IJSA International Journal of South American Archaeology - IJSA (eISSN 2011-0626) www.ijsa.syllabapress.com The South American Archaeology in the Russian Historiography Andrei V. Tabarev Division of Foreign Archaeology Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography Novosibirsk, Russia Email address: [email protected] Inter. J. South American Archaeol. 1: 6-12 (2007) ID: ijsa00001 This information is current as of September 2007 E-mails Alerts To receive free email alerts when new articles cite this article - sing up in the box at the top right corner of the article, see: http://www.ejournals.syllabapress.com/ealerts.html Rights & Permissions To reproduce this article in part (figures, tables) or in entirety, see: http://www.ejournals.syllabapress.com/rightperm.html Reprints To order reprints, see: http://www.ejournals.syllabapress.com/reprints.html © 2007 Syllaba Press International Inc. All rights reserved. Inter. J. South American Archaeol. 1: 6-12 (2007) The South American Archaeology in the Russian Historiography Andrei V. Tabarev Division of Foreign Archaeology, Head Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, Novosibirsk, Russia Email address: [email protected] Available online 30 September 2007 Abstract Since first information from travelers and navy expeditions in XIX century the history of ancient South American cultures was in permanent focus of interest for Russian archaeologists and ethnographers. After more than 150 years it’s possible to talk if not about “Russian school” but about specific “tradition” of South American studies in Russia. The intensity of these researches was changing but in any case Russian scholars produced wide range of interesting works and ideas about the origins of South American cultures and civilizations, ancient art and mythology. Current period highly requires new forms of organization and international cooperation and joint projects. © 2007 Syllaba Press International Inc. All rights reserved. Keywords: Tradition; Soviet Period; Main Directions; Current Situation. Resumen Desde los primeros informes de los viajeros y expedicionarios del siglo XIX la historia Antigua de Sur América ha sido de gran interés para los arqueólogos y etnógrafos rusos. Después de 150 años es posible hablar sino de una “escuela rusa” si de una “tradición” de los estudios suramericanos en Rusia. La intensidad de estas investigaciones fue cambiando pero de alguna manera los científicos rusos han producido una amplia variedad de trabajos interesantes e ideas sobre los orígenes de las culturas y civilizaciones antiguas suramericanas, así como también sobre arte y mitología antiguas. Las investigaciones actuales requieren urgentemente nuevas formas de organización, cooperación internacional y proyectos conjuntos. © 2007 Syllaba Press International Inc. All rights reserved. Palabras Claves: Tradición; Período Soviético; Tendencias Principales; Situación Actual. Introduction the beginning of XIX century thanks to the first maritime expeditions to the Atlantic and Pacific The structure and history of Russian studies of oceans (e.g. expeditions of O. Kotseby, I. South American archaeology is not known in details Krusenshtern and Y. Lisiansky, V. Golovnin, and for western specialists. The only article published in others). The stories and diaries, reports and drawings English is the work of archaeologists from the along with small collections of antiques and artifacts Institute of Archaeology in Moscow Vladimir A. produced scientific interest of scholars, Universities Bashilov and Valery I. Gulyaev in “Latin American and museums. In 1854 famous Russian ethnographer Antiquity” (Bashilov and Gulyaev 1990). It calls Leo I. Shrenk arrived to Peru (Lima, Callao) and “Bibliography of Soviet Studies of the Ancient during his visit got chance to see Inca sites and Cultures of Latin America” and was devoted to the burials, to meet with A. Raimondi and to get three big works of Russian specialists in Mesoamerican, South boxes of artifacts (mummy, textiles, pottery etc.) for American and Caribbean archaeology in whole. It the Museum of Ethnography in St. Petersburg. This included big list of articles and monographs published was the first brick to the collection of South American in Russian and other languages and also the overview artifacts in Russia. of main directions of the researches from 1917 to the The picture of South American cultures was end of 1980th (only Soviet times). Almost twenty presented to the Russian scientists and wide public in years later the author of this paper will try to add new the series of monographs translated into Russian. The information and to summarize the current situation in works of A. von Humboldt (Russian edition in 1834- South American studies. 1835), A. d’Orbigny (Russian edition in 1839), J. von Information about far South American continent, Tschudi (Russian edition in 1867), W. Prescott its original people and bright traces of ancient cultures (Russian edition in 1886) became real bestsellers and and civilizations became widely known in Russia in were included into the lecture courses on world 2011-0626/$ - see font matter © 2007 Syllaba Press International Inc. All rights reserved. ID: ijsa00001 http://www.ijsa.syllabapress.com/issues/ijsa01art01.html 7 A. V. Tabarev / Inter. J. South American Archaeol. 1: 6-12 (2007) archaeology and ethnography in the Universities in America” (1955), and “Peoples of America” (1959) Moscow and St. Petersburg. published by Institute of Ethnography in Moscow. First original publications prepared by Russian The further periods was highly influenced by the scholars appeared on the border of XIX and XX organization of new research structures – Institute of centuries e.g. the article of N. Kharuzin about Peru Latin America (1961) and the Division of Foreign (Kharuzin 1899) and the chapter on the ancient culture Archaeology in the Institute of Archaeology (1962) in of South America by K. Gebler in the “History of Moscow. At the same time several researches Humankind” (Gebler 1902). continued their works in Leningrad - in the Institute of Before 1917 several scientific expeditions were Archaeology and in the Museum of Anthropology and organized for the complex researches in South Ethnography (Kunstkamera). This situation - only two America. For example, the expedition of G. Langsdorf real scientific centers (Moscow and Leningrad) with to Brasil in 1821-1829 and expedition of F. Fielstsrup researches on South American archaeology and Pre- to Brasil, Argentina and Chile in 1914-1915. Most of Columbian archaeology in total existed up to the very the results were published in Russian periodicals. In end of 1990th. spite of the naturalistic goals these reports included Early -1960- late 1980th were very productive some important description and observation about timeframes for Russian studies on ancient American native cultures and history of the region. cultures. As for the works on South American region According to V. Bashilov and V. Gulyaev the number of publication is too big to be analyzed (Bashilov and Gulyaev 1990) history of Latin just in frames for one article so we’ll concentrate on American archaeology studies during Soviet times the main directions of these publications. may be divided into several periods: Origin of agriculture and early civilizations in the coastal and mountain regions of South America. In the - from 1917 to early 1950th; mid 1960th Russian specialist Yuri E. Berezkin - early 1950th - early 1960th; (Leningrad) independently from North American - early 1960th - late 1970th; archaeologists (M. Moseley, E. Lanning) proposed the - late 1970th - 1980th. model of the origin of early states on the Peruvian coast on the base of intensive exploration of marine Let’s make a brief overview of this division products. In several works (e.g. Berezkin 1969) he taking into consideration main directions of the pointed on the importance of various aquatic studies devoted to the archaeology of South America resources (fish, sea mammals, birds, shells etc.) in the with the continuation for the recent 15 years (1991- process of the formation of settled way of life and the 2006). origin of big settlements with complex economy. Several years earlier L. Fainberg for the first time in Main directions of studies in South American Russian literature published the information about Archaeology during soviet times Huaca Prieta Site in Peru (Fainberg 1963). Another archaeologist -Vladimir A. Bashilov Not too many works were published about (Moscow)- devoted a big series of interesting works to ancient South American cultures during first two the process of the origin of agriculture in Peru. He periods -1917- early 1960th. A number of short called it by traditional European term “Neolithic articles (“Aymara”, “Ancient Peru”, “Chibcha”, Revolution” but underlined very important regional “Incas” etc.) were included into various editions of peculiarities (e.g. Bashilov 1980, 1982, 1984). He also Soviet encyclopedias in 1930-1950th along with very wrote a fundamental monograph “Ancient few special publications, e.g. “Ancient Peru” by M. Civilizations of Peru and Bolivia” which is one of the Kosven (Kosven 1941). All this information was best examples of Russian researches on the South based on written sources from European and American archaeology (Bashilov 1972). American periodicals and monographs. Descriptions of archaeological cultures and states. In the middle of -1950- early 1960th several The most of the publications on pre-Columbian South bright