History and Stories
Aleksey Denisenkov's Russian-language history channel: Roman coin hoards, Tacitus, Teutonic knights and forgotten games in bite-sized posts.
What it is
"Istoriya i istorii" (History and Stories) is a personal Telegram channel run by Aleksey Denisenkov, who describes it as history told publicly and subjectively. It's written in Russian. The feed mixes fresh archaeology news with ancient texts and medieval episodes. Recent posts covered a hoard of 934 Roman denarii found on the banks of the Rhine, a tiny 14th-century Byzantine gold signet ring from Bulgaria, Celtic silver coins turning up under a sports ground in Thuringia, and a close reading of how Tacitus described the Aestii and why an Egyptian goddess, Isis, shows up among the Germanic gods.
Why we picked it
You can hear the author. He doesn't paraphrase an encyclopedia; he picks the details that caught his own eye and is open about where he's giving an opinion. There's a #dates series with stories like the naval battles of the Teutonic Order and the fate of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword. And there are pleasant surprises: kolf, a game popular in the 16th–17th century Netherlands that looks like a cross between hockey and golf, or the Roman naval crown decorated with ship prows. Posts take a minute to read but often send you off to look things up.
Where to start
- Scroll to the post about the Roman denarii hoard on the Rhine: a good example of the format.
- Look for the #dates posts on the Teutonic knights and the Sword Brothers.
- Read the notes on Tacitus, about the Aestii and about the Germanic pantheon.
- For fun, find the post about kolf.
Who it's for
Russian speakers who love history but don't want to wade through academic books. Fans of archaeology, the ancient world and the Middle Ages. And anyone who prefers a channel with a real person and a point of view over a faceless editorial feed.
Quick answers
Who runs it? Aleksey Denisenkov, according to the channel description.
Which periods does it cover? Mostly antiquity and the Middle Ages, plus new archaeological finds.
What language is it in? Russian.
