The archaeological collection of the Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography of the IEE RAS: history of formation from the 1970s to the 2020s

The subject of this research is the archaeological collection of the Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography of the Institute of Ethnological Studies named after R.G. Kuzeyev of the Ural Federal Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, which will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2026. The focus of the study is the history of its formation through collections compiled as a result of archaeological field research (excavations and surveys) conducted in the Southern Ural region. The aim of the research is to systematize and summarize all available information about the history of the formation of the archaeological fund of the Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography from the founding of the museum to the present day. Special attention is given to the contributions of all Soviet and Russian archaeologists whose research has resulted in valuable materials on the history of the Southern Ural region from the Paleolithic era to modern times being deposited in the storage facilities of the Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography. A comprehensive approach was employed in the study, based on archival, historical-comparative, and quantitative methods. For the first time, based on existing literature, data from the Scientific Archive of the Ural Federal Scientific Center, and internal museum documentation of the Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography, the history of the formation of its archaeological fund has been examined, starting from the museum’s founding in the 1970s to the present day. The names of all researchers and archaeologists who contributed to its formation have been indicated. For the first time, information about the peculiarities of the replenishment of the fund from 2000 to 2020 has been introduced into scientific circulation. It has been established that until the end of the 20th century, the museum primarily received archaeological collections from employees of the Institute of Language and Literature History, while from the beginning of the 21st century, the main source of new acquisitions has been researchers from the Institute of Ethnological Studies named after R.G. Kuzeyev.

Museum, Archaeology, Ethnography, archaeological fund, archaeological collection, Southern Urals, Republic of Bashkortostan, archaeologist, monument of archeology, the book of receipts