История формирования фондов Золотой Орды в хранении Государственного исторического музея

Abstract

Research objectives: To study the composition and geography of the Golden Horde collections conserved in the State Historical Museum. It is necessary to demonstrate: how museum collections are used as an essential tool of the modern researcher; how the attitude towards this source of information changes in a chronological perspective; how the absence of any types of sources’ information encourages researchers to discover new directions and develop new archaeological aspects of their study. Additionally, attention should be paid to the question of key events that became starting points for the beginning of archaeological research of the Golden Horde cities. Research materials: The lists of the collections of archaeological department of the State Historical Museum, the main inventory book of the museum, and archaeological items from the the Golden Horde collections of the archaeological department. Results and novelty of the research: The author identified the following methods of replenishing the collections: finds of private individuals of the second half of nineteenth century, items of famous collectors (P.I. Shchukin), archaeological finds of the founders of the museum (P.S. Uvarova), excavations on the instructions of the Imperial Archaeological Commission (D.Ya. Samokvasov, N.I. Veselovsky, V.A. Gorodtsov, A.A. Spitsyn, etc.), transfers from other museums (Rumyantsev Museum, Hermitage), research by museum staff (E.V. Weimarn, V.P. Levasheva, V.L. Egorov, L.L. Savchenkova, N.I. Shishlina, etc.), receipts from the state bodies of the Soviet period (the Simferopol hoard), excavations by archaeologists from friendly research organizations (G.A. Fedorov-Davydov, M.G. Kra­marovsky, etc.). Many items from these collections have taken their place in the exhibition space. The exhibition space itself was built with the database of information and publications of researchers being taken into account. Thus, the finds of the Volga expedition made it possible to display the main aspects of the statehood of the Golden Horde: its architectural traditions, culture, and all types of crafts. Also, the exposition contains items of armament – that is, the main nomadic component of the Golden Horde civilization – as well as two paizas of the heyday of the Golden Horde. Although the exposition cannot reflect all aspects of the Golden Horde civilization, the main (nomadic and sedentary) components are still demonstrated.