All-Russian conference “Archaeology of the Ural-Volga region in light of new research” started its work in Kazan

Today, March 4, 2026, the All-Russian scientific conference “Archaeology of the Ural-Volga region in light of new research” opened at the Tatarstan Academy of Sciences (20 Bauman St., Kazan). This is the key annual event of the Institute of Archaeology named after A.Kh. Khalikov of the Tatarstan Academy of Sciences.

The official opening ceremony was held at 10 a.m. in the Academy’s small hall. The President of the Tatarstan Academy of Sciences, academician Rifkat Nurgalievich Minnikhanov, welcomed participants, highlighted the conference’s significance for advancing archaeological science in the region, and thanked everyone involved for their contributions.

The forum has brought together 115 researchers—authors and co-authors of scientific papers—from 16 cities across Russia and abroad: Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Vladivostok, Samara, Saratov, Astrakhan, Orenburg, Cheboksary, Yoshkar-Ola, Rostov-on-Don, Sevastopol, as well as scientific centers in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. The conference program includes 68 scientific papers dedicated to the results of recent field research, paleogeography, anthropology, archaeozoology, archaeometry, and issues related to the preservation of archaeological heritage. Special attention is being paid to interdisciplinary approaches, the integration of digital technologies into archaeological practice, the restoration of museum objects, and the popularization of historical and cultural heritage.

The first day featured a plenary session with key presentations including:

– Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Nikolai Kradin (Vladivostok) presented a report on the incidence of statehood in the context of regional archaeology.

– Professor Tamara Yanina (Moscow State University) delivered a reconstruction of the paleogeography of the Caspian Sea in the Holocene.

– Results of the 2023–2025 field seasons were presented, including: research in the Ilishevsky district of Bashkortostan (Chizhevsky A.A., Sattarov R.R., Orudzhov E.I.); the study of a 14th-century market at the Uvek settlement (Kubankin D.A., Valiev R.R.); and comprehensive work at the Samosdelka settlement (Vasiliev D.V.).

– The results of an international project at the Ken-Bulun settlement in Kyrgyzstan were presented by Kolchenko V.A., Sitdikov A.G., and Engovatova A.V.

The conference will continue on March 5 with thematic sectional sessions. Participants will discuss specialized issues and summarize the results of field research.