Conserving the Archeological Patrimony of Russia: A Discussion in the Federation Council

On 19 March 2004 Director of the State Hermitage Mikhail B. Piotrovsky took part in a round table discussion in the Federation Council devoted to the subject of “Conserving the Archeological Patrimony of Russia.” The round table was convened in accordance with an instruction from President of the Russian Federation Vladimir V. Putin on the basis of conclusions reached during a session of the State Council in June 2003. Among the participants in the round table were members of the Federation Council, deputies to the State Duma, representatives of the Presidential Aministration as well as from federal and regional organs of the executive branch, directors of archeological research organizations, well known scholars in the field of archeology and museum directors.

The main reports were delivered by First Deputy RF Minister of Culture N.L. Dementieva, Director of the Institute of Archeology and Ethnography of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences A.P. Derevyanko, representatives of the Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences N.A. Makarov and V.V. Sedov, Deputy Director of the State Historical Museum V.L. Yegorov, Director of the Institute of History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences E.N. Nosov, and V. P. Gritsenko, Director of the State ‘Kulikovo Battlefield’ Museum-Nature Preserve of Military and Natural History.

Archeological monuments constitute around 90% of the entire cultural patrimony of any country according to round table participant A. A. Kovalev, Chairman of the Commission on Culture and the Safeguarding of the Cultural Patrimony within the St Petersburg Legislative Assembly. In Russia these monuments have been given federal status. Yet the level of actual protection shown to the archeological patrimony in our country remains depressingly low. Members of the round table considered the problem of so-called amateur or unofficial archeology. In their opinion this phenomenon should not be described as archeology but instead should be called by its proper name: the plundering of cultural treasures.

Director of the State Hermitage Mikhail B. Piotrovsky reminded fellow participants in the round table of the fact that Russia signed a European convention on safeguarding the archeological patrimony back in 1992 but that this most important document remains unratified to this day. In matters of conserving its archeological patrimony Russia finds itself on the same level as Afghanistan or Iraq, where “there is shameless theft of archeological monuments,” he observed. Dr. Piotrovsky suggested addressing a request to the Government of the Russian Federation that a special service for protection of archeological monuments be created.

The discussion led to the adoption of concrete recommendations for the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, the RF Government, the RF Supreme Court, organs of state authority in the regions and federal districts, and the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Participants of the session appealed to President of Russia Vladimir V. Putin to take personal charge of the question of conserving the country’s archeological patrimony.

The round table discussion was organized by the Federation Council’s Committee on Science, Culture, Education, Public Health and Ecology.

(compiled on the basis of reports in the mass media)