Black archeology — the other misfortune of Kazakhstan

By Sergey ABAKSHIN

Archeology is scientific way of graves’ desecration

Valeriu Butulesku

Archeology is the science, studying humanity past through the material sources. However, archeology is a kind of business as times of commodity-money relations’ shown its total victory. Black archeology is business, some times it’s half criminal, some times overtly criminal. Nowadays it sees the second splash in Kazakhstan.

Black archeologist is more post-soviet phenomenon at the territory of Kazakhstan. These people are busy with illegal search of ancients aiming to sell it to anybody who are able to pay. This kind of business was in embryonic state when Soviet Union had been existed. At this side of the Curtain there was fragmented payable demand from wealthy collectors; and at the other side there was no way out as the border was under lock and any custom officer turned every soal inside out.

Soviet Kazakhstan was not touched by black pathfinders who dug anything on the places of the Second World War battles. They were specialized on searching material objects such as thing owned to Wehrmacht solders, aside from red pathfinders who searched for bones of soviet solders in the purpose of its reburial. At the end of eighties, for instance, SS officer’s dagger cost 3 000 of Deutschemarks in Germany and today it costs about 5 000 Euros. Battle lines didn’t reach Kazakhstan lands, so black pathfinders have nothing to find here: no weapon, no medals and no precious at all.

Everything’s changed in roaring nineties. That period of time black archeologists weren’t included into global network of such kind of business, though the process followed the direction quite quickly. Scavengers of nonferrous metals took infrastructure remained after soviet army in Kazakhstan into pieces; other ones went to distant villages and bought antelope Saiga’s horning, which hung there at the walls as souvenirs, for next reselling it to the Chinese. Saiga’s horning is used in China medicine. And some half-criminal businessmen turn out to archeological diggings.

Kazakhstani black archeologists’ main objects of attention are burial mounds of Sakas’ epoch. They are referred to the period of early Iron Age, but criminals mostly interested in gold. Sakas’ burial mounds are the places of nomadic grand people’s burial, and they are very suitable object for black archeology. As a rule they are situated in under-populated places and the diggings could be made far from others sights. Another characteristic – they are very good identifying in steppe landscape conditions. You don’t need special knowledge to define whether burial mound was pillaged in past or not. For example, if there is the deepening at the top of burial mound then black archeologists have nothing to do with it, the tomb was opened already, so the soil has sank.

Black archeologists were interested in gold, jewelry with turquoise and jade usage, iron and bronze weapon in nineties of XX century then nowadays the picture has changed. Global infrastructure of black archeology reached Kazakhstan. Today it can be easily defined how ancient ceramics or other workpieces. As the result, the second wave of burial mounds pillaging has started. Everything is taken out from burial mounds and after that searched for something having material values, and other things are thrown out.

There is colossal damage to historical heritage. Paradox of situation in nineties is in official science was in decay according the state financing absence, but black archeology got unprecedented scale. It must be mentioned about corruption also. Many black archeologists had official documents and permissions on diggings with al necessary signs and seals. To be honest till the end, a part of black archeologists – was usual archeologists and their assistants in the past. However when usual archeology stopped to feed they found another source in black archeology.

One of the parts of common problem is museum pieces grabbing, though it’s not quite black archeology. In 1971 year there was quite loud case of golden sarmat fallars (decoration element of horse harness) grabbed from museum of Rostov-on-Don city in USSR. Guilty people were caught and strictly punished and expertise assessed fallars in 500 thousand of roubles. Soviet rouble had official rate of 1.5 of US dollar that time.

The museum of West Kazakhstan also had two fallars. It was specific fallars of ancient Greek work special for sakas-sarmatic governors. One of archeologist who took part in diggings of these fallars one day came to the museum and didn’t see it at the exposition. In fact, this kind of fallars can be seen only in the museum of Naples and in several museums of the world. The archeologist tried to find out where is missed fallars (in the middle of nineties any of them could cost two million of US dollars). After that he had to leave his own town concerning about his life because of the reaction of some tough guys at his questions. The archeologist came to Almaty and started to work as electrician in one of business centers of the city. Later on he made inquiries about fallars but it didn’t back into the museum.

The situation is only one fragment and if we put together common picture, it could be just terrified how many national heritage objects missed. One more story from West Kazakhstan, one archeologist most probably black one, though he had all required documentation at hand. The man was strange because he hired only one local worker for diggings of burial mounds. Later on this local man told that many of pulled out artifacts were packed into special trunks. He counted the 24 trunks when it was loaded into archeologist’s car. In a few days after black archeologist left his assistant died suddenly.

The historical past echo can take the most intricate forms in Kazakhstan. One day, while working on writing next article I have to learn some places of ancient metallurgists, who lived in the territory of modern west Republican region in bronze period. Ancient mines and shafts sinking counted three thousand of years, but they are didn’t erase with the time. The places under-populated and people like to talk with the others. It was the time of shortage and local teacher asked me whom he can sell golden dust and small nuggets. He showed metal candy can of 10 cm in diameter and 2 cm in height almost fully filled with golden dust and nuggets.

The teacher visits ancient zone of golden openings when the spring comes and snow is melting and gathers golden dust and nuggets there. I couldn’t say anything useful for him. Later on he asked, are there gold-mining companies in Almaty which can give a good price. If yes, he will show them ancient gold deposit. I told him I know nothing about gold business, because I’m botanist in the kind of activity. We went apart with nothing.

Black archeology got all features of complete industry. Special internet sites offer tents, shovels, metal detectors, campfire and cooking accessories. Also you can find there advices on cleaning and restoration of findings, methods of communication with local law machinery and state authorities. In total illegal business prospers. One time all attention of black archeology was focused in Iraq – where war was carrying out in museum under open sky. The interest to artifacts from Kazakhstan and neighboring countries has risen again for today. Our authorities pretend that black archeology problem simply doesn’t exist.