On May 15-17, 2005, a conference "Xiongnu: History and Culture" was held in Sukha Bator, the center of the Selenga Aimag, dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Mongol-Tibetan expedition of the famous Russian traveler P. K. Kozlov. The conference was organized by the Institute of History of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences (ASM) with the support of the Selenga Aimag Administration. The organizers did not accidentally choose the Selenga district as the venue of the conference - it is on its territory, in the three gorges of Noin-Uly Mountain: Gujirte, Tsurumte and Suzukte, that the Xiongnu burial grounds, which became widely known thanks to the excavations of the P. K. Kozlov expedition in 1924-1925, are located.

Participants of the Mongol-Tibetan expedition discovered a large number of perfectly preserved objects in the Noin-Ula burial mounds: fabrics, felt carpets with images of mythical animals, gold and bronze products, ceramics and much more. The results of these excavations are considered by experts to be the most valuable monuments for archeology, which became known in the first quarter of the XX century. Archaeological materials from Noin-Ula give an insight into the burial rite and economy of the Xiongnu, their dwellings and household utensils, clothing and jewelry, processing techniques for various materials, weapons and military affairs, fine arts, beliefs and international relations of the Xiongnu. The Noin-Ul archaeological finds of P. K. Kozlov's expedition became not only a valuable cultural property of Russia and Mongolia (now these objects are kept and displayed in the halls of the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg and the National Museum of Mongolian History in Ulaanbaatar), but also gave a powerful impetus to the study of one of the oldest nomadic empires, which It has had a significant impact on the development of many Asian and European peoples due to its temporary and extensive spatial existence. Scientific work on the study of Xiongnu has been particularly intensified in recent decades due to the development of civilizational research, as evidenced by a large number of publications on this topic both in Russia and abroad. Images of warlike and menacing rulers of vast Eurasian spaces have also become popular in fiction, visual arts, and cinema.

One of the objectives of the conference was to promote a remarkable archaeological discovery made by a Russian expedition in Mongolia. Moreover, and this, in our opinion, is very important, this initiative came entirely from Mongolian scientists and the administration of the Selenga aimag.

On the first day of the conference, the participants were given a unique opportunity to get acquainted with the famous Noin-Ula mounds, to see the preserved excavations of the Mongol-Tibetan expedition of P. K. Kozlov, discovered by the famous Mongolian archaeologist D. Erdenebaatar.

The conference aroused great interest of the international scientific community. The reports of researchers from Hungary, Germany, Mongolia, Russia and the United States examined a wide range of problems related to the history and culture of the Xiongnu, the peculiarities of the emergence and development of statehood among ancient peoples, the issues of ethnogenesis and anthropology of the Xiongnu, the mutual influence of Eastern and Western cultures, etc.

The conference was attended by the Vice-President of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences, Head of the Department of Science and Technology of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science B. Enkhtuvshin and the Governor of the Selenga aimag Bayarmagnai. In his welcoming speech, acad. B. Enkhtuvshin

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He noted that this conference is one of the first events in the framework of the celebration of the 800th anniversary of the Mongolian statehood celebrated in 2006 and has not only scientific, but also social significance.

The reports presented can be divided into two groups: the first was devoted to the history of excavations in Noin-Ul, the characterization of collections and their study, and the second was an interdisciplinary study of the problems of studying the Xiongnu and their influence on Western civilizations.

T. I. Yusupova (St. Petersburg)Professor of the Institute of the History of Natural Science and Technology of the Russian Academy of Sciences) in her report "P. K. Kozlov and the history of the Noin-Ul excavations: sensations and Ambitions" examined in detail the history of the excavations in Noin-Ul, showing that the finds made by P. K. Kozlov's expedition were not accidental luck, but were the result of carefully collected information and hard work. It was noted that the activities of the Mongol-Tibetan expedition marked the beginning of a large-scale scientific study of Mongolia by Russian scientists within the framework of the Mongolian Commission of the USSR Academy of Sciences. T. I. Yusupova presented the organizers of the conference "Diaries of P. K. Kozlov's Mongol-Tibetan expedition of 1923-1926" (St. Petersburg, 2003), the preparation and publication of which were carried out with the support of the Russian Foundation humanities research.

Report by I. V. Kulganek (Spb.The Scientific Biography and Creative Legacy of S. A. Kondratiev continued its consideration of the history of the Noin-Ul excavations and was devoted to the personal contribution of P. K. Kozlov's assistant to the organization and management of the excavations of the Mongol-Tibetan expedition.

L. A. Sakharovskaya (V. A. Obruchev Kyakhta Museum of Local Lore) in her report "On some archaeological finds from the Noin-Uly Kyakhta Museum of Local Lore" also touched upon the historical aspect of the excavations. The Noin-Ul museum's collection is not very large, but it is of undoubted historical interest. It consists of some finds by A. Ballod, who was the first person to excavate one of the mounds in Noin-Ula in 1912, and objects donated by O. Amphilochius (Skvortsov) to the museum in 1913. Unfortunately, scientists did not pay due attention to A. Ballod's findings, and only 12 years later P. K. Kozlov became interested in them.

With the exception of a small number of objects kept in museums in Mongolia, Irkutsk and Kyakhta, the main part of the archaeological collection of P. K. Kozlov's expedition is located in the Hermitage, where they were received in 1934 from the Ethnographic Department of the Russian Museum (now the Russian Ethnographic Museum) - the original place of storage of collections. The curator of the Noin-Ula Foundation, Yu. I. Elikhina, in her report "The collection of monuments from Noin-Ula in the State Hermitage Museum", described this Hermitage collection, most of which consists of fabrics: silk, embroidery, wool, felt. The burial tools found in the mounds are divided into three groups: Chinese, Central Asian-Iranian and directly Hunnic items. Fabrics and mirrors were studied by E. I. Lubo-Lesnichenko, the rest of the finds are still waiting for their researchers.

S. S. Minyaev (Institute of the History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences) presented a report on modern methods of studying archaeological finds "Study of bronze products from Noin-Uly". He examined metal objects from the collection of P. K. Kozlov's Mongol-Tibetan expedition, mainly parts of chariots and horse harnesses. The obtained data suggest a high level of development of metallurgical production in the Xiongnu, and comparison with objects from other Xiongnu tombs confirms the opinion that there were several metallurgical centers in this nomadic empire. The chemical composition of the metal products studied is similar to that of Central Asia, which indicates that the Xiongnu had close ties with the Central Asian peoples.

The state and prospects of archaeological research of Xiongnu burials were discussed in the report of D. Erdenebaatar (Institute of History of the Academy of Sciences of Mongolia) "Research of Xiongnu aristocratic mounds in Mongolia". The main focus of the Mongolian archaeologist was on the results of the search work, during which about 70 areas with suspected Xiongnu burials were discovered in Mongolia. So, in the Arkhangelsk region there are about 250 mounds. Work has started on the largest of them. The German archaeologist W. Brosseder (University of Bonn) in her presentation "Social structure in the Xiongnu society - some observations" summed up the preliminary results of the German archaeological expedition in Mongolia and Buryatia and drew a parallel between the Mongolian and Buryat finds. In all the cellars-

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Many ceramics with strong Chinese, Western, and Far Eastern influences were found in these areas. But numerous findings cannot give a clear answer to the question: is this a consequence of the movement of things or / and people? Among the burials excavated by German researchers, there were both aristocratic and ordinary burials. According to the speaker, aristocratic burials are a kind of markers of cultural and social changes among the Xiongnu.

The importance of an integrated approach to the study of archaeological sites was discussed in the informative report of B. Sumyaabaatar (Institute of Language and Literature of the Academy of Sciences) "On the question of deciphering the inscription on the "Golden Man"". The author shares the opinion of archaeologists about the ownership of gold plastic with a human figure and an inscription found during the excavation of the burial site Ubugunt (Mongolia), Xiongnu. However, he believes that only the continuation of painstaking historical and comparative work, comparing this unique find with archaeological sites of this time (the beginning of the first century AD) in other parts of the world will help not only to accurately attribute it, but also to recreate the Xiongnu script. In the report, the author described the writing system and lexical and grammatical features, and also gave his interpretation of the decoding of the inscription, which indicates the significance of this plate as a regalia of the Shanyu power.

The peculiarities of the social organization of the Xiongnu were discussed in the report of S. V. Danilov (IMBIT SB RAS) "Cities of the Xiongnu". The author noted that it is difficult to name unambiguously the reasons for the appearance of cities in the Xiongnu. Although nomadic society developed according to its own principles, it did not escape the common features with sedentary civilizations. As one of the versions of the appearance of cities among the Xiongnu, it is possible to consider the need to manage and control the expanded territorial possessions. The presence of large fortified Xiongnu settlements is being confirmed by more and more archaeological evidence, including personal excavations of the author of the Bolen Undur settlement in Abakan.

A series of reports was devoted to the most discussed issue of Hunnologists - the ethnogenesis of the Xiongnu. Who are they? Mongols or Turks? Or were their ancestors the northern Chinese tribes? While representatives of Russian historical science are mostly inclined to the theory of the Turkic origin of the Xiongnu, Mongolian and Hungarian historians and archaeologists believe that the Xiongnu were a proto-Mongolian people. The problem of the origin of the Xiongnu was discussed in detail at the conference.

A general review of the state of linguistic study of this issue was devoted to the report of J. P. Blavatsky. Ganbold (Institute of History of the Academy of Sciences) "On the ethnogenesis of the Xiongnu: a review of publications". Based on the interpretation of published materials on this topic, mainly Chinese, the author concludes that a narrow professional approach is not enough to find the answer about the Xiongnu ancestors, although linguistic comparison can be an important key to solving historical questions. Adhering to the recently widespread opinion about the heterogeneity of the Xiongnu, the author pointed out the need to draw on the results of archaeological and anthropological research, while paying special attention to the ethnogenesis of the tribes that form the core of the ancient Xiongnu empire, and the names of their leaders.

Anthropological data also do not provide an unambiguous answer to the question that has been worrying scientists for more than two and a half centuries. Professor D. Tumen (Mongolian State University) in his report "Anthropological studies of the Xiongnu", based on the analysis of a large amount of material from various Xiongnu burials in Mongolia, Buryatia, and Tuva, also holds the opinion that the Xiongnu were a heterogeneous people in composition, while pointing out a direct genetic link between the Xiongnu and modern Mongols.

B. Dashibalov (IMBIT) presented new arguments about the Mongol-speaking nature of the Xiongnu in his report "Archaeological data on the Mongolian origins of the Xiongnu". The scientist turned to the analysis of two traditions that formed the Xiongnu culture - West and East Asian. According to the speaker, the East Asian Xiongnu complex, characterized by settled dwellings and a developed settlement tradition, can be correlated with the Mongols. As a confirmation of this assumption, the author compared the data of archeology with the materials of the language, folklore, and ethnography of the Mongolian peoples, where evidence of the former settlement of the Mongols was preserved in the form of relics. At the same time, the Xiongnu created a state whose population, as in any state, was ethnically heterogeneous.

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The topic of the Xiongnu ethnogenesis was continued in the report of Z. Batsaykhana (Institute of History of the Academy of Sciences) "Foreign tribes in the Xiongnu". Being also an adherent of the hypothesis of heterogeneity of the Xiongnu origin, the Mongolian researcher on the basis of extensive archaeological materials showed the influence of not only Proto-Mongol, but also other ethnic groups on the formation of the Xiongnu culture.

The problem of the need for an interdisciplinary approach in solving a scientific problem was considered by the St. Petersburg archaeologist A. A. Kovalev in the report "Chinese sources on the origin of the Xiongnu". After analyzing some new hypotheses on this issue, he drew the attention of colleagues to the recent poor knowledge of modern researchers, both Western, Russian and Mongolian, sources, primarily Chinese. This is especially evident when determining the chronology of historical events. At the same time, the interpretation of sources should be based on and supported by the results of archaeological, anthropological, linguistic and other studies.

Another important topic considered by the conference participants, which has also been widely discussed for many decades, was the problem of the identity of the Asian Xiongnu and the European Huns of the IV-V centuries AD.The authors of the reports read out were supporters of their identity. American researcher M. Erdi in his report "Historical and cultural relations between the Xiongnu and the Huns" based on a comparative analysis of objects found in Asian and European burials, and documentary sources, presented a map of the migration of the Xiongnu through Central Asia to Europe.

Representatives of the Institute of Ethnography of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences reported on the history of the Xiongnu in Hungary: I. Novor ("Research on the History of the Xiongnu in Hungary"), V. Obrushchansky ("Names of Hungarian officials of Hunnic origin"), B. Iediko ("On the question of the History of the Xiongnu in Hungary"). cultural influence of the Christian religion on the Xiongnu in Europe").

Summing up the conference, Director of the Institute of History of the Academy of Sciences Ch. Dashdava noted the importance and relevance of discussing issues related to the reconstruction of the history of the Xiongnu, their ethnic transformation and impact on the fate and culture of the peoples of Europe and Asia. Ch. Dashdava thanked the leadership of the Selenga aimag for their support in holding the conference and noted that if the initiative of Mongolian historians and archaeologists finds further response from their foreign colleagues , the conversation will continue in a year.

In conclusion, the Chairman of the khural of the Selenga Aimag, Mr. Zhavkhlan, expressed gratitude to the scientists who study the history of Mongolia for their work and expressed hope that the research activities of the international scientific community will not only enrich historical science with new facts, but will also help draw attention to the unique natural and historical monuments of the Selenga Aimag.

The researcher of the Selenga Museum of Local Lore, O. Bavu, prepared a large excursion program for the conference participants.

For the Russian delegation, especially for the representatives of St. Petersburg, the fact that Mongolian scientists and the public paid attention to P. K. Kozlov's activities was very significant and valuable. The natural-historical and archaeological collections brought by P. K. Kozlov from the expeditions not only enriched Russian museums, but also made it possible to introduce more than one generation of Russians to the nature, culture and history of Mongolia and Tibet, and contributed a lot to "prevent the path of Russian explorers from overgrown in Central Asia." N. N. Poppe, a well-known Mongol scholar, paying tribute to P. K. Kozlov, wrote that "Central Asian historians and research archaeologists owe him a great deal." The vast scientific heritage of P. K. Kozlov has not yet been mastered, and it is gratifying that it is the subject of wide international scientific study.

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