G. Roerich’s contribution to history of Russian expeditions in Central Asia

Abstract

The study of G. Roerichs scientific heritage is at its beginning. An important basis of Roerichs many-sided scientific activities were his investigations during the expeditions in Asia. The longest, most dangerous and laborious among them was the Central Asiatic expedition of his father - N.K. Roerich. The goal of this article is to examine G.N. Roerichs activities on every stage of the Central Asiatic expedition, as well as G.N. Roerichs works, publishing the results of the expedition research. G.N. Roerich presented the basic results in his monograph Trails to Inmost Asia: Five years of exploration with the Roerich Central Asian Expedition published in English in USA in 1931. Roerichs description of North and Central Tibet is unique because the theocratic state in Tibet and nomad tribes, which Roerich had observed, are no more existing. Roerichs field investigations continued the historical tradition of Russian expeditions in Central Asia. It extended our scientific knowledge about the insufficiently known regions in Asia.