Prior to coming across your post I never knew how detailed Russian swords were and the time that went into them. When i think of swords i never really think of Russia. So this was very cool to appreciate the time and attention to detail that they would put into there work!
Great post! I really enjoyed reading this one. Something that I noticed immediately when looking at the photo (that you later mentioned) was the diverse group of people working on the railroad. I was happy to see you also caught that and were curious about the back story to that. It seems to me like some soldiers could be commissioned to help with the railroad while others are at battle? It leaves my mind wondering!
I really like the picture and the history behind the church! The architecture is very similar to the picture I chose of the St. Nil Monastery and was also built around the same time which i find very cool!
I liked your final sentence: “History begins with religion and to understand religion is to understand history.” It’s true that almost every civilization has had a central religion from which many of their values were derived from. However, there are many aspects of history that are secular in nature and, in some cases even anti-religious. The assumption that understanding religion allows one to understand all of history is a overstatement. Though religion may open the door to history, it remains a vast hodgepodge of cultural, political, economic, and imperialistic aspects of which many have been incompletely analyzed.
The amount of effort put into the crafting of these swords is astounding. Do you think that, as time continued into the late 20th Century, that the manufacturing shifted more toward guns or did the wants for swords and sabers continue to flourish? Do you think the use of sabers in warfare was to retain the traditional feelings and ties to Imperial Russia, or was it something else?
Gorskki, with support from Tsar Nicolas II and the Ministry of Transportation, captured Russian life from all aspects during his campaign. Gorskii captured numerous pictures that displayed a diverse nation: transportation (industrial lifestyle), ethnic diversity, architecture and the working class. Both of our pictures fall under the category of people are work, or the peasantry class of early 20th century Russia. On a national level, in 1905 (the year this photo was taken), Russia is dealing with multiple peasant uprisings in response to reforms that lessened, even more, the peasant voice.
