VI International Congress of Archaeology of the Eurasian Steppes

On October 29, 2024, the Tatarstan Academy of Sciences hosted the opening of the VI International Congress of Archaeology of Eurasian Steppes “Cultures and peoples of Steppe Eurasia: unity in origin and diversity in traditions”.

The tradition of its holding was laid back in 2007 at the Founding Congress of the International Congress of Archaeology of the Eurasian Steppes in Kazan, where it was decided to found a new scientific organizational structure that unites and coordinates the efforts of archaeologists in studying the history of peoples of Steppe Eurasia and adjacent territories.

The I International Congress of Archaeology of the Eurasian Steppes was held in Kazan in 2009 and was attended by about 150 specialists from eight countries. II International Congress was held in 2012 in Barnaul (93 participants from 12 countries), III Congress was held in 2017 in Vladivostok (120 participants from 12 countries), IV Congress was held in 2019 in Ulan-Ude, which was attended by more than 230 participants from 20 countries. The Fifth Forum held in 2022 in Turkestan (Kazakhstan) brought together scientists from different scientific organizations from 28 countries (213 participants).

The VI International Congress opened with a plenary session, at which the greeting of the Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation Lyubimova O.B. was announced by the head of the Department of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation for the Volga and Ural Federal Districts Petukhov G.A. The congratulatory address of the State Council of the Republic of Tatarstan Mukhametshin F.H. was announced by the Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Education, Culture, Science and National Affairs of the State Council of the Republic of Tatarstan Terentyeva I.V. The President of the Tatarstan Academy of Sciences R.N. Minnikhanov, addressed the participants of the Congress with a video greeting. The greeting of the Vice-President of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Academician Secretary of the Division of Historical and Philological Sciences RAS, Director of the Institute of Archaeology RAS Makarov N.A. was announced by the Scientific Secretary of the Laboratory of Natural Science Methods of the Institute of Archaeology RAS Yavorskaya L.V. Member of the Association for Trans-Eurasia Exchange and Silk Road Civilization Development (ATES, China) addressed the audience Zhang Shangjia, Academician-Secretary of the Division of Social and Economical Sciences of the Tatarstan Academy of Sciences, Rector of the Kazan State Institute of Culture R.S. Akhmadieva, Acting Director of the Institute of International Relations, History and Oriental Studies KFU Fakhrutdinov R.R addressed the audience with greeting. The reports were made by the Director of the Institute of History, Archaeology and Ethnography of the Peoples of Far East FEB RAS Kradin N.N. (Vladivostok), Director of the Institute for the History of Material Culture RAS Polyakov A.V., Professor of the Institute for the History of Natural Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Cheng Wei.

At the plenary session Director of the Institute of Archaeology named after A.Kh. Khalikov of the Tatarstan Academy of Sciences Sitdikov A.G. presented a report on many-years studies of the complex of mausoleums nearby the village of Lapas of the Uzbek Khan period in the Astrakhan region as a part of the state program of Tatarstan “Preservation of the national identity of the Tatar people”. It is assumed that they belong to the khans of the Golden Horde and their retinue.

The Congress is attended by more than 120 researchers: leading Russian and foreign scientists, specialists in archaeology and history of the peoples of the vast area of Steppe Eurasia from ancient times to the present days from 23 regions of Russia, heads of leading archaeological institutes RAS and scientists from 9 foreign countries (Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkiye, Uzbekistan, China, Romania).

The Congress will run until October 31, 2024.