On December 4-6, 2006, Ghent (Belgium) hosted an International scientific conference organized by the University of Ghent with the support of UNESCO and the Flemish Trust Fund, which discussed the problems of archaeology of the Scythian era of the Altai and the natural context of ancient monuments preserved in permafrost. The participants of the international forum, which brought together more than 50 people from nine countries (England, Belgium, Germany, Holland, Kazakhstan, Russia, USA, France, Switzerland), were welcomed by the leadership of the University of Ghent and UNESCO representative Yu. Khan, who noted the importance of the issues discussed in the context of global climate change. (This is the second international scientific forum held in 2006; a scientific conference with a similar program was held in the spring in Gorno-Altaisk.)

The work of the section "Cultural landscape of Altai" was opened by a report by V. Geile (University of Ghent, Belgium), dedicated to the archaeological research of the University of Ghent on the territory of the Russian State.(1995- 1997, 1999 - 2000, 2003 - 2006) and Kazakhstan's (2006) Altai. As the main result, the speaker called the creation of a database that includes information about more than 5 thousand archaeological sites. Employees of the University of Ghent, as the speaker showed, were engaged in mapping various archaeological sites in the Altai Mountains using modern navigation tools and participated in excavations together with the expedition of the Gorno-Altaisk State University.

E. Jacobson (University of Oregon, USA) made a presentation on the inventory of archaeological sites in the territory of the Mongolian Altai and approaches to the interpretation of local "cultural landscapes" of this region. In her opinion, the amount of data obtained as a result of joint work with colleagues from the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (information on several thousand monuments of different eras, including petroglyphs, olen stones, ancient Turkic sculptures, kereksurs, so-called virtual dwellings, etc.), has already exceeded the "critical mass" for hypotheses and requires the development of a new approach. making sense. For different loci of the Mongolian Altai, e. Jacobson proposed hypotheses concerning the cultural and social content contained in the structure of complexes of archaeological sites in open landscapes. E. Yakobson's discussion of the "landscape archeology" of the Mongolian Altai was continued by the speech of her graduate student M. Yakobson. She made an excursion into the history of the formation of the term "cultural landscape", spoke in favor of the need for an" integrated approach " to the study and put forward her own versions of the interpretation of the content contained in various monuments of the population of the high-altitude valleys of the Mongolian Altai.

L. Van Hoff (University of Leiden, the Netherlands) informed the audience about a joint research project in Central Mongolia with the University of Ulaanbaatar, about the similarities and differences between different archaeological sites in this area and the Altai (co - author of the report-H. Hinzler). V. G. Babin (Gorno-Altaisk State University) read out the theses of the employee of the Gorno-Altaisk State University.Altai State University V. I. Soenov, who did not attend the forum. They identified factors that threaten the preservation of archaeological sites in Altai, among which the first place is occupied by anthropogenic impact (development of the region's infrastructure, including the tourism industry, etc.). A.V. Shitov presented a joint report with A.V. Karanin (Gorno-Altaisk State University), in which he outlined the geological, geophysical and landscape characteristics of a number of natural resources. He proposed that some of these features should be considered as a reflection of archaeological and astronomical patterns in the Kosh-Agach district of the Altai Republic.

On the first day of the conference, a mini-seminar was held on modern cartography and the use of its achievements in archeology. K. Jacobsen (Institute of Photogrammetry and Geoinformation, University of Hanover, Germany) demonstrated the possibility of constructing accurate maps using space-based satellite data.

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N. R. Goossens (University of Ghent, Belgium) pointed out that the inventory of Altai archaeological sites is impossible without detailed mapping, and informed about the technology of creating archaeological maps of the valleys of a number of rivers in the Chui steppe (Kosh-Agachsky district of the Altai Republic), as well as about the work on the project of the University of Ghent in 2006 A. de Wolfe (University of Ghent, Belgium) described the possibilities of modern geodetic equipment and GIS techniques for obtaining accurate location determinations of archaeological sites. He proposed a way to integrate various methods (photogrammetry, aerial photography, cartography, geodesy, GIS technologies) to obtain the most accurate results.

The section " Scythian Archaeology "was opened by A.-P. Frankfort's report" Reflections on Pazyryk culture and art in the light of new discoveries", prepared jointly with K. Deben-Frankfort. Researchers have proposed promising approaches to solving the complex problems of determining Western borrowings in the art of the Altai population of the Scythian era. The task is to identify cultural elements introduced to China through the Pazyryk people or without the participation of the Pazyryk culture carriers, bypassing the Altai Mountains. The authors ' conclusions about the Achaemenid influence on Pazyryk art, the Bactrian periphrasis of Achaemenid Iranian art as a source of borrowing, the process of adaptation of stylistic visual techniques by Pazyryk masters, as well as the reverse steppe influence on Bactrian art are extremely interesting. The authors of the report convincingly show the possibilities of revealing the mechanisms of cross-cultural interactions based on the analysis of visual materials.

G. Dzhumabekova presented the report prepared in collaboration with Zh. Samashev, A. Ongar, G. Kiyasbek, A. Chotbaev, and G. Bazarbayeva (Institute of Archeology named after A. A. Chotbaev). Margulana, Almaty, Kazakhstan), dedicated to the results of the latest research of the Berel burial ground. In 2006, the Pazyryk mound was excavated here with a paired human burial accompanied by five horses. Of great interest are perfectly preserved sets of ceremonial horse bridles with images in animal style. K. Altynbekov (Restoration Laboratory "Ostrov Krym", Almaty) gave a detailed account of the principles and methods of conservation and restoration of various artifacts from permafrost monuments of Kazakhstan's Altai, demonstrated a number of impressive author's reconstructions, including models of horse decoration and head masks with mountain goat horns from Kazakhstan. Berel burial ground.

D. V. Cheremisin (Institute of Archeology and Ethnography SB RAS, Novosibirsk) turned to the analysis of the semantics of one of the characters of the animal style art of the Pazyryk culture - the "beak-headed" deer, represented on the tattoos of the Pazyryk people (burial grounds Pazyryk, Ak-Alakha, Verkh-Kaldzhin). The speaker demonstrated a representative series of iconographic parallels to the tattooed images of this character in the works of toreutics and wooden carvings of the Scythian population of Southern Siberia and Central Asia, and also suggested a version of reading the semantics of this fantastic image. H. Pieczonka (German Archaeological Institute, Berlin) presented a joint report (co-authors - V. I. Molodin, M. I. Epov, D. Tseveendorzh and Th. Shneevais) on mapping and geophysical research of the monuments of the Mongolian Altai, carried out in the framework of an international project in 2005-2006. In the course of interdisciplinary research and monitoring on the monuments of the Scythian era, geophysicists of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences discovered permafrost under the sand, identified archaeological sites, subsequent excavations of which made it possible to discover the "frozen" Pazyryk monuments in Mongolia.

G. Parzinger (German Archaeological Institute, Berlin) presented a joint report with the participants of this project V. I. Molodin (Institute of Archeology and Ethnography SB RAS, Novosibirsk) and D. Tseveendorzh (Academy of Sciences of the Mongolian People's Republic, Ulaanbaatar), in which he demonstrated the results of work in the Mongolian Altai, including materials from the excavations of the Olon Kurin burial ground-Gol is the southernmost Pazyryk monument known to date. An international expedition investigated the Pazyryk burial site with typical burial equipment, well preserved in the permafrost conditions. I. Y. Slyusarenko (Institute of Archeology and Ethnography, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk) introduced the conference participants to the results obtained in the course of joint research with the Candidate of Historical Sciences. Heusler (German Archaeological Institute, Berlin) studied samples of ancient wood from Pazyryk sites in the Russian and Mongolian Altai. The results of combining dendrochronological scales constructed for Tibet based on juniper samples (K-U) were of the greatest interest. Hoisler), for the Altai and Mongolia-based on samples of ancient larch trees (I. Yu. Slyusarenko), as well as dendrochronological indicators of the duration of the Pazyryk culture of Altai.

At the section "Studying the permafrost phenomenon of Gorny Altai", reports were made on the following issues:-

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They also discussed the threat of extinction and the possibility of preserving permafrost in the context of global climate change. N. N. Mikhailov (Belgorod State University) described in detail the conditions of formation and the current state of permafrost in the Altai. According to the speaker, the process of permafrost degradation in Altai is progressing, but it is not catastrophic. In another joint report with L. A. Mikhailova and N. F. Kharlamova, N. N. Mikhailov focused on regional manifestations of global warming (shifting boundaries of natural zones, desertification, aridization). As a result of climate changes in the high-altitude Altai, the authors of the report conclude, permafrost and the size of glaciers will decrease.

A. P. Gorbunov (Kazakhstan High-altitude Geocryological Laboratory of the Institute of Permafrost Studies SB RAS) in a joint report with the head of this laboratory E. V. Seversky acquainted the participants with the results of the latest research of permafrost monuments in the territory of Kazakhstan's Altai, characterized different types of permafrost. E. V. Seversky in a joint report with Z. S. Samashev (Institute of Archeology named after V. V. Yushchenko). Margulana, Almaty, Kazakhstan) informed about the work in the framework of the UNESCO project " Altai mounds with permafrost: strategies and prospects", demonstrated the dependence of the thickness of permafrost lenses in the Berel River valley on the height and diameter of the stone mound of the mound erected over the graves of the Scythian era.

S. S. Marchenko (International Permafrost Association, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, USA) in his report, as well as in a joint report with V. Romanovsky, demonstrated the change in the state of permafrost in Central Asia, presented the results of a study of permafrost under the Pazyryk Bereli mounds. In his opinion, climate change in the context of global warming can threaten the permafrost under mounds with a diameter of less than 18 m and a height of less than 1-2 m. The speaker spoke about methods that prevent the degradation of frozen rocks, including industrial experiments on the creation of special siphons for freezing ice and preventing thawing of frozen soils in those areas where R. Goossens reported on the experience of studying permafrost in the territory of the Russian Altai using satellite imagery.

Yu. P. Badenkov (Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow) listed the factors (globalization, economic and infrastructure development) that are associated with the greatest threats to natural and cultural heritage; Altai is doomed to face their influence in the near future. Yu. P. Badenkov developed the idea of creating mountain biosphere reserves in the border area proposed by him at the conference in Gorno-Altaisk. The zone is located within Russia, China, Mongolia, and Kazakhstan. In his opinion, it is in such a reserve that it is possible to combine the solution of the problem of preserving natural and cultural heritage and successfully implement the development strategy in the border areas based on the introduction of a special code of economics here. The author also presented a virtual project of the open-air museum to demonstrate Pazyryk antiquities on the territory of the Ukok plateau.

Zh. Bourgeois (University of Ghent, Belgium) in his speech summed up some of the results of the project on the preservation of archaeological sites in permafrost in the Altai, which was implemented by employees of the University of Ghent, as well as Gorno-Altaisk State University (Russia)and the Institute of Archeology. Margulan (Kazakhstan), and announced a program of further actions. Among the most important results of the expedition to Altai, he attributed the organization of monitoring of archaeological sites with natural permafrost, the creation of detailed archaeological maps of the Kosh-Agach district of the Altai Republic. The project provides for further monitoring of permafrost under the burrow, preservation and study of archaeological sites with permafrost, including excavations of permafrost burials.

Yu. Khan (UNESCO) highlighted the policy of the international committee that she represents regarding the preservation of the cultural and natural heritage of the Altai region, part of which is included in the list of World Heritage sites on the territory of the Russian Altai. In her opinion, the time has come to involve Russian government agencies in order to develop and implement measures to manage this wealth in accordance with Russian state laws and the Convention for the Protection of World Cultural Heritage Monuments. According to Yu. Khan, Kazakhstan could also start preparing to submit a part of Kazakhstan's Altai as a candidate for inclusion in the list of these monuments.

The organizers of the conference prepared and opened the exhibition "Frozen graves in the Altai Mountains"in Ghent. It presented a variety of materials about the research of archaeological sites of the Scythian culture in the steppes of Eurasia (posters with texts, photographs and graphics, including copies of artifacts from the Berel burial ground), complexes of the Pazyryk culture preserved in permafrost in the territories of Russia, Kazakhstan and Mongolia. Among the most interesting materials are-

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lov - photos provided by the German side of the latest excavations of the Russian-German-Mongolian expedition in 2006 in the Mongolian Altai. Some participants of the French-Kazakh and Russian-German-Mongolian projects (A.-P. Frankfort, G. Parzinger, G. Bazarbayeva, K. Altynbekov, I. Y. Slyusarenko) were invited to Ghent and made presentations. The exhibition showed replicas-reconstructions of archaeological artifacts from the Berel burial ground, made by the artist-restorer K. Altynbekov.

In the final discussion, recommendations were discussed regarding real actions that were proposed to be taken for cooperation between various scientific, cultural and state institutions of Russia, China, Kazakhstan and Mongolia in the study and protection of the natural and cultural heritage of Altai. The participants of the discussion emphasized the need for participation of regional scientific and educational organizations, local governmental and non-governmental structures of different countries in the development of legislation that would protect the natural and cultural heritage of Altai. The participants of the discussion unanimously agreed that it is necessary to inform local authorities, which are called upon to monitor compliance with the legislation in each of the countries bordering on Altai, about archaeological sites that have the status of cultural heritage. As initial steps, it was suggested that the exhibition, presented for the first time in Ghent, should be developed sequentially in Kosh-Agach (Russian Altai), Bayan-Ulga aimag (Mongolia), as well as in one of the centers of East Kazakhstan. To discuss the standards of inventory of cultural heritage sites in the region, it was proposed to create a group of experts.

The participants of the discussion unanimously agreed that the maximum effect in the study and preservation of monuments can be achieved by the efforts of representatives of various scientific disciplines, the development of interdisciplinary research, especially in the context of the deployment of large-scale infrastructure and economic projects in the Altai, as well as global climate change. Concluding this report, I would like to once again express our hope for productive discussion of a complex of environmental problems and issues related to the "ecology of culture" during the discussions held in 2006 under the auspices of UNESCO at the forums in Gorno-Altaisk and Ghent. The participants of the conferences expressed their full readiness to make their efforts to contribute to the practical solution of complex problems related to the preservation of the natural and cultural heritage of Altai.

Institute of Archeology and Ethnography SB RAS 17 Akademika Lavrentieva Ave., Novosibirsk, 630090

Russia E-mail: cheremis@archaeology.nsc.ru

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