European map of the early 17th century and the idea of a northern sea route to China

On a European map of the North-East Passage to China from the early seventeenth century, two names, CHINA and Cathay, stand side by side, separated by India Orientalis. The map illustrates not only the currency in Europe of Russian geographical names, but also the conviction, unshakeable at the time, that a sea route to China existed through the northern seas along the coasts of Russia

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September digest: archaeological finds, exhibitions, museums, theatre and the Church

In the finale of the Strugatskys' Roadside Picnic, the Golden Ball is told: "Happiness for everybody, free, and let nobody go away unsatisfied!" I do not promise to offend nobody, but the digest really does come free of charge. So, here is the main business of the

Frederic Leighton

Frederic Leighton. “Daedalus and Icarus”, 1869 Daedalus warns his son not to climb too high: the heat of the sun may melt the wax, but Icarus is already gazing into the distance, and the lamentations of a foolish old man interest him not in the least

European map of the early 17th century and the idea of a northern sea route to China

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September digest: archaeological finds, exhibitions, museums, theatre and the Church

Frederic Leighton

Attempts to resolve the problems of many years of uncontrolled mass migration

Characters from Gogol's "Petersburg Tales" on the pedestal of the monument to Nikolai Gogol on Nikitsky Boulevard, photograph of the 1960s