Background
Kovalev was born in the village of Kuganak, then in Ufa Governorate of the Russian Empire.
Kovalev was born in the village of Kuganak, then in Ufa Governorate of the Russian Empire.
In 1922, Kovalev graduated from the Department of Social Sciences of the Saint St. Petersburg University.
In 1910, he entered the History and Philology Department of the Saint St. Petersburg University, before being drafted into the military in 1915. He also worked in the St. Petersburg (then Leningrad) branch of the History Institute of the Soviet Academy of Sciences. In Greek history, Kovalev denied the concept of Dorian invasion.
In 1930, Kovalev published an article on the formation of ancient Macedonian state under Philip and Alexander the Great.
In 1936, Kovalev published the first comprehensive Soviet textbook on ancient history for high school. He became one of the editors of the three-volume Soviet book The History of Ancient World.
There he authored two chapters, "The rise of Macedonia and the conquest of Asia" and "The philosophy and art of Greece during its heyday". In 1945-1948, Kovalev published his seminal work, The History of Rome.
Historicity of Jesus
In 1956-1959, Kovalev polemicized with British scholar Archibald Thomas Robertson about the historicity of Jesus.
Kovalev, who held atheistic views, clinged to the Christ myth theory. In the foreword for the Russian translation Kovalev called Robertson"s recognition of Jesus" historicity "a serious flaw" and argued to the contrary. At the same time Kovalev acknowledged the historicity of John the Baptist, Paul the Apostle and apostle James.
