In early April, the Russian Science Foundation announced the results of its main competition for fundamental research projects conducted by individual research groups. Among the winners was a team led by Nikolai Seregin, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Head of the Laboratory of Ancient and Medieval Archaeology of Eurasia, and Professor at Altai State University. Their project titled Inner Asia during the Great Migration Period: An Interdisciplinary Analysis of Archaeological Materials, received support.
The project aims to reconstruct the fragmented history of Inner Asian nomads in the first half of the first millennium CE based on excavations of archaeological sites. Despite its particular significance for understanding many aspects of Eurasian history at the turn of the ancient and medieval periods, this period remains largely a "blind spot" for the region. This is due to several factors: the persistent regional approach in archaeological research (including the local study of individual archaeological cultures in specific regions); the low level of study of sites from certain periods (primarily Rouran sites); the still limited experience of implementing an interdisciplinary approach; the controversial nature of site chronology; and the unpublished nature of a significant volume of archaeological material, including the excavation results of several key complexes.
The core team implementing the project consists of staff from the Laboratory of Ancient and Medieval Archaeology of Eurasia at Altai State University. Specialists from two specialized academic institutions—the Institute of the History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences (St. Petersburg) and the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Novosibirsk)—will also participate in the study. This will allow for a comprehensive interdisciplinary study of a representative array of materials from sites located in various parts of Inner Asia.
The project is designed for three years with the possibility of extension. Funding for each year is 7 million rubles. Both field research (excavations in various parts of the region) and desk-based study of materials, including the use of natural science methods, are planned. The key outcome of this work is expected to be a comprehensive concept of the formation and transformation of nomadic communities in Inner Asia during the Great Migration Period, which is intended to serve as the basis for further research into the history of this vast region at the turn of the ancient and medieval periods.