Settlement way of life and social mode of life of the Slavic population of Kuban through the eyes of foreign scientists (late 18th - first half of the 19th centuries)

The article analyzes foreign scientists’ and travelers’ writings (diaries, travel notes, etc.) that reflect the formation of predominantly Cossack settlements in Kuban and along the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus in the late 18th - first half of the 19th centuries. The author of the article seeks to identify the phenomena that created the image and communication of the region in that period in the minds of foreign researchers. The sources of the study are works by Peter Simon Pallas, Edward Daniel Clarke, Frederic Dubois de Montpereux, and Moritz Wagner. The methodological foundation of the study is the local history theory, applied to settlements, which is formulated within the framework of socio-humanitarian and civilizational approaches. The author analyzes the content of the fragments of Pallas’ work related to the territory of Kuban; emphasizes various aspects related to the origin and social status of the Black Sea Cossacks, the natural and climatic conditions of the region; describes Cossack kurens as the main type of settlements that existed at that time. The author studies the text of the memoirs of the English mineralogist Clarke related to his stay on the territory of the Black Sea coast and draws attention to Clarke’s description of Yekaterinodar and other settlements, as well as information about the economic activities of the Black Sea people (in particular, about cattle breeding) and the status of military leaders. The author considers chapters from the multi-volume work of the Swiss scientist Dubois de Montpereux, dedicated to his journey to the Caucasus and reflecting the appearance of Gelendzhik in the early 1830s, characteristics of its inhabitants and a number of events from the history of this settlement. The author also studies the impressions of the German biologist and geographer Wagner of his journey along the Kuban River, which he undertook in 1843. The main objects of Wagner’s observations were various aspects of the Cossacks’ daily life, the characters and fates of ordinary inhabitants of Kuban. The author shows the features of Wagner’s perception of the differences between the Black Sea Cossacks and the representatives of the neighboring Cossack host, gives Wagner’s descriptions of some Kuban villages. The author concludes that the image of the region in the minds of foreign authors was formed mainly due to the temperament of its inhabitants, cultural differences between them, as well as the appearance of traditional settlements.