Boris Marshak
Encyclopedia
Boris Ilich Marshak (July 9, 1933 – 28 July 2006) was an archeologist who spent more than fifty years excavating the Sogdian
ruins at Panjakent
, Tajikistan
.
, Leningrad Oblast
, Russian SFSR July 9, 1933. He received a MA
in Archaeology
from Moscow University in 1956, his PhD
in Archaeology from the Institute of Archaeology, Leningrad in 1965 and a doctorate of Historical Sciences from Moscow University in 1982.
Marshak began his work at the Sogdian
ruins, which date from the 5th-8th century, at Panjakent in 1954. He became director of the archaeological expedition in 1978, a position he held until his death. Marshak was a leading authority on the history of Panjakent, the archaeology and art history
of Central Asia
, and medieval eastern silver
ware. In 1979 he became head of the Department of Central Asia and Caucasus at the Hermitage
, in Leningrad
.
After the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 Marshak’s job became significantly more difficult. Funding for fieldwork dried up and he instantly became a foreigner in the new state of Tajikistan at a time when ethnic Russians were fleeing Central Asia in mass. Marshak stayed on as director of the excavation of the Panjakent ruins, even during the years of civil war in Tajikistan from 1992–1997, while other archeological sites in the former Soviet Union were plundered by looters. Through close cooperation with the government of Tajikistan Marshak insured protection and continued excavation of the Panjakent ruins. In the 1990s and first decade of the 21st century Marshak received numerous honorariums from international organizations and taught, lectured and conducted fellowships in Italy
, the United States
, Austria
and elsewhere.
Marshak died 28 July 2006 on the site of the Panjakent ruins. He was buried at the site, as requested in his will.
Sogdiana
Sogdiana or Sogdia was the ancient civilization of an Iranian people and a province of the Achaemenid Empire, eighteenth in the list on the Behistun Inscription of Darius the Great . Sogdiana is "listed" as the second of the "good lands and countries" that Ahura Mazda created...
ruins at Panjakent
Panjakent
Panjakent , also spelled Panjikent, Panjekent or Penjikent, is a city in the Sughd province of Tajikistan on the Zeravshan River, with a population of 33,000 . It was once an ancient town in Sogdiana...
, Tajikistan
Tajikistan
Tajikistan , officially the Republic of Tajikistan , is a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and China to the east....
.
Biography
Boris Ilich Marshak was born in LugaLuga
Luga is a town and the administrative center of Luzhsky District of Leningrad Oblast, Russia, located on the Luga River south of St. Petersburg. Population:...
, Leningrad Oblast
Leningrad Oblast
Leningrad Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . It was established on August 1, 1927, although it was not until 1946 that the oblast's borders had been mostly settled in their present position...
, Russian SFSR July 9, 1933. He received a MA
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
in Archaeology
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
from Moscow University in 1956, his PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in Archaeology from the Institute of Archaeology, Leningrad in 1965 and a doctorate of Historical Sciences from Moscow University in 1982.
Marshak began his work at the Sogdian
Sogdiana
Sogdiana or Sogdia was the ancient civilization of an Iranian people and a province of the Achaemenid Empire, eighteenth in the list on the Behistun Inscription of Darius the Great . Sogdiana is "listed" as the second of the "good lands and countries" that Ahura Mazda created...
ruins, which date from the 5th-8th century, at Panjakent in 1954. He became director of the archaeological expedition in 1978, a position he held until his death. Marshak was a leading authority on the history of Panjakent, the archaeology and art history
Art history
Art history has historically been understood as the academic study of objects of art in their historical development and stylistic contexts, i.e. genre, design, format, and style...
of Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
, and medieval eastern silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
ware. In 1979 he became head of the Department of Central Asia and Caucasus at the Hermitage
Hermitage Museum
The State Hermitage is a museum of art and culture in Saint Petersburg, Russia. One of the largest and oldest museums of the world, it was founded in 1764 by Catherine the Great and has been opened to the public since 1852. Its collections, of which only a small part is on permanent display,...
, in Leningrad
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
.
After the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 Marshak’s job became significantly more difficult. Funding for fieldwork dried up and he instantly became a foreigner in the new state of Tajikistan at a time when ethnic Russians were fleeing Central Asia in mass. Marshak stayed on as director of the excavation of the Panjakent ruins, even during the years of civil war in Tajikistan from 1992–1997, while other archeological sites in the former Soviet Union were plundered by looters. Through close cooperation with the government of Tajikistan Marshak insured protection and continued excavation of the Panjakent ruins. In the 1990s and first decade of the 21st century Marshak received numerous honorariums from international organizations and taught, lectured and conducted fellowships in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
and elsewhere.
Marshak died 28 July 2006 on the site of the Panjakent ruins. He was buried at the site, as requested in his will.
Honorary Awards and Memberships
- 2002 Foreign associate Member of the Academie des Inscriptions et Belles-LettresAcadémie des Inscriptions et Belles-LettresThe Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres is a French learned society devoted to the humanities, founded in February 1663 as one of the five academies of the Institut de France.-History:...
, (Institut de FranceInstitut de FranceThe Institut de France is a French learned society, grouping five académies, the most famous of which is the Académie française.The institute, located in Paris, manages approximately 1,000 foundations, as well as museums and chateaux open for visit. It also awards prizes and subsidies, which...
).
- 1999 Order of Friendship, Tajikistan.
- 1998 Foreign Corresponding Member of the Academie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres (Institut de France).
- 1995 Honorary Member of the Archaeological Institute of AmericaArchaeological Institute of AmericaThe Archaeological Institute of America is a North American nonprofit organization devoted to the promotion of public interest in archaeology, and the preservation of archaeological sites. It has offices on the campus of Boston University and in New York City.The institute was founded in 1879,...
.
- 1991 Honorary Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society of the Great Britain and Ireland.
- 1990 Corresponding Member of IsMEO (Institute of the Middle and Far East, Rome).
- 1989 Prix Ghirshman de L'Academie (Academie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres, Institut de France).
- Ferdousi premium – London.
- Order of Honor - Russia.
Partial list of Published Works
Note that Marshak’s works were published under the names Boris Ilich Marshak, Boris I. Marshak, B. I. Marshak, and Boris Marshak.Books
- "Legends, Tales and Fables in the Art of Sogdiana. " Persica Press. New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. 2002.
- "Murals along the Silk Road: Combined Art-Historical and Laboratory Study" St. Petersburg. 1999. coauthor.
- "Sokrovishcha Khana Kubrata Pereshepinskii klad". St. Petersburg. 1997. coauthor.
- "The Treasures of Khan Kubrat". St.Petersburg. 1997 coauthor.
- "Treasures from the Obf Basin". Exhibition Catalogue. St. Petersburg, 1996. coeditor.
- "Silberschätze des Orients". Metallkunst des 3-13. Jahrhunderts und ihre Kontinuität, Leipzig. 1986.
- "The Painting of Sogdiana." Part One of the book: Azarpay G. Sogdian Painting. Berkeley. 1981. pp. 11–77. co author
- "Sogdian Silver. " Moscow, 1971. In Russian.
Articles
- “The Archaeology of Sogdiana.” The Silk Road, 1/2. December 2003. pp. 3–8
- “A Sogdian Silver Bowl from the Freer Gallery of Art.” Ars Orientalis XXIX, 1999.
- “L'Art Sogdien (IVe-IXe siecle)”. Les Arts de 1' Asie Centrale. ParisParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. 1999. pp. 114–163.
- “Sogd”. A chapter in “Istoriia tadzhikskogo naroda” [History of the Tajik People]. DushanbeDushanbe-Economy:Coal, lead, and arsenic are mined nearby in the cities of Nurek and Kulob allowing for the industrialization of Dushanbe. The Nurek Dam, the world's highest as of 2008, generates 95% of Tajikistan's electricity, and another dam, the Roghun Dam, is planned on the Vakhsh River...
. 2000.
- “Sogd V-VIII w. Ideologiia po pamiatnikam isskustva" A chapter in "Arkheologija. Srednjaja Azija i Dal'nii Vostok v epokhu srednevekov'ia. Srednjaja Azija v rannem srednevekov'e. " G. Brykina ed. (Moscow: [Nauka], 1999). pp. 175–191.
- “Sogdian Art.” Chapters in "New History of World Art, ‘Shogakukan’." 1999. Vol.15. pp. 207-218, 386-395
- “Le mythe de Nana dans l'art de la Sogdiane.” Arts Asiatiques. 1998. pp. 5–18. coauthor.
- “The Tiger, Raised from the Dead: Two Murals from Panjikent.” "Bulletin of the Asia Institute. " Vol. 10. 1996. pp. 207–17.
- “Sughd.” Chapter in "History of Civilization of Central Asia", Vol. III. UNESCO Publishing. 1996. pp. 233–58.
- “On the Iconography of Ossuaries from Biya Naiman.” "Silk Road Art and Archaeology." Kamakura. Vol 4. 1995. Issue 6. pp. 299–321.
- “Le programme iconographique des peintures de la "Salle des Ambassadeurs" a Afrasiab (Samarkand).” Arts Asiatiques. Tome XLIX. 1994. pp. 1-20.
- “The Historico-Cultural Significance of the Sogdian Calendar.” IranIRAN (journal)IRAN is an annual peer-reviewed academic journal. It is published by The British Institute of Persian Studies and the editors-in-chief are C. Edmund Bosworth, Cameron A. Petrie, and Vanessa Martin....
. Vol. XXX. LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. 1992. pp. 145–54.
- “Worshippers from the Northern Shrine of Temple II, Panjikent.” Bulletin of the Asia Institute Vol. 8. 1994. pp. 187–207. coauthor.
- “Cultes communautaires et cultes prives en Sogdiane.” "Histoire et cultes de 1'Asie Centrale preislamique. " Paris, CNRS. 1991. pp. 187–195. coauthor.
- “A Hunting Scene from Panjikent.” "Bulletin of the Asia Institute." Vol. 4. 1990. pp. 77–94.
- “Les fouilles de Pendjikent.” [CRAI]. 1990. pp. 286–313.
- “Wall Painting from a House with a Granary. Panjikent, 1st Quarter of the Eighth Century A.D.” "Silk Road Art and Archaeology." Vol.1. 1990. pp. 123–176.
- “Some Notes on the Tomb of Li-Xian and his Wife under Northern Zhou Dynasty at Guyuan, Ningxia and its Gold-Gilt Silver Ewer with Greek Mythological Scenes Unearthed There.” Cultura Antiqua. Vol. 4. No. 4. 1989. pp. 49–57. coauthor. In Japanese with English subtitle.
- “Une image sogdienne du dieu-patriarche de I'agriculture.” Studia Iranica, Vol. 6. Issue 2. 1987. pp. 193–199. coauthor.
- “Iskusstvo Sogda.” Chapter in ‘Tsentral'naia Aziia.’” Novye Pamiatniki pis'mennosti i iskusstva. Moscow. 1987. pp. 233-248.
- “Raskopki gorodishcha drevnego Pendzhikenta v 1977 g.”. "Arkheologicheskie raboty v Tadzhikistane. " Vol. XVII. 1977. Dushanbe. 1984. pp. 187–229. coauthor.
- “Oriental Analogien zu den Bauwerken von Typus des eingeschriebenen Kreuzes: Pendzikent und Bamian, V-VII Jh.” Chapter in B. Brentjes, ed., "Probleme der Architektur des Orients, Halle." Saale. 1983. pp. 53–64. In Russian.
- “The Paintings of Sogdiana.” Chapter in G. Azarpay, "Sogdian Painting: The Pictorial Epic in Oriental Art. " Berkeley, 1981. pp. 11–77. coauthor.
- “Sotsial'naya struktura naseleniya drevnego Pendzhikenta.” Chapter in B. Gafurov, G. F. Girs and E. A. Davidovich, eds., "Tovarno-denezhnye otnosheniya na Blizhnem i Srednem Vostoke v eµpokhu srednevekov'ya." Moscow. 1979. pp. 19–26. coauthor.
- “Drevneîshee izobrazhenie osadnoî mashiny v Sredneî Azii.” Chapter in V. G. Lukonin, ed., "Kul'tura Vostoka: Drevnost' i rannee serdnevekov'e. " Moscow. 1978. pp. 215–21. coauthor.
- “Stennye rospisi, obnaruzhennye v 1970 gody na gorodishche drevnego Pendzhikenta.” "Soobshcheniya Gosudarstvennogo E˜rmitazha. " 36. Leningrad. 1973. pp. 58–64.
- “L'art de Piandjikent aà la lumiére des derniéres fouilles (1958-1968).” Arts Asiatiques. Vol. 23. 1971. pp. 3–39. coauthor.