'The Process of Scientific Activity Is Somewhat Like Sailing'
Maria Buyanovskaya
Fifth-year student of the Bachelor's Programme in Classical Studies (philology and history tracks) at the Institute for Oriental and Classical Studies of the HSE Faculty of Humanities.
Maria Buyanovskaya initially aspired to become a restoration artist, but today she is exploring the world of antiquity. In this interview with the HSE Young Scientists project, she discusses how irony can be subtly conveyed even through grammar, talks about the school of Homer and Plato, and highlights summer internships at the Hermitage and the Pushkin Museum.
Why I Chose to Pursue a Career in Science
I believe my passion for antiquity began with languages. I vividly remember the feeling that arose when we had mastered the basics of grammar and began reading original texts. I would come to class with the original text analysed and a translation prepared, thinking I had a more or less clear understanding. But in class, I would realise how shallow and vague my comprehension was compared to the strikingly profound insights of an expert—someone who knows how even a seemingly insignificant detail can determine the true meaning of an ancient text. This experience reshaped my understanding of what it truly means to 'know how to read' and revealed the deeper nuances behind a text being considered 'untranslatable.'
First and foremost, the languages we study and work with are highly polysemous. The same word can carry different meanings depending on the era, the author, and the specific context. A single word can have multiple meanings, while a particular meaning can be conveyed by different words, each adding its own nuances. The authors, of course, deliberately play on this.
Second, grammar is essential, as the meaning lies in a precise understanding of its subtleties. Specific combinations of grammatical elements can either convey objective reality or suggest the mere possibility of what is being described. They can make us see an event through the speaker's eyes or express the feelings they have toward the interlocutor. Grammar can even convey irony—can you imagine that? These aspects are not as obvious as they may seem; they don’t lie on the surface but reveal the true meaning of what is written, sometimes radically altering it.
There are many such aspects, and it is all incredibly beautiful. Being able to see it brings indescribable joy. However, translating it can be extremely challenging and, at times, simply impossible. This is why lengthy and detailed dictionary entries, reference books, and text annotations exist, sometimes with pages devoted to explaining the meaning of a single word.
The Subject of My Studies
In our programme, we study the civilizations of Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, and Byzantium. The programme offers two tracks—philology and history—but it is possible to pursue a double degree and earn both qualifications.
Overall, we take a wide range of courses, including literature and history, mythology, art, archaeology, epigraphy and paleography, linguistics, philosophy, and more. On one hand, this teaches you how to work with a variety of sources of different natures and genres, and on the other hand, it allows you to see a unifying aspect in this diversity—something that is difficult to notice when viewed from just one perspective.
My academic supervisor, Ekaterina Matusova, helped me choose a topic for my second year: 'Posthumous Fate in the Works of Homer and the Epic of Gilgamesh.'
If I were to briefly describe my academic journey over the past few years, it would look something like this: I began with our oldest literary source, Homer, in relation to the context of the ancient Near Eastern Epic of Gilgamesh. This work aimed to explore antiquity not only in its own context but also through its dialogue with another culture. After that, while still keeping Homer in mind, I moved on to explore the Homeric motifs in Plato's depiction of the afterlife and the image of the soul, as Plato was the next author to develop this theme with consistency and depth.
I studied how Plato engages with tradition to create something new, adhering to it in some aspects while opposing it in others. This work led me to the issue of connection between philosophy and myth. My thesis is a study of their interaction in Plato's doctrine of the soul in the Phaedo dialogue.
What I Take Pride In
I have been teaching Ancient Greek for nearly two years now. I can hardly believe it, but there are several people who have learned the basics of grammar from scratch with me and can even read some of the original texts.
From time to time, I also give lectures on antiquity to lyceum students. All of this benefits me greatly, as it provides the opportunity to engage with the material in a different way and work with it—not only to absorb knowledge but also to share what I have been taught and continue to learn, and, equally importantly, to see a response. For this, I credit my teachers and their trust in me.
My Dream
To become an expert. It's hard for me now to pinpoint exactly what I want to specialise in, but I would love for it to involve working with a wide variety of sources and applying the methods we are taught.
For me, science is an individual's pursuit and quest for something. At the beginning of the quest, it is a spark, a fleeting glimmer of light that appears for a brief moment and then vanishes, leaving behind a sharp awareness of darkness and failure to understand, along with a sense of something larger than the individual. But as they sense the invisible presence of this small glimmer of light, they continue to search for a path to it, and through it, to the greater light, as if they feel they must remember or learn something so important that it cannot be ignored.
But at the same time, science is about meticulous, precise, and exceptionally thorough work. In a researcher’s pursuits, there is no room for mindless admiration. The text of their paper must be carefully verified, their ideas logical and consistent, and presented with respect for the reader.
As my academic supervisor keeps reminding me, the work of a researcher is that of a surgeon, not a poet.
Science is, of course, all about the search. We have sources, texts, and authors to study, along with scientific literature and historiography, but this is not enough. We need someone to teach us how to work with all this, how to approach it, and demonstrate it by example. And we are fortunate to have wonderful teachers.
The process of scientific activity is somewhat like sailing. At the beginning, you must have the courage to set out to sea, and then you need to find a direction, your guiding star, and catch a favourable wind.
Sometimes, once you have found your impulse, the new challenge is to rein it in. When you get caught in a whirlpool, you must be able to hold on to the sail that slips from your hands under the gusts of wind. If you can hold on to it, you'll sail well; but if you let it slip, you'll be stranded in the middle of the ocean with nothing left and nowhere to go. It's also crucial to assemble a reliable crew for this journey—those who, on one hand, teach you the craft of sailing, and on the other, sail alongside you and offer support.
If I Hadn't Become a Scientist
It's hard for me to imagine this now, but perhaps I could have become a restoration artist, as I wanted to five years ago. A restorer's work is grounded in solid scientific knowledge and an understanding of how a painting is structured at every level: its chemical composition, the interaction of dyes and materials, as well as its composition, light, shadow, and colour relationships.
How I Deal with Burnout
Sometimes, it helps to simply allow yourself to sleep for half the day on Sunday and, during the other half, take a long walk outside in the fresh air. Fortunately, I live near a forest park, so all I need to do is get myself out of the house.
But most of all, it's people who help—they're the ones who prevent you from locking yourself inside your thoughts and getting lost in them. I mean, of course, family and friends whose support you can always count on.
I also really enjoy our regular seminar sessions, as they provide an opportunity to open a window and let fresh air into my sometimes clouded mind.
In addition to regular classes, the various events hosted by the institute are an inspiration, bringing together researchers from different fields of antiquity and Byzantine studies.
The summer internships at the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, the Hermitage Museum, and the State Historical Museum, as well as the archaeological projects, are truly special experiences in their own right. For a student, they offer a wonderful opportunity to both recharge and observe how our field of study thrives beyond the classroom, revealing how vibrant it truly is!
Advice for Aspiring Scientists
You need to start somewhere; take the risk of diving in and give yourself time. And when you begin to immerse yourself, I believe it can be helpful to first fall in love with something in your field, whether it's something big or small. As you grow to love it, you will inevitably begin to cherish and take good care of everything connected to it.
My Favourite Place in Moscow
Ever since I attended art school as a child, my fa have been the Pushkin Museum and the Tretyakov Gallery.