Across a distance: the history of friendship between N.M. Martyanov and D.A. Klements

The regional history is one of the dominating research directions now and the address to it in the Siberian context only confirms this tendency. The considerable contribution to studying of Siberia in the last third of XIX - the beginning of XX from the natural-science and ethnographical and archaeological point of view was brought by researchers - N.M. Martyanov and D.A. Klements. The purpose to this article is on the basis of attraction of big archival material, mainly epistolary heritage of two of these scientists, to reconstruct history of their relationship and to track as their more than twenty years friendship not only influenced formation of their scientific interests, but also in practice with the organization and carrying out direct researches in various corners of Western and Eastern Siberia. The analysis of the available extensive massive, both the archival and published sources convincingly shows that during the Minusinsk exile of D.A. Klements, in which N.M. Martyanov has played the most important role in D.A. Klements's formation as traveler and scientist. In turn D.A. Klements during the expeditions on the Minusinsk district, Tyva and other earlier poorly studied areas of Southern Siberia and also writing of the book “Antiquities of the Minusinsk museum. Monuments of metal eras” in no small measure promoted formation of the Minusinsk museum and finding of popularity by it in the European scientific community. Close friendly and scientific contacts between N.M. Martyanov and D.A. Klements were not interrupted also after departure of the last to Minusinsk. The analysis of their long-term correspondence shows that in it they gave a lot of place to scientific perspective. D.A. Klements in the expeditions constantly cared not only for replenishment of collections of the Minusinsk museum, but also did no't forget about the scientific interests of N.M. Martyanov in the sphere of botany. And N.M. Martyanov in turn advised D.A. Klements concerning museum business and helped with collecting geological material within its scientific subject. Besides, during the stay of D.A. Klements as at first on a post of the governor Western-Siberian department of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society and as the main collector of the Museum of archeology and ethnography and at last on a post of the manager of Ethnographic department of the Russian Museum, N.M. Martyanov according to the lights and opportunities helped him assembled museum collections. Thus, on the basis of the studied material the author came to a conclusion that close companionship of these extraordinary persons mutually enriched them intellectually and in practice helped implementation of their numerous scientific projects. And it has in turn allowed them to play a considerable role not only in geographical, geological, botanical, archaeological and ethnographic studying of Minusinsk hollow and some other Areas of Siberia, but also in formation of museum matter in Russia.

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