorated with lyre shaped horns and a solar disk between them. It should be noted that the tradition of depicting a human face with cow horns has connections with the Neolithic period of the Nile Valley, where cattle breeding arose in the 6-5th millennium BC. The first cases of using a lyre shaped motif occured in scarab-like seals of Egypt and Minoan culture. Artifacts with a lyre shaped motif were observed related, dating from the Minoan and Mycenaean periods, during to the period of classical Hellenistic Greece. A lyre shaped motif was spread along trade routes from Crete to the Danube, the Elbe, the shores of the Baltic Sea and, together with the Celts, penetrated into Britain, from the Greek colonies of the Black Sea to the Scythians. In the Asian part of the Eurasian steppes, this motif symbolized the image of the eagle totem animal depicted like a griffin, especially in the early Scythian and Hunnic period. The origins of the lyre shaped motif in the Asian steppe, apparently, were the ancient motifs “taotie” in China and “masks” in the Russian Far East. The popularity of the lyre shaped motif in the folk arts and crafts of the Turkic peoples was probably due to the spread of this motif within the Scythian community, when there was a cult of the eagle-like griffin and totem.

An exceptional feature of the ecological state of Ukraine is that ecologically acute local situations are aggravated by major regional crises. The main reasons that led to the threatening state of the environment are outdated production technology and equipment, high energy and material consumption, which exceeds two to three times the corresponding indicators of developed countries, as well as the high level of concentration of industrial facilities. industrial region are environmentally hazardous man-made objects, for which more than 7.5 thousand hectares of land. According to Art. 14 of the Constitution of Ukraine, land is the main national wealth. Extensive opportunities for modern science and technology have brought to the fore new opportunities for efficient land use. Subject to reclamation, they can be successfully used for agricultural production. Reclamation of disturbed lands is provided by the Land Code (Article 166) and the Law “On Land Protection” (Article 52). Reclamation of land plots is carried out by layer-by-layer application on low-yielding land plots or plots without soil cover of the removed soil mass, and if necessary - and the parent rock in the order that ensures the highest productivity of reclaimed lands. Agroecosystems formed on reclaimed lands are currently mostly not marked by ecological stability and high productivity of agrophyto-coenoses. According to the results of 38 years of research in a stationary experiment, it was found that for agricultural reclamation of iron ore sludge the most rational model of technozem is a three-membered edaphic structure: This option ensures the productivity of crops at the level of intact soils. During the period of use, the indicators of humus accumulation slightly increased in the arable layer, gross reserves and the content of macronutrients did not change, the quality of man-made soil did not deteriorate.

The culture-historical development of Neolithic and Bronze Age communities under Eurasian steppe conditions is indissolubly linked with the establishment and development of early forms of productive economy, and displays a number of distinguishing features, which are the product of both natural and historical factors.Within the USSR, the steppe extends from the mouth of the Danube to the upper reaches of the Ob and the Altai mountains (Milkov 1977). To the north, the steppes naturally grade in to the forest zone to form a belt of transitional foreststeppe landscape. To the south, the steppe is bounded by the coast of the Black Sea, the foothills of the Caucasus and beginning in the Lower Volga region the semi-deserts and, further south, deserts of Soviet Central Asia.

The traditional culture of homo mobilis has been the subject matter of research both in Russia and abroad. It is the nomadic way of life, largely of the past, that has come into the focus of scholars. This applies, in particular, to Kalmyks, the heirs of the Oirats, who came in the 17th century from Western Mongolia to the steppes of the Northern Caspian region. Nomadic herders explored and developed a vast area resorting to the traditional form of farming. Thousands of years in the constant movement of nomadic life and close linkages with the natural environment affected not only their way of living, but also their cosmovisions, i. e. perceptions of the world. From the point of view of nomads, the “middle world” (the world of people) exists in close contact with heaven and earth. Heaven is the founding father, the creator of all things, the source of everything that happens on earth. This image of the world is associated with a dialectical idea of the mutually exclusive and complementary phenomena of arga and bilig. The philosophical teaching of the Mongols, arga-bilig, extends to the traditional symbolism of color, which expresses ideas about interrelation between the Universe and a Man. The artistic embodiment of religious and philosophical ideas, developed in detail within the worldview of the Oirats of Mongolia, has been further elaborated in the cross-border culture of the Kalmyks of Russia. They preserved and transformed the traditional symbolism of color and space. Comparative analysis of artistic traditions accompanied by the usage of methodologies of history, ethnocultural studies, art history and philosophy enables one to identify the common and different between the cultures of the Oirats of Mongolia and the Kalmyks of Russia.

The origin and development of wheeled vehicles continues to fascinate today no less than when Stuart Piggott (1974) first wrote about the subject inAntiquity40 years ago. A growing number of examples from the steppes of southern Russia and Ukraine are providing new insights into the design and construction of these complex artefacts. A recent example from the Ulan IV burial mound illustrates the techniques employed and the mastery of materials, with careful selection of the kinds of wood used for the wheels, axles and other elements. Stable isotope analysis of the individual interred in this grave showed that he had travelled widely, emphasising the mobility of steppe populations.

Because the dynamics of phenology in response to climate change may be diverse in different grasslands, quantifying how climate change influences plant growth in different grasslands across northern China should be particularly informative. In this study, we explored the spatiotemporal variation of the phenology (start of the growing season [SOS], peak of the growing season [POS], end of the growing season [EOS], and length of the growing season [LOS]) across China’s grasslands using a dataset of the GIMMS3g normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI, 1985–2010), and determined the effects of the annual mean temperature (AMT) and annual mean precipitation (AMP) on the significantly changed phenology. We found that the SOS, POS, and EOS advanced at the rates of 0.54 days/year, 0.64 days/year, and 0.65 days/year, respectively; the LOS was shortened at a rate of 0.62 days/year across China’s grasslands. Additionally, the AMT combined with the AMP explained the different rates (ER) for the significantly dynamic SOS in the meadow steppe (R2 = 0.26, p = 0.007, ER = 12.65%) and typical steppe (R2 = 0.28, p = 0.005, ER = 32.52%); the EOS in the alpine steppe (R2 = 0.16, p < 0.05, ER = 6.22%); and the LOS in the alpine (R2 = 0.20, p < 0.05, ER = 6.06%), meadow (R2 = 0.18, p < 0.05, ER = 16.69%) and typical (R2 = 0.18, p < 0.05, ER = 19.58%) steppes. Our findings demonstrated that the plant phenology in different grasslands presented discrepant dynamic patterns, highlighting the fact that climate change has played an important role in the variation of the plant phenology across China’s grasslands, and suggested that the variation and relationships between the climatic factors and phenology in different grasslands should be explored further in the future.

The article considers some features of the symphonic poem “Caravan” by the outstanding Azerbaijani composer Sultan Hajibeyov, studied the style of the work, the principles of symphonic development, methods used in orchestration. In the symphonic poem “Caravan”, a connection with national origins is clearly manifested. The improvisational principle inherent in mugham, the organic combination of melodic developmental techniques with symphonic development, the use of variable and variational development, as well as the creative use of national frets – all this arises from national music. The article deals with some features of the symphonic poem “Caravan” by the outstanding Azerbaijani composer Soltan Hajibeyov as a program work, examines the style of the work, the principles of symphonic development, and the methods used in orchestration. The purpose of the research is to study a number of features of the composer’s individual creative style in S. Hajibeyov’s symphonic poem “Caravan”. The disclosure of programming in the work, the consistent provision of epic drama in the genre of a single-part symphonic sketch, the disclosure of the connection of this feature with the mugham genre are the main points of the research. The research is based on the disclosure of the Eastern nature image through its manifestation mainly in a calm lyrical aspect and at the same time in an internal movement. The research methodology is based on a comprehensive generalization of the research of Azerbaijani and Russian musicologists in the genre of symphonic sketch based on musical-analytical, theoretical and historical analysis. Scientific novelty of the research. For the first time in the framework of Azerbaijani music science, the figurative content and orchestral features of S. Hajibeyov’s symphonic poem “Caravan” were considered from the perspective of oriental art. At the same time, based on the analysis, certain comparisons were made with the symphonic poem “In the Steppes of Central Asia” by the Russian composer A. Borodin, and the “Caravan” composition was studied in details. Conclusions. The symphonic poem genre is important in Azerbaijani music, and many interesting examples have been created in this area. The emergence and development of the symphonic poem genre in Azerbaijani music was associated with the emergence of interest and need for samples of a single genre. Thus, in Azerbaijani music, the symphonic poem genre prevails among one-act works, and this genre originated even earlier than the genre of the national symphony. Even though the symphonic poem genre in Azerbaijani music continues the traditions of the Russian School of composition, it is based on national musical intonations. Thus, the rhythmic structure of works, artistic content, and textured form is determined by national characteristics. From this point of view, S. Hajibeyov’s “Caravan” symphonic poem is the most striking example of this genre in Azerbaijani music. At the same time, the unique orchestration, texture, and use of sound timbres of instruments opened a new page in the field of National Symphony music. In particular, the use of intonations of mugham, the Azerbaijani oral traditional musical genre, brought originality to this work.

The article explores the deeply rooted nature of the space of folk thought and spiritual thinking through ancient steppe calculations, the genre of such folklore as the genre of folklore. Like many folk genres, ancient steppe problems are written in both poetic and prosaic form, with a predominance of syncretic character. This clearly indicates the need to study the problems of the ancient steppe as a folklore work. It has been scientifically established that folklore itself is an interdisciplinary syncretic art and phenomenon.

For a long time Hungarian literature has been influenced by Russian literature. A.P. Chekhov’s works have been drawing a specific interest among Hungarian readers. In this regard, the question about genetic and typological ties between Russian and Hungarian literature arises. The issue in the article is considered on the example of the short story “Ferko” by the Hungarian writer, ethnographer and folklorist Istvan Temerken and the “steppe” works of A.P. Chekhov. For many Hungarian writers Chekhov’s literary works became a model which they relied on during the search of new art forms. I. Temerken grew up in a steppe region of Hungary and the “steppe” theme was especially close to him. The story “Ferko” is written in Chekhov’s manner. The place of the action is the steppe, the main character is a boy, as if separated from everyone who is next to him, the image of the road and a number of other elements of the art world of the short story allow you to notice strong similarities in the story “Ferko” and “steppe” works of Chekhov (especially in the story “Steppe”). However, Temerken could not read “Steppe” translated into Hungarian, since the story was translated after the writer’s death. It means that apart from a direct orientation to the Chekhov’s style and poetics, there should be something in the field of typological rapprochement of cultures, which explains this similarity. A.N. Veselovsky called this phenomenon “counter courses”. And modern researchers explain then as archetypes or cultural universals common to all cultures. In the works of Temerken and Chekhov such are the images of a child, steppe, sun, etc.

Zonal and Zoogeographic Characteristic of the Ant Fauna (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) of UkraineOne hundred fourty ant species belonging to 38 genera of 5 subfamilies are known to occur in Ukraine nowadays. All the species are attributed to 16 zoogeographic complexes that are grouped into three faunogenetic classes. Comparative zonal and zoogeographical analysis of the fauna of different geographical regions of Ukraine has revealed their essential heterogeneity. The ant fauna of the Forest-Steppe zone is not original. At the same time, it is not transitive between the faunae of the Forest and Steppe zones. Ant fauna of the Forest-Steppe is related to those not the Steppe but the Forests zones, and the Forest-Steppe can be included in the southern subzone of a Forest zone of t Europe.

This paper examines the use of mapping methodologies in some recent examples of contemporary art that chart the layered seascapes of the remote coastlines on North West Scotland as seen through the lens of visual culture in the Anthropocene. The art projects interrogate conflicting perspectives on landscape and nature in the North. The case studies demonstrate, both directly and indirectly, the political and cultural tensions made evident by the mapping of the micro and macro undercurrents at work in the region, and examine how mapping has been used as a methodology to visualise those intractable material relationships, often using the map as a trope to do so. These mappings make visible the enmeshments of these remote locations into a global ecosystem. The concept of the Anthropocene provides a useful framework to describe the contemporary context of climate change, ecological decline, biodiversity loss and recent discourses on land use within which the artworks by two artists, Julia Barton and Stephen Hurrel, will be discussed. The significance of Kester’s concept of Littoral Art were explored through the eponymous art project by Barton, which maps the human debris brought by the northern sea currents to the shores of the Western and Northern coasts, and Stephen Hurrel’s cultural mapping of the island of Barra on the West Coast. These projects were further considered in the context of Timothy Morton and Tim Ingold’s meshwork theory and the concept of the 19th century Scottish town planner and environmentalist Patrick Geddes, whose urging to ‘think global, act local’ is implicit in the multi-layered understanding of the Anthropocene.

Abstract. Climate warming and engineering activities have various impacts on the thermal regime of permafrost in alpine ecosystems of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. Using recent observations of permafrost thermal regimes along the Qinghai–Tibet highway and railway, the changes of such regimes beneath embankments constructed in alpine meadows and steppes are studied. The results show that alpine meadows on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau can have a controlling role among engineering construction effects on permafrost beneath embankments. As before railway construction, the artificial permafrost table (APT) beneath embankments is not only affected by climate change and engineering activities but is also controlled by alpine ecosystems. However, the change rate of APT is not dependent on ecosystem type, which is predominantly affected by climate change and engineering activities. Instead, the rate is mainly related to cooling effects of railway ballast and heat absorption effects of asphalt pavement. No large difference between alpine and steppe can be identified regarding the variation of soil temperature beneath embankments, but this difference is readily identified in the variation of mean annual soil temperature with depth. The vegetation layer in alpine meadows has an insulation role among engineering activity effects on permafrost beneath embankments, but this insulation gradually disappears because the layer decays and compresses over time. On the whole, this layer is advantageous for alleviating permafrost temperature rise in the short term, but its effect gradually weakens in the long term.

AbstractThrough a reading of 19th-century Persian travel narratives, this article locates the history of Iran and Central Eurasia within recent literature on global frontier processes and the encounter between empire and nature. It argues that Persianate travel books about Central Eurasia were part of the imperial project to order and reclaim the natural world and were forged through the material encounter with the steppes. Far from a passive act of collecting information and more than merely an extension of the observer's preconceptions, description was essential to the expansion and preservation of empire. Although there exists a vast literature on Western geographical and ethnographic representations of the Middle East, only recently have scholars begun to mine contacts that took place outside of a Western colonial framework and within an Asian setting. Based on an analysis of Riza Quli Khan Hidayat'sSifaratnama-yi Khvarazm, the record of an expedition sent from the Qajar Dynasty to the Oxus River in 1851, the article explores the 19th-century Muslim “discovery” of the Eurasian steppe world. The expedition set out to define imperial boundaries and to reclaim the desert, but along the way it found a permeable “middle ground” between empires, marked by transfrontier and cross-cultural exchanges.

Milk fiber is not only practical art, but also a kind of art beyond utility in Building space decoration. It has gradually stepped into the stage of decorative materials, the paper focuses on milk fiber and carries out discussion on development of milk fibers innovative area by analysis of its application in Building space decoration. Comparisons are made between design of traditional field and innovation of new field to achieve a new breakthrough for values of materials. By exploration of unique language of Building space decoration, bold development and experiments, milk fiber can create new art forms and styles.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the professional biography of Ethel A. Stephens, examining her career as an artist and a teacher in Sydney between 1890 and 1920. Accounts of (both male and female) artists in this period often dismiss their teaching as just a means to pay the bills. This paper focuses attention on Stephens’ teaching and considers how this, combined with her artistic practice, influenced her students. Design/methodology/approach – Using a fragmentary record of a successful female artist and teacher, this paper considers the role of art education and a career in the arts for respectable middle-class women. Findings – Stephens’ actions and experiences show the ways she negotiated between the public and private sphere. Close examination of her “at home” exhibitions demonstrates one way in which these worlds came together as sites, enabling her to identify as an artist, a teacher and as a respectable middle-class woman. Originality/value – This paper offers insight into the ways women negotiated the Sydney art scene and found opportunities for art education outside of the established modes.

Central Asia’s most famous artist Said Atabekov both interrogates and imagines religiosity in post-Soviet Kazakhstan in his art. He has been doing so as a member of the Kyzyl Tractor (Red Tractor) art collective and in his own art practice. They perform as shamans and explore the nomadic steppe culture of the days of yore. Offering a nuanced and often ironic critique of present-day developments in his art, Atabekov seeks to make his audience think about meaning making or the lack thereof. He highlights the inclusiveness of vernacular religion while simultaneously drawing attention to the vacuousness of the hegemonic ideologies of the day, ranging from communism to capitalism to dogmatic religion. From his oeuvre, we discuss works that concern a dervish shaman, the nomadic game of kokpar and the advent of rigid religion, respectively.