A document with a handwritten resolution and autographs by scientists Sergey Vavilov and Joseph Orbeli

I ask you to provide all possible assistance in the implementation of the film "From the depths of Time"
S. Vavilov
12 I 49

The handwritten resolution was left on the request of the Leningrad Film Studio of Popular Science Films dated December 31, 1948.
The text of the appeal discusses the issue of the USSR Academy of Sciences' assistance to the release of the popular science film "From the Depths of Time".
An abstract plan of the film is attached to the document.

Sergey Ivanovich Vavilov is a Soviet physicist, founder of the scientific school of physical optics in the USSR, full member and president of the USSR Academy of Sciences, public figure and popularizer of science. Sergey Vavilov made many scientific discoveries, many of which were of great practical importance. For example, his research on luminescence led to the creation of fluorescent lamps, which we still use today.

Joseph Orbeli is a Soviet orientalist and public figure, founder and first president of the Academy of Sciences of the Armenian SSR, best known as director of the State Hermitage Museum in 1934-1951. Joseph Orbeli was a brave and determined man both in life and in science. So, at the height of the repression, he was instructed by the NKVD to immediately submit a list of employees of the Hermitage who were of noble origin. Orbeli made a list with his name at the top. After that, the Hermitage staff was no longer bothered, as was Orbeli himself.


The film was supposed to be dedicated to the ancient history of a number of regions of the USSR (Transcaucasia, Central Asia, and the European part of the country), so Joseph Orbeli's participation in its creation is understandable — it's not just that the film was supposed to show exhibits from the Hermitage. In the 1950s, the director of the Hermitage actively supported the idea that Oriental studies should not only be studied in scientific institutions of the Union republics (as it was implied in the 1940s - 1950s), but also be an important field directly at the USSR Academy of Sciences. In this regard, the screening of popular science films about the history of different regions of the USSR (and especially Central Asia and Transcaucasia) was undoubtedly a very important project for Joseph Orbeli.

The appeal to Sergey Ivanovich Vavilov is also not accidental. From 1945 to 1951, Sergey Vavilov was president of the USSR Academy of Sciences, whose support is very important for popular science films. In addition, the scientist actively advocated the popularization of science, including through cinema. Vavilov's appeal to Boris Dmitrievich Grekov is due to the fact that Grekov was at that time one of the largest researchers of Ancient Russia. His support and participation in the creation of the film would have contributed to the high reliability and accuracy of the material presented, as well as greatly increased the scientific value of the film.