A.S. Maydanov. The Vedic Myth About a Natural Cataclysm

Special methods are required to understand myths for their interpretation, and first of all, the methods of revealing the content, which can be regarded as cognitive information, and also the methods of reconstructing the events and phenomena that are behind the mythological images. Thus, the problem of understanding myths is the problem of approaching to them as to a source of knowledge, it is the problem of a search for real referents represented by the esoteric content. The author of this article applies such an approach to one of the central myths of the great monument of world literature, Rig-Veda, created by ancient Indian poets-rishi, to the myth about the demon Vrita, about his evil doings and the killing of this demon by the god of thunder and lightning, Indra.

Key words: Rig-Veda myth, Vritra, Indra, the ancient Indian mythology, mythological perception.

A.S. Anokhin. The Religious Reform in Judea (167 - 164 BC): New Approaches

In the article an attempt is made to show that the character of narration of 2 Maccabees about the religious reform in Judea (in 167 - 164 BC) strongly depends on the fact that the book was written for (and more likely among) the Egyptian Diaspora. Two episodes in the narration have been estimated as corresponding to the mentality of Diaspora and having no direct connection to what really happened in Jerusalem. They are: 1) that the Temple was defiled with ritual prostitution; 2) that cultic practices for Dionysus took place in Jerusalem.

The main goal of the reform was to decentralize the cult which meant to create a system of sanctuaries all over Judea under the control of High Priest Menelaus. Having established them Menelaus could suppress all possible kinds of opposition to his own "party" among the nobles (like "Jason's revolt" in 168 BC).

A possible administrative mechanism of taking a decision about the reform is also proposed. Menelaus offered to make cultic practices devoted to the king more intensive. This possibly meant that they would cover all the territory of Judea (not only Jerusalem). The king's agreement allowed the High Priest to start the reorganization of the cultic practices in order to meet the requirements of the newly proposed system.

Key words: Hellenism, Seleucids, Antiochus Epiphanes, Judea, Samaria, Onias, Jason, Menelaus, Tobiads, Maccabees, Temple, religion, persecution, high priest.

D.E. Mischin. The First Years of the Rule of Ardasheer Papakan

This article is a study of the first years of the rule of Ardasheer Papakan, the founder of the Sasanian dynasty in Iran, up to the downfall of the Parthian state. An examination of the sources suggests that the chronology of Ardasheer's rule should be revised. Ardasheer appears to have ruled as King of Kings in 225, when he destroyed the Parthians, through the first months of 241. His victory in the bitter fight for power was due to a number of factors which included, in addition to his own abilities, the support which he increasingly gained among the noblemen.

Key words: Sasanids, Middle East, Early Middle Ages.

K.R. Zoriktuev. The Etymology of the Ethnic Name Mongol

The article is devoted to the etymology of the ethnic name Mongol, determining its original sounding, semantics, the place and time of its origin. The author suggests a novel well-reasoned version of the origin of this name based on the information о written monuments and the results of expedion explorations in the north-east of the Chinese People's Republic. The analysis of the source materials cogently about the origin of the term Mongol in the period of the Tang Chinese dynasty on the right bank of the Argun river (Erguneh), where having escaped a rout by the Turks, the Mongol's ancestors hid. The revealing of the original form of the ethnic name (Mongol) proves that the name of the Mangu river, the right tributary of the Argun is in its basis. After the XIII century the name Mongol, having preserved its original semantics - "those who live on the Manguriver" has got the form Mongol known at present. The study has been done in close connection with the problem of Erguneh-kunah which is one of the key elements in the world Mongol studies.

Key words: Ergune-kunah, early Mongols, Shivei, Tan epoch.

L.V. Mashanova. The Golden Horde: the Problem of Eastern Borrowings in Russian Statehood and Culture

The huge number of this country's and foreign sources introduced into science has made it possible for historians (orientalists and specialists in Russian studies) to give a many-sided estimation of the political and cultural role

of the Golden Horde in the history of Eurasia. After the overthrow in 1480 of the Tartar-Mongol yoke Moscow Russ actually became the Golden Horde's successor. That was a really surprising historical phenomenon of the creation of Eurasian State. After the joining of the Kazan, Astrakhan and Siberian Khanates to the Moscow State a a movement began over the expanses of Siberia down to the Pacific. Already in the XVII century Russia came out to the border with China. The Tartars, Bashkirs, Yakuts, Buryat?, and other peoples had become part of Russia's population. Russia was becoming a Eurasian State more and more. The northern part of the Great Silk road and also the Great Fur road discovered for the first time fell into her hands.

Key words: The Mongol empire, Russ, the Golden Horde, the Great Moscow principality.

I.E. Pozhilov. The Chinese Communists and Manchuria: the Year 1945

The article is an attempt on the basis of modern publications in the Chinese People's Republic on the history of the party and armed forces to trace the main efforts of the Communist Party of China during the second half of 1945 to work out and realize a course toward the movement into Manchuria with the goal of creating the main basis there for the Chinese revolution. The author also studies the questions connected with a thorough modernization of the army as the necessary condition for ensuring the priority positions of the communists with the beginning of the civil war against Guomindang. The analysis of these processes is given with the consideration of the personal role in them of a number of the members of the higher leadership of the Communist party of China and commanders of the People's Liberation army.

Key words: the rout of the Quantung army, the Communist Party of China, the strategic deployment of the People's Liberation Army of China, Lyu Chaozi.

V.V. Vorobyev. The Rule of Mohammad Zia ul-Haq and his Influence on Pakistan's Development

The eleven-year period of Mohammad Zia ul-Haq's rule (1977 - 1988) has determined all the following internal political development of Pakistan and the transformation of the Pakistani society in the period from 1988 till the present time having played the key role in islamizing the Pakistan society. Besides, the regime has formed the essential peculiarities of its foreign policy remaining till now in spite of the changes that have taken place in the country and the world for more than two decades.

His policy of islamizing has brought to the rise of Islamic fundamentalism and extremism. The negative for the country consequences of Zia ul Haq's policy toward the militarization of economy, the strengthening of the role of the military in all the spheres of the public and political life have also partly diminished under the influence of the measures taken by the ruling forces during the past ten years. It has become especially clear in the period after the 2008 parliamentary elections.

The present internal political situation, too, remains unstable and unquiet although, its present state corresponds to all the formal requirements of a democratic system.

Key words: Pakistan, Muhammad Zia ul-Haq, Fayji Foundation, Islamic factor, Navaz Sharif, Pervez Musharraf.

Yu.S. Skubko. South Africa on the Way to a Knowledge-Based Economy: a Slip Down?

Until recently I have written a much more positive way about developments in South African R & D and technological innovation fields (Vostok/Oriens, 2007, N 4), but with the pace of time the growing retardation and decay of the in this formerly first world country (in many respects, including science and technology) became more and more evident to the author.

South Africa remains the most developed country of the most underdeveloped continent. It is the scientific and technological leader of Africa, still providing a lions share of research production though this portion and its quality is gradually diminishing. There is an obvious downward trend in science and technology. The main, most prestigious and costly innovation program of the country - production of the pebble-bed if the world, has finally collapsed. Higher education (with the imposition of black empowerment, resembling apartheid, the quality of lecturers and students, education in general fell) despite all the formal growth in numbers of students and chairs is losing quality. Decline is also seen in many other fields, last but not least law and order without which nothing positive can develop. With rampant crime conquering formerly protected city areas, mass emigration of all categories of qualified personnel, not only white, capable of finding work abroad, is taking place on an increasing scale.

The level of ignorance of the state high ranks is astonishing. The former president "discovers" that HIV\AIDS was caused by racial discrimination and poverty, preventing the necessary antiretroviral treatment. The health minister proposes beet root as a cure. Evidently that in such socio-political atmosphere science and education feel growing suffocation. The whole South African ruling class (with only minor exceptions) is resembling more and more the corrupt and incompetent ruling classes of underdeveloped African countries.

With a general degradation of the state apparatus accompanied by blatant economic mismanagement (the 2007 - 2008 energy crisis as a vivid example) South Africa is accelerating its slide down towards retardation. Despite growth in some high technology sectors there now seems to be only little chance for this country's general successful transition to a knowledge-based economy.

Key words: South Africa, knowledge-based economy

Yu.S. Khudyakov. The Mongol Peoples' Legend about the Origin of the Founder of a State

The article is a study on the information about the legendary origin of a nomadic leader, the founder of a powerful military state; this information is in chronicle and folklore sources of some ancient and medieval Mongol peoples. A comparative analysis is done of such subjects known in the legends of different Mongol ethnic units: Syanbytes, Kidans, Mongols and also ancient Koreans. The author traces the evolution of the ideas about the heavenly origin of the ruler or his ancestors during the periods of antiquity and the Middle Ages.

Key words: the legendary origin, hystorical legends, the founder of a nomadic empire, Syanbytes, Kidans, Mongols, Koreans.

N.A. Kozhanov. About the Problem of Iran's Accession to the WTO

The author analyses the influence of the negotiation process of Iran's accession to the WTO on the economy of the IRI. On the base of his assessments, the author makes an attempt to distinguish possible obstacles which the Iranian government may face during negotiations with the WTO. He concludes that the bilateral talks will last for a rather long period during which the Iranian side will try to stimulate as much preferences for its domestic producers as it can.

Key words: accession to the WTO, government regulations, custom tariffs.

R.R. Nizamendinova The Idea of Cosmos in the Architecture of the Civilizations of the Ancient East: the Temple as a Model of the Universe

The author carries out a comparative analysis of the architectural temple structures in the cultures of Ancient Egypt, Shumer, China, India and distinguishes the common and special tendencies and regularities. For instance, it is revealed that at the basis of the original form of temples, the plan of a building were a circle and a rectangle as the projection of the female and male beginning of the creation of the Earth and Heaven. A square symbolized the four sides of the world, the elements. The shape of the pyramids was the result of the fact that they were understood as the unification of the Earth and Heaven, and the temples were thought to be house of god or the place of his concentration. On the basis of the known historical material it is shown that the idea of the cosmos is the fundamental part of the architecture of the ancient civilizations of the East reflecting the world-outlook of the peoples inhabiting it.

Key words: Babylon, Ancient India, Ancient China, castes, dwelling of the God, projections of space, architecture of the temple.

G.M. Sidorova. On the Occasion of the 50-th Anniversary of the Soviet/Russian-Congolese Relations

The history of the Russian-Congolese relations (we are going to speak here about former Zaire, at present the Democratic Republic of Congo) have not been that simple. On the background of the Western countries' interference, including Belgium, France and the USA, into the internal affairs of the Congo-Kinshasa, both in the beginning of the 60-s and later the Soviet Union rendered considerable assistance to the young republic in its defense of its national interests and preserving its territorial integrity. In spite of the intensive anti-Soviet propaganda in those years our country had succeeded in creating the image of a reliable political partner. Today this is a good pre-condition for reviving the ties and positive dynamics in Russia's relations with the Democratic Republic of Congo in all the fields of cooperation.

Key words: Zaire, Lumumba Patrice, Congo, Mobutu Sese Seko, the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

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