An Archaeological Phenomenon. Between the Past and the Future

It is devoted to three round dates: the 160th anniversary of the birth of the traveller and explorer of Central Asia Pyotr Kuzmich Kozlov (1863–1935), the 100th anniversary of the Mongolian-Tibetan Expedition and 100th anniversary of the start of the scientific study of the archaeological site in the Noin Ula hills.

“Great archaeological discoveries have no end. The burial mounds of the Xiongnu chieftains continue to be excavated, rare carpets and clothing continue to be restored, the display is being refurbished as a result of fresh discoveries and fresh approaches to presentation. Major General Kozlov is always with us,” says Mikhail Borisovich Piotrovsky, General Director of the State Hermitage.

The excavations that the Mongolian-Tibetan Expedition under Pyotr Kozlov’s leadership conducted in 1924–25 in the Noin Ula hills of northern Mongolia revealed to the world rich burials of the elite of the nomadic Xiongnu people (3rd century BC – 1st century AD). The geographic location in the permafrost region, the incredible depths to which the graves were dug (over 10 metres), and the character of the ancient burial rite were favourable to the good preservation of the wooden tombs and the grave goods, especially fabrics and wooden objects. The items that had been used by the Xiongnu nomads dated back around 2,000 years. The objects found were made of various materials: silk and woollen fabric, extremely fine embroidery, felt carpets beneath the burials, little lacquer bowls, gold and silver articles, metal, wooden and ceramic vessels, parts of chariots and horse harness. Thanks to Kozlov’s talent and activities as a researcher and educator, this archaeological discovery immediately became a sensation.

The exhibition “An Archaeological Phenomenon. Between the Past and the Future” presents the most interesting finds and the results of the very latest laboratory studies. On show in the halls are unique ancient artefacts, historical documents and photographs connected with the study of the Noin Ula burials.

The exhibition has been organized by the State Hermitage with the participation of the Institute of Archaeology of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences, the Russian Geographical Society, the Institute for the History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Russian Ethnographic Museum, the State Archive of the Russian Federation and the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Simultaneously with the exhibition, the revamped hall housing the permanent display of the “Noin Ula Archaeological Site” (Hall 367) is also being opened.

The curator is Natalia Alexandrovna Sutyagina, senior researcher in the State Hermitage’s Oriental Department.

The exhibition, in Halls 351–353 on the top floor of the Winter Palace, can be visited by all holders of tickets to the Main Museum Complex until 29 September 2024.

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More about the exhibition

The archaeological site is situated in the north of present-day Mongolia, some 120 kilometres north of Ulan Bator. The scholarly community first learnt of ancient burials in the Noin Ula hills in 1913, after Andrei Ballod, an engineer for the gold-mining company Mongolor, penetrated into one of the barrows by chance. At the time no importance was attached to that incident. The effective discovery and worldwide fame of the Noin Ula site from the Xiongnu era (3rd century BC – 1st century AD) was the result of the efforts of the Mongolian-Tibetan Expedition under Pyotr Kozlov’s leadership. On 24 March 1924, a detachment of the exhibition headed by Sergei Kondratyev embarked on field work which was completed in the summer of 1925.

The ancient burials were concealed by their fellow tribesmen from the world of the living in deep gorges covered with pine forests – the Sutszukte, Tszurumte and Gudzhirte valleys. Around 300 ancient graves have been found there, with more than 40 excavated. The ancient cemeteries were created over several decades, spanning two or three human generations. Among the barrows excavated at Noin Ula there are known burials of the nomadic elite, often accompanied by the graves of warrior “guards” and also small interments situated separately. The space within the tomb was filled with objects that accompanied the deceased: clothing in nomadic and Chinese styles, lacquered articles made in China, jade plaques and imitations of them, traditional wooden utensils, ceramic, bronze and iron vessels, adornments made with precious metals and stones, pieces of horse tackle and decoration. The placement of each object was determined by ritual and reflected various spheres in the life of the deceased. The tombs themselves were covered with embroidered Chinese silk and gold bands. Painted lacquered coffins occasionally occur.

The scholarly community immediately recognized the value and significance of the artefacts discovered, which fundamentally altered conceptions of the ancient history and art of Eastern and Central Asia, the Middle Eastern region and the steppe belt. The understanding of the uniqueness and importance of the newly-found site led to the introduction of a law on the preservation of ancient artefacts in Mongolia, which was passed on 5 September 1924 on the initiative of Tsyben Zhamtsarano (1881–1942), one of the heads of Mongolia’s Scholarly Committee. Restrictions were introduced on the export of objects of scientific value extracted or acquired by foreign expeditions. Kozlov, as head of the expedition, and Zhamtsarano were able to reach a consensus on this issue. On the basis of an Agreement (1924) and a Covenant (1926), materials were sent to Leningrad to undergo restoration and study on condition of the subsequent return of a part of the collection to Mongolia. All the agreements were kept, and in 1926–28 restored items were passed over to Mongolia’s Scholarly Committee.

Throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, research on the site has been conducted in three spheres in parallel: fieldwork, the publication of museum and archaeological collections and the study of individual aspects of the history and way of life of nomad society. From 2005 to 2015 excavations were carried out there by a Russian-Mongolian expedition headed by Natalia Polosmak, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and Academician Damdinsuren Tseveendorj of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences. In 2014, the archaeological complex was officially included in UNESCO’s preliminary list of World Heritage. Today the site is part of a history and nature reserve. In 2023, through the joint efforts of Mongolia’s Institute of Archaeology and the Chinggis Khaan National Museum, excavations were resumed.

An understanding of the Noin Ula phenomenon entails not only the study of the culture and world-view of the Xiongnu on the basis of ancient artefacts found at various times in various barrows and kept in museums in Russia and Mongolia. The past century has seen the accumulation of a considerable body of documents that bear direct relation to the study of the collection and the site. From the moment of their discovery to the present day, those have been a focus of numerous personal, scholarly and political interests: the biographies of the discoverers and researchers, the reconstruction of the life of an ancient society, the history of science, institutional and international disputes over the possession of the collection. They constitute a single complex organism. The Noin Ula phenomenon consists in the continuity of these components, a constantly ongoing process of learning the mysteries of these burial and the events of both ancient and modern-day history entwined around them.

The exhibition “An Archaeological Phenomenon. Between the Past and the Future” has been arranged on the basis of thematic sections and the chronology of events. It opens with Hall 351, which is devoted to Pyotr Kozlov’s biography, the history of the Mongolian-Tibetan Expedition and the discovery of the Noin Ula burials, the incredibly difficult first decade in the study of the materials in the collection associated with the activities of the State Academy of Material Culture and the Institute of Archaeological Technology, the fulfilment of obligations towards Mongolia. This section concludes with a thematic block devoted to events of the 1930s, when the portion of the Noin Ula collection that remained in Leningrad was transferred to the permanent keeping of the State Hermitage’s Oriental Department. On display in the hall are originals and copies of important documents that shaped the course of events in the years 1924–35. Showcases present the personal diaries and field journals of expedition members, plans and drawings, field and museum inventory and storage records of various dates. The decision to display copies of photographs and documents was due to the necessity to preserve from damage fragile glass negatives, the delicate paper and faded ink of the originals.

Hall 352 is devoted to items from the Noin Ula archaeological collection. The majority of the articles here are on public show for the first time. There are items of male and female clothing, parts of the wooden tombs and elements from the decoration of the burial chambers, luxury items owned by the Xiongnu nomads. This display is accompanied by drawings and watercolours produced by professional artists in the 1920s for the fundamental publication of the archaeological materials of the Mongolian-Tibetan Expedition. An important part of the exhibition is the presentation of the results of the present-day research being carried out by the keepers together with specialists from the State Hermitage’s Department for Scientific and Technical Examination and Department for Scientific Restoration and Conservation.

On display in the third hall (Hall 353) are photographs of modern-day excavations and finds that are now kept in museums in Mongolia, as well as two films presenting the results of the work conducted at Noin Ula by the Russian-Mongolian expedition headed by Natalia Polosmak, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and Academician Damdinsuren Tseveendorj of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences. They tell stories of the researchers’ emotional experiences and expectations of results, the daily life of the expedition and particulars of life in the field, as well as plans for the future.

A range of specialists – archaeologists, historians, museum curators, archivists, restorers, chemists, physicists and biologists – share the results of their work and their own views of the Noin Ula materials. Numerous brief accounts merge into one – about the Noin Ula phenomenon, about the endless host of questions and answers connected with it. Understanding this phenomenon, detecting the links between excavations of different dates, separated collections of finds and documents, connecting the past and the present, pointing to directions relevant for future study and work is possible only through the collective efforts of researchers.

This press release was prepared from materials provided by the curator of the exhibition: Natalia Alexandrovna Sutyagina, senior researcher in the State Hermitage’s Oriental Department.