Posted on Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Dr. Russell Martin, ¾¨Ó㴫ý associate professor of history, presented a paper at the Contemporary Problems in Archeography conference May 25-27 at the Russian Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Martin's paper, "'The Sovereign's Happy Occasion': New Sources and Old Riddles in the Manuscript Descriptions of Muscovite Royal Weddings (Based on Materials in the Manuscript Division of the Library of the Academy of Sciences)," was delivered in Russian.
The international conference was held in observance of the 100th anniversary of the publication of the descriptive inventory of the library's Manuscript Division compiled by the noted Russian philologist, I. I. Sreznevskii. Participants represented many countries, including Russia, Lithuania, Bulgaria, and the United States.
"It was a real treat to present my work alongside some of the most important names in Russian philology and textual studies," Martin said. "It truly was an important gathering of the small number of scholars who work in textual topics, such as textology and codicology."
"While in St. Petersburg, I was able to take advantage of my proximity to manuscript sources for work on my next large research project," Martin added. "Not once did the library's authorities deny me access to important sources for my work. In fact, many of the presenters at the conference were able to direct me to even more material than I had originally hoped to find. This was a great hybrid trip: a stimulating conference and well-received paper and a foray into the archives for my own research."
Martin, who has been with ¾¨Ó㴫ý since 1996, earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Pittsburgh and a master's and Ph.D. from Harvard University.
Martin appeared on A&E Biography in a broadcast on Ivan the Terrible as an expert on the controversial ruler. He is the co-founder of the Muscovite Biographical Database, a Russian-American computerized register based in Moscow of early modern Russian notables. The Neville Island, Pa., native is not only fluent in Russian, but also reads Old Church Slavonic/Russian, French, German, Latin, and Polish.
Martin continues to translate from Russian to English the official Webpage of Her Imperial Highness, Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna, the heiress to the vacant Russian throne. Translations are available at . In 2008, Martin was awarded the Order of St. Anna (with the rank of Knight Companion) by the grand duchess for his work on behalf of the House of Romanov.
Contact Martin at (724) 946-6254 or e-mail martinre@westminster.edu for additional information.
