Moscow: Institute of Africa of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 2007, 288 p.

A well-known Africanist, N. B. Kochakova has been studying the history of the Yoruba and neighboring peoples living in the south of modern Nigeria and Benin for many years.She has published several monographs and many articles, and read many reports at international congresses. Another area of her research is the problems of state formation and typology of political organisms; she has repeatedly participated in their discussion at the international level, both as a speaker and as a co-author of collective monographs. In addition, the subject of her interest is the spiritual culture of African peoples. Finally, Kochakova also established herself as a successful historiographer - her work analyzing the work of African historians has not lost its relevance to this day.

The new monograph successfully combines these trends, but does not repeat the previous works. It is distinguished by its originality and thoroughness of research from an unusual point of view. Using the example of the sacred city of Ile-Ife (the ancient city retains this status even today), the author raises an interesting question about the relationship between its real history and the image formed by the new mythology. This is important not only for Nigeria - there are such cities in many regions of the world.

The problem of such mythologization has existed for a long time. Thus, even with Islamization and Christianization, traditional local mythology persisted for centuries, as is shown, for example, by the history of Songhai in West Africa or Ethiopia. However, this problem is particularly relevant today, when the growing globalization causes the opposite process-re-traditionalization, the desire to oppose the primordial values to the universal equation. Traditions and rituals are being preserved (or recultivated or even re-created), myths, individual cultural elements are being reanimated, etc. It is especially important that the idea of the sacredness of rulers associated with such sacred centers still exists today (in various forms). The sacralization of rulers is still alive, for example, in Nepal, Mnyamna, Thailand, Lesotho and Swaziland. The memory of them can also be seen in places where they have already been deprived of power, as in the Congo, Angola, and Mali. The analysis of the concrete example of Ile-Ife allows for a broad generalization, since, despite all the historical vicissitudes, it has never lost its status as a sacred center of Yoruba. The author clearly shows how nowadays ancient ideas are being modernized, adapted to the new reality, while remaining in demand precisely as traditional ones.

The source base of the work is extensive. The author has collected almost all the information about her chosen subject of research-from materials of archaeological excavations to modern mythological representations, studied the works of both Western and (importantly) Western authors. african authors. Especially valuable is the use of information provided by ritual leaders (both through the press and in direct conversations with the author of the book). N. B. Kochakova's great success is her visit to Ile-Ife and personal observations, which, unfortunately, is not always available to domestic researchers. Her psychological and historical approach is also interesting, helping to understand how Christianity, European education, a scientific approach to the problem and traditional faith are combined in the minds of Yoruba scientists.

The topic chosen by N. B. Kochakova for the study is extremely complex due to the scarcity of sources from the ancient and medieval periods. The author has carefully processed the available data-

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She also critically analyzed the work of the scientists who addressed them. She made a good sketch of archaeological research. All its conclusions are quite cautious and well-founded. If it is impossible to draw indisputable conclusions, Kochakova does not allow emotions to prevail over scientific reliability, as our foreign colleagues often do.

The work paints a fairly complete and versatile picture of the city's existence as a single political, economic and spiritual center of Yoruba for several centuries. It is clearly structured. The article examines the existing theories about the genesis of the city-state and its spatial organization, management systems (which existed almost until 1990); economics; and describes social groups and, most importantly, spiritual culture. The book, in my opinion, convincingly proves that the early statehood of the Ife developed on the basis of non-formed community associations of different levels, and this diversity of levels remained in the administration for many years. This is probably typical of many African political associations of the pre-colonial period - let us recall the works of L. E. Kubbel on Mali or D. M. Bondarenko on Benin.

In the introduction, the author rightly defines the structure of Ile-Ife as the "primary state" from which the entire Yoruba civilization grew - one of the largest and most important in Nigeria and which today has formed numerous diasporas in both the Old and New World countries. The main part of the book consists of eight chapters that trace the history and structure of the city from its origin to the XX century. It is quite logical to include in a special chapter a description of spirit worship and the polytheistic pantheon, as well as a separate section on fate and diviners, since the ideas of predestination occupy an important part in the system of traditional Yoruba beliefs.

In the first chapter, "Genesis", the main versions of the origin and rise of Ile - Ife are analyzed. N. B. Kochakova critically approached various, often poorly founded hypotheses, among which the Atlantic (L. Frobenius) version and the version of the foundation of Ile - Ife on the gold trade occupy a considerable place. It reasonably concludes that it is impossible at this stage of study (with insufficient archaeological research) to express an irrefutable theory of its origin. Here we also discuss in detail the mythology associated with the legendary founder of Ile-Ife-a demigod, warrior and ruler of Oranian; interesting comparisons of this figure and the ideas of the wanderer's power in other cultures.

The second chapter is "Space - everyday and sacred". Here the author examines in detail the layout of the city and its architecture (the ruler's palace, shrines, and other buildings), based on the analysis of the most recent archaeological works, as well as his own observations. It shows their sacred essence, expressed in the features of architecture, the use of building materials, the organization of work, etc. Now " peaceful coexistence of the sacred and profane, secular-a characteristic feature of Ile-Ife today. The sanctuaries are adjacent to modern one-and two-story buildings and communications " (p. 55). The idea of the city as a sacred ancestral homeland and spiritual center of the people is supported and cultivated by the Yoruba intelligentsia.

The third chapter is "Management system". It provides a detailed analysis of hierarchical governance, with a separate section devoted to each step: "Uni-Sacred Ruler of Ife"; "Palace Administration"; "City Administration"; "Periphery Management"; "The judicial system. Ogboni"; " General characteristics of management. Hierarchy of communities". It shows not only the sacred essence of the power of the Ooni as a "sacred priest-king", as defined by J. R. R. Tolkien. Fraser, but also some actions (both themselves and dignitaries) that have prepared for the long desacralization processes that have not been completed today. Sacralization also applied to the lower levels of government, up to rural communities connected by sacred ties to the land.

The fourth chapter is "The Economy of ancient Ife". N. B. Kochakova analyzes in detail the well-known hypothesis of R. Horton about Ile-Ife as an exclusively commercial and craft center and quite positively evaluates it. It is important, however, that the author does not limit himself to clarifying this hypothesis, but also considers the activities of ordinary citizens, real people of yesterday and today. It may seem strange, at first glance, that in an urban civilization, hunters are put first, and only then farmers, artisans, and priests. However, this is quite reasonable. First, we must keep in mind the geographical conditions of Yoruba people-these are equatorial forests. And fair enough to me-

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the author's opinion that "it is precisely these fearless and inquisitive people, armed with bows, arrows, machete knives and boundless patience, protected only by their own courage and amulets, who deserve the merit of settling the virgin forest and its primary cultivation" (p.141). Their sacred connection with the forest and the land is very important. Secondly, in many societies in West Africa, hunting unions continued to play an important role even after they lost their primacy in economic pursuits. As R. V. Arsenyev's research has shown, even in modern Mali, they remain a significant political force. As detailed as the stratum of hunters, N. B. Kochakova describes groups of farmers, artisans and priests. It convincingly shows the inseparability of mythical ideas and purely economic activity.

This completes the first part of the work. Chapters five through seven are devoted to a detailed description and analysis of the Yoruba spiritual culture.

Ideas about souls (the Yoruba believed that each person had several of them), the cult of body parts (primarily the head and hands), the worship of the earth, water, plants, animals, the story of the main deities of a complex and branched pantheon, the organization and essence of sacrifices - this is the content of the fifth chapter - " The Gods of Ife (traditional beliefs and cults)." The author shows the diversity and complexity of the Yoruba deity family, which is quite comparable to the already well-known mythologies of ancient Greece and Rome and other ancient societies (India, pre-Columbian America, etc.).

The title of the sixth chapter - "Fate, the concept of personality, the Elisa divination system" - speaks for itself. Predestination, magic, and divination were (and still are) an essential part of the life of Yoruba people who preserve traditional beliefs. And those who converted to Islam or Christianity (now they are about equally divided among this people) have not lost much of these ideas. The author meticulously describes the relevant ritual practice. Especially interesting are the sections on the training system of priests-soothsayers and the current context of prophecies. A similar course is even included in the curriculum of the Faculty of Humanities at Obafemi Awolowo University in Ile-Ife. "The oracle is used by intellectuals, businessmen, and politicians at critical moments in their lives, not to mention ordinary people," writes N. B. Kochakova, who is well acquainted with many representatives of these social circles (p. 203).

Chapter seven - " Time is profane and sacred." As in many other traditional societies, Yoruba time was determined not only by the positions of the sun, moon, and stars, but also by a complex system of beliefs. They, in particular, determined the dates of a particular religious holiday. A four-day week was associated with the mythological creation of the world in four days. At the same time, the "dangerous" hours and days of the week also existed and continue to play their role; the idea of merging the "end-beginning" time in the religious cycle has also been preserved. The sacred calendar, to which a separate section of the book is devoted, was closely connected with these ideas. Today, two calendars co-exist in Ile-Ife: for example, national holidays are celebrated according to the Gregorian calendar, while sacred holidays are celebrated according to the lunar calendar. The author believes, and we can agree with him, that " most of the festivities... they play a positive role in maintaining a favorable psychological climate in Ile-Ife" (p. 219). Bright and spectacular, they are no longer closed to non-believers and attract many visitors from all over Nigeria and from countries with Nigerian diasporas. Sacred Yoruba holidays share the fate of similar ones among other peoples, both in Africa and around the world (recall at least the Moscow celebrations of Maslenitsa, Sabantuy, holidays in India or Latin America, etc.).

The monograph concludes with stories about the situation in the spiritual life of Ile-Ife in the XIX and XX centuries. It shows how the ooni of this time, on the one hand, the traditional sacred kings, and on the other, the European-educated intellectuals, are trying, without losing traditions, to bring the life of their subjects closer to the requirements of modernity. This is greatly facilitated by the opening of the university in 1962. It is noticeable how there is an interpenetration and mutual influence of traditional and university elites. Concluding the monograph, the author writes: "Against the background of modern integration processes that are taking on a global character, leading to the death of national statehood and cultural leveling, it is natural for local integration processes to survive or revive in a modified form, drawing their strength from the distant past. It would be a mistake to consider

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they are only used as relics of ancient times. On the contrary, the study of their origins and development incentives in our days is necessary to understand the prospects for modern development and to free our consciousness from the fetishization of the economy and globalization " (p. 237). This conclusion seems convincing and applicable to many societies in Africa, Asia, and the Indian and Pacific Islands...

The monograph is successfully supplemented by appendices, first of all, a detailed historiographic essay and an extensive bibliography with more than 190 titles. An index of proper names, ethnic and geographical names, and local terms will make it easier for a thoughtful reader to work on the text. Undoubtedly, the book is decorated with illustrated inserts that open chapters, maps and photos (some are published for the first time in an accessible edition).

The author managed to combine a strictly scientific, grounded approach with ease and accessibility of presentation. This makes the monograph equally interesting and valuable for specialists (Africanists and students of other societies that preserve ancient traditional features), as well as for the broad masses of curious readers.

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