Archaeological Collections of the Institute for Mongolian, Buddhist and Tibetan Studies of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Science (SB RAS): History of Formation and Source Potential)

Abstract

The article analyzes the history of the formation of archaeological collections stored at the Institute for Mongolian, Buddhist and Tibetan Studies of SB RAS. The main definitions are considered — a collection, an archaeological collection; a review of publications on archaeological collections in Siberian regions. The author states that in Buryatia, attention to collections in the source study context is negligible. The interrelation of thematic and territorial expansion of archaeological research with changes in the qualitative and quantitative composition of the Institute’s collections has been established. The dynamics of the development of field surveys in the territory of Buryatia since the 1960s is shown to 2018, provides information on the number of open monuments by decades. Noting the different periods of activity and recession, the author formulated the probable reasons for these changes — lack of or reception of qualified personnel, insufficient (often complete lack of) funding or receipt of research grants, etc.

The incompleteness of the archaeological collection of the Institute — part of the artifacts, and the most interesting from a scientific point of view in the 19702000s, was transferred for storage in museums, and is currently not always available for new research methods. The author raises the question of the need for "virtual" restoration of the integrity of collections to achieve the comprehensiveness of the source base of research. The conclusion is made about the dualistic nature of the archaeological collections of the Institute — as a source on the history of science in Buryatia and as a source base for historical and archaeological constructions and hypotheses.