Achkinazi I. The Crimchacks (Problem of Formation of the Commonality and its Ethnical History till 1913.).

The dissertation is devoted to the problems of history and ethnology of a little ethnical commonality of the Crimchacks. It proved to be the first comprehensive study, in which historiographical review of bibliography on the Crimchacks is presented, the data on the different groups of sources is summarised, the problems of the formation of Judaic communities on the territory of the Crimea from the date Antiquity and Early Middle Ages are examined, and a conclu-sion about ethniconfessional character of them is made. The data about the existence of the population which was confessing Judaism in all state formations that had been existing in the Crimea before the conquest of its territory by the Ottoman Empire is presented, the conclusion about genetic and cultural continuity of the Crimchacks to them is made. The bulk of ethnical processes occuring with the commonality from the end of the fifteenth century are analised in the essay on the ethnical history, the reasons of growing of ethnical consiousness in 1913 are pointed out. Presented ethnicultural characteristics widens a notion on the Crimchacks as an independent ethniconfessional commonality.