Strange Foretime? What Historical Monuments Russia was Looking for on its Eastern Boundaries

Abstract. In 1901–1903 the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Empire conducted a campaign to search for historical monuments. The article examines the results of this activity with regard to the Eastern regions of the Russian Empire - Central Asia and the Caucasus. Was prepared a list of monuments with brief information about their history and current status. Monuments were divided according to departmental affiliation – relating to: 1) the Ministry of Internal Affairs, 2) Church Department, 3) Military institutions, 4) other departments. They distinguished the monuments of antiquity, monuments in honor of the Highest Persons (members of the Romanov dynasty) and in honor of historical events. Specific description of monuments in the Eastern regions of the Russian Empire was the presence of remains, associated with the history of ancient states and peoples, and – non-Christian. First, the question arose as to how the Russian Empire would take into account the “Strange foretime”. Secondly, how it will adapt the “space of history” to imperial historical discourses. Third, all local monuments were older than historical objects associated with the arrival of Russians here. They were strange and heterodox, but they were potentially more valuable from a scientific and cultural point of view than later Russian monuments. The article examines what solutions the Ministry of Internal Affairs offered to solve these problems.

Keywords: Ministry of Internal Affairs, historical monument, protection of historical monuments, historical memory.