Archaeology in The ex-USSR
Archaeology in The ex-USSR
Archaeology in The ex-USSR
FlGURE 1.Most important field projects of the Institute of Archaeology (Institute for History ofMateria1
Culture), St Petersburg, 1985-92.
Stone Age (triangle)
1 Kostenki
2 Palaeolithic cave-sites in the Central Caucasus (Kudaro et al.)
3 Pulaeolithic cavesites in the Nortliern Caucasus
Chalcolithic and Bronze Age (circle]
4 Bronze Age barrows in the Northern Caucasus
5-6 Clialcolithic-Bronze Age sites in southern Turkmenistan
7 Bronze Age sites in Western Siberia
Classical Age (diamond]
8-11 Sites of the Classical Age in the Northern Pontic area
Early Medieval sites (square)
11 Ladoga
1 2 Novgorod
154 P.M. DOLUKHANOV
the development ( 3 4 % of the total budget). funding of fundamental sciences, and particu-
The most important archaeological projects in larly of the humanities. Galloping inflation
the 1960s-1980s in Siberia were funded by has recently caused a considerable increase in
the major developments (e.g. Krasnoyarsk, salaries. Since the overall funding remained
Sayano-Shushino hydro-electric power sta- unchanged, it resulted in drastic restriction in
tions and many other projects). field activities. Only a few large expeditions
with ‘central budgeting’ were able to carry out
Post-perestroyka developments fieldwork in 1992.
The problems faced recently by archaeology Owing to the general decline of input from
in the USSR are akin to the difficulties industry and to the chaotic state of finances,
encountered by Soviet society as a whole. The no agreements were concluded for this year
first major problem stems from the disintegra- with the development companies for the
tion of the Soviet Union. The Academy of funding of archaeological excavations in
Sciences of the USSR no longer exists. It has development areas.
split up into the Academy of Sciences of inde- At the same time a new source of funding
pendent states. Some of these entered the CIS, emerged: sponsorship. At least one large expe-
others (Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania) are totally dition (a classical site near Nikolayev excavat-
independent. Consequently, the Institutes of ed by a team from St Petersburg) was entirely
Moscow and St Petersburg now belong to the financed by sponsors this year. There are also
Russian Academy of Sciences (RAN). The cases when sponsors fund the publication of
Institute in St Petersburg proclaimed its inde- archaeological books.
pendence from Moscow and restored its old The publication of archaeological books is
Marrian name [Institute for History of another area that has been severely hit by
Material Culture). post-perestroyka. Until recently a limited
Another consequence of the disintegration number of books was annually published by
of Soviet state was the disruption of intra- the central Nauka publishing house and by its
republican cooperation. Even in the old days St Petersburg branch. Since 1992 Nauka has
it was not always possible to obtain licences imposed charges on the institutes that they
for excavations from the republican archaeo- are unable to pay. No major archaeological
logical authorities. Now it has become much publications will appear this year.
more difficult. In spite of substantial difficul- According to reliable sources, the financial
ties, however, several archaeological expedi- situation in the ex-USSR will grow worse in the
tions from St Petersburg have been able to immediate future. In words of Mr Saltykov,
carry out fieldwork in the Ukrainian Pontic newly appointed Minister of Science, ‘Russia
area and in the Crimea (FIGURE 1). can no longer support its science to continue in
Ethnic conflicts have virtually stopped all the style it was accustomed’. A new policy
kinds of archaeological investigations in adopted by the Russian government abandons
Moldova, Georgia and Armenia. During our all-out support of a broad spectrum of basic
visit to the Greek and Roman site of Tyra (in research, and switches emphasis to priority pro-
the estuary of the Dniestr River) last April jects. The government reserves the right to
Charles Daniels (Head of Department of decide which these priorities are (cited from
Archaeology, University of Newcastle upon Pokrovsky 1992). There can be little doubt that
Tyne) and the author had to use a detour, the archaeology will have no chance of entering the
main motorway between Odessa and Kishinev circle of the privileged few.
being cut by fighting. There are numerous no less serious prob-
A flare-up of ethnic conflicts in the Northern lems facing Russian and ex-Soviet archae-
Caucasus has closed yet another area where ology in the turbulent post-Communist peri-
intensive archaeological studies were being od. The President of the newly organized
carried out by Russian archaeologists. Russian Archaeological Society in his address
to the Supreme Soviet stressed that the draft
Problems law on land presented to the Russian
The deep economic crisis combined with the Parliament makes no provisions to safeguard
painful transition to the market economy has the protection and management of national
resulted in considerable reduction in the heritage in the case of privatization of land
ARCHAEOLOGY IN THE EX-USSR: POST-PERESTROYKA PROBLEMS 155