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Altai State University Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography
Address: 1st floor, 66 Dimitrova St., Barnaul city, Altai Krai (Building "D" of Altai State University - central entrance)
Contacts:
Tel.: +7 (3852) 29-66-38
Email: maea.asu@mail.ru
Website: altarcheomuseum.wixsite.com/altai-archeology
VK Page: vk.com/m_a_e_a
Opening hours:
- MON–THU: from 10:00 to 16:00
- FRI: from 10:00 to 15:00
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[ ▶︎ ] Video Review
Brief historical background, collections and exhibitions of the museum
Status: The "Altai State University Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography" is a structural subdivision of the Institute of History and International Relations of Altai State University (a departmental museum).
The museum was opened on January 28, 1986. Its creation was preceded by extensive research work conducted since the mid-1970s by faculty and staff of the archaeology department and laboratory, as well as students. They carried out excavations in many areas of the mountainous and steppe Altai, collecting valuable archaeological material that later formed the basis of the museum's exhibition. Since 1978, after the establishment of the Laboratory of Archaeology, Ethnography, and History of Altai, the work of collecting archaeological collections became more focused. An important role in the museum's formation was played by an exhibition of finds from Altai archaeological sites, organized in 1984 as part of a visit by Japanese archaeologists. The premises of the Museum of the History of Education in Altai, complete with display cases, were provided for the exhibition.
The next stage in the museum's creation was the opening of an archaeological exhibition in 1985, timed to coincide with the visit of Geidar Aliyevich Aliyev, a member of the Central Committee of the CPSU. This visit was important for the university, as Vasily Ivanovich Neverov, the first rector of Altai State University, was a confidant of Geidar Aliyev. The first tour of the new exhibition was conducted by Yuri Fedorovich Kiryushin. G.A. Aliyev, being a historian, was very pleased that the staff of the archaeology laboratory had collected such rich archaeological material. After 1985, under the leadership of Yuri Fedorovich Kiryushin, active work continued to fill the museum's exhibition with ancient artifacts.
The museum was officially opened by order of the Minister of Higher and Secondary Education of the RSFSR, I. F. Obraztsov (No. 74 dated 28.01.1986) "to improve the organization of the educational process at Altai University" and received the official name "Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography of Altai".
The main tasks of the museum are the preservation and display of various archaeological finds discovered during the excavation of ancient sites in Altai Krai and the Altai Republic. The museum's collection is constantly expanding thanks to research on archaeological sites conducted by staff, faculty, and students of Altai State University. Currently, the museum holds over 100,000 items from different eras of Altai's ancient history.
The museum's exhibition covers all periods of Altai's history, from the Paleolithic era to the late Middle Ages. It features over 1,500 authentic exhibits. Each section of the exhibition displays unique items, including works of ancient art. Reconstructions of ancient burials from the Bronze Age and the Turkic period, created by museum staff, attract special attention. A separate section presents unique samples from the anthropological collection. A significant part of the exhibition is dedicated to reconstructions of medieval warriors' armaments.
Holdings and Collections:
- Stone Age
- Bronze Age
- Early Iron Age
- Middle Ages
- Anthropological Collection
The museum's materials, which form its collections, were obtained during field research conducted since 1975 by staff, faculty, and students of Altai State University, mainly in Altai Krai and the Altai Republic. The holdings have been supplemented with new archaeological finds each year. Currently, there are over 700 registered collections. Numerous artifacts belong to different historical periods: from the Paleolithic to the late Middle Ages. Materials on the life of the tribes and peoples of Altai are important sources for reconstructing the ethnogenetic and historical-cultural processes that took place in Southern and Western Siberia at different stages of human development. The museum also has an archival fund consisting of more than 300 scientific reports that reflect the results of archaeological surveys and excavations.
Some items from the Museum's collections are known outside of Russia thanks to exhibitions organized by the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences in South Korea, Japan, and Australia.
