Graphics of the “Moscovian Poluustav”: Historiographical Notes

There is analyzed the problem of theoretical understanding of the “Moskovian Poluustav” in the Russian historiography. This term began to be used by specialists in the area of Old Russian manuscripts sporadically yet in the first half of the 20th century, for example by V.N. Shchepkin, and was finally established through the influence of one of the most popular and authoritative textbooks on paleography by M.N. Tikhomirov. There are discussed the works of L.M. Kostyukhina, A.A. Turilov and M.G. Galchenko, which address theoretical issues of the evolution of Poluustav in the Old Russian manuscripts.

As a result of historiographical analysis, there is made conclusion on the absence of clear definition for the term “Moskovian poluustav” in the domestic palaeographic science. Recently the researchers, dedicated to the graphic-orthographic features of the Russian medieval script, as well as the authors of several textbooks and manuals on palaeography, try not to use this term at all.

In the opinion of the author, the most perspective approach to form this definition is to comparatively analyze correlation of the script graphics of the Old Russian manuscripts and the early printed book fonts of the middle of the 16th century. 

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