Published on: 2026-10-14
Source: Novosibirsk State University –
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Selected works collection “The History of the Population of Yenisei Siberia and Adjacent Territories” famous archaeologist, historian, founder and leader Laboratory of Humanities Research of Novosibirsk State University, senior research fellow at the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, candidate of historical sciences Sergey Grigorievich Skobelev (1956-2024) was published this week. The edition consists of two volumes. The first includes articles by the scholar, representing the main directions of his work and written in different years. The second contains a scientific report on the work on his first Open Sheet of 1982, his complete bibliography, as well as reference information about archaeological monuments of the Late Middle Ages and the Modern Period. Previously, these materials were scarcely accessible to a wide audience, now they are gathered under one cover.
The publication is dedicated to the anniversary date — on October 8, Sergey Grigorievich Skobelev would have turned 70 years old. His colleagues and students who worked with him for decades and were well acquainted with the topics of his research and scientific legacy were involved in compiling the collections of his works.
The compiler of the collection of selected works was a Candidate of Historical Sciences Anton Vasilyevich Vybornov, responsible editor — academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Vyacheslav Ivanovich Molodin. The editorial board included the head of the Laboratory of Humanitarian Research at NSU, Candidate of Historical Sciences Oleg Andreevich Mitko. An invaluable contribution to the creation of the two-volume set was made by the graduates Humanitarian Institute (HI) of NSU, students of Sergey Grigorievich Skobelev Vladimir Nikolaevich Nechiporenko and Vyacheslav Vladimirovich Cherkasov.
— The selection of articles by Sergey Grigorievich was carried out by the Laboratory of Humanities Research of the GI NSU. We had to search for them in scientific journals and collections in libraries and private collections of various researchers because the publication required not electronic copies, but the original sources. Since we were compiling both volumes from articles of different years, we encountered difficulties — the earliest works were not easy to find. Among them is the notable earliest article “Russian Axes in Siberia,” which continued S. G. Skobelev’s thesis work and was the topic of his presentation at the MNSK. It was published in a collection that is now very rare and is stored in the Scientific Library of NSU. The first volume of this edition contains over one hundred articles on the archaeology of the Middle Ages and the Modern Era of the Khakass-Minusinsk Basin and adjacent territories, excavations and analysis of materials from the Sayansky Ostrog and other fortification sites, the history of science, and the demography of Siberia’s population during the Russian Empire period. — said the head of the Laboratory of Humanitarian Research at the HSE NSU Oleg Andreevich Mitko.
The first volume of the monograph consists of 6 sections reflecting the main thematic areas of Sergey Grigorievich Skobelev’s work, as well as a section of reference information that allows a better understanding of his research approach and the sources used. The collection concludes with a list of the scholar’s publications, which can be considered the most comprehensive to date.
The first volume opens with the section “Archaeology and History of Yenisei Siberia until the Modern Era.”
— The Neolithic era in this territory remains extremely understudied to this day. Until now, there is only one known archaeological site, which was discovered by Sergey Grigoryevich in the Novoselovsky district of the Krasnoyarsk Krai in 1985. For some reason, this era is excluded from the archaeology of the Middle Yenisei valley and the entire Minusinsk Basin, whereas other cultures are quite well represented. Archaeologists have several hypotheses regarding the reasons that could explain why an entire era spanning 3-4 thousand years disappeared from the region’s archaeological record. One of the hypotheses was proposed by Sergey Grigoryevich in an article that we have included in this section. In short, it boils down to the fact that Neolithic sites do indeed exist, and they are associated with the Yenisei River valley. In particular, a grave near the village of Bateny (Bogradsky district, Republic of Khakassia), discovered by the Krasnoyarsk archaeological expedition in the 1970s during works in the Yenisei flooding zone, was long considered such a site. Another Neolithic site—a settlement—was found on the right bank of the Yenisei near Mount Unyuk.However, until recently, the attribution of these monuments to this specific era was only a hypothesis based on assumptions. Currently, thanks to modern radiocarbon dating methods, it has become possible to date these objects to the Bronze Age. And the material published in S. G. Skobelev’s article allows us to revisit this topic and obtain a definitive answer using the accelerator mass spectrometry method, which is available at Novosibirsk State University, — said Oleg Andreevich Mitko.
The second section covers the archaeology and history of Yenisei Siberia and Siberia of the Modern period. It is precisely this period that marks the formation of a new ethnic appearance of Siberia, the intensification of migration processes from the Central regions of Russia, and the mixing of cultures, peoples, populations, and languages. This section contains the articles “Cartography of ethnographic burial sites of the Middle Yenisei,” “Children’s burials of the Khakas near Krasnoyarsk,” “Novoselovskaya Mountain burial ground — a cultural monument of the Yenisei Kyrgyz of the 17th-18th centuries,” “Archaeological monuments of the Arin and Kachin peoples in the Krasnoyarsk forest-steppe region (16th-18th centuries),” and “A new type of funerary rite in the Middle Yenisei in the late Middle Ages to early Modern period.” Also published in this section is one of S.G. Skobelev’s early works — the article “Russian Axes in Siberia.”
— The axe is one of the most vivid artifacts and cultural markers that allows us to determine exactly which population and from where they came to these territories, since labor tools from the European part of Russia differ from the cutting instruments used in Siberia. Based on the shape, composition, and quality of the metal of the axes, conclusions can be drawn about which regions the population migrated from to this territory, — explained Oleg Andreevich Mitko.
The third section is dedicated to works on the fortification structures of Yenisei Siberia, including objects from the pre-Russian period. In particular, Sergey Grigorievich spent a long time researching the defensive area in Northern Khakassia, in the interfluve of the White and Black Iyus rivers, at the possible location of the capital of the Kyrgyz Khaganate. He put forward several hypotheses about the localization of the “White Stone City” of the Yenisei Kyrgyz, which Russian sources of the 17th century mentioned.
The fourth section is entirely dedicated to the study of the Sayansky ostrog.
— This is the only ostrog (fortified settlement) in Siberia that has been fully excavated in one continuous dig. It is located in the Shushensky District of Krasnoyarsk Krai, on the right bank of the Yenisei River. We worked on its excavations for about 30 years, mainly with students from the Faculty of Humanities as interns—from 1986 until the mid-2000s. This defensive structure was built in 1717–1718 by a detachment of 300 Krasnoyarsk Cossacks led by the boyar’s son I. Nashivoshnikov. The ostrog was intended to protect Russian possessions in Khakassia from invasions by western Mongols. It housed a garrison composed of yearly-service Cossacks sent from various Siberian towns. By the mid-18th century, military confrontation ended, the ostrog ceased to serve as a key defensive point, and the border moved southward, within the Usinskaya Basin located in the center of the Western Sayan Mountains. Abandoned by the Cossacks, the ostrog quickly deteriorated; the wooden walls fell, but traces of its earthen fortifications remained visible for a long time on the high bank of the Yenisei. Later, a Cossack stanitsa (village) named Sayanskaya arose near the ostrog. — said Oleg Andreevich Mitko.
The section includes the following articles: “Excavations of the ostrog for the creation of an open-air monument,” “Sayan Ostrog as an archaeological monument,” “Stockade-type walls in the Russian Siberian ostrog (using the example of the 18th-century Sayan Ostrog),” “Virtual reconstruction of the defensive structures of the Sayan Ostrog on the Yenisei River in the 18th-19th centuries,” “Types of ceramic products of Russian pioneers and old-timers of Southern Siberia in the 18th century based on materials from the Sayan Ostrog,” “Stone products among Russian pioneers and old-timers of Southern Siberia in the 18th century,” “Arrows of the Sayan Ostrog,” “Clothing and footwear fittings from the cultural layer of the Sayan Ostrog,” and others.
The fifth section is interesting — “Demographic issues in the history of Yenisei Siberia.” It covers topics such as “Demographic consequences of the conquest of Dzungaria by the Qing Empire’s troops,” “Migrations, population abductions and their demographic consequences among the peoples of Siberia in the late Middle Ages and Modern times,” and “The impact of epidemics on the ethno-demographic dynamics of the indigenous peoples of Siberia in the 17th-20th centuries.” Peasant colonization is also reflected.
— The demographics of the peoples of Siberia were of great interest to Sergey Grigorievich. Especially the period often described as the “dark age of Siberia,” about which very little historical information has reached us. In Siberia, this “dark age” lasted from the 15th to the 17th centuries. It created the impression that nothing was happening in this vast territory during that time. However, thanks to archaeological research complementing the scarce sources, it has been revealed that the situation was somewhat different. Sergey Grigorievich believed that many Siberian regions did not enter the historical annals of neighboring state formations, and this influenced the overall assessment of the entire territory of Siberia, — explained Oleg Andreevich Mitko.
The sixth section covers the topic “History and Organization of Science” through the articles “Interesting Findings,” “Archaeological Monuments of Siberia as Part of the World’s Cultural Heritage,” and “Main Results of the Humanitarian Research Laboratory of NSU in the Field of Archaeology and Ethnography of Siberia — on the 20th Anniversary of Its Establishment.”
The second volume includes a scientific report on the work on the first Open Sheet by Sergey Grigoryevich Skobelev from 1982, his complete bibliography, as well as reference information on archaeological monuments of the Late Middle Ages and the Modern Era studied by him or involved in theoretical constructions. It also contains a detailed review of ranged weapons used by the population of the Middle Yenisei in the 13th-18th centuries.
— These materials, primarily field reports, have always been of great interest to archaeologists, but they are presented on paper media, texts typed on typewriters, photographs glued in. Access to reports from the 1980s of the last century is not available to every researcher. These are essentially archival exhibits — large glued volumes that are prone to deterioration. This edition allows everyone to familiarize themselves with these rare documents, which have become accessible, — said Oleg Andreevich Mitko.
The publication is intended for archaeologists, ethnographers, historians, students, and all those interested in the archaeology and history of Siberia in the Middle Ages and Early Modern Period.
The print run of the selected works edition is 150 copies, but currently the first 15 have been released. It is expected that they will be delivered to the Novosibirsk State University History Museum and the NSU Scientific Library, as well as to the Novosibirsk Regional Museum and the museums with which Sergey Grigorievich Skobelev collaborated — the Abakan, Krasnoyarsk, and Minusinsk Regional Museums.
In the near future, the electronic version of the monograph will be made available in open access and will be accessible to everyone interested.
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