Nomads' gold. On the "Siberian collection" of Peter I

Elena F. KOROLKOVA

Russia's earliest archaeological collection is actually the so-called Siberian collection of Peter I – about 240 unique gold artefacts related to the ancient nomads of Eurasia and kept in the Hermitage.

Тhe outstanding story of this famous archaeological collection reflects the spirit of Peter's epoch, the time of radical transformations occurring in all spheres of public and private life. Apart from the economy, drastic changes took place in people's minds, stirring up their investigative abilities and arousing their interest in the outside world.

The ancient gold kept in the Kunstkamera and then in the Hermitage became an enigma as early as in the 18th century. The objects making part of this collection not only originated from separate archaeological sources but had been created in different periods, from 7th century B.C. to 2nd century B.C. Back in those times, Siberia was inhabited by nomads, who buried their dead at tribal cemeteries. Gold artefacts occasionally found at ancient graves in the 17th—18th centuries — the period of Russians settling down in Siberia — spread a lot of rumors about countless treasures...

More information on these and other subjects you can find in the printed version of our journal.